Polynesian navigators often carried with them
frigatebirds, which they released and followed to land. The remarkable drumming of a
Ruffed Grouse, that percussion produced by a rapid beating of the wings, is a vivid
example of a non-vocal or instrumental bird sound.
The argonauts of the western Pacific and Polynesia,
when navigating the vast distances between tiny islands, observed with great care
the migration of birds. By August, many young birds are full sized, have left the
nest, and can fly short distances, but they still follow their parents and beg for
food.
Summer is a crucial time to keep your backyard
birds supplied with water for drinking and bathing.
John Tubbs of Snoqualmie, Washington tells of a
raft trip down the Deschutes River in Oregon. Imagine watering your garden on a hot
August day, when a small yellow and gray warbler flutters into the spray and begins
taking a shower. This Laysan Albatross, with a wing span of about seven feet, is
completely at home in the vastness of the open ocean.
Cedar Waxwings display a wealth of eye-catching
plumage. Sooty Shearwaters, moving south. Phalaropes are sandpipers that make their
living from the sea. But before they go, they gather together in large flocks and
swirl down into a hollow tree or chimney for the night.
Hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
floods, and forest fires all can kill birds in great numbers.
John Tubbs of Snoqualmie, Washington tells of a
raft trip down the Deschutes River in Oregon. And naturalist Rob Sandelin recalls
how he coaxed swallows to nest in his yard.
Severe storm winds not only kill many birds but
blow others, especially seabirds, far from their normal range.
They are typically found in open coniferous or
mixed coniferous and broadleaved forests, and seem most at home in the dry
Douglas-fir forests of Eastern Washington.
You are at a HawkWatch site, one of fourteen North
American fall raptor migration sites monitored by HawkWatch International. This
unfortunate nesting niche means the plovers run a forbidding gauntlet of disruption
by people, dogs, cars, and impinging development. Subdued colors help camouflage the
male ducks, protecting them from predators. This astute aerial predator stands a
little more than six and a half inches tall, from its sharp-clawed feet to its
stubby, ear-like tufts.
In Veracruz, Mexico, the flow of migrating raptors
contains birds from all over eastern North America. The calls of resident
Black-billed Magpies resound on an early September morning.
They eat the mice, rats, and gophers that nibble on
the roots of young grapevines.
A fine woodworker has a chest full of tools, each
designed for a specific task. It can be difficult to identify a bird by its
appearance, and just as challenging to do so by its song.
He will fly after dark to avoid the threat posed by
hawks and falcons. A close look at this Red Crossbill reveals a curious adaptation.