Monthly Archives: April 2012

Some NYC residents fined for having birdbaths

Residents of New York who have birdbaths with standing water on their property may be susceptible to a fine of up to $2,000 based on the city’s health code, according to an article in The New York Times. (Hat tip to Melissa Mayntz who runs the great About Birding page for bringing it to my [...]

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Vermont governor outruns 4 bears tearing up his bird feeders

Every year, we get stories and warnings of bears terrorizing bird feeders around a neighborhood, including one such warning in Centre County, Penn. However, few stories are as fantastic as this one involving a big public figure. According to the Burlington Free Press, Gov. Peter Shumlin of Vermont was heading to bed late Wednesday night [...]

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Beware the Bird Feeder Bandit

If you have bird feeders in your backyard, chances are at some point you’ve found yourself wondering where your feeder went. Usually, a squirrel will knock it down or sometimes a bear will drag it off, but you probably never fell victim to the bird feeder bandit. According to FOX59 News, a man brazenly stole [...]

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Birds might not have magnetic compasses for homing afterall

We’ve all wondered how they do it at some point in our lives. We’ve wondered how homing pigeons can find their way to specific destinations or how Northern Wheatears can travel 9,000 miles from Alaska to West Africa with amazing precision. The theory we’ve grown to know, which is that birds have a magnetic compass [...]

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Make a positive impact by drinking bird-friendly coffee

For many people, the routine of sipping a cup of coffee while admiring the birds fluttering about their bird feeder is a great start to the morning. However, while you’re definitely giving back by helping feed the birds, there’s a possibility you’re doing harm to countless migratory birds that go through Latin America by drinking [...]

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Most interesting eggs with natural colors and patterns

Dyeing chicken eggs bright and exotic colors is a well-known tradition associated with Easter. However, for many species, there’s no need to dye the eggs because they are naturally colorful and contain unique patterns. Here’s a look at just a few of the most interesting natural eggs with color. American Robin Among the most well-known [...]

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Scotts Miracle-Gro pleads guilty to knowingly poisoning bird seed

Over the past few weeks, pretty disturbing news has come out that Scotts Miracle-Gro knowingly violated US federal laws by manufacturing and selling poisoned bird seed for an incredible two years. Last month, the company pleaded guilty in court for putting pesticides in two of their brands of bird seed called “Morning Song” and “Country [...]

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Beware of salmonella poisoning at bird feeders

According to Oregon Live, there’s been an outbreak of salmonella poisoning throughout the Portland metropolitan area as local residents are reporting more dead and dying birds around feeders. While salmonella outbreaks are not widespread, isolated cases are common at the very beginning of spring when large clusters of birds are gathering together at bird feeders. [...]

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