Category Archives: Bird News

On Friday night, as the clock approached midnight, hundreds of birders readied themselves for the world’s premier birding competition—the World Series of Birding. Although birding has the reputation of being an activity reserved for those looking for a relaxing escape from the burdens of everyday life, there are those who seek the exciting and adrenaline-inducing [...]

Birders and activists throughout the world are celebrating International Migratory Bird Day and World Migratory Bird Day this weekend. Although the two events are separate entities, the idea is the same: raise awareness and promote conservation during migration, which is a crucial time for birds. The events take place the second weekend of every May, [...]

According to the American Bird Conservancy, hundreds of millions of birds are killed each year from domestic and feral cats. Birds are most vulnerable to predators when gathered around bird feeders because they aren’t completely focused on their surroundings. While many pet owners do the right thing in keeping cats indoors, sometimes feral cats or [...]

Yesterday, I was speaking to someone who said birds are excellent barometers of the health of certain area because as birds go, so goes the environment (and vice versa). Perfect evidence to back up this sentiment appeared Wednesday when four conservation groups filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Interior to get the black-backed [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]