Category Archives: migrants

Wildlife of the real Gilligan’s Island(s)

Posted on 25 January 2020 by Tim O'Connell

Please don’t ask how I come up with these things because I can’t explain it, but I found myself wondering if anyone had ever eBirded Gilligan’s Island? Rabbit hole: entered. Quick history: Gilligan’s Island was a goofy comedy brainchild of … Continue reading →

Posted in birding, birds/nature, environment, migrants, movies & tv, wildlife | Tagged biodiversity, eBird, Gilligan's Island, Honeymoon Cay, iNaturalist, invasive species, Moku-o-loe Island, natural history, Sandy Cay | Leave a comment

My lifer Whooping Crane – something I thought I might never see

Posted on 26 July 2019 by Tim O'Connell

It’s been a long time coming, but I was recently guided to my lifer WHOOPING CRANE by my nephews Benjamin and Matt Hack (+ special guest star Matt’s friend Kaitie) at a lake near Dexter, Michigan. This is an ENDANGERED … Continue reading →

Posted in animal behavior, bird banding, birding, birds/nature, editorial, Endangered Species Act, environment, history, IUCN, migrants, population estimates, wildlife | Tagged ABA, Aransas NWR, birding, consevation, endangered species, ESA, extinction, Michigan, success story, USFWS, Whooping Crane, wildlife, Wood Buffalo NP | Leave a comment

One to watch: Nick Russo’s Ecology of Bird Movement and Dispersal

Posted on 8 July 2019 by Tim O'Connell

via Research Follow the link above to the Nick Russo’s website Ecology of Bird Movement and Dispersal. Interesting work and a lot more to come I’d wager!

Posted in academics, animal behavior, bird evolution, birds/nature, environment, evolution, IUCN, Links, mentoring, migrants, Partners in Flight, population monitoring, professional development, wildlife | Tagged dispersal, ecology, environment, movement, ornithology, science | Leave a comment

The Wild Side for April 2019

Posted on 25 April 2019 by Tim O'Connell

Check out the latest newsletter of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Wildlife Diversity Program. Note: Only do this if you want to learn cool stuff about wildlife in the Sooner State and how to support them through your education … Continue reading →

Posted in animal behavior, bat conservation, bird banding, birding, birds/nature, Endangered Species Act, environment, evolution, IUCN, life, Links, migrants, monarch butterfly, National Audubon Society, No Child Left Inside, Partners in Flight, population estimates, population monitoring, professional development, skepticism and science, wildlife | Tagged chestnut-collared longspur, citizen science, gray treefrog, herps, non-game, ODWC, Oklahoma, pollinators, The Wild Side, Wildlife Diversity Program, wildscaping | Leave a comment

The nightjars are returning! — A Feathered Reptile

Posted on 26 March 2019 by Tim O'Connell

The world needs to better appreciate the unique style of of Gretchen Newberry and her use of art in her #SciComm! This just in! The last of the migrants are on their way back, as evidenced by this announcement by … Continue reading →

Posted in academics, animal behavior, bat conservation, bird evolution, birding, birds/nature, Endangered Species Act, environment, evolution, life, migrants, National Audubon Society, skepticism and science, wildlife | Tagged A Feathered Reptile, Caprimulgiformes, environment, Gretchen Newberry, migration, nature, nightjar, science, writing | Leave a comment

Handbook of the Birds of the World newsletter #50

Posted on 10 August 2018 by Tim O'Connell

The August newsletter of HBW Birds Alive– a milestone as the 50th in this series – has just been released. I’ve already lost track of how many new things I just learned in a few minutes’ browsing. Highlights:

Posted in animal behavior, bird evolution, birding, birds/nature, environment, evolution, HBW Alive, IUCN, migrants, population estimates, population monitoring, skepticism and science, wildlife | Tagged biogeography, Golden Masked-owl, HBW Alive, Internet Bird Collection, ornithology, phylogenetics, Rain Quail, Siwa Reed Warbler, Southern Dark Newtonia, systematics, taxonomy, Torrent Tyrannulet | Leave a comment

Beach-nesting birds: assault from all sides

Posted on 7 August 2018 by Tim O'Connell

Their fortunes tied to the tides, many species of coastal birds nest directly on the beach. Here Nature seems to conspire against them in these places we so often associate with idyllic relaxation. On North America’s temperate Atlantic Coast, beaches … Continue reading →

Posted in animal behavior, birds/nature, editorial, Endangered Species Act, environment, evolution, IUCN, Links, migrants, National Audubon Society, Partners in Flight, population estimates, population monitoring, skepticism and science, wave energy, weather, wildlife | Tagged American Oystercatcher, Atlantic Coast, barrier islands, beach, beach-nesting, Black Skimmer, chick, Common Tern, competition, creche, dunes, Eastern Shore, egg, encroaching species, environment, fledgling, flooding, ghost crab, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, high tide, invasive species, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, LTER, nature, nest predation, nestling, northern harrier, overwash, Piping Plover, sea level rise, storm surge, tidal creeks, TNC, Virginia, Virginia Coast Reserve, wrack line | Leave a comment

Historical data – shorebirds and a sea turtle on the Virginia Coast Reserve

Posted on 18 June 2018 by Tim O'Connell

Long ago my life was quite different. I spent a lot more time outside and I traveled to some pretty wild places. I did not, however, carry a camera with me. Back in those days, you might have a compact … Continue reading →

Posted in animal behavior, birding, birds/nature, Endangered Species Act, environment, evolution, history, IUCN, life, Links, migrants, Partners in Flight, population estimates, population monitoring, wildlife | Tagged Atlantic Ocean, barrier island, citizen science, Eastern Shore, eBird, iNaturalist, Leatherback Sea Turtle, LTER, Northampton County, Piping Plover, shorebird survey, The Nature Conservancy, Virginina Coast Reserve, William and Mary | 1 Comment

The Wild Side newsletter – March 2018

Posted on 22 March 2018 by Tim O'Connell

The Wildlife Diversity Program of our Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation publishes a great little e-newsletter: The Wild Side. This month’s issue hearkens to the extraordinary ecosystem diversity our state packs into its relatively modest area: mixed-grass prairie, Ozark caves, … Continue reading →

Posted in bat conservation, bird banding, birding, birds/nature, Endangered Species Act, environment, evolution, life, migrants, population estimates, population monitoring, wildlife | Tagged Banded Darter, citizen science, environment, migration, nature, ODWC, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, The Nature Conservancy, The Wild Side, Wildlife Diversity Program | Leave a comment

Vicarious early winter in Vermont

Posted on 30 November 2017 by Tim O'Connell

Snow squalls sweep across the mountains in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. ./ © K.P. McFarland Fear not, during these short days and long nights of December, we’re still finding plenty of life in the fading light. Once we pass … Continue reading →

Posted in animal behavior, birding, birds/nature, environment, evolution, life, Links, migrants, weather, wildlife | Tagged climate, deer yard, diapause, environment, fir, irruption, kinglet, mourning cloak, science, snow, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, winter | Leave a comment

10 August 2017 – no casualties

Posted on 10 August 2017 by Tim O'Connell

Both hummingbird carcasses still in evidence. The whole bird from the southeastern alcove has been decapitated, presumably by the ants. The tail from the southwestern alcove made things a bit more interesting by being gone. I wasn’t too surprised by … Continue reading →

Posted in birds/nature, environment, hummingbirds, life, migrants, wildlife | Tagged detection rate, Noble Research Center, Oklahoma State University, removal, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, scavenging rate, window collisions, window-kill | Leave a comment

Handbook of the Birds of the World – newsletter #37

Posted on 6 July 2017 by Tim O'Connell

So much exciting new material in the latest update from HBW Alive! Here’s a teaser: Nº37, July 2017 Analytics: the new powerful tool with all your stats, graphs and maps! My Birding started out by offering a bird sighting recording … Continue reading →

Posted in animal behavior, bird evolution, birding, birds/nature, editorial, environment, evolution, HBW Alive, IUCN, life, migrants, wildlife | Tagged conservation, HBW Alive, ornithology | Leave a comment

2016 Partners in Flight Landbird Conservation Plan

Posted on 27 August 2016 by Tim O'Connell

The updated Landbird Conservation Plan from Partners in Flight has just been released. As with previous iterations, the emphasis is on applying objective criteria to determine those species in most need of conservation, delineating the habitats within ecoregions important for … Continue reading →

Posted in birds/nature, deforestation, Endangered Species Act, environment, migrants, monarch butterfly, overpopulation, Partners in Flight, population estimates, population monitoring, skepticism and science, wildlife | Tagged biodiversity, birding, conservation, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, eBird, ESA, Grassland Restoration Incentive Plan, GRIP, Landbird Conservation Plan, Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture, ornithology, Partners in Flight, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, USDA Farm Bill | Leave a comment

2016 State of the Birds

Posted on 21 May 2016 by Tim O'Connell

It ain’t much better than the last one. Check out the press release for the 2016 State of the Birds Report to see the gains and losses in conservation, and consider options for the future. (Complete and well-organized overview here.) … Continue reading →

Posted in birds/nature, Endangered Species Act, environment, IUCN, life, migrants, National Audubon Society, Partners in Flight, population monitoring, weather, wildlife | Tagged American Birding Association, biodiversity, BirdLife International, citizen science, conservation, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, eBird, migratory bird program, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, migratory connectivity, NABCI, ornithology, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, State of the Birds 2016, USFWS | Leave a comment

HBW Alive Newsletter #21 – March 2016

Posted on 12 March 2016 by Tim O'Connell

The latest newsletter of the Handbook of the Birds of the World has been released and it, as usual, is chock full of fascinating discoveries*, insightful synthesis, and stunning multi-media features. *For example, I just learned that a flightless owl … Continue reading →

Posted in animal behavior, bird evolution, birding, birds/nature, editorial, Endangered Species Act, environment, Epidexipteryx, evolution, Great Auk, HBW Alive, history, hummingbirds, IUCN, life, migrants, paleontology, skepticism and science, vultures, wildlife | Tagged biodiversity, birding, conservation, ornithology | Leave a comment

Birding Community E-Bulletin: March 2016

Posted on 7 March 2016 by Tim O'Connell

The Birding Community E-bulletin is distributed to active and concerned birders, those dedicated to the joys of birding and the protection of birds and their habitats. This issue is sponsored by the producers of superb quality birding binoculars and scopes, … Continue reading →

Posted in animal behavior, Bird Education Network, BIRDATHON, birding, birding community e-bulletin, birds/nature, editorial, Endangered Species Act, environment, IUCN, life, migrants, National Audubon Society, Partners in Flight, wildlife | Tagged American Bird Conservancy, biodiversity, birding, birding community e-bulletin, conservation, ornithology, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, ProAves | Leave a comment

eBird News – March 2016

Posted on 5 March 2016 by Tim O'Connell

Team eBird has announced a Global Big Day on May 14th, 2016. I can hardly wait – I love stuff like this! Program description and additional information are available at eBird News.

Posted in BIRDATHON, birding, birds/nature, environment, life, migrants, National Audubon Society, nature deficit disorder, Partners in Flight, population estimates, population monitoring, wildlife | Tagged big day, eBird, eBird News, Global Big Day | Leave a comment

Waterthrush Podcast #24: FOY Season

Posted on 16 January 2016 by Tim O'Connell

There’s a new episode of The Waterthrush Podcast available. Check it out to learn about 4 big ideas to advance science, the biggest big year ever, and what this FOY stuff is all about.

Posted in Bird Education Network, BIRDATHON, birding, birds/nature, environment, evolution, IUCN, life, Links, migrants, National Audubon Society, skepticism and science, The Waterthrush Podcast, wildlife | Tagged big year, biodiversity, birding, birding record, Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, cat predation, conservation, Corn Crake, FOY, IUCN, Noah Strycker, ornithology, Sandy Mole-Rat, science | Leave a comment

Bird Education Network – BEN Bulletin for January 2016

Posted on 5 January 2016 by Tim O'Connell

BEN – Bird Education Network Some Lessons from the Jr. Audubon Clubs by Paul J. Baicich From the very start of the anti-feather-trade bird-protection movement of the late 1800s, there was an interest in winning over the sympathies of children. … Continue reading →

Posted in animal behavior, Bird Education Network, birding, birding community e-bulletin, birds/nature, Christmas Bird Count, editorial, Endangered Species Act, environment, life, migrants, National Audubon Society, nature deficit disorder, No Child Left Inside, Partners in Flight, wildlife | Tagged BEN Bulletin, Bird Education Network | Leave a comment

Birding Community E-Bulletin, January 2016