Here are some recent reports on the massive bird deaths in New Mexico that have stumped experts. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54183430. And here's an NYT piece: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/15/us/dead-birds-new-mexico-colorado.html
New Mexico Mystery: Why Are So Many Birds Dropping Dead?
Scientists say that the wildfires in the West combined with drought and record heat waves could be triggering one of the Southwest’s largest migratory bird die-offs in recent decades.
nytimes.com
Here's a magnificent story on the secretive Black Rail and the delicate balance birders pose as their desire to see threatened species often endangers them. https://www.postandcourier.com/longform/few-will-ever-see-scs-elusive-black-rail-will-climate-change-make-it-vanish-forever/article_fef70ae8-c1ea-11ea-a6dc-c795a69e5e82.html
Few will ever see SC's elusive black rail. Will climate change make it vanish forever?
For avid birders, the eastern black rail is the holy grail of bird sightings. Searching for this mysterious and threatened bird reveals a tale of mystery and obsession.
postandcourier.com
On the brink of extinction, the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow is slowly making its way back. An encouraging story on the power of experimental science. https://flyinglessons.us/2020/09/09/fledglings-take-flight-good-news-for-nations-most-endangered-bird/
On the brink of extinction, the Florida Grasshopper is making its way back. An encouraging story on a flagship bird. https://flyinglessons.us/2020/09/09/fledglings-take-flight-good-news-for-nations-most-endangered-bird/
Fledglings take flight: Good news for the nation’s most endangered bird
The wildlife managers who bred more than 200 Florida Grasshopper Sparrows in a laboratory setting over the past two years knew they faced a tricky question when it came time to release the birds in…
flyinglessons.us
The fall migration is getting started. Here's how to make the most of it -- and maybe keep your sanity along the way. https://flyinglessons.us/2020/09/04/the-spring-migration-saved-our-sanity-can-the-fall-migration-finish-the-job/
Spring migration helped save our sanity; can the fall migration finish the job?
Last spring, in the midst of the monotonous stay-at-home months, the spring migration not only saved the sanity of many but it helped launch a wave of new birders who discovered the wonders of the …
flyinglessons.us
Hummingbirds, among the first species to migrate, are on the move. Here's a fascinating video of how they prepare for the journey: https://youtu.be/BPgLJOeUn0I
Battle of the Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are ferociously competitive, as this video of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds dueling over feeders shows. They are at each others throats, jousting l...
youtube.com