August 2008 BirdNote Episodes:

Bird Songs Reflect Habitat

The Canyon Wren’s eloquent song soothes the soul. Naturalist Ralph Hoffman likened it to “the spray of a waterfall in sunshine.” Its close cousin, the Marsh Wren, wound up with a harsh, ratcheting song – about as musical as a tiny machine-gun barrage. Birds’ songs mirror their environments. The Canyon Wren’s song has ideal acoustics for bouncing off the tall rock faces, while the Marsh Wren sings in the midst of dense stands of cattails. BirdNote suggests these resources for birding by ear.

Woodpeckers Love Ants

Woodpeckers—such as this Williamson’s Sapsucker—eat far more ants than do most birds. Although many other vertebrates avoid ants because of their stings or noxious chemical deterrents, the Northern Flicker is known to have ingested over five thousand ants in one sitting! A woodpecker’s sticky tongue can reach several inches beyond the tip of its bill, so it can lap up hundreds of ants from their nest. Learn more about this bird at Cornell's AllAboutBirds.

Tracking Burrowing Owls

Helen Trefry, a wildlife biologist in Edmonton, Alberta, wanted to know where the Burrowing Owls in her part of Canada migrated to. How long did it take them to get to their destinations? Where and how did they spend their stopovers? An amateur radio operator from Texas, along with a network of ham radio enthusiasts known as “biotrackers,” stepped up to help. These citizen-scientists tuned in their scanners and VHF monitors to catch the faint beep of the owls' transmitters. Learn more about the Burrowing Owl Monitoring Project.

The Gulls of Summer

Only the Glaucous-winged Gull nests in the Pacific Northwest, so for months, gull-watching has been pretty tame. But during August, several other gull species—including the Bonaparte’s, Ring-billed, and Mew Gulls—begin returning to the area. Ah! The gulls of summer! Other gull species also turn up in late summer, including Thayer’s, California, Heermann’s, and Herring Gulls. To find your local Audubon and go gull-gazing, click here. To receive Advance Notice email, start here.

Common Nighthawk, Uncommon Sound - Returns

Loping overhead at dusk, the Common Nighthawk chases down aerial insects with sudden, choppy shifts of direction. Not really a hawk at all, the nighthawk is closely related to the more fully nocturnal nightjars, such as the Whip-poor-will of eastern North America. Originally nesting on open ground, the Common Nighthawk has adapted to city life in many areas and will nest on gravel rooftops. Learn more at Cornell's AllAboutBirds.
Sign up for Advance Notice of upcoming shows.

The Bonaparte's Gull Chorus-line

Small, tern-like Bonaparte’s Gulls often form a chorus-line at the water’s edge. Side by side, in half an inch of water, they stomp their feet as fast as they can. Under this pummeling, a smorgasbord of shrimp is stirred up for the gulls to harvest. Is this a learned behavior, or were these gulls born knowing how to forage cooperatively? Who knows? But it’s hard to imagine a more nutritional dance routine! Learn more at Cornell's AllAboutBirds.

Magical Warbler Moment

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. The Yellow-rumped Warbler, probably mid-way through its fall migration, is unafraid. Yellow-rumped Warblers use many types of habitat. They breed high up in conifers, often in small openings within dense, wet, coniferous forests. Learn more at Cornell's AllAboutBirds.

Sky Larks of Victoria

The Sky Lark inspired English poets, and gave its name to the phrase “an exaltation of larks.” To glimpse a singing Sky Lark, look high up, where the male flutters and circles perhaps 100 feet off the ground, broadcasting its complex song. Around 1902, Sky Larks were brought to Vancouver Island from England, to satisfy the desire of English immigrants there to hear the lark's lovely song. And Vancouver Island remains the only place in North America where the Sky Lark can still be heard.

Hazel Wolf and the Brown Creeper

The Brown Creeper lives in a mature forest where evergreen and deciduous trees reach for sun. Its habit of moving up the trunk, looking for insects, inspired Hazel Wolf, who—when she was 64—got involved with the Audubon movement. The Brown Creeper’s industry impressed Hazel, and she became a birder and a social and environmental activist. For more about Hazel, click here. To find your local Audubon chapter, click here.

Internet Marketing by Portent Interactive