Thanks to Tom Vanderpoel and Citizens For Conservation, grassland birds like this Eastern Meadowlark are benefiting from expanded habitat in northeast Illinois, where volunteers are restoring native prairies. In autumn, volunteers collect seeds from restored grasslands. In spring, they…

In the United States and Canada, International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) is celebrated in May. Justin Pepper of the Audubon Chicago Region shares his insights about this special time of year, when birds like this Blackburnian Warbler are on the move. “It’s awe inspiring to realize that our…

Dawn breaks in Costa Rica. As in many places around the world, people wake to the crowing of roosters . . . or in Costa Rica, it might be howler monkeys! Costa Rican birding guide Roger Melendez says that the male wants to know… “Is everybody awake? Is everybody listenin' to what I’m…

At Mole National Wildlife Reserve in northern Ghana, wildlife abounds! An elephant breathes. An aardvark’s home is plainly visible. A Blue-breasted Kingfisher calls. Zakariah Wareh, a park ranger, says, “Watch the sky. You’re going to see something you will never forget.” Suddenly, an…

Jessie Soder is bringing nature into her classroom. Students in her 4th and 5th grade classes in Gustavus, Alaska, are studying the birds of their region. They’ve designed a yearlong scientific study to identify plant communities with the most birds – and why. Students collect data on…

As the sun sets on a northern Midwest forest, an American Woodcock walks slowly from the cover of the forest to a nearby clearing. Then, the woodcock takes off on a courtship flight. At the apex of its flight, the woodcock circles, then descends in a slow spiral, putt-putting like a tiny…

American Kestrels are the smallest falcons in the country. But they're such colorful and charismatic little birds -- they make up for their size with their attitude! In the last 50 years, American Kestrel populations across North America have declined by almost half. The lack of nesting…

Teens hone their birding skills as part of a nature camp run by the American Birding Association. One camper, Anya, says about birds: "They’re beautiful, they’re full of life, and you can see them basically anywhere.” At home in New York City, Alexandra got hooked on a Red-bellied…

What an amazing noise! Whistles and trills, squeaks, rattles, and gurgles that suggest an orchestra of birds tuning up in the urban forest. You look around – not a bird in sight. The sounds waver in intensity, but with no clear pattern. Perplexing, but strangely wonderful! Suddenly, a…

A chill wind ruffles the feathers of a male Sagebrush Sparrow (formerly known as the Sage Sparrow), as he sings atop a tall sagebrush. It is late February, a few miles from the Columbia River in Central Washington. Sagebrush Sparrows are arriving north from wintering in the Southwestern…