Page 203 - Cornell Lab News Today

BLANE KLEMEK OUTDOORS: The varied thrush makes very rare appearances in Minnesota While observing a varied thrush in Minnesota is exceedingly rare, it’s likely made rarer for the fact that this species has declined by as much as 75% since 1966, according to the North American Breeding Survey. Written By: Blane Klemek | × Mostly a ground-dwelling, insectivorous bird that feeds on a wide variety of insects, varied thrushes also eat fruits, seeds, and nuts during the winter. It c...

KODAK — Later this month, a bunch of kids will be looking for “Nifty Nests,” and park ranger Clare Dattilo is already ready for them. The event, scheduled for April 24, is the second in a new monthly birding series at Seven Islands State Birding Park geared to those in the 8-12 age range. “We had about 10 children,” Dattilo said of the first offering, “Why Birds Migrate.” She encourages parents and guardians to sign up for any class that is convenient. Childre...

Blane Klemek: This beautiful thrush makes very rare appearances in Minnesota While observing a varied thrush in Minnesota is exceedingly rare, it’s likely made rarer by the fact that this species has declined by as much as 75% since 1966, according to the North American Breeding Survey. Written By: Blane Klemek | × A varied thrush perches on a rock. (Flickr photo by Larry Miller) It’s been over 25 years since I’ve seen a species of thrush that few of us ever see. In fact,...

What difference can one homeowner make to help animals who greatly need some assistance?  Quite a lot, it turns out. Yards can become a collective force for good. Critter cancel culture can be halted just outside your backdoor. “Especially in urban areas, small yards add up to large areas of land that can support animals, like birds and pollinators, or those yards can add up to areas in which it is really tough for animals to survive,” said Jennifer Phillips-Vanderberg, biologist and scien...

Why are white-winged crossbills drawn to yellow snow? April 8th 11:52 am | Ned Rozell, University of Alaska     While out on a springtime snow trail, I recently saw a dozen white-winged crossbills pecking at snow on the side of the trail. When I reached the spot, I saw a yellow stain from where a team of dogs had paused. Last spring, I saw a bunch of crossbills gathered near an outhouse. They were congregated at a communal pee spot in the snow. The birds were poking at it. Why might son...

Carol Stocker - Globe Correspondent April 6, 2021 5:43 pm What to do this week Take your lawnmower to a hardware store or a small-engine repair shop for service. Sharpened blades mean healthier lawns. Within the next six weeks, patch or overseed lawns to thicken the grass and crowd out weeds — or wait until September. (This is the secret of a good-looking lawn.) Make sure the grass seed stays constantly moist until it sprouts. Pull back mulch from around grafted roses and fertilize th...

CNY wildlife photographer: Easter Sunday blues lessened by a pair of Eastern bluebirds Updated Apr 07, 2021; Posted Apr 07, 2021 Facebook Share “The family was pretty well scattered,” he said. With time on his hands, Walker, a well-known local wildlife photographer, took his camera to the breakfast nook window in his kitchen and gazed outside at his yard. He was rewarded by getting some eye-opening photos of a pair of Eastern bluebirds. “I believe we have two couples of bluebirds visiti...

Luke Douglas University of Maine graduate students Luke Douglas and Carl Pohlman have been awarded the 2021 Garden Club of America Frances M. Peacock Scholarship for Native Bird Habitat. The scholarship awards will help support field research activities this summer.  The students are the only recipients of the competitive, nationwide scholarship this year. Only one other University of Maine student, Meaghan Conway, who received her Ph.D. under the advisement of Brian Olsen, received the award ...

More accurately, it could be the hummingbirds who have the sticky situation. My first clue there was a problem was the fog of email that began arriving early last Saturday when my Outdoors column came out. Lots of people apparently like to read the paper very early in the morning. They pointed out that I had reversed the recipe amounts for preparing nectar water in hummingbird feeders. Advertisement Instead of one part sugar and four parts water, I had written just the opposite. There was good ...

Salmonella Outbreak Not Linked To Food, But To Songbirds Was it just mine, or did everyones mom tell them to never touch a wild bird, living or dead, because theyre crawling with germs, bugs, and assorted yucky-ness? Well, it turns out my mom (and maybe yours) had this one right (not that I listened). No less and authority than MedicalNewsToday.com says that birds may carry up to 60 different diseases, including salmonella, and thats just in their droppings. Im going to start thinking of my ca...