Page 209 - Cornell Lab News Today

jcotton@timesobserver.com An incredibly rare bilateral gynandromorph Northern Cardinal — essentially, half-female half-male — was cited over the weekend in the Grand Valley area. A similar bird in Erie was featured in the New York Times and National Geographic back in 2019. Photo by Jamie Hill WARREN, Pa. — An exceedingly rare half-male, half-female Northern Cardinal has been observed in Warren County. Jamie Hill of Waterford said in a Facebook post that he’s been birding for 48 ...

The end of winter is near in the northern hemisphere. Though the cold persists the days slowly grow longer. If you’re lucky you might soon see a skein of geese flying overheard on their way to their northern nesting grounds – a beautiful reminder of our world’s ongoing cycles of change.  Geese are ancient – with fossils dating back 10 – 12 million years ago. Though probably domesticated first in Egypt 3000 years ago, some research indicates domestication occurred even earlier. Thirty...

Amazing bilateral gynandromorph northern cardinal documented by retired ornithologist James Hill III.

Cornell University Listen to bearded seal vocalizations, sometimes described as “otherworldly.” These loud calls are essential to bearded seals’ reproduction, but rising industrial noise in the Arctic could have them struggling to be heard. Bearded seals are loud – but not loud enough February 24, 2021 During mating season, male bearded seals make loud calls to attract a mate. How loud? Well, even their “quiet” call can still be as ear-rattling as a chainsaw. These elabo...

Credit: Michael Cameron, NOAA Ithaca, NY-- During mating season, male bearded seals make loud calls to attract a mate--even their "quiet" call could still be as ear-rattling as a chainsaw. Bearded seals have to be loud to be heard over the cacophony of their equally loud brethren. And, increasingly, the noise humans make is adding to the underwater din and could have serious consequences. A study conducted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithologys Center for Conservation Bioacoustics (CCB) aims to und...

A Pennsylvania bird watcher had what he calls a once-in-a-lifetime encounter when a Northern cardinal perched in a tree appeared to be both male and female. James R. Hill III has marveled at the feathered animals for 48 years, but on Saturday he saw a one in a million bird with bright red like a male cardinal on one side and brownish white like a female on the other. Hill describes the rare cardinal as a bird divided right down the middle, half male and half female that stood out as pretty unus...

Sometimes weather radar picks up things that aren’t weather. That happened Tuesday morning, near Warner Robins. The radar showed a pretty strong storm with heavy rainfall, maybe even small hail. But it was not a storm. It was probably birds – a lot of birds. The Atlanta office of the National Weather Service shared it in a Tuesday morning Tweet. This morning, near Warner Robins, a flock of birds took off that was so big & dense it registered up to 54 dBZ on the KJGX radar! These values are ...

 E-Mail ITHACA, N.Y. - During mating season, male bearded seals make loud calls to attract a mate. How loud? Well, even their "quiet" call can still be as ear-rattling as a chainsaw. These elaborate vocalizations are essential for bearded seal reproduction, and have to be loud enough to be heard over the cacophony of their equally loud brethren. But in the rapidly changing Arctic soundscape, where noise from industrial activities is predicted to dramatically increase in the next 15 years, bear...

Webster swan dies after being struck by vehicle, residents hopeful its mate finds new partner WEBSTER — One of two swans that make their home near the Webster Fish and Game Club was struck by a car and killed over the weekend on Gore Road. The news brought an outpouring of sadness on social media after Animal Control Officer Michelle Lefleche posted an announcement about the incident on Sunday. She had been called to check on the swan, which was lying in the middle of the road. When she arr...

One of the major culprits of small bird injuries may be closer than you think. “People in the Jackson Hole community love their big windows,” said Jessica Schonegg, the Teton Raptor Center’s acting rehabilitation director. “I don’t blame them, because there’s beautiful views. But the more windows you have and the cleaner they are, the easier it is for birds to miss the window when they’re hunting.” Window strikes are one of the leading causes of admission...