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The American Ornithological Society says it will alter the names of North American birds named after humans, starting with up to 80 of them After two years of discussion and debate, the nation’s premier birding organization has decided that birds should not have human names. The American Ornithological Society announced Wednesday that it will remove names given to North American birds in honor of people and replace them with monikers that better describe their plumage and other characteristics. The group said it will prioritize birds whose names trace to enslavers, white supremacists and robbers of Indigenous graves. Among them is...

On September 27, 2021, David Sibley, a birdwatching celebrity, posted the following on his Facebook page. "The outdoors is for *everyone* and has felt unsafe to many LGBTQIA2S+ folks for too long … Today, ask yourself 'What could I do better?'" Sibley "warned" that birders were liable to make "hurtful and dangerous comments" and that "sensitive" and "vulnerable" people should "avoid the comments section." LGBT people "struggle to feel and BE safe in the outdoors." Mind – Sibley was not condemning very real and reprehensible anti-LGBT violence. Sibley was specifically accusing birdwatchers of violence. Follow-up comments from Sibley's fans...

VIDEO The Great Blue Heron has returned! After an absence of over a week, he has returned as you can see here. Since he will probably be hanging around here on and off I have decided to name him Herbie. Does anybody out there have suggestions on what to look for as an indication that Herbie is about to catch a fish or some other prey? I am assuming that if this Blue Heron has is neck extended over the water, that would be a good indication that he is in hunting mode. I would love to get video of...

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Downtown Oakland has no shortage of wildlife. Now it even has some of the nonhuman variety. A colony of giant, squawking, black-crowned night herons has taken up residence in the gritty urban core of Oakland, apparently thriving amid the tattoo parlors and Afghan restaurants, Occupiers and bus exhaust. "Oh my God, I saw one walking right down 14th Street. I'm like, 'What is that?' " said Jalima Morales, 26, who saw a few more of the striking blue birds as she was walking down Jackson Street recently. "Now I see them all the time. They're so loud. It sounds like...

About 33 percent of Minnesotans are bird-watchers, according to a report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, putting the state in the top five in the nation for bird-watching. One in three Minnesotans is an active bird-watcher, ranking the state in the top five nationally, according to a report released Wednesday. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, an update on how many Americans are birding and how much money they spend on the hobby, found 33 percent of Minnesotans qualify as bird-watchers. Nationwide, the report said, interest in bird-watching is holding steady at about 21 percent of the...

Every spring, we get a lot of goldfinches in our backyard, along with the house finches who stay here, year 'round. (I'm in central California.) This spring, I noticed a larger black-and-yellow bird on one of our feeders, and I don't think it's a goldfinch. He's fast, so I did my best to snap a few pictures. Any ideas what kind of bird he is? The yellow bird on our sunflower seed feeder. Goldfinches (for comparison) on a different feeder A visiting squirrel Our cat, Smudge, watching the birds and the squirrels.

It was twilight at Laird's Landing, a barren, lonely ranch 20 miles from the nearest town, when bald eagles began swooping over the tundra to perch in a leafless clump of cottonwoods.Before the full moon inched over a treeless ridge in the distance, more than 40 of the regal raptors had arrived for their nightly roost. Sometimes, the trees hold 130 or more."How can you not love this?" said retired Mare Island rigger and eagle aficionado Charlotte Ann Kisling, as the temperature dropped below 20. "It's so peaceful, and so awesome. I don't care about TV or movies - this...

<p>This animated video is presented with a Red Tailed Hawk and Song, also bird watchers that run into a divided scenario that result in verbal declaration.</p> <p>I am ramping up creating videos and this may be the last one for awhile but if you wish to see all or some of my videos go to my web-page revski.org at the link below and on YouTube - o7jimmy or YouTube - lotis333 my wife Cheryl's page and her videos.</p>

The reddening sky of Upper Galilee appears to darken in the late afternoon as around half a billion birds flee the European winter and flock to northern Israel in waves. The protected site in the Hula Valley is the busiest migration crossroads in Africa. Israeli ornithologists follow the flocks, keen not to miss out on the rare spectacle. At this time of year, more than 400 known bird species will cross the fertile region, pausing to rest for several days before heading off to find their winter homes in Africa. In a magical sight, the air fills with thousands of...

Area's wooded terrain becomes contested ground for 2 groups at odds: Bird-watchers and gay men seeking sex Luis Munoz, an avid bird watcher of 12 years, has seen a remarkable range of rare winged creatures this fall migration season, including the Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow and the red knot. He also has come face to face with one species he hopes never to encounter again but knows he will: the Chicago cruiser. As sure as Munoz and his fellow birders can find an array of lovely birds in the area's most densely wooded spots, they also routinely find men trolling for...

Yesterday, Grist published my investigation of why the environmental movement has been relatively slow and cautious in fighting the U.S.-Mexico border wall, one of the greatest manmade disasters to ever strike the Western landscape and Western wildlife. Of course, these articles have to be readable, so I wasn't able to delve into all the details of the politics of the border wall. But I wanted to share with Gristmill readers the part of the investigation that didn't make it into the article -- about how stopping the border wall could represent a major opportunity for environmental groups to build alliances...

.As it turned out, the previous thread on this topic generated a lot of interest and several people recommended doing it as a regular thread, so here is the second installment. How you go about creating a bird sanctuary in your yard, or outdoor space, will depend on a number of givens, some which can modified, and others over which you have no control. One of these is geographical location or climate zone. If you live in the Colorado Rockies, you are not going to attract Cardinals, no matter how many black oil sunflower seeds you put out, and...

With Spring just around the corner, at least here in the southeast, it's time to think about spending more time outdoors and making our yards and porches more pleasant places to be. FReepers have such a wide variety of interests and talents, I thought it might be fun and educational to do a thread for bird and garden enthusiasts. I see a fair amount of discussion on some of the threads about gardening and landscaping, but not too much that is specific to gardening for the birds. I've pretty much always had a bird feeder or two around, and that...

A pheasant just landed in our parking lot. That bird ain't from around here (Puerto Rico). We first thought it was a turkey or a guinea. It looks injured, but it's a beautiful bird. Any idea what to do with it? Some people are thinking Epiphany Eve dinner...