Wishing you a Blessed 2017

Escaping Ornamentals: A Threat to Natural Area Biodiversity

Escaping Ornamentals: A Threat to Natural Area Biodiversity

Migrating birds pile up along Great Lakes' shores

A series of radar images was taken around sunrise show changes in migrating birds' activity.

Credit: K. Archibald, with data from NOAA

Migrating birds pile up along Great Lakes' shores: Birds prefer to migrate at night -- so much so that if day breaks while they're over water, they'll turn back toward the nearest shore rather than pressing on, concludes a new study that used weather radar to examine the behavior of birds crossing the Great Lakes.

Can bird feeders do more harm than good?

In neighborhoods with large concentrations of bird feeders and crows, American robin nests are less successful.

Credit: J. Malpass

Can bird feeders do more harm than good?: Many bird lovers put out feeders full of seed for their feathered friends -- but those feeders may also attract predators that eat eggs and nestlings. The researchers behind a new study tried to untangle these relationships through a four-year study of songbird nests, bird feeders, and predators in urban central Ohio.