28 Jul 2010
The Summer Arctic Warbler Newsletter is out! ABO Board of Directors Jeff Walters tells about his volunteer time with the National Park Service and the Alaska Region Inventory & Monitoring Program, carrying out bird surveys along the Noatak River in northwest Alaska. The Species Spotlight is the Arctic Tern (the little bird with the longest migration route); the Conservation Corner highlights what to do if you find a baby bird on the ground; and we tell you about ABO’s Alaska Bird Camp, Youth Mentoring Program, and the upcoming Sandhill Crane Festival.
Research Updates
28 Jul 2010
Research Crews Have Returned!!
The Petroleum Reserve Crew (Biologist Peter Elstner and Intern Luke Eberhart-Phillips) had difficult terrain to negotiate, but were successful!
The ALMS crew on Kodiak Island completed their Uganik Island, Wide Bay and Dog Salmon River points. After a day of inhospitable weather – things cleared and they could work!
Go to the Research Updates link to find out what is happening on these and other projects.
Birds and Climate
25 May 2010
Go here to explore a new set of pages – Birds and Climate - on the ABO web site.
This information was compiled and the pages designed undergraduate student Nicole Torre (Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska, Fairbanks) and funded by the Alaska Space Grant Fellowship Program through the Institute of Arctic Biology. The project is part of a NASA funded collaborative project examining climate-induced habitat change at Creamer’s Refuge in Fairbanks, Alaska led by Lila Tauzer, an interdisciplinary graduate student at University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Are birds flying into your windows?
7 Jul 2010
Are birds flying into your windows?
Baby birds are out and about and they aren’t very experienced fliers yet. Some of them may fly into windows. A simple, effective deterrent has been developed by the folks at the Bird Screen Company. These screens can be mounted a number of ways, all simple and quick. ABO now carries these screens – come by and see them! This link has photos of the screen on windows and of the different mounting mechanisms.
Standard Bird Screen has black top and bottom frames, black fiberglass screening (replaceable), is attached by screw hooks or suction cup brackets, and the bottom is attached to the window pane with suction cups. Hardware for mounting both ways is included with every Bird Screen. 24″ wide – $20/ 30″ wide – $22.50/ 36″ wide – $25.
Why does this happen? According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “One of the greatest hazards to birds is plate glass, with windows in homes and offices killing as many as one billion birds each year. Glass is invisible to birds, and if it reflects the images of trees, bushes, the sky or other natural habitat, a bird may fly directly into it.”
What can you do? There are several ways to warn the birds that your window is not a safe place to travel. Remember that if you have bird feeders, you have an added responsibility in ensuring that your home is a safe habitat for birds! This link will download a fact sheet with a variey of possible solutions. This and other fact sheets can be found at the Bird FAQs link under “Reports and Publications” to the right. Additional information is available from the Acopian Center for Ornithology Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Audubon Society.
