June 8, 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.
2010 ALASKA BIRD CONFERENCE, 16-18 November 2010, Anchorage, AK
Call for Abstracts: Presentations by both professional and amateur ornithologists are welcome. Topics can relate to any aspect of Alaska birds, such as behavior, community ecology, conservation, education and outreach, evolution, contaminants, genetics, habitat, migration, physiology, population ecology, systematics, or others. Since the primary objective of the conference is to share new information, preliminary results are acceptable. Please focus on information that has not been previously presented. All submissions must be presented by one of the named authors on the abstract. The Alaska Bird Conference gives awards for the best student oral and poster presentations. Abstract Deadline is 15 September 2010; see http://ak.audubon.org/events/1432 for guidelines and more meeting information.
June 2, 2010
Research Updates
ABO has field projects on the Tanana Flats, Yukon Flats, Creamer’s Refuge, Kodiak Island, Alaska Peninsula/Becharof, Arctic, and Innoko National Wildlife Refuges, the BLM’s National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and the BLM’s White Mountains. Check the Research Updates page to learn what our field biologists, interns, and volunteers are finding.
Rusty Blackbird – Yukon Flats
Nestling photo by Claire Giuliano for ABO
The Yukon Flats Rusty Blackbird crew has been busy! The ice was already out on the Shack Lake when they arrived on May 12. The birds have taken their cues from the early spring. A few nests were in progress when the crew started work on May 13. They have found 10 nests so far and the first chicks hatched on May 24. They have sighted a bird that they banded in 2009 as a nestling. Go here for updates on other projects.
