Blog Birding #418

As Bald Eagle populations continue to rebound, some pairs have to move into more developed areas to nest, causing complications for humans and eagles. Get the scoop at Phys.org. 

Some eagle lovers have blocked traffic by setting up tripods in the middle of the road; others have tossed rocks at the eagles to get them to turn around and face a camera. A few have been cited for trespassing.

The Bahama Nuthatch, whose continued existence is in doubt following Hurricane Dorian, was first described by none other than James Bond. Jim Wright has more at The Real James Bond. 

“The bird is a close relative of the Brown-headed Nuthatch of the southeastern United States, and many ornithologists consider it a distinct species. The Bahama nuthatch is the only member of that family found in the West Indies, and now is in such decline that it was feared to be extinct following a 2016 hurricane.”

The hope, following the release of the 3 Billion Birds study released earlier this month, is that such a dramatic finding may shock people in caring more about declining bird populations. Matt Mendenhall explains at Birdwatching Daily.

“Yes, this is a game-changer because it is not just endangered birds declining — it’s nearly all birds,” says Steve Holmer, a vice president at American Bird Conservancy. “The public is mobilizing to oppose climate change, harmful drilling policies, and species loss. Endless deregulation must give way to a new era of implementing smart solutions that prevent wildlife impacts and habitat loss.”

Fall migration is on, and birds are streaming out of the northern parts of the continent. At Birds Canada, Tim Hopwood shares a photo album of some of the departing birds.

Another busy summer, and a big burst of southward songbird migration action at the end. Here are a few of my pics from the past few weeks as I attempted to capture some of the songbirds coming through southern Alberta…and my favourite would have to be this young Chestnut-sided Warbler whom I captured a split second before it reduced the local mosquito population by one.

Mark Dennis of Cape Sable Birding attempts a digital investigation of a very unusual Empidonax flycatcher.

Empidonax flycatchers, who thought they were a good idea? The curse of the jobbing birder is the silent empid in autumn. Normally you would just lump (dirty word) our default Alder with the less than common Willow as a Trail’s, just like the old days before people realised that they sounded significantly different. Nowadays people also go at great lengths to come up with ways to decipher the ID of a silent empid, but it is something of a tortuous task. Why you would bother is another thing, why not just click ‘Trail’s’ and go back to your Cocoa? Well, sometimes it just doesn’t look right for Trail’s either and you have to bite the empid ID bullet.

Join the American Birding Association at www.aba.org!