BirdNote

Two eagles locking talons high above the ground might look like they’re risking injury, but it’s a normal courtship behavior called the “cartwheel display.” Fully entangled, the two birds begin spinning to the earth, disengaging just before they smack the ground. Their clasp could last for hours. At

A pair of Bald Eagles will reuse their nest each year and repair it with new tree branches. But recently in British Columbia, scientists came across an eagle nest made largely out of dried kelp. Back in the ‘90s, that very nest had been made out of tree branches. What changed? Sea Otters were

J’orge Garcia loves making things. For several years at the Chicago Public Library, he helped people to design and build their own creations with educational tools like the Finch Robot. With basic coding skills, J’orge and his students could program the little, bird-shaped bot to sing, light up, or

Long-tailed Ducks are back for the winter from the north, where they nested on tundra ponds and marshes. These diving ducks spend the winter in deep salt water, often in sheltered bays. Long-tailed Ducks are far more vocal than most ducks, a feature that has earned them a host of charming nicknames

Isla Guadalupe off the Western coast of Mexico is famous for its massive colonies of petrels, shearwaters, and Laysan Albatrosses. Now, conservationists hope it can become a safe haven for Black-footed Albatrosses too – like Bruno and La Güera. In 2021, the pair were among a dozen Black-footed

Isla Guadalupe, frente a la costa occidental de México, es conocida por sus enormes colonias de petreles, pardelas y albatros de Laysan ( Phoebastria immutabilis). Ahora, los conservacionistas esperan que también se convierta en un refugio seguro para los albatros de patas negras ( Phoebastria

There are nearly ninety species of wrens in the world, and quite a few are exceptional singers. Nearly all of them reside in the Western Hemisphere, with the majority living in Central and South America. The White-bellied Wren ranks among the tiniest, at just under four inches, while the Giant Wren

The video game Alba: A Wildlife Adventure lets you have adventures in a stunning virtual landscape while curled up at home with a cup of hot cocoa. The game puts you in the shoes of a birdwatcher and conservationist on a Mediterranean island. As you traverse the animated ecosystems, listen for the

American novelist and environmental activist, Wendell Berry, wrote: "When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests." Where do you go to rest and renew yourself in

For folks looking to try birding for the first time, getting started can be daunting. Should you learn every species’ call, every subtle feather pattern before you head out to look for birds? While it’s good to prepare, there’s a risk of scaring yourself out of starting, and preventing the kind of