The Bird Brief

 Welcome back to The Bird Brief, this is Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist giving you the rundown on the most recent happenings in birds, both in popular news and published research throughout the world. This episode falls in that spooky time of year, so in that vein - we are going to unearth the oldest known birds, talk about migration myths, even say the word neonicotinoid, and end with a murder mystery at 10,000 feet. Let's get started.

 
Stories:

https://dnyuz.com/2024/10/23/a-feathered-murder-mystery-at-10000-feet/  AND https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/science/birds-migration-10000-feet-predator.html  

https://www.reuters.com/science/oldest-known-birds-prey-lived-alongside-t-rex-north-america-2024-10-09/  

https://phys.org/news/2024-10-neonicotinoids-birds-fronts.html AND https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.14534 

https://www.newsweek.com/why-do-birds-migrate-scientists-debunk-long-held-assumption-1972752 

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/bulgarian-father-and-son-row-across-arctic-ocean-for-endangered-species/article68654727.ece 

Bird Sound:

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola); Recorded by Gerrit Vyn/Macaulay Library; Jul 2007; ML138238.

Peregrine Falcon (Tundra) (Falco peregrinus calidus/tundrius); Recorded by Michael Andersen/Macaulay Library; Jun 2007; ML136378.

Alain Verneau, XC938588. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/938588.

Mallard. Martin Billard, XC881155. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/881155.

Common Blackbird. Elias A. Ryberg, XC917122. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/917122.

Music: The Weeknd from wish by Lundstroem is li

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF

Welcome to The Bird Brief, this is Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist giving you the rundown on the most recent happenings in birds, both in popular news and published research throughout the world. Today, we’ll explore everything from bilingual parrots to chicks of the most dangerous birds in existence to increasing nesting occupancy using 3D printing. Let’s get started!

Stories:
 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czdpe7n7l50o 

https://www.sciencealert.com/something-strange-is-happening-to-the-calls-of-amazon-parrots and https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.0659 

https://www.voxelmatters.com/3d-printing-encourages-bird-repopulation-in-suffolk/

https://phys.org/news/2024-09-pirate-birds-seabirds-regurgitate-fish.html#google_vignette and https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.13052 

Bird Sound:
Southern Cassowary. Marc Anderson, XC132934. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/132934.
Yellow-naped Amazon.Albert Lastukhin, XC371393. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/371393.
Black-legged Kittiwake. Paul Lynch, XC930790. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/930790.
Great Frigatebird. Paul Lynch, XC930790. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/930790. 
Chilean Skua. Bernabe Lopez-Lanus, XC45193. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/45193. 

Music: The Weeknd from wish by Lundstroem is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lundstroem/songs-i-regard-terrible/the-weeknd-from-wish/ 

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF

Welcome back to a new season of the The Bird Brief! This is Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist, giving you the rundown on the most recent happenings in birds, both in popular news and published research throughout the world. Today we have cover everything from birds that crave tropical cyclones to the effects of drug trafficking on birds and how birds can see wind turbines better. Let's get started.

Stories:
https://phys.org/news/2024-06-cocaine-trafficking-threatens-critical-bird.html and https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01365-z 

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/desertas-petrels-chase-hurricanes and https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(24)00806-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982224008066%3Fshowall%3Dtrue 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/13/urban-birds-are-teeming-with-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-study-finds

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/oregon-researchers-painting-wind-turbine-blades-to-cut-bird-deaths/ 

Bird Sound:
Golden-winged Warbler. Todd Wilson, XC103849. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/103849.
Golden-cheeked Warbler. Phoenix Birder, XC573860. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/573860.
Philadelphia Vireo. Andrew Spencer, XC189441. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/189441.
Desertas Petrel. Ben Metzger, XC508037. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/508037.  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
American Crow. Thomas Magarian, XC524205. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/524205.
Mallard. Martin Billard, XC881155. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/881155.
Swainson’s Hawk. Richard E. Webster, XC626069. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/626069.
White-tailed Eagle. Karl-Birger

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF

Welcome to Episode 7 of the Bird Brief. I'm Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist, here to bring you the latest on birds from news and research around the globe. Today’s episode will range from a new hummingbird species, the plight of the critically endangered laughingthrush, and a record setting feather. For the love of birds let’s get started.

Stories:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/14/world/giant-hummingbirds-new-species-backpacks-scn/index.html 

https://phys.org/news/2024-05-critically-endangered-bird-greater-captivity.html#google_vignette 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/humans-are-driving-a-new-kind-of-evolution-in-animals/ 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/21/style/huia-feather-sold-new-zealand-intl-scli/index.html 

Music and Bird Sound:

Cristian Pinto, XC382312. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/382312.

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor); Recorded by Wil Hershberger/Macaulay Library; May 1997; ML84826 

Tristan Guillebot de Nerville, XC909850. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/909850 

Ricardo Gagliardi, XC835964. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/835964.

Don`t trust the News by 1st Contact is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF

Welcome to Episode 6 of the Bird Brief. I'm Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist, here to bring you the latest on birds from news and research around the globe. Today, we're discussing everything from geomagnetic storms, to bird flu outbreaks, to migrating shorebirds in Africa. All in just five minutes. Before we start, a quick note: I'm new to mixing sound and audio equipment needed to produce a podcast,so thanks for bearing with the quirky sound quality in the last part of the show. For the love of birds let’s get started.

Stories:

https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2306317120

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0918

https://phys.org/news/2024-05-night-auroras-extreme-solar-storm.html 

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1059801 

https://www.axios.com/2024/05/04/bird-flu-wildlife-mammals

Catry, T., Correia, E., Gutiérrez, J.S. et al. Low migratory connectivity and similar migratory strategies in a shorebird with contrasting wintering population trends in Europe and West Africa. Sci Rep 14, 4884 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55501-y https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55501-y

Music and Bird Sound:

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola); Recorded by Gerrit Vyn/Macaulay Library; Jul 2007; ML138238.

Albert Lastukhin, XC902033. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/902033.

W. Agster, XC897347. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/897347.

Bar-tailed Godwit (European) (Limosa lapponica lapponica); Recorded by Patrik Åberg/Macaulay Library; Jun 2010; ML63209671.

Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator); Recorded by James M. Hartshorne/Macaulay Library; Mar 1956; ML3748.

Don`t trust the News by 1st Contact is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License.

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF

Welcome to Episode 5 of the Bird Brief! This is Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist giving you the rundown on the most recent happenings in birds, both in popular news and published research throughout the world. Today’s episode will range from 3D printed prosthetics for birds, plumage color changes due to humans, an atypical champion of a gul screeching contest, and the oldest living bird in the world. You will be up to date in just five minutes. Let’s get started.

Stories:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-58762-9 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169204624001002

https://www.kmvt.com/2024/04/26/birds-blame-power-outage-twin-falls/

https://www.thepoke.com/2024/04/24/every-detail-of-this-seagull-boy-wins-european-screeching-competition-is-simply-magnificent/

https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/celebrating-albatrosses 

Music and Bird Sound:

Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla); Recorded by Tom Johnson/Macaulay Library; Apr 2018; ML97299221.

California Gull (Larus californicus); Recorded by Bob McGuire/Macaulay Library; May 2013; ML188486.

Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis); Recorded by Ernest S. Booth/Macaulay Library; Jun 1959; ML959.

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis); Recorded by Maureen Chambrone/Macaulay Library; Jul 2017; ML79919841.

Red-rumped Parrot; Marc Anderson, XC689128. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/689128. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 

Rosy-faced Lovebird; Bram Vogels, XC892937. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/892937. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

Red-legged Seriema; Michael Hurben, XC855641. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/855641.   Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

Don`t trust the News by 1s

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF

Welcome to Episode 4 of the Bird Brief. This is Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist and former intelligence analyst for the Department of Defense giving you the rundown on the most recent happenings in birds, both in popular news and published research throughout the world. Today’s episode will include the plan to remove half a million barred owls from Pacific Northwest forests, the phenomenal memory of chickadees, and the impact of the recent solar eclipse on bird behavior. You will be up to date in just five minutes. Let’s get started.

See below for links to all the articles we talked about on the show:

Barred Owl and Spotted Owl Controversy

https://www.fws.gov/project/barred-owl-management, https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2024/03/feds-plan-to-kill-half-a-million-barred-owls-in-west-coast-states-over-the-next-three-decades.html

Solar Eclipse
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2024/03/solar-eclipse-could-scramble-bird-behavior 

Chickadees

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/mar/29/birds-create-barcode-like-memories-to-locate-stored-food-scientists-find 

Chettih SN, Mackevicius EL, Hale S, Aronov D. Barcoding of episodic memories in the hippocampus of a food-caching bird. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 Jul 3:2023.05.27.542597. doi: 10.1101/2023.05.27.542597. Update in: Cell. 2024 Mar 22;: PMID: 37461442; PMCID: PMC10349996. https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(24)00235-6

Music and Bird Sound:

Barred Owl (Strix varia); Recorded by Thomas G. Sander/Macaulay Library; May 1992; ML125364.

Spotted Owl (Northern) (Strix occidentalis caurina); Recorded by Thomas G. Sander/Macaulay Library; May 1992; ML125369.

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus); Recorded by Doug Hitchcox/Macaulay Library; Feb 2018; ML87282551.

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus); Recorded by William W. H. Gunn/Macaulay Library; Feb 1977; ML5812

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF

 Welcome to Episode 3 of the Bird Brief. This is Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist and former intelligence analyst for the Department of Defense giving you the rundown on the most recent happenings in birds, both in popular news and published research throughout the world. Today’s episode will range from a bird suspected of espionage, bird flu in Antarctica, wind turbine innovation, and how you can use weather data to track this year’s spring bird migration from your doorstep… in your slippers. You will be up to date in just five minutes. Let’s get started.

See below for links to all the articles we talked about on the show:

News: 

 https://www.wsj.com/world/india-accused-chinese-spy-racing-pigeon-08516191 

.https://www.yahoo.com/tech/company-makes-incredible-bladeless-wind-103000921.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/02/27/bird-flu-antarctica-first-cases/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/01/15/bird-calls-pay-phone-maryland/

Research Articles:

Beaman Julian E., White Craig R., Clairbaux Manon, Perret Samuel, Fort Jérôme and Grémillet David 2024 Cold adaptation does not handicap warm tolerance in the most abundant Arctic seabird Proc. R. Soc. B.2912023188720231887 http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1887 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2023.1887 

Correction to fact in podcast: The Arctic is warming around 3 times faster than the rest of the globe, not just compared to temperate regions as stated in the podcast.  AMAP. Arctic climate change update 2021: key trends and impacts. Summary for policy-makers. Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), Oslo, Norway (2021). 

BirdCast Info:

https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/migration-dashboard/ 

https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/local-migration-alerts/

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF