Molting Tree Swallows Along the Boardwalk
September 21, 2010
Article in: Birding
The following molting Tree Swallows were photographed along the famous “floating boardwalk” at Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. The trail can be found along the refuge auto tour loop and is a must for every visit to the marsh.
Falcon Photos – Merlin (Falco columbarius)
September 20, 2010
Article in: Photography
This Merlin (a falcon) was busy harassing a group of American Crows before he took a break in a tree and posed nicely for some photos.
Check out the blood-stained feathers!
The Merlin was in northwestern Winnebago County in northern Illinois at the eastern end of Moody Road.
Bird Photography Weekly #108
September 19, 2010
Article in: Bird Photography Weekly
Join in now on the 108th edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!
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Bella’s Ice Cream Face
September 17, 2010
Article in: Dogs and Horses
This is just too cute not to share. We brought Bella to the local Sonic drive-in and got her a vanilla ice cream cone. She is a huge fan of ice cream!!
Great Egret With a Great Double Catch
September 16, 2010
Article in: Birding
At Horicon Marsh we observed hundreds of Great Egrets. In one view there were more than 20! This Great Egret was deeply concentrating on fishing and successfully made a double catch.
** View larger for more detail **
Wordless Wednesday – These Eyes
September 15, 2010
Article in: Photography
Sportsmen’s Migratory Bird Center – Biggest Week 2010
Great Horned Owl – Photo by Dakota
Piwi the Kiwi – Video of Hurt Kiwi Bird Using Treadmill
September 14, 2010
Article in: Videos
This is a video of “Piwi” the Kiwi who is undergoing rehab after breaking both legs. (Note: you may need to refresh to see the video.)
From the Herald Sun
Hat tip to Stacia for finding this one!!
Northern Cardinal – Urban Bird Study
September 14, 2010
Article in: Birding
A cool study: reprinted from The Ohio State University Research News.
Written by Jessica Orwig
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Normally, the brilliant red of a male cardinal signals to females that he is a high-quality mate. But that may not be true of cardinals living in urban areas, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that the bright red feather coloration of male northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) was less related to body condition for
birds living in urban forests than it is for those in rural forests. In other words, even cardinals in relatively poor condition may appear bright red in urban areas.
“We found that the relationship between brightness and body condition was stronger in more rural landscapes than it was in urban areas,” said Amanda Rodewald, co-author of the study and professor of wildlife ecology at Ohio State University’s School of Environment and Natural Resources.
“That means urbanization has the potential to disrupt cues that birds have long used to assess quality and choose mates.”
Rodewald conducted the study with Todd Jones, an undergraduate student researcher at the time, and Daniel Shustack, a recent doctoral graduate. Their results appear in the current issue of The Wilson Journal of Ornithology.
The researchers studied 129 male and 145 female cardinals that were captured in 13 forests in central Ohio between 2006 and 2008. Each forest was rated
as to the amount of urbanization surrounding it, and the researchers compared feather samples from cardinals at each site.
The feathers were photographed and the photos were analyzed by a software program that measured the hue, saturation and brightness of each feather.
They also measured body mass and size of the cardinals to indicate their body condition, or health. Body condition considers how much a bird weighs after adjusting for its frame size.
The researchers did not find any relation between female body condition and plumage brightness and whether they lived in a more urban or more rural
area.
For males, brighter feathers were indicative of birds in better condition in rural areas, but were not as indicative in urban areas.
In cardinals, as in some other birds, feather coloration is related to their diet. Diets high in carotenoids — pigments found in some fruits and other
parts of plants — lead to brighter feather colors.
Previous studies indicate that forests within urban areas have nearly three times the amount of fruit and nearby bird feeders than exist in rural areas. Urban forests have many exotic and invasive species, such as Amur honeysuckle and multiflora rose, that provide abundant sources of carotenoid-rich fruits.
The fact that carotenoid-rich fruits are more available in urban areas, to birds over a wide range of conditions, may be one reason that brighter
feathers aren’t more indicative of healthy birds in urban areas, said Rodewald, who is also a scientist with the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. In rural forests, only the highest-quality individuals may have access to carotenoids.
Rodewald is continuing this research by studying how plumage coloration is related to the quality of territories that birds secure and their ability to
produce young.
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Schwab Associate Scholarship grant from The Ohio State
University, and an undergraduate research grant from the College of Biological Sciences.
