News Blog

Brown thrasher

The Miracle Called Migration

Most of our summertime birds will soon be gone, winging their way southward in an awe-inspiring annual ritual.

American goldfinches

“Dog days” are prime time for birds

Late summer is a time for birds to kick back a bit and catch their breath before it’s time to start preparing for winter.

August/September 2011

Join Tara Harris, Director of Conservation at the Minnesota Zoo, on Thursday, September 8th for her presentation on Namibia’s critically endangered black rhino and the vulnerable Hartmann’s mountain zebra | Audubon Minnesota’s third Annual Chimney Swift Sit | A Note from Our New President | Monthly Morning Walks | Spoonbilled Sandpiper in Danger

catbird feeding chipping sparrow

Feathery Foster Care

Some bird behavior is driven by instinct, some is learned through experience, and some just seems plain quirky.

female belted kingfisher

A loud call and a flash of blue

It’s sometimes easier to hear kingfishers than see them, but it’s well worth a search to discover these handsome fishing birds.

Baltimore Oriole at Jelly Feeder

Spring’s Cold Brought Bright Birds to Feeders

A colorful array of migrants—brilliant orange orioles, vivid blue buntings, black-white-and-pink grosbeaks—livened up our springtime backyards.

June/July 2011

Summer Butterfly Census | SPAS “Go Paperless” Campaign | Annual Fund Donors | Conversation News

American Robin

Avian Architects

Raise the family in a birdhouse or on a branch? Birds have their own ideas about what’s best for their broods.

Northern cardinal singing

Call of the Wild

Bird songs are designed to attract a mate or repel a rival, but birds have other things they need to communicate. Pairs need to stay in contact, flocks confer back and forth and a bird that notices a potential attacker will issue a warning. For these and other purposes birds rely on calls—a repertoire of short, unmusical sounds that convey specific information. Unlike a bird’s song, much of which is learned, bird calls are instinctual, an innate means of communicating.