Avian Architects
Raise the family in a birdhouse or on a branch? Birds have their own ideas about what’s best for their broods.
Tag Archive for: Val Cunningham
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.
Spring is Robin Season
Spring moves toward us at its own plodding pace, “migrating” northward about 15 miles a day, a measure of the rate at which frost leaves the soil.
Highway Hawks
Freeways are corridor cafes for red-tailed hawks as they perch patiently and wait for a roadside meal.
Winter Nights Challenge Birds’ Survival
Nighttime Sleeping Spots
Making Woodland Music
Downy woodpeckers can be heard near and far as they smack their beaks on resonant surfaces to warn or invite.
The Snowbirds are Flooding In
For many of us, these small, dark sparrows seem to tow winter in their wake.
Swan season is winter’s prelude
Take a day trip to view dozens, even hundreds of tundra swans pausing on the Mississippi during migration—but hurry, they’ll soon be gone.
Crows are Nature’s Scamps
Love them or hate them, crows are some of the smartest and most adaptable birds around, and they’re a lot like us.
Along the Bluebird Trail
Humans are helping the robin’s beautiful cousin, once a rare sight, make an astounding comeback.
