Home/Science/Audubon Magazine/Winter 2018/In This Issue
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Land of PlentyNear the western end of the Alaska Peninsula, between the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, lies Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. At 315,000 terrestrial acres, it’s Alaska’s smallest refuge, but one of the most ecologically unique. Active volcanoes tower behind freshwater lakes and ponds on the tundra, and Izembek Lagoon, the heart of the refuge, protects sandy coastlines and lush eelgrass beds from harsh marine conditions. While development has been banned here for decades, a recent decision allows construction of a road through this untouched wilderness that sustains walruses, wolves, and some 180 bird species.…2 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018INBOXCivic Duty When Audubon, National Geographic, and other partners dubbed 2018 the Year of the Bird, they aimed to get others to walk in stride. As the magazine went to press, at least 38 governors and mayors had taken up the mantle. From the capitol building in Bismarck, North Dakota, to the historic Iditarod Trail in Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, the past few months have brought a slew of pacts to hold birds in the local and national conscience. To learn more about the year’s events and pledges, go to audubon.org/yearofthebird.PostscriptFollowing the online publication of “On the Trail With the Wild Detective” from the Fall 2018 issue, several readers noticed cage-like mesh visible in the Night Parrot photo that John Young took in 2013 and provided to Audubon. Capturing an endangered…3 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018The Billion-Bird QuestionAN AMERICAN ROBIN TAKES OFF FROM ITS SUMMER home in Montreal, Canada, putting everything on the line to fly 1,600 miles to spend the holidays in West Palm Beach, Florida. Even more grueling is the journey of a Scarlet Tanager that wings 2,700 miles from Dartmouth, Massachusetts, to Cali, Colombia.Each fall, billions of birds like the robin and tanager make their way to the Lower 48 or to the tropics. But a big slice of them never flies back—casualties of natural causes like weather and predation, and unnatural causes like oil pits, feral cats, and glass collisions. Now scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, have put a first-ever estimate on those missing travelers. By tracking migratory night flights from 2013 to 2017 on weather radar…2 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Smooth SailingEACH YEAR MILLIONS OF animals pass through the narrow waters of the Bering Strait as they migrate in and out of the Western Arctic. “It’s an ecological hotspot of global proportions,” says Melanie Smith, conservation science director at Audubon Alaska. With the rapid melting of sea ice, the region is poised to become snarled with cargo ships, too. The uptick in traffic poses a threat to seabirds, bowhead whales, and Pacific walruses that swim the strait, as well as indigenous communities along Alaska’s interior coast.A newly established route ensures safer passage for both wildlife and vessels. Starting this December, sailors will follow a recommended 500-mile-long course, developed by the International Maritime Organization, with input from the U.S. Coast Guard and Russia, that steers them away from sites where their ships…3 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018How You Can HelpThe fight to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge isn’t over—it’s just taken on new and more urgent dimensions. Audubon and a coalition of environmental groups have devised a multi-pronged strategy that includes directly targeting companies involved in Arctic drilling projects and the banks financing them.Already, investors representing more than $2 trillion in assets have said they oppose any efforts to drill in protected areas of the Arctic. These include money managers, foundations, and religious groups such as the Episcopal Church. You can join them. “Tell your broker you don’t want your money going to support drilling in the Arctic,” says Sierra Club organizer Lena Moffitt. Wherever your money is held, talk to your asset manager or call the company’s helpline.Engagement in the political process is also critically important, says…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018INVASION OF THE BIRD SNATCHERSIT’S A SWEATY JUNE MORNING ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TAMPA, and droves of reptile enthusiasts stream into an air-conditioned expo center at the Florida State Fairgrounds. They are vying to get first crack at the animals of Repticon, a weekend-long extravaganza that’s similar to a baseball-card convention, except instead of mint-condition Mickey Mantles and Pete Roses, there are green anacondas and bearded dragons. One vendor’s table is covered in flimsy plastic catering trays that are filled with ball pythons. Others are selling Asian water monitors, gargoyle geckos, and yellow rat snakes. A guy strolls by wearing a “Snakes Lives Matter” T-shirt. Another man, who has a three-foot-long lizard slung across his chest like a bandolier, is at a nearby booth admiring a young boa constrictor that’s twirling around his girlfriend’s…18 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018A Clean KitchenDirty dishes may seem harmless, but they can lead to sick or even dead birds. Regular feeder cleanings help stave off avian pox, salmonella, trichomoniasis, and lice, says Mary Kostus, conservation chair for the Bergen County Audubon Society in New Jersey.For the simplest routine, wash your feeders at the start and end of each season. Dunk them in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water, then rinse thoroughly and allow to dry before reinstalling.If you’ve missed a few cleanings, use a hose or power washer to blast out caked-on leftovers. A spatula, toothbrush, or bottle brush will help you reach nooks and crannies.Don’t forget: Plastic and wood can make for a bad dishwasher combination. When all else fails, toss the feeder and buy a fresh one.…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 20183 Science ProjectsProject FeederWatchThis long-term Cornell survey has you jot down notes on visitors and their interactions from November to April. Experts use the data to map social hierarchies.Great Backyard Bird CountLog feeder birds for at least 15 minutes between February 15 and 18. Final reports can reveal population trends in common species such as Downy Woodpeckers.Hummingbirds at HomeHelp Audubon scientists map the spring arrival of hummingbirds by monitoring your nectar holder. The intel is particularly insightful as climate change futzes with flowering times.…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 20185 Feeding HotspotsBirds of the Okavango DeltaThe Okavango River doesn’t flow to the sea: Its waters spread out into a huge inland delta and slowly evaporate. As a vast wetland surrounded by arid country in northern Botswana, the delta is a reliable feeding ground for a dizzying diversity of life. More than 500 bird species occur here, residents and long-distance migrants alike. They include water birds like cranes and kingfishers, but also a voluminous variety of hornbills, barbets, bee-eaters, rollers, and other tropical specialties.Parrots at the Tambopata Clay LicksAt several sites in western Amazonia, galaxies of colorful parrots gather along riverbanks to eat dirt—well, technically clay. Some of the largest clay licks are along the Tambopata River in southeastern Peru, where hundreds of macaws, parrots, and parakeets, representing more than a dozen…2 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018RoadworthyPack for a week and never fear a lost-luggage delay with the deceptively sleek Cotopaxi Allpa carry-on ($190). Get remarkably bright, clear close-ups of birds chowing down with Leica Noctivid binoculars in olive green ($2,749). If the birds aren’t biting, dive into The Ravenmaster ($26), a delightful memoir about caring for the Tower of London’s famous corvids. The LifeSaver Liberty bottle ($100) lets you sip safely from the streams that sustain your quarry.AMUR FALCONS, MIKE PRINCE/FLICKR CC (BY 2.0); COURTESY OF COTOPAXI; PAUL HILTON; RED KNOT, RUDDY TURNSTONES, DOUG WECHSLER/NPL/MINDEN PICTURES…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Splish-SplashReduce background noiseTo ensure both your subject and any water droplets flying around it stand out, choose a darker, shaded background and shoot using a shallow depth of field (such as f/4) so that flowers and vegetation melt into a distant blur.Capture water movementTo “freeze” flowing water and flying droplets, use a higher shutter speed (in good lighting conditions, up to 1/3200th of a second). To emphasize the water’s movement for an artistic, blurred effect, you’ll need a steady tripod, an exposure of anywhere from 1/8th of a second to two seconds, and a relatively still subject (this technique probably won’t work with humming-birds in flight, for example).Experiment with backlightingBacklighting can produce ethereal, rim-lit shots of splashing birds. To capture their silhouettes, expose for highlights; if you want more detail…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Of Snakes and MenAs one scientist says, “Nothing’s going to happen until the birders take up the cause.”OF THE MANY MENACES TO the state of Florida—red tide, sea-level rise, super charged storms—perhaps none looms quite so large as the Burmese pythons slithering through its swampland. Up to 18 feet long and able to swallow multiple Great Blue Herons in one fell swoop, even they, as Chris Sweeney discovers in “Invasion of the Bird Snatchers” (page 34), are merely one monster in a cast of sci-fi-worthy reptiles now threatening Florida’s rich avian life.No one knows exactly how these creatures became established in the Sunshine State (although we have a pretty good idea). But we are coming to understand the unintended consequences of their invasion. At the heart of this offbeat narrative is a serious…2 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Bellwethers of Climate ChangeProposals include floating homes, tidal lagoons, and other features designed to protect current and new residents alike.WHEN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, loses two professional sports teams in the next few years, it will gain prime waterfront real estate. The stadiums for the Oakland Raiders and Golden State Warriors will be razed, creating space for thousands of affordable new homes. According to climate models, however, that housing might not last much longer than its athletic forebears: The bay around the neighborhoods is prone to as much as two feet of sea-level rise by 2050.The good people of Oakland aren’t about to let that opportunity wash away. They’ve pressed their government to confront climate change before it wreaks havoc on the city’s 19 miles of shoreline. The mayor and council have responded with action:…4 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Island of SilenceTHE FORESTS OF GUAM ARE eerily quiet. Ever since birds disappeared a few decades ago, only the hum of insects and rustling of leaves float on the humid air of this 210-square-mile island in the Western Pacific Ocean. If a bold avian reintroduction project is successful, however, the mountainous terrain might once again brim with song.The story behind Guam’s near-silent forests is a classic in the annals of ecological invasion. It begins around 1949, when brown tree snakes hitched a ride on U.S. military craft from Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The reptiles, which can grow up to eight feet long and have a native range from Australia to the nearby region of Melanesia, multiplied and ate their way through Guam’s avifauna. By the time biologists grasped the problem…3 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018FINDING TRUE NORTHAS ONE OF THE MOST INTACT ECOSYSTEMS IN THE UNITED STATES, THE REFUGE HOSTS MORE THAN 200 SPECIES OF BIRDS THAT MIGRATE THERE FROM ALL 50 STATES AND SIX CONTINENTS.“The seasons are in disarray,” Robert Thompson tells us, shrugging apologetically. It’s early July, and Thompson, an Iñupiaq guide and environmentalist, has invited our team of six to use his house in Kaktovik as the staging point for a nine-day canoe expedition into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.We’d planned to launch from Kaktovik, the north-easternmost settlement in Alaska, and paddle along the Beaufort Sea. For decades the warming climate has made these coastal waters increasingly ice-free and navigable from midsummer to early fall. But this year the ice shows no signs of retreating, except on the side of the barrier islands…19 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Norristown in BloomTHE HALF-DOZEN FOURTH GRADERS are supposed to be hard at work weeding garden beds with their science class at Gotwals Elementary School in Norristown, Pennsylvania. But for a moment on this spring day, the plants will have to wait. The kids have made a discovery.“It just moved!”“I can see the head!”“Can we touch it?”A garter snake has scaled an overgrown weed to catch a few rays. “Doesn’t it look like a branch?” an educator asks. “Nature lets it hide in plain sight.”The students huddle for a closer look at the harmless reptile as the conversation turns to native plants. Across the playground, other students wielding kid-size binoculars scour the skies for birds. A third gaggle, armed with gloves and garbage bags, train their eyes on the ground to collect litter.Buzzing…9 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018THE SOCIAL CONNECTONGETTING TO KNOW YOUMultiple tit species, including Blue Tits (opposite), abound in Wytham Woods. Above is a visual representation of the social network of Great Tits in winter: who interacts with whom, and how strong those ties are. Each circle represents one bird.BARE TREES, THE SMELL OF DEAD LEAVES, SILENCE, MUD. The winter woods in Oxfordshire are lovely, if you like that sort of thing. If you’re a scientist with the legendary Wytham Tit Project, it doesn’t matter whether you like it or not. The batteries in your trick bird feeder must be changed every two days or your data will be ruined. And getting the most and the best data is the name of the game here in Wytham Woods.So Oxford University graduate student Friederike “Freddy” Hillemann loads 50…18 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018A La CarteBirds with different beaks have different dietary needs. Large-billed species are specialized to eat seeds and nuts, while ground feeders go for grains. Use this handy menu, with advice from Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count Director Geoff LeBaron, to match species to their favorite foods.Entrée: SuetSpecies: Woodpeckers, wrens, titmicePrep: Try a DIY recipe by mixing seeds or grain with animal fats or nut butter.Entrée: Sunflower seedsSpecies: Chickadees, jays, cardinalsPrep: Buy them whole and hulled; it’s less messy and every piece gets eaten.Entrée: Cracked cornSpecies: Pheasants, doves, towheesPrep: Spread in small doses and away from water (corn rots quickly).Entrée: Mixed seedsSpecies: Most bird speciesPrep: Choose this if you have a single feeder but want to draw a bevy of birds.Entrée: MilletSpecies: Sparrows, juncos, blackbirdsPrep: Apply generously in squirrel-rife zones; they tend to…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Daily RitualsGet this: Spending quality time at your feeders can make you a better birder. After knocking out IDs, take a few minutes to note the subtle differences among members of the same species. Jot down your observations in a journal or eBird checklist for quick comparison as the season progresses.Species such as Blue Jays and House Finches can have noticeable differences in plumage, for instance. Some jays sport a more prominent chinstrap or unique black-and-white patches around the face. With House Finches, you can tell how healthy a male’s diet is based on how pink its head and chest feathers are. An orange or jaundiced-looking House Finch is probably not eating enough berries with carotenoid pigments.Watching birds wing back and forth from feeders can also hone your eyes to detect…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Refueling StationsBlackberry Corners, Martin, OH“The concept of ‘Lifer Pie,’ now recognized by birders on multiple continents, had its origin at Blackberry Corners,” says Kenn Kaufman of the rural diner near Magee Marsh, a must-see migration hotspot.Yachats Brewing, Yachats, ORForget pie. Oregon birders yen for “Lifer Beer,” says Linnaea Bee, who downs hers (plus good food) at Yachats Brewing. It’s conveniently located near Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve, where throngs of seabirds nest.Dixie Crossroads, Titusville, FLKatie Andersen replenishes calories burnt hiking in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in search of Roseate Spoonbills and Florida Scrub-Jays at this popular seafood eatery. “The rock shrimp is amazing,” she says.Owl Café, Albuquerque, NMAfter chasing rosy-finches at Sandia Crest or espying roadrunners along the Rio Grande, Gene Hanners keeps the bird theme going at this diner, shaped…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018The Perfect SetupPrep the Bird’s PerchA bush or tree can serve as an attractive ready-made perch, but if your yard lacks one, you can also build your own. Find a downed branch—preferably dark or mid-toned—with some visual interest such as moss or blossoms. Then use a clamp to attach the branch to vegetation or to a metal stake in the ground (position the branch at a slant, perpendicular to your lens). As in all things real estate, location matters, so here are three more considerations.Angles: When a bird lands on a perch, it will typically orient its face and body toward the food source. Position your feeder, your perch, and yourself in a triangle so that the bird is angled slightly toward your camera, too.Lighting: Typically you’ll want the light to come…2 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 20183 Quick Tips for Capturing Humming-birdsLight RightThe iridescence that most hummingbirds exhibit can easily lead to blown-out specular highlights. Avoid them by shooting in soft light. If you are using a Speedlite flash, softboxes or diffusion of some kind will help.Invest in AutofocusHummingbirds are small, fast, erratic, and entirely unpredictable. The better your camera’s autofocus performance, the more keepers you’ll get.Keep It CleanIf you are drawing hummingbirds to your yard with a feeder, remember that sugar water degenerates quickly, promoting bacterial growth. Change the water at least once a week in cooler weather and every three days when it’s hot out.…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018THE ILLUSTRATED AVIARYJOHN JAMES AUDUBON’S PORTRAYAL OF A TRICOLORED HERON ENCHANTED ILLUSTRATOR LLEW MEJIA. The tropical foliage reminded him of Florida’s Everglades and of creatures prowling beyond human reach. “It seems like there’s something super mysterious there,” says Mejia, who is based in New York City. In his rendering of the southeastern coastal bird, Mejia honors Audubon’s composition through a style rooted in Mexico. He lived there as a child and enjoyed family visits to Tlaquepaque, a city near Guadalajara known for its pottery. “You could walk into people’s ateliers, and they’d be painting and glazing all the ceramics,” he says. The lines and colors in his piece reflect that folk-art tradition, but Mejia’s medium is modern: He crafted it in Photoshop. The frog ensnared in the bird’s beak adds both levity…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018We Lead Where Birds Lead (or Need Us)Audubon’s commitment to birds-first action guides us no matter which political party holds the upper hand.IT’S BEEN AN EVENTFUL YEAR for conservation, and sometimes it felt like birds were the targets every time we looked skyward: From rollbacks at the EPA and attempts to weaken the Endangered Species Act to a sneak attack on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the shrinking of public lands for drilling and mining, Audubon played a lot of defense for the sake of birds.That made 2018 challenging, but there were some real steps forward on the big policies that affect birds and nature. For one, we worked closely with Republicans in the House of Representatives as they introduced a bill that would institute a federal carbon tax to address a changing climate. A number…3 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018The Secret Lives of RailsWHEN IT COMES TO BLACK Rails, what we know has long been more legend than science. Sometimes heard but rarely seen, the sparrow-size birds creep through remote wetlands across their North American range, making it tough for researchers to gain more than a basic grasp on the species.That’s starting to change along the Gulf Coast, where Audubon Louisiana is collecting the first pool of Black Rail data in the state. Through ongoing surveys, the group has discovered a small stronghold in and around the Paul J. Rainey Wildlife Sanctuary and is planning to dispatch radio transmitters to learn how the birds move during the nesting season. The information comes at an especially critical time, as rising seas devour 10,000 acres of coastal marshes in Louisiana a year. Much of that…2 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Stages of an Invasion1898The U.S. military claims Guam as sovereign territory during the Spanish-American War. The first naval and Air Force bases are built soon after.1949The brown tree snake arrives, catching a ride hundreds of miles in the cargo of a military ship or plane. (As Samuel L. Jackson puts it nearly 50 years later: “Everybody strap in.”)1985The snake hits a peak density of 250 individuals per acre. By year’s end, it’s eaten 60 percent of the island’s breeding bird species to extinction.1989Captive-bred Guam Rails are released on the nearby isle of Rota. U.S. zoos have since reared more rails, along with Guam Kingfishers.2008Haldre Rogers wins her first grant to visit Guam and map the brown tree snake’s effects on local ecosystems. Her team looks at everything from vertebrates and insects to seeds.2018With…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018CONTESTED GROUND1980President Carter creates the 18-million-acre refuge and prohibits oil and gas production there unless authorized by Congress.1987A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report advises opening to development 1.5 million acres in the 1002 Area along the coastal plain.1989Congressional support for leasing dissolves after the Exxon Valdez oil spill fouls 1,000 miles of coastline and kills a quarter-million birds.1995Congress passes a budget authorizing drilling in the 1002 Area. President Clinton vetoes the legislation.2002The House approves drilling in the 1002 Area as part of energy legislation. The bill dies in the Senate.2005Three legislative measures attempt to open the refuge to drilling. All fail.2017Congress approves a bill that opens the 1002 Area to drilling and requires the Interior Department to auction 400,000 acres by 2021.2019Seismic testing is expected to begin this winter, and…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Blast from the PastThe reservoir in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia’s largest green space, is an important migratory stopover—and was once a beloved destination for people, too. They fished and swam in the 37-acre lake, and the local high school track team ran its mile-long perimeter. Then in the 1970s the city erected a barbed-wire fence, blocking access for decades. Now the reservoir is once again open to the public, thanks to Audubon Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Outward Bound School. As The Discovery Center, a nature-based educational facility, went up, the fence around the reservoir was torn down and replaced with trails. The center will host educational programs, including school field trips and weekly walks. “As a teenager I used to come up here with my cousins,” says Lenora Jackson-Evans, a longtime resident on the…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018BIRDINGFOR BIRDS IN NORTHERN LATITUDES, WINTER IS A TEST OF WILLS. Sure, they’re resourceful animals, but scouring bare landscapes for food takes loads of energy while yielding little reward. Keeping your feeders well stocked, however, could tide over wintering birds until spring arrives. Oily seeds, fatty suet, hearty grains, and sugary nectar provide an extra caloric boost through the cold snap—and year-round, if needed. What’s more, feeders offer a window to the outdoors without forcing you to suffer the cold alongside the birds.…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Squirrel Be GoneWhen it comes to avian dinner parties, squirrels often play the role of bad guests. They show up uninvited and gorge themselves until the feeders are bare. While you can’t prevent these party crashers from lingering in your yard, there are specialized accessories to stop them from filching the birdseed. Chickadees hop right in the vintage-looking Audubon Squirrel Proof Caged Tube (A: $50), which keeps chubbier rodents out of the chow. Goldfinches and nuthatches dine easily at the base of the cylindrical Squirrel Buster Plus (B: $90), whereas a four-legged interloper will pull the shroud down, blocking every morsel. The Woodlink Absolute II (C: $82)—a powder-coated steel house—has a perch that supports larger songbirds like cardinals but collapses under a squirrel’s heft, ensuring that only your intended visitors get their…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018From Bluebird Admirer to Yard BirderAT FIRST, THE FOUR WESTERN Bluebirds that live behind my California home were elusive. They’d flee past me and hide in the forest when our paths crossed. So I started leaving them food. I tried Kaytee Birders’ Blend, which includes peanuts, corn, and sunflower kernels, and noticed that they liked the latter especially. I’d spread a handful in the summer mornings or a few hours before sunset, and the bluebirds would stop by in pairs to snack. One grew particularly comfortable: It would stare me in the eye and churrr while it gathered.The bluebirds were my birding spark; I now notice the croaks of ravens and the mixed flocks of songbirds that fill the trees out back. I also see the shadows of hawks as they hunt around my house.…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018Carrion CafeAt a restaurant in Pithauli, Nepal, there is only one item on the menu: raw beef. While tourists flock to the eatery, the food isn’t for human consumption—it’s for vultures. The macabre buffet aims to boost populations of vulture species, including the White-rumped and Slender-billed, which have plummeted by 90 percent in the past quarter century.After cows die naturally—their slaughter is illegal in the largely Hindu country—scavengers devour their carcasses. Farmers inadvertently caused the birds’ demise by giving their cattle diclofenac, a pain reliever that’s toxic to vultures. Nepal banned the drug in 2006. That same year, ornithologist Dhan Bahadur Chaudhary launched the Jatayu Vulture Restaurant, buying drug-free carcasses from farmers for the birds.The restaurant has spurred the creation of Vulture Safe Zones, where cows aren’t dosed with diclofenac, in…1 min
Audubon Magazine|Winter 2018HomebodiesFor a high-school junior, Ashleigh Scully has quite the resume: She’s won more than a dozen photography awards, and she’s travelled the world to document wildlife. But to get this shot, she didn’t have to go any farther than her own kitchen. When Scully learned that a family of Eastern Screech-Owls had taken up residence in the nest box in her backyard, she hunkered down by a window with a pair of binoculars. Occasionally, an owlet face would pop into view—it seemed the curious young birds were eager to sneak a peek at the world beyond their box. Scully waited till the birds were sleeping to set up her camera, attached to a wireless remote trigger—but no flash—on a tripod about 60 feet from the nest. Then she went back…1 min
