It's Raining Dead Birds in New Jersey
January 26, 2009
WPIX 11 New York-
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (WPIX) -- It was raining dead birds this weekend in Franklin Township, New Jersey. They fell onto homes and cars shocking many residents of Somerset County.
The mass bird killing was part of a program implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that targeted the poisoning of blackbirds and starlings in an effort to reduce their populations.A USDA advisory cited that the dead birds posed no hazard to people or pets because the controlled substance had been metabolized inside the birds. One woman told the Courier News of Bridgewater she found more than 150 dead birds on her property and that she was told by local officials that she had to clean them up herself.
The culling program was set up primarily to stop the European starlings from congregating at feed lots and dairies, consuming and contaminating seed helping to spread diseases, according to the USDA advisory.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
8th Grader's Invention Saves Flying Birds
Eighth grader Charlie Sobcov wants to stop birds from dying in collisions with windows, but he doesn't want to ruin anybody's view.
For his latest school science fair project he has invented painted, plastic decals that can be placed — discreetly — right in the middle of a window pane.
"This paint is a colour that birds can see but humans can't," he said Wednesday on CBC Radio's All in a Day. "It's like putting a big stop sign in the middle of the window."
The colour is ultraviolet, beyond the range of colours visible to humans. That means the "stop sign" lets birds know the window is solid, but is nearly invisible to humans.
Similar flying falcon-shaped decals already exist on the windows of some buildings, but unlike Sobcov's, they are black and can obstruct part of the window.
Sobcov, who studies at the Turnbull School, a private school in Ottawa, said he first fell in love with birds while on a trip with his parents to Costa Rica four years ago. He learned that bird populations were decreasing around the world, and that many scientists were blaming global warming.
He later read that about 500 million birds a year in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada were dying as a result of crashing into windows. Many deadly bird collision are with the windows of skyscrapers along their migratory paths.
Sobcov resolved to help save the lives of some of those birds.
Paint for cosmic bowling
He started researching bird vision and found out that a bird's eye view includes colours in the ultraviolet range.
After a search, he managed to find a company in Montreal that made fluorescent ultraviolet paint. The paint is used in the entertainment industry for things like "cosmic bowling," to make lanes glow. In normal indoor lighting, the paint is invisible, but when ultraviolet "black lights" shine on it, it emits light of a different colour — within the range that people can see.
So far, Sobcov has tested his flying falcon-shaped decals on the sunroom of a cottage neighbouring his family's cottage.
"Immediately the birds stopped flying into those windows," he said.
Sobcov has since posted a notice in the newspaper asking people to volunteer to help him test the decals, which can be easily peeled off and reused on a different window or a different part of the same window. He said he received responses from about 40 volunteers, including many who asked how they can buy the decals.
Sobcov said he needs to have his experiment completed by early February, but after that he may consider marketing his new invention.
For his latest school science fair project he has invented painted, plastic decals that can be placed — discreetly — right in the middle of a window pane.
"This paint is a colour that birds can see but humans can't," he said Wednesday on CBC Radio's All in a Day. "It's like putting a big stop sign in the middle of the window."
The colour is ultraviolet, beyond the range of colours visible to humans. That means the "stop sign" lets birds know the window is solid, but is nearly invisible to humans.
Similar flying falcon-shaped decals already exist on the windows of some buildings, but unlike Sobcov's, they are black and can obstruct part of the window.
Sobcov, who studies at the Turnbull School, a private school in Ottawa, said he first fell in love with birds while on a trip with his parents to Costa Rica four years ago. He learned that bird populations were decreasing around the world, and that many scientists were blaming global warming.
He later read that about 500 million birds a year in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada were dying as a result of crashing into windows. Many deadly bird collision are with the windows of skyscrapers along their migratory paths.
Sobcov resolved to help save the lives of some of those birds.
Paint for cosmic bowling
He started researching bird vision and found out that a bird's eye view includes colours in the ultraviolet range.
After a search, he managed to find a company in Montreal that made fluorescent ultraviolet paint. The paint is used in the entertainment industry for things like "cosmic bowling," to make lanes glow. In normal indoor lighting, the paint is invisible, but when ultraviolet "black lights" shine on it, it emits light of a different colour — within the range that people can see.
So far, Sobcov has tested his flying falcon-shaped decals on the sunroom of a cottage neighbouring his family's cottage.
"Immediately the birds stopped flying into those windows," he said.
Sobcov has since posted a notice in the newspaper asking people to volunteer to help him test the decals, which can be easily peeled off and reused on a different window or a different part of the same window. He said he received responses from about 40 volunteers, including many who asked how they can buy the decals.
Sobcov said he needs to have his experiment completed by early February, but after that he may consider marketing his new invention.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Rare Bird Migrates to U.S. for First Time
Bird made its winter home in Texas about 200 miles from its usual habitat
By Michelle Roberts
The Associated Press
updated 1:39 p.m. ET, Sat., Jan. 10, 2009
CHOKE CANYON, Texas - Birders with binoculars and cameras are flocking to a remote state park in search of a small yellow-chested bird that apparently crossed the U.S. border for the first time from its high-mountain habitat to the south.
At 5 inches with beige and yellow markings, the pine flycatcher doesn't look like much, but its unprecedented migration from Mexico and Guatemala is exciting birders all over the country.
"It's not a thrilling bird visually. It's thrilling because it's a first U.S. record," said Wes Biggs, who flew to Choke Canyon State Park from Orlando, Fla., to catch a glimpse.
The bird, which appears to be alone, was first spotted last month and as recently as Friday. The sightings have been confirmed by photographs and recordings of its chirping. The bird, with a solitary nature, usually stays at high elevations but made its winter home in the low Texas scrubland about 200 miles north of its usual habitat.
For the bird to be added to the official checklists of American birders, it will first have to be accepted by the Texas Bird Records Committee, then the American Birding Association. But expert birders are convinced the bird drawing the masses is a pine flycatcher.
"It's a very unexpected discovery, but this is a bird we don't much know about," said Mark Lockwood, a state parks conservation biologist and secretary of the Texas Bird Records Committee.
The committee will review the photos, written descriptions and recordings, but "there is no dispute it's a pine flycatcher," Lockwood said.
Other types of flycatchers have been seen in South Texas, but the pine flycatcher apparently traveled hundreds of miles to get to the hackberry and mesquite trees near a large reservoir.
The bird seems "very much out of whack," said John Arvin, research coordinator at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. "It moved over a lot of hostile-looking territory to get there. Why that happened is anybody's guess."
In the last week, word of the pine flycatcher has been spreading through birder Web sites and message boards.
Steve Matherly, from Houston, showed up in camouflage Thursday night after driving 3 1/2 hours for a glimpse early Friday.
"The dollars (spent to get here) per gram of bird is kind of amazing," he chuckled, as he looked around at dozens of other birders scanning the brush and chatting in hushed tones.
He belongs to a group that puts out e-mail alerts when a rare bird is sighted and came down as soon as he could.
"You never know. I've had my occasions where I've gotten there a day late," said Matherly, who works at a gas pipeline company. "I don't know what I'll see today, but it'll be better than a cubicle."
Dotty Robbins, from Gainesville, Fla., traveled to South Texas to see the pine flycatcher this week even though she came up empty on two previous trips to the area for rare bird sightings.
"It's a little bit of a treasure hunt," she said.
Robbins concedes the pine flycatcher is "dinky," that its distinguishing features come down to a few feathers combined with a particular call.
"He's not spectacular," she said. But "it's unique."
By Michelle Roberts
The Associated Press
updated 1:39 p.m. ET, Sat., Jan. 10, 2009
CHOKE CANYON, Texas - Birders with binoculars and cameras are flocking to a remote state park in search of a small yellow-chested bird that apparently crossed the U.S. border for the first time from its high-mountain habitat to the south.
At 5 inches with beige and yellow markings, the pine flycatcher doesn't look like much, but its unprecedented migration from Mexico and Guatemala is exciting birders all over the country.
"It's not a thrilling bird visually. It's thrilling because it's a first U.S. record," said Wes Biggs, who flew to Choke Canyon State Park from Orlando, Fla., to catch a glimpse.
The bird, which appears to be alone, was first spotted last month and as recently as Friday. The sightings have been confirmed by photographs and recordings of its chirping. The bird, with a solitary nature, usually stays at high elevations but made its winter home in the low Texas scrubland about 200 miles north of its usual habitat.
For the bird to be added to the official checklists of American birders, it will first have to be accepted by the Texas Bird Records Committee, then the American Birding Association. But expert birders are convinced the bird drawing the masses is a pine flycatcher.
"It's a very unexpected discovery, but this is a bird we don't much know about," said Mark Lockwood, a state parks conservation biologist and secretary of the Texas Bird Records Committee.
The committee will review the photos, written descriptions and recordings, but "there is no dispute it's a pine flycatcher," Lockwood said.
Other types of flycatchers have been seen in South Texas, but the pine flycatcher apparently traveled hundreds of miles to get to the hackberry and mesquite trees near a large reservoir.
The bird seems "very much out of whack," said John Arvin, research coordinator at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. "It moved over a lot of hostile-looking territory to get there. Why that happened is anybody's guess."
In the last week, word of the pine flycatcher has been spreading through birder Web sites and message boards.
Steve Matherly, from Houston, showed up in camouflage Thursday night after driving 3 1/2 hours for a glimpse early Friday.
"The dollars (spent to get here) per gram of bird is kind of amazing," he chuckled, as he looked around at dozens of other birders scanning the brush and chatting in hushed tones.
He belongs to a group that puts out e-mail alerts when a rare bird is sighted and came down as soon as he could.
"You never know. I've had my occasions where I've gotten there a day late," said Matherly, who works at a gas pipeline company. "I don't know what I'll see today, but it'll be better than a cubicle."
Dotty Robbins, from Gainesville, Fla., traveled to South Texas to see the pine flycatcher this week even though she came up empty on two previous trips to the area for rare bird sightings.
"It's a little bit of a treasure hunt," she said.
Robbins concedes the pine flycatcher is "dinky," that its distinguishing features come down to a few feathers combined with a particular call.
"He's not spectacular," she said. But "it's unique."
Monday, December 15, 2008
Christmas Bird Count in Central Park
NEW YORK (AP) - There are a lot more than pigeons in New York's Central Park. Bird lovers flocked to the park yesterday for the annual Christmas Bird Count. It's organized by the New York chapter of the Audubon Society. City parks officials say the birdwatchers counted 55 species, for a total of just over 6,000 birds. Of course, there were plenty of sparrows and pigeons. But some of the more unusual sightings included a wild turkey and a peregrine falcon.
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