April 2013

Editor Chuck Hagner describes three articles in our April 2013 issue that are sure to get you ready for spring.

How tiny new tracking devices known as geolocators are rapidly changing what we know about the migration of Northern Wheatears, Flammulated Owls, and other birds.

Biologist and famed author Rachel Carson wrote about wild creatures of many kinds, but her private fascination was always birds.

The operator of the northernmost hummingbird-banding station in the United States describes the annual flights of the tiny Rufous Hummingbird.

Screens, films, decals, and other easy-to-use products that will prevent birds from hitting the windows of your home.

On the Des Moines River in the heart of Iowa, a 17-mile-long reservoir with a bird list of 325 species.

One of two remaining old-growth tracts in South Carolina, featuring 1,000-year-old bald cypress trees and a 1.75-mile-long boardwalk.

A city park in central Lubbock famous for hosting a Gyrfalcon for two and a half months in 2002.

An 83-acre city park in the desert with a reputation for attracting migrants in spring and fall.

How the movie The Big Year turned two nonbirders into birders.

Laura Erickson tells how she gained the upper hand when a sudden influx of squirrels overwhelmed her backyard feeders.

How microscopic pigments, particles, and air pockets on feathers produce the reds, oranges, yellows, blues, and iridescence we see on birds.

What to look for to recognize Yellow Warbler even when its plumage may be dull, and what you need to know about its two tropical forms: "Mangrove Warbler" and "Golden Warbler."

Why sketching what you hear may be the easiest way to learn bird songs.

A loon and two songbirds will be on the move as March yields to April.

Why the presence of other cardinals affects whether individual redbirds come to your feeder.

Why migrating hawks show a surprising preference for larger-than-expected bird prey.

Eighteen years after the Marbled Murrelet was listed as Threatened, the seabird's numbers are declining steeply.

Teenage birders have a new home on the net, thanks to the Black Swamp Bird Observatory and Cornell Lab.

How recent helicopter surveys are raising hopes that Golden Eagles are increasing in abundance in the East.

Why birds collide with windows at rural residences more frequently than at urban homes.

Canada's first Red-flanked Bluetail, Nevada's first Common Crane, and four more amazing rarities.

How researchers proved that outdoor cats kill large numbers of young birds during their first week out of the nest.

See the winner of our most recent photo contest, plus photos of dancing Sandhill Cranes, an Osprey, a bathing Eastern Bluebird, a pretty Indigo Bunting, a crabapple-eating Pine Grosbeak, and a juvenile Cooper's Hawk.

How a December trip to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix produced a winning photo of a hungry Curve-billed Thrasher on a prickly cactus.

Readers respond to recent articles about gull identification, Roseate Spoonbills, coffee and birds, and the first-ever family tree of the world's birds.