10 important news stories about birds from the last two weeks

Here’s a recap of the most important stories that we tweeted and retweeted over the past two weeks:

1. Don’t miss this video: Conservation biologists used a drone to capture breathtaking footage of a seabird colony on Argentina’s rugged Patagonia coastline. The video shows Imperial Cormorants — more than 5,000 pairs! — sitting on their unusual, tall nest mounds. March 6

2. Fewer collisions in Silicon Valley: San Jose became the fourth, and largest, city in California to enact bird-friendly building guidelines based on strategies published in 2011 by American Bird Conservancy. Between 365 and 988 million birds are killed annually in building collisions in the United States. March 5

3. Not extinct, after all: A team of scientists in Myanmar rediscovered (and photographed and took blood samples) from Jerdon’s Babbler in May 2014. The bird, currently considered one of three subspecies of the babbler, had not been seen in Myanmar since July 1941 and was considered extinct. March 5

4. Treasure in a Cuban wetland: One of the world’s most threatened waterbirds, Zapata Rail, was spotted for first time in four decades. The critically endangered bird was first described in the early 20th century and is endemic to Cuba. The rail was seen in the Zapata Swamp in November 2014. March 2

5. Watching for blackbirds: The 2015 Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz started. Researchers with the International Rusty Blackbird Working Group launched the blitz in 2014. Birders are asked to report Rusties throughout their migratory range, from the southern United States through the Midwest and along the East Coast and up into Canada. March 1

6. Fingers crossed for more condors: The California Condor breeding season got off to a rousing start last month. Condors produced two eggs at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on February 13 and three at the Peregrine Fund’s breeding facility in Boise on February 16. February 28

7. Free access for all: More than 2,000 articles from the respected ornithology journals The Auk and The Condor were made freely available on the journals’ combined website. The papers were published between 2000 to 2007 and cover a diverse range of topics related to bird science. February 25

8. Our contributing editors in person: Kenn Kaufman will lead a workshop at the Copeland Native Plant Seminar in Delaware on March 21. Laura Erickson will speak at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show on the same date. February 24, February 27

Gifts to a girl from the crows. Just beautiful! #corvidlovehttp://t.co/QRfFCDvAx3 pic.twitter.com/es65s0JLRz

— Caroline (@CazBlood) February 27, 2015

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9. Gifts from crows: Shortly after eight-year-old Gabi Mann started offering food and water to the crows that visited her Seattle backyard, the crows started offering gifts to her. A selection of the birds’ gifts are pictured above. February 25

10. Across the Gulf right on time: Journey North, the free Internet-based program that studies wildlife migration and seasonal change, announced that the first migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbirds of the spring arrived in the Gulf coast states on Sunday, February 22, right on time. February 24

 

Originally Published March 9, 2015