Category: Articles

Purple Martins were seen Feb. 2 – not the earliest ever but a welcome sight indeed – over Singing River Hospital in Jackson County. Two Long-billed Curlews (and nearly 20 Marbled Godwits) have been seen sporadically on the beach at and east of Moses Pier in Gulfport. Searchers may face difficulty gaining access to parking […]

By LINDA McALPINE – GM Today Staff  January 31, 2014   BROOKFIELD – Plans to put up some artificial nesting platforms for a great blue heron rookery may be on hold because of the weather – it has been just too nice outside. The rookery, part of which is in Brookfield and part on private […]

3000 m (high)
(9840 ft)

animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu

Barn swallows are very adaptable birds and can nest anywhere with open areas for foraging, a water source, and a sheltered ledge. They seek out open habitats of all types, including agricultural areas, and are commonly found in barns or other outbuildings. They will also build nests under bridges, the eaves of old houses, and boat docks, as well as in rock caves and even on slow-moving trains.

Physical Description
Barn swallows are small birds. They range in size from 14.6 to 19.9 cm long, with a wingspan of 31.8 to 34.3 cm. They weigh between 17 and 20 g. Barn swallows are metallic blue-black above and pale beige below. They have light brown on their throat and forehead, and have a long, deeply-forked tail. Males and females are similar in appearance, though females tend to be less vibrantly colored and have shorter outer tail-streamers.
Read more about Hirundo rustica(barn swallow) Habitat Elevation …

Golf Channel Simple question: Have you been to the FBR Open in person? And while I’m at it — are you turned off by the thought of attending a tournament with on-course crowds hovering over 100,000 for the day on the weekend and a “Birds Nest” that allows for about 8,000 people to party until […]

Tampa Bay Newspapers, FL – Jan 31, 2014
Article published on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2014
PINELLAS COUNTY – In the birding world, few species generate more excitement than does the Purple Martin, a swallow that is arriving now throughout Florida, with reports of scouts logged almost daily online.
Read more about Purple Martins arriving in Florida …

BBC News, UK – Jan 31, 2014
A worker drowned two swallow chicks at a building site at Gleneagles Hotel, Perth Sheriff Court has heard.
The birds, which were about one-week-old, were deliberately thrown into a puddle and killed by Polish labourer Zbigniew Dyrda.
Read more about Swallows drowned at building site …

Nest Harvest in the Baram (The Star Online) Story by JAMES RITCHIE FOR several hundred years, ancient birds’ nests caves in the middle Baram region have provided sustenance for a handful of aristocratic Kayan families.  I have heard about birds’ nests and even visited the Niah caves, but not the caves of the Middle Baram […]

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, orders started rolling in – to replace, rebuild, and repair damaged housing in the stricken areas of the Gulf States. Bird housing, that is. In the wake of the hurricane, citizens of the Gulf Coast region set about providing housing in what would amount to […]

Construction Begins on Local Bridge WFIE-TV – Feb 01 Big delays are in store for motorists who use a heavily traveled Tri-State bridge. Construction is set to begin on the Wabash bridge, linking southern Illinois and southern Indiana. But this project will be creating several headaches for drivers. One-point-five-million vehicles use the 50-year-old Wabash bridge every year. […]

bioone.org
K. E. H. AitkenA, K. L. WiebeB, K. MartinA, C,
A. Department of Forest Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver,British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada, B. Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada, C. Canadian Wildlife Service, 5421 Robertson Road, RR1, Delta, British Columbia V4K 3N2, Canada
Abstract

Most obligate cavity-nesting birds are considered to be nest-site limited, either by time or energy to excavate or to acquire suitable holes for nesting. We examined rates of nest-cavity reuse for a rich community of cavity-nesting birds in mixed forests in interior British Columbia. Using a sample of 402 cavity-reuse cases over five years, we measured cavity reuse for 20 cavity-nesting bird and mammal species (three guilds), and examined the relationship between nest-cavity reuse and features of cavities, nest trees, and forest stands. Eight percent of used cavities were destroyed between years. Reuse rates were 17% for the cavities of weak excavators such as nuthatches and chickadees, 28% for formerly active woodpecker nests, and 48% for cavities previously used by secondary cavity nesting birds, but there was considerable species variation within all guilds. Nest cavities in aspen that were deep with large entrances had the highest reuse. At the forest stand level, cavities in trees close to edges and in sites with more edge habitat had greater reuse. Reused cavities tended to be occupied in sequential years rather than being inactive for a year. With increasing amounts of managed landscapes, availability of suitable cavities for forest nesting vertebrates is decreasing. Reuse of existing cavities might help mitigate the problem of nest-site limitation.
Read more about NEST-SITE REUSE PATTERNS FOR A CAVITY-NESTING BIRD COMMUNITY IN INTERIOR BRITISH COLUMBIA …