Link Blog – August 26, 2015

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Mark Willis
  • Animal migration tracking: how did we get to bee backpacks? | Alphr 082615
    [A good overview of the history of animal tracking technology, with links] “Tiny bee backpacks… These microsensors have been glued to the backs of 10,000 honey bees to try to figure out the causes of colony collapse. The battery in each is powered by the vibration of the bee, meaning it will keep transmitting until the bee dies. | Receivers placed around bee hives track data from each sensor, including how far they travel and how long they’re gone, but also how each bee interacts with factors that have been blamed for the fall of bees: exposure to pesticides; air pollution; water contamination; weather; and diet. | Each 2.5mm x 2.5mm pack weighs 5.4 milligrams, which sounds like nothing, but it’s the equivalent of you or me having two 13in Macbook Pros strapped to our backs. And we don’t even have to fly anywhere.”
  • Coop’s Scoop: Citizen science to study your dog, because your dog studies you – CitizenSci 082315
    Caren Cooper: “Neanderthals were in Europe and Asia for two hundred thousand years, but began their demise as our people, Homo sapiens, expanded beyond Africa. Like Neanderthals, humans hunted, used tools, were pyrotechnic, and social enough to have cliques. Some researchers suspect that humans had one advantage that Neanderthals lacked: the precursor to (hu-)man’s best friend, the domesticated dog. Less wild than wolves, more wild than today’s collie, early humans likely survived an epoch of environmental change with the help of furry friends that were eventually domesticated as dogs. | That’s the argument made by Pat Shipman in her book, The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction. Shipman, a retired adjunct professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, explores the evidence for a historic alliance between dogs and humans and what such an alliance enabled, including, for example, the hunting and transport of wooly mammoths. | Our longstanding relationship with dogs has led researchers in animal behavior and comparative psychology find our loyal companions (Canis familiaris) to be an excellent subject for studies of the mind. Some animal behaviorists prefer to study non-human primates because these are evolutionarily the closest relatives to our species. Even though we share more DNA with chimps, we’ve shared more of our social history with dogs. Now dogs solve social problems more similarly to human toddlers than many primates do. Their domestication process endowed them with skills to understand our verbal and body languages, and to read our emotional states which is something akin to empathy. | Children develop empathy after four. Dogs don’t necessarily have the mental capacity to imagine walking their paws in a person’s shoes, but they have emotional contagion, like toddlers. Emotional contagion means they can respond to the emotions of others without fully understanding what the other is feeling. When dogs display sympathy and behave in comforting ways, it is in response to their owner being sad. When dogs are wary, their owner is giving off a vibe of distrust or fear. When a dog is humping, their owner is feeling…well, never mind, that behavior is an independent, normal part of a dog’s life. | Dogs are so good at reading our intentions, practically reading our mind, that you probably can’t deceive your dog. Your dog, however, has no qualms about being deceptive. According to early findings in Dognition, dogs most bonded to their owners are most likely to have intelligent disobedience, such as watching their owners closely enough to capitalize on a distracted moment to steal food. | In The Genius of Dogs: How dogs are smarter than you think, by Brain Hare and Vanessa Woods, they suggest that natural selection favored those individual early dogs that were best able to figure out human intentions. Selection was not necessarily favoring the most intelligent dogs, but those with strong skills at social cognition. Through it all, dogs have been paying attention to us and now they are better at understanding us than we are at understanding them. No wonder we are the ones scooping up the poop. Maybe it was their master plan since the dawn of time.”
  • From his unique perch, Minnesota bird lover surveys the state | Minnesota Public Radio News 082415
    “Birds are beautiful objects,” Bob Janssen said. “They’re everywhere you go. They are ever-changing, ever-beautiful, ever-intriguing, ever-mysterious. So I became a provincial Minnesota birder.” And even with his magnum opus now in print, Janssen isn’t finished yet. He said he may think up another book about Minnesota birds while he recovers from some knee surgery in coming weeks.
  • Five Mystery Birds Among Audubon’s Paintings – The New York Times 082115
    Roberta J. M. Olson, curator of drawings at the New-York Historical Society, which has all 435 of Audubon’s watercolor models, listed the five “mystery birds,” as they are often referred to, labeled by Audubon: Townsend’s Finch (identified in a later edition as Townsend’s Bunting), Cuvier’s Kinglet, Carbonated Swamp Warbler, Small-headed Flycatcher and Blue Mountain Warbler. | These birds have never been positively identified, and no identical specimens have been confirmed since Audubon painted them. Ornithologists have suggested that they might be color mutations, surviving members of species that soon became extinct, or interspecies hybrids that occurred only once.
  • About Fluidr
    Fluidr is a distraction-free way to view and interact with Flickr photos and videos. It was designed to allow you, the viewer, to discover and interact with Flickr photos and videos with as little distraction as possible.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Link Blog – August 26, 2015

Tools for Field Recording Bird Songs

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Mark Willis

Grateful thanks to blogger Aidan Place for his recent post about field recording. He provides a concise overview which led me to many of the links listed below. Significantly, his post was my introduction to Xeno-Canto, an amazing open access platform for archiving, analyzing, and discussing bird vocalization recordings from around the world.

Bloggers

  • Aidan Place:Field Recording | The Eyrie 02015
    Aidan Place: We live in an age where it is increasingly easy to document birds. We’ve reached the point where most rarities are well documented with photos and where most birders carry cameras. However, despite being in a particularly technologically advanced time in birding, there is one form of documentation which doesn’t seem to be growing much in popularity. That form is field recording. | The relative obscurity of recording bird vocalizations is surprising when you consider how much of an integral part audio is to birding. It is even more surprising when you realize that recording equipment is vastly less expensive than the high end photography equipment that seems to be everywhere in birding today. | This lack of popularity is clearly not for lack of reason to record bird song. Birding is a hobby in which a participant’s ears are just as, if not more important, than their eyes. Bird song is also beautiful and is one of the big draws of birding. You can see how recording bird song can be just as good of a way to document birds and to cement memories of a certain outing as photography. | Recordings themselves can be very beautiful, too. Even with inexpensive equipment, one can record good-quality, clear recordings. The below recording of a MacGillivray’s Warbler, for example, was captured with a $40 microphone; astonishingly cheap when compared to the amount of money many birders (myself included) are willing to spend on photography gear.
  • Ted Floyd: How to Record Birdsong—Part 1 « ABA Blog 070914
    Ted Floyd: “Two years ago in this space I wrote a three-part primer on the use of digital audio recorders for birding. A lot has changed since that time. The hardware I reviewed in Part 1 no longer is available. The software I discussed in Part 2 has been upgraded—plus, I’ve gotten better at using it. As to Part 3, the philosophical part, the key issues are still there, but I think they’re more acute now than they were in 2012. Any way you slice it, two years is a long time in the Digital Era. | It’s time for an overhaul.  One other thing. Of late I’ve been fielding a lot of questions about making, analyzing, and archiving recordings of bird vocalizations. In the past few months, a number of my birding friends have acquired what we lovingly refer to as “cheap pocket recorders.” More than ever, folks are appreciating birdsong. Something’s “in the air” right now, and that’s exciting.”
  • Ted Floyd: How to Record Birdsong—Part 2 « ABA Blog 071014
    Ted Floyd: This is the second in a three-part series on how to record bird vocalizations. This part is about software—editing sound files and then sharing them with other birders on the internet. Click here to back up to the first part—an overview of the hardware you’ll need to get started.
  • Ted Floyd: How to Record Birdsong—Part 3 « ABA Blog 071114
    This is the third in a three-part series on how to record bird vocalizations. We looked in Part 1 at which hardware to use and how to use it. In Part 2, we learned about software. In this third and final installment, we take a broader view—what to listen for when we’re actually out in the field with our recording gear.
  • Ted Floyd :: xeno-canto
    Ted Floyd’s user page on XC, listing 196 recordings as of 082415.

Tools

  • Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder
    Audacity is available for Windows®, Mac®, GNU/Linux®; and other rating systems. Check our feature list, wiki, and forum.
  • Raven: Interactive Sound Analysis Software
    Raven is a software program for the acquisition, visualization, measurement, and analysis of sounds. | Raven Pro provides a powerful, user-friendly research and teaching tool for scientists working with acoustic signals. Raven Pro’s highly configurable views provide unparalleled flexibility in data display. Student discounts of 75% off and per country discounts of 25% or more off the price of Raven Pro are available. | Raven Exhibit is a sound visualization and recording system optimized for public displays and exhibits in places like science museums, zoos, aquariums, and nature centers. | Raven Lite is a free software program that lets users record, save, and visualize sounds as spectrograms and waveforms. Raven Lite is intended for students, educators, and hobbyists, and can be used for learning about sounds, as an aid in birdsong recognition, and in musical instruction.
  • Best External Microphones GoPro Hero4 & iPhone 6
    The Edutige EIM-Series are 3.5mm 4 pole microphones made for iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, MacBooks, iMacs & Samsung Galaxy devices

Organizations

  • xeno-canto :: Sharing bird sounds from around the world
    xeno-canto is a website dedicated to sharing bird sounds from all over the world. Whether you are a research scientist, a birder, or simply curious about a sound that you heard out your kitchen window, we invite you to listen, download, and explore the bird sound recordings in the collection. | But xeno-canto is more than just a collection of recordings. It is also a collaborative project. We invite you to share your own bird recordings, help identify mystery recordings, or share your expertise in the forums. Welcome!
  • Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
    The Bioacoustics Research Program develops and uses digital technology, including equipment and software, to record and analyze the sounds of wildlife around the globe. By listening to wildlife, we advance the understanding of animal communication and monitor the health of wildlife populations. We help policy makers, industries, and governments use this information to minimize the impact of human activities on wildlife and natural environments. | The mission of the Bioacoustics Research Program is to collect and interpret sounds in nature by developing and applying innovative technologies across multiple ecological scales to inspire and inform conservation of wildlife and habitats.
  • Macaulay Library: Field Recording
    Each year, the Macaulay Library leads recording workshops to teach state-of-the-art techniques for recording the sounds and behavior of animals in the wild. Participants learn through daily field recording sessions, coupled with lectures and demonstrations from our skilled staff. In collaboration the Cornell Lab’s Conservation Program, we also conduct capacity-building workshops in developing nations. To date, participants from Guyana, Cuba, and Guatemala have received training in recording techniques and systems for bioacoustics research and conservation. | Field Recording: We provide training, equipment, and resources to help document the diversity of life with sound and video. Through workshops and informal training sessions, we teach field techniques and share technical knowledge to help meet the challenges of recording birds and other animals in the wild.
  • Macaulay Library: Field Recording : Sound Recording Workshop 2015
    The workshop is held every spring in the heart of the Tahoe National Forest at San Francisco State University’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus. The field campus has a rustic feel, nestled under Ponderosa and Jeffrey pines at an elevation of 6000 feet. The main lodge is the central hub of activity where classroom sessions, dining, and shower facilities are located. Lodging is in tents on platforms (mattresses are provided). | From birds and bats to amphibians and insects, come and learn contemporary techniques for recording the sounds of wildlife with experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library. Participants start each day with a morning field recording session, followed by afternoon lectures and demonstrations.
Posted in Playing by Ear | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Tools for Field Recording Bird Songs

Link Blog – August 21, 2015

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Mark Willis

  • To Decode Elephant Conversation, You Must Feel The Jungle Rumble : NPR 082015
    Elephants are extraordinary animals. Their formidible size, loud stamping and trumpeting make them hard to miss. But Katy Payne discovered that an elephant’s audible calls are just a fraction of its vocabulary; an elaborate infrasound conversation goes on among the animals as well. The animals’ deep rumblings can be heard through a thick forest that might muffle higher frequency calls. Enjoy this story and its sounds on NPR Morning Edition, coproduced by the Cornell Lab:
  • The Tales Behind eBird’s Most Extraordinary Finds | Audubon 081815
    Birders have a borderline obsessive tendency to keep records. From big days to life lists, many birders find joy in quantifying their bird-watching experiences. The citizen science project eBird, a collaboration between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon that allows birders to track their states in real-time, harnesses this urge—with riveting results. | So here are some numbers for all of the stat-happy birders out there: Since the project was launched in 2002, eBirders have submitted records for a staggering 98 percent of all bird species that exist today. That’s 10,055 out of 10,301 possible species. In July 2014, eBird posted an article highlighting the species that were missing from their records and called for eBirders to fill in the gaps. Within 45 days of posting the article, eBird received accounts chronicling sightings of 92 of the 246 previously missing species. | These numbers are a testament to eBirders’ dedication to contributing to science and conservation. But numbers can’t tell the whole story. They don’t tell of the long journeys to remote locations and grueling hikes that went into collecting data in remote locations, or the ecstatic moments when a rare bird first comes into view. | While eBird’s data is freely available, to hear the tales behind the numbers we had to ask eBirders themselves. Here’s what some of them had to say about their rare sightings.
  • eBird Status Update—Mobile and Global | eBird 081915
    Thanks to the efforts of eBirders worldwide, 10,197 species are represented in eBird (98% of the world’s birds), submitted by 262,109 users from 2,774,557 locations across every country in the world, totaling 262.6 million bird observations. Almost 10 million observations were submitted in May 2015 alone. | All of this is possible because of the work of the more than 250,000 people who use eBird, and a team of dedicated volunteers who care as deeply about birds, science, and conservation as we do at eBird–there are currently 980 volunteer eBird reviewers who manage data quality worldwide, complemented by a team of nearly 400 volunteer hotspot managers. A massive thanks to all eBirders and to every reviewer for all that you do for eBird.
  • Federal study confirms progress in restoring the Niagara River Area of Concern | EmpireStateNews.net 082015
    BUFFALO – According to a recent study by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), fish tumors associated with exposure to toxic chemicals are no longer occurring at an elevated rate in the Niagara River. Based on the study’s results, DEC is proposing to submit a beneficial use impairment removal proposal to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The public is invited to submit input on the draft proposal for the Niagara River Area of Concern. | “The results of this study confirm that water quality in the Niagara River Area of Concern is improving,” said DEC Great Lakes Coordinator Don Zelazny. “Based on the positive results of this study, DEC proposes to no longer consider fish tumors as a use impairment within the Area of Concern.” | Currently, there are seven beneficial use impairments that exist in the Niagara River Area of Concern as a result of chemical, physical or biological disturbances to the ecosystem. Fish tumors or other deformities are one of the impairments, based on the results of two studies conducted in the 1980s that showed higher than normal tumor rates in the river’s fish. |USFWS undertook the study in 2011 to evaluate whether fish tumors or other deformities continued to be an impairment on the U.S. side of the Niagara River Area of Concern. The study, which focused on liver tumors in brown bullhead catfish, found no significant difference between tumor rates in the Niagara River and an uncontaminated reference site, Long Point Inner Bay (Ontario) on Lake Erie. Experts commonly associate brown bullhead liver tumors with exposure to contaminants. Brown bullhead are also considered ideal indicators of local environmental conditions because they are a bottom-dwelling fish and have a limited home range. | Based on the results of the USFWS study, DEC is preparing to submit a formal beneficial use impairment removal proposal to EPA. A draft of the proposal with supporting technical information may be viewed at DEC’s website.
  • Whitefish Point Unit – Seney – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
    The Whitefish Point Unit of Seney National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1998 with the transfer of 33 acres from the United State Coast Guard. An additional 20 acres, which included 1,000 feet of shoreline was acquired in 2012. The purchase of the additional acres was made possible by a number of private donations. | The Whitefish Point Unit is nearly 80 miles away from Seney NWR and is a stop-over for birds migrating to and from Canada.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Link Blog – August 21, 2015

Link Blog – August 20, 2015

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Mark Willis


American Birding Expo | Video

  • Buy Optics from Eagle Optics, Get a Discounted ABA Membership! « ABA Blog 081515
    Our good friends at Eagle Optics are once again offering a fantastic deal for those interested in purchasing a new pair of binoculars. With the purchase of one of a select list of binoculars at a variety of price points, you can get an ABA membership – usually $45 – for the low price of $15. This special price is available for new members or for current members looking to renew.
  • ABA Blog | American Birding Association
    Nate Swick is the editor of the American Birding Association Blog. A long-time member of the bird blogosphere, Nate has been writing about birds and birding at The Drinking Bird since 2007, but can also be found writing regularly at 10,000 Birds. In the non-digital world, he’s an environmental educator and interpretive naturalist. Nate lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Danielle, and two young children, who are not yet aware that they are being groomed to be birders.
  • Birds and Brews – M*ch*g*n Still Sucks – by Chris ~ Rogue Birders 081915
    Christopher Collins: “Growing up in an OSU family in Columbus, OH I was taught that there is nothing good about that state up there. That I should avoid anyone and anything that hails from there. Recently I have had two experiences that prove that good things can come from even the very worst of places. | The first was during the Biggest Week in American Birding. Jeremy, Alex, Sarah, and I were all working on a “Big Day” in Lucas County to boost Jeremy and Alex’s Ohio lists for the year, and to celebrate my birthday. A message came in via Facebook, “Kirtland’s Warbler at Oak Openings!” A lifer for all of us. We hopped in the car and were off! To this day it still makes Alex uncomfortable to talk about that journey. He swears we almost died two or three times. I was driving, and I don’t remember that at all. Regardless, we made it to the park unscathed. We followed the crowd to the spot where the bird was being seen and quickly got bins and cameras on it. Though the warbler stayed mainly deep in the tree, hidden by leaves, it would occasionally make an appearance in the open allowing for some great photo opportunities. Lifer!”
  • AOU & COS Publications – Stable hydrogen isotopes identify leapfrog migration, degree of connectivity, and summer distribution of Golden Eagles in eastern North America 8/2015
    [Nelson et al 2015] Abstract: Knowledge of the distribution and movements of populations of migratory birds is useful for the effective conservation and management of biodiversity. However, such information is often unavailable because of the difficulty of tracking sufficient numbers of individuals. We used more easily obtained feather stable hydrogen isotope ratios (δ2H) to predict the summer grounds of the small, threatened, and migratory population of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in eastern North America. We then identified summer locations and the extent of migratory connectivity for this population. We collected δ2H (δ2Hf), stable carbon isotope (δ13C), and stable nitrogen isotope (δ15N) data from the body feathers of 47 juvenile, subadult, and adult Golden Eagles. Values of δ13C and δ15N suggested that all but 2 birds obtained food from terrestrial-based food webs and therefore that δ2H data were appropriate for inferring the geographic region of molt for the majority of birds. There was relatively large interfeather variation in the δ2H values of subadults vs. adults, suggesting that these groups molted at different times and places. The most negative δ2Hf values from birds with known summering grounds exhibited (1) a negative correlation with their summering latitude, and (2) a positive correlation with amount-weighted δ2H values of May–August precipitation at the summer location. These data validate the use of δ2Hf values for inferring the summer locations of Golden Eagles of unknown origin. Likelihood-of-origin maps derived from δ2Hf values revealed that (1) the majority of birds spent the breeding season in central Québec and Labrador, and (2) birds that wintered at southern latitudes, from approximately northern Alabama to southwestern Virginia, migrated about twice the distance of birds that wintered at northern latitudes, from Pennsylvania to New York. We observed a positive relationship between δ2Hf values and the latitude of the wintering location, which, along with the likelihood-of-origin maps, revealed moderate patterns of leapfrog migration and migratory connectivity.
  • Migratory patterns of eastern Golden Eagle population revealed | EurekAlert! Science News 081215
    Eastern North America is home to a small population of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), but despite their potential vulnerability to habitat loss and other threats, little information has been available on the patterns of their annual migration. One big question is whether or not they exhibit “migratory connectivity,” where individuals from the same breeding area also migrate to the same wintering area; strong connectivity means that a population is divided into small subpopulations that are especially vulnerable to environmental changes. For a study forthcoming in The Condor: Ornithological Applications, authors David Nelson of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Todd Katzner of the U.S. Geological Survey (formerly West Virginia University), and colleagues traced individual eagles’ movements through isotopes in their feathers to identify their breeding areas and to assess the population’s migratory connectivity. They found that eastern Golden Eagles exhibit a moderate degree of what’s known as “leapfrog migration”: the birds that bred farthest north also spent the winter farthest south, “leapfrogging” over others in the middle. | “Stable hydrogen isotopes identify leapfrog migration, degree of connectivity, and summer distribution of Golden Eagles in eastern North America” will be available August 12, 2015 at http://www.aoucospubs.org/toc/cond/117/3.
  • AOU & COS Publications – Variables associated with detection probability, detection latency, and behavioral responses of Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) 8/2015
    [Aldinger and Wood 2015]Abstract: Detection probability during point counts and its associated variables are important considerations for bird population monitoring and have implications for conservation planning by influencing population estimates. During 2008–2009, we evaluated variables hypothesized to be associated with detection probability, detection latency, and behavioral responses of male Golden-winged Warblers in pastures in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia, USA. This is the first study of male Golden-winged Warbler detection probability, detection latency, or behavioral response based on point-count sampling with known territory locations and identities for all males. During 3-min passive point counts, detection probability decreased as distance to a male’s territory and time since sunrise increased. During 3-min point counts with playback, detection probability decreased as distance to a male’s territory increased, but remained constant as time since sunrise increased. Detection probability was greater when point counts included type 2 compared with type 1 song playback, particularly during the first 2 min of type 2 song playback. Golden-winged Warblers primarily use type 1 songs (often zee bee bee bee with a higher-pitched first note) in intersexual contexts and type 2 songs (strident, rapid stutter ending with a lower-pitched buzzy note) in intrasexual contexts. Distance to a male’s territory, ordinal date, and song playback type were associated with the type of behavioral response to song playback. Overall, ~2 min of type 2 song playback may increase the efficacy of point counts for monitoring populations of Golden-winged Warblers by increasing the conspicuousness of males for visual identification and offsetting the consequences of surveying later in the morning. Because playback may interfere with the ability to detect distant males, it is important to follow playback with a period of passive listening. Our results indicate that even in relatively open pasture vegetation, detection probability of male Golden-winged Warblers is imperfect and highly variable.
  • Trek to the Tidal Flats off Mononomy a “Must” for Birders | WCAI 081915
    Vern Laux: “Birders from all over the country and the world make the trip to visit Eastham and Chatham at this time of year for both the numbers and variety of shorebird species that can be seen. It is one of the best places; maybe the best place on the planet, to see the rare Hudsonian Godwit as it visits during its annual migration that takes it to the ends of the planet. This past week there were dozens of these godwits, as well as four Marbled Godwits, feeding on tidal flats at South Beach. | Hudsonian Godwits are relatively large, Arctic nesting shorebirds that visit here, feeding heavily, doubling their body weight in 2 or 3 weeks, before launching on a spectacular nonstop flight to northern South America. From there, they continue southward all the way to the bottom of that continent, spending the Austral summer on the flats around the Straits of Magellan in Patagonia in southern Argentina and Chile. | In fact all the Godwit species in the world, which are the Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, including both subspecies. Hudsonian Godwit and Marbled Godwit have all been seen in Chatham in the past as well. This malleable area is perhaps the best place in the world to see godwits. | For the next several weeks, the shorebird spectacle that is visible at these places is to my mind one of the wonders of the world. It is an awesome and humbling sight to see thousands of shorebirds, going on about their lives that are only stopping here briefly in their annual cycle of winging around a large part of the planet. That the birds know these food-rich areas are there and plan their annual migration to take advantage of them is a gift to us all.”
  • Minnesota angler: ‘Monster’ 45-pound lake trout was like pulling up a log – StarTribune.com 081915
    Nik Biebighauser of Minneapolis held the monster 45-pound lake trout he and his dad, Dave, caught in Lake Superior near Isle Royale National Park. They released the 47-inch fish,which would have been a state record had it been caught in Minnesota waters | So how big is a 45-pound lake trout? The Minnesota record lake trout is a 43-pound, 8-ounce fish caught near Hovland in 1955. (Length and girth are unknown.) | Isle Royale, though just 18 miles off Minnesota’s North Shore, is in Michigan waters. The Michigan state record lake trout is a 49-inch, 61½-pound behemoth caught in Lake Superior in 1997.
  • Isle Royale Queen IV runs aground – MiningGazette.com | News, Sports, Jobs – Houghton, Michigan – The Daily Mining Gazette 072915
    COPPER HARBOR – The Isle Royale Queen IV, operating out of Copper Harbor, ran aground Tuesday while on an evening cruise. U.S. Coast Guard was contacted by the Negaunee dispatch and told that the excursion vessel had run aground inside the harbor.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Link Blog – August 20, 2015

Naturalist-Writers: Vern Laux on Cape Cod Shorebirds

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Mark Willis


Marbled Godwit. Four Marbled Godwits were spotted feeding on tidal flats at South Beach (Cape Cod) this past week, in an unusual sighting. [Source: Eric Vondy / flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0/via WCAI]

I discovered Vern Laux last spring when one of his weekly bird reports from Cape Cod showed up in my bird migration news alert. He is a naturalist and writer as well as a broadcaster at WCAI-FM on the Cape. Not only can you read his elegant, informative prose – you can hear him read it, too. I try to listen to him on WCAI’s live stream every Wednesday morning about 8:45 EST. It’s also available as full text or audio on demand. To my ear, it’s the best bird feature I have heard on public radio. Here is part of today’s segment on migrating godwits:

Birders from all over the country and the world make the trip to visit Eastham and Chatham at this time of year for both the numbers and variety of shorebird species that can be seen. It is one of the best places; maybe the best place on the planet, to see the rare Hudsonian Godwit as it visits during its annual migration that takes it to the ends of the planet. This past week there were dozens of these godwits, as well as four Marbled Godwits, feeding on tidal flats at South Beach.

Hudsonian Godwits are relatively large, Arctic nesting shorebirds that visit here, feeding heavily, doubling their body weight in 2 or 3 weeks, before launching on a spectacular nonstop flight to northern South America. From there, they continue southward all the way to the bottom of that continent, spending the Austral summer on the flats around the Straits of Magellan in Patagonia in southern Argentina and Chile.

In fact all the Godwit species in the world, which are the Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, including both subspecies. Hudsonian Godwit and Marbled Godwit have all been seen in Chatham in the past as well. This malleable area is perhaps the best place in the world to see godwits.

For the next several weeks, the shorebird spectacle that is visible at these places is to my mind one of the wonders of the world. It is an awesome and humbling sight to see thousands of shorebirds, going on about their lives that are only stopping here briefly in their annual cycle of winging around a large part of the planet. That the birds know these food-rich areas are there and plan their annual migration to take advantage of them is a gift to us all.

Source: Trek to the Tidal Flats off Mononomy a “Must” for Birders | WCAI

Posted in Birds | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Naturalist-Writers: Vern Laux on Cape Cod Shorebirds

Naturalist Notebook – August 18, 2015

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Mark Willis
  • D-Day Ohio: D-DAY Conneaut 2012
    Quickly becoming America’s premier living history event, this free to the public reenactment is a highly realistic and educational reenactment of the WWII European Theater of Operations and the D-Day Normandy invasion. | Since 1999, this re-creation of the events surrounding the allied landings on the coast of Normandy, France has thrilled thousands of spectators. The event occurs within the beautifully kept grounds of Conneaut Township Park, in Conneaut, Ohio. Hundreds of re-enactors from across the United States and Canada assemble on the 250 yard long beach and sloping adjacent terrain, which closely resemble Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. Other areas of the park provide secluded venues for recreations of inland skirmishes between the occupying German soldiers, French resistance fighters, and Allied parachute and Glider infantry.
  • D-Day Ohio is nation’s biggest World War II re-enactment (photos) | cleveland.com
    Flamethrower and mortar demonstrations will be part of America’s largest World War II re-enactment Friday and Saturday when D-Day Conneaut hits the shores of Lake Erie. | More than 1,500 military re-enactors are expected to participate in the two-day event, Aug. 21-22. It will include four mock battles and multiple small skirmishes in addition to the climactic re-enactment of the amphibious Normandy invasion of June 6, 1944.
    The restaging in Conneaut is said to be the largest D-Day re-enactment in the world. | Acres of “living history” encampments re-create American, Canadian, British, French resistance and German field facilities. Other areas provide a period glimpse of “homefront” life in 1944. | Funded by donations and staffed by more than 300 volunteers from around the country, the event is free, including parking. About 30,000 people attended last year’s re-enactment at Conneaut Township Park. | On Thursday and Friday starting at 10 a.m., the public is invited to Conneaut Township Park to ride in a vintage landing craft. (A small donation is asked.)
  • Stephen Moss | The Guardian
    Stephen Moss is a naturalist, writer and broadcaster, based at the BBC Natural History Unit. His latest book is Tweet of the Day (co-written with Brett Westwood). He writes the monthly Birdwatch column for The Guardian.
  • Birdwatch: Green sandpiper | Environment | The Guardian 081615
    Stephen Moss: “As naturalists and birders, we are constantly anticipating the coming season: always a new and unpredictable experience, full of hope and promise. That’s why I love visiting my local patch; for no matter how quiet it gets, something usually turns up – just like that green sandpiper.”
  • The developmental dynamics of marmoset monkey vocal production | Science 081415
    [Takahashi et al 2015] Anstract: Human vocal development occurs through two parallel interactive processes that transform infant cries into more mature vocalizations, such as cooing sounds and babbling. First, natural categories of sounds change as the vocal apparatus matures. Second, parental vocal feedback sensitizes infants to certain features of those sounds, and the sounds are modified accordingly. Paradoxically, our closest living ancestors, nonhuman primates, are thought to undergo few or no production-related acoustic changes during development, and any such changes are thought to be impervious to social feedback. Using early and dense sampling, quantitative tracking of acoustic changes, and biomechanical modeling, we showed that vocalizations in infant marmoset monkeys undergo dramatic changes that cannot be solely attributed to simple consequences of growth. Using parental interaction experiments, we found that contingent parental feedback influences the rate of vocal development. These findings overturn decades-old ideas about primate vocalizations and show that marmoset monkeys are a compelling model system for early vocal development in humans.
  • Marmoset kids actually listen | Science 081415
    [Margoliash et al 2015] full text open access | Undergraduate linguistics courses typically present language as unique to humans. Chomsky and others have postulated a language organ that evolved in hominids. This idea found modest support in the lack of evidence for vocal production learning (imitating sounds) in nonhuman primates. But did language suddenly emerge in the Homo lineage as a “hopeful monster” (1) who could learn new sounds and meanings? Evidence for vocal learning in nonhuman primates is now emerging (2, 3), and in hindsight, looking at vocal production learning as the sole evolutionary precursor of language might have been shortsighted. Similar developmental processes can lead to different end points, and minor modifications of a primitive developmental program can create very different creatures. On page 734 of this issue, Takahashi et al. (4) provide evidence for a developmental process, rather than its endpoint, which reveals a shared developmental program for animal communication and human language. This indicates an ancestral developmental program that is shared not only between humans and other primates but also across mammals and birds.
  • Chatty Marmosets Have Something To Say About Vocal Learning : Shots – Health News : NPR 081315
    Learning to make sounds by listening to others is a skill that helps make us human. | But research now suggests a species of monkey may have evolved similar abilities. | Marmosets have the capacity to learn calls from their parents, according to research published Thursday in the journal Science. The results mean that studying marmosets might provide insights into developmental disorders found in humans. It also suggests that vocal learning may be more widespread than many researchers thought. | Many animals can link sounds with meaning. Dogs respond to simple calls; chimpanzees can even communicate with people using sign language. But the ability to hear a sound and mimic it is possessed by only a small number of species: primarily song birds and humans.
  • Why Do Parrots Talk? | Audubon 080615
    Of all the creatures on Earth, only two can produce human language: humans…and birds. Of the few birds that can imitate human speech, including mynah birds, crows, and ravens, parrots are clearly the best at it—they give TED talks, speak multiple languages, and even front heavy metal bands. So why can parrots talk when our closer primate relatives cannot? | Parrots are vocal learners, meaning they grasp sounds by hearing and then imitating them. Although several other bird species can discern and repeat sounds, parrots are the pros. | Erich Jarvis, a Duke University neuroscientist and vocal learning expert, recently published a study in Plos One explaining why. Any bird that’s a vocal learner has a part of the brain devoted to this, called the ‘song system.’ But in parrots, the song system has two layers—an inner ‘core,’ common to all avian vocal learners, and an outer ‘shell,’ which is unique to parrots. Jarvis thinks that this recently discovered ‘shell’ is what allows parrots to be such expert mimickers (though he hasn’t figured out exactly how it works yet). | But why do they copy human speech? Peer pressure, it turns out. Parrots naturally try to fit in, be it among other parrots or other people.
  • An Idaho Man Teaches Bird Watching To Blind Students | Boise State Public Radio 081115
  • Sail With Us | Flagship Niagara League
    When Niagara is in her homeport of Erie, Pennsylvania, members of the general public can sign up to sail on-board. Typical day sails include 4 to 5 hours of sailing on Presque Isle Bay and/ or the open lake* (weather and time dependent*), history lectures and demonstrations and lunch** cooked on Niagara’s wood-burning stove (5-hour sails only**).
  • About the U.S. Brig Niagara | Flagship Niagara League
    The U.S. Brig Niagara, home-ported in Erie, Pennsylvania, is a replica of the relief flagship of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. She is the embodiment of the dual mission of the Erie Maritime Museum and the Flagship Niagara League: she is both a historical artifact and a vehicle for sail training, an experiential learning process that preserves the skills of square-rig seamanship. | The current Niagara, the third reconstruction of the original vessel, was launched in Erie in 1988, the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie. Niagara sails the Great Lakes, preserving and interpreting the story of the Battle of Lake Erie, and acting as an ambassador in her capacity as the flagship of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As a Sailing School Vessel, her crew of professionals and trainees actively preserve the skills of square-rig seamanship.
  • Chautauqua may follow Erie County’s lead in banning microbeads – City & Region – The Buffalo News 081615
    SUNY Fredonia professor Sherri A. Mason, a member of Fredonia’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, obtained a grant to study the microbeads problem and has incorporated her studies with other Great Lakes issues. She said her interest in Great Lakes pollution started with an excursion on the U.S. Brig Niagara during a course she taught aboard the vessel in 2011. | “I had been teaching about plastic pollution for about 10 years prior to that,” she said. | Among courses she taught at SUNY Fredonia was a chemistry course for nonmajors designed to give nonscience students interesting information on everyday substances, including the longevity of plastics. | In 2012, while aboard the Brig Niagara on lakes Erie, Superior and Huron, she said she expected to find large pieces of plastic when she took samples but was surprised at the volume of small, round plastic elements – or microbeads. Her study resulted in the publication of an article on microbeads in the “Marine Pollution Bulletin” in 2013.
  • Lake Michigan Perch Recover Quicker Than Expected – The Fish Site 081715
    US – Over-fished yellow perch in Lake Michigan have recovered much quicker – by hundreds of years – in reaching reproductive maturity at a later age and larger size than scientists previously thought was possible, according to a Purdue University study. | Analysis of fish assessment data going back to the early 1970s showed the species reversed a trend of reaching reproductive maturity at an earlier age and smaller size than what had been normal. The study period included a time of very high commercial fishing of yellow perch followed by a ban on commercial fishing in southern Lake Michigan. | Researchers have long suspected that size-selective fishing – in this case, catching only big yellow perch – can lead to “reverse evolution,” in which fish become genetically programmed to mature earlier and smaller and, consequently, produce small fish. | Researchers analyzed yellow perch development based on data from stocks in southern Lake Michigan, Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron, southeastern Lake Huron and the western and central basins of Lake Erie. Yellow perch in Lake Erie were continually fished, unlike those in Lake Michigan, and showed little change in maturation patterns. | Includes link to full study.
  • Wild Things: Now is hummingbird heaven  : Times Argus Online 081715
    Chip Darmstadt: “Even better for the health of hummingbirds is landscaping for them by planting shrubs, perennials and annuals that provide nectar throughout the spring and summer. Bee Balm is a popular and common choice, but the UVM extension service also suggests planting hollyhock, columbine, foxglove, daylily and phlox. Some good annuals include flowering tobacco, verbena, scarlet runner bean, salvia, and petunia (although you should stick with single blossoms). Some good shrub species to plant are the rhododendrons and azaleas. | So, what do hummingbirds feed on in the wild? Nectar from flowers makes up the bulk of their diet, with jewelweed and cardinal flower being two of their native favorites. Red flowers and larger nodding or hanging flowers seem to attract hummers the most. Hummingbirds also supplement their sugary diet with insects and spiders, which they also feed to their young.” | Chip Darmstadt is executive director at North Branch Nature Center.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Naturalist Notebook – August 18, 2015

Naturalist-Writers: Stephen Moss on the Great Skua

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Mark Willis

Great Skua (Stercorarius skua). Illustration by George Boorujy [Source: The Guardian]
Great Skua (Stercorarius skua). Illustration by George Boorujy [Source: The Guardian]

Stephen Moss is a naturalist, writer and broadcaster, based at the BBC Natural History Unit.  He writes the monthly Birdwatch column for The Guardian. His July 19 column whets my imagination for seabirds and islands in the northern-most reaches of the British Isles:

The bird came out of the sun like a second world war bomber, lumbering towards me before swerving off at the very last moment, leaving me breathless and shaken. That’ll teach me for getting too near its nest, I thought. For somewhere in the marshy ground alongside the boardwalk there was a small, fluffy chick, in need of protection from intruders.Great skuas are impressive birds. With their dark brown plumage and broad wings they look rather like a cross between a buzzard and a gull, with twice as much aggression as either. They are also one of the rarest birds, globally speaking, that you will ever see in Britain. For well over half the world population – roughly 10,000 pairs – breeds in Scotland, most on Shetland, where they are known by the Old Norse name of “bonxie”.

In the past few weeks I’ve been dive-bombed by bonxies on two of Britain’s most beautiful islands: Foula, west of Shetland, and Handa, off the coast of Sutherland. Foula was once known as “Ultima Thule” – the edge of the world – and was the location for Michael Powell’s 1937 film of the same name. It claims to be the most remote inhabited island in Britain, and although the people of Fair Isle might dispute this, the sense of isolation as we made the two-hour boat journey across to the island was palpable.

Foula itself is unexpectedly green and, on this rare sunny day, rather stunning. Before landing, we made a circuit around the island, whose enormous cliffs – second only to St Kilda – rose dauntingly above us, accompanied by the ringing sound of seabirds. Once on land we took a circular walk through damp meadows full of flowers, past a loch where no fewer than 700 bonxies were bathing or loafing around in the afternoon sunshine. A rising wind made the journey back rather less enjoyable, as I successfully fought against impending seasickness while the boat’s skipper battled through heavy seas.

A week or so later, my trip to Handa, as leader of a Summer Birds course run by Aigas Field Centre, was much easier, as the ten-minute boat trip took us to an island paradise thronged with birds. As we landed on the beach, red-throated divers flew around above our heads, uttering their curious calls. Alongside the the path red grouse called from the heather, snipe drummed overhead, and both great and Arctic skuas rose up from their nests, eyeing us with wary suspicion.
Advertisement

Compared to the bulky great skua, the Arctic skua is a sleek, streamlined fighter jet. Both pale and dark phase birds were here: the latter chocolate brown and the former yellowish-white below. They look very different, yet are genetically identical, and happily interbreed in mixed pairs.

Handa may be small – just one square mile in area – but it still takes plenty of time to walk around, especially as we kept stopping to appreciate the seabird colonies on the spectacular cliffs. Guillemots and razorbills, fulmars and puffins – the prize attraction for most visitors – were all busy nesting, with chicks demanding a constant supply of food from their parents. Dragging ourselves away was not easy, but as we did so the great and Arctic skuas staged a fly-past, as if seeing us off the island, so they could resume their lives unseen and untroubled by our presence.

Source: Birdwatch: Great skua | Environment | The Guardian

Posted in Birds, Ecologies | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Naturalist-Writers: Stephen Moss on the Great Skua