This happy Barred Owl snoozing in the sunlight in New York City's busy Central Park makes me think of the seasons' changing. There is no getting around fall is here and winter is on its way. But not only are we experiencing a change in weather, the birds are also different than the ones we saw even a few weeks ago. Songbirds are fewer but there are loads of sparrows and woodpeckers, owls are skulking around, and waterfowl in breeding plumage are arriving at lakes and shorelines around the country. It's different and maybe less hectic birdwatching than in spring and early fall, but not any less interesting. So if you can, get outside, socially distance, and enjoy looking for the birds who are moving in for this season!

In this month's newsletter:

And don't forget to check out our expanding list of ways to help birds.

Visit us at WildTones for bird and wildlife ringtones, alerts and alarms for iPhones and Android, and our loopable streaming nature sounds for relaxation, sleep, mediation and lifestyle.

   Barred Owl; Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel

Whether lurking around and storming feeders or streaking through the trees after a bird, these fairly common raptors are both beautiful and aggressively resist identification. Determining if you are looking at a Coopers or Sharp-shinned Hawk can be really confusing. If this happens to you, don’t worry as even experts aren't always on the mark. Adults of both species have blue-gray backs and orange-barred chests, and red eyes, and are so similar that it can be very tricky to get it right. To make the ID of an adult Coopers or Sharp-shinned Hawk, ...Read On...

The songs and sounds of birds are all around us. What can we learn when we stop to listen? "Threatened", a new BirdNote podcast series with longer, in-depth stories about birds, explores the enduring connections between birds, people, and landscapes. Hear real stories that explain the challenges for these birds as well as what people are doing to help.

In this episode, we travel to Idaho, where native grasslands were once a diverse garden of plant and animal life. We will visit a Long-billed Curlew nest, learn about sparrows and their relationship to native grasslands, hear from a research biologist at the Intermountain Bird Observatory, a biologist for the Nez Perce Tribe, and a local landowner who is answering the call to help grassland birds.

Artwork by Clint McMillen at Braincloud Design

Got someone on your gift list who would love a book about wildlife or nature? There are some really wonderfully written books out this year that would fit the bill. Here are a few of our favorites. Check them out - maybe one is perfect for you as well?

Becoming Wild - Carl Safina takes us deep into Earth’s remaining wild places and brings the culture and lives of three amazing creatures to life through stories from his personal observation. Safina shows how if you’re a sperm whale, a scarlet macaw, or a chimpanzee, you too experience your life with the understanding that you are an individual within a particular community. Becoming Wild brings readers close to the lives of non-human animals to show how other creatures teach and learn.

The Bird Way - Science writer Jennifer Ackerman continues her exploration of the private lives of birds in her new publication in which she covers the gamut of fascinating details about the intelligence, creativity, abilities and often seemingly quirky behaviors of birds around the world. Fly from species to species and see how the extraordinary ways birds conduct their lives. Drawing on personal observations, the latest science, and her bird-related travel around the world, from the tropical rainforests of eastern Australia and the remote woodlands of northern Japan...J, and ennifer Ackerman shows there is clearly no single bird way of being.

Vesper Fights - Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best-loved essays, along with new pieces invites us into her most intimate experiences: observing the massive migration of songbirds from the top of the Empire State Building, watching tens of thousands of cranes in Hungary, seeking the last golden orioles in Suffolk’s poplar forests. She writes with heart-tugging clarity about wild boar, swifts, mushroom hunting, the strangeness of birds’ nests, and the unexpected guidance and comfort we find when watching wildlife. 

Spying on Whales - Nick Pyenson - Whales are among the largest, most intelligent, deepest diving species to have ever lived on our planet. They evolved from land-roaming, dog-sized creatures into animals that move like fish, breathe like us, can grow to 300,000 pounds, live 200 years, and travel entire ocean basins. Whales fill us with terror, awe, and affection--yet there is still so much we don't know about them. In the sweepstakes of human-driven habitat and climate change, will whales survive? Spying on Whales spans the ancient past to an uncertain future--all to better understand the most enigmatic creatures on Earth.

What It’s Like To Be a Bird - Leave it to David Sibley, the well-known author and artist for the Sibley Field Guides, to write and illustrate a book with numerous gems of information about bird behavior, and the amazing things that birds do. "Can birds smell?" "Do robins 'hear' worms?" In What It's Like to Be a Bird, David Sibley answers the most frequently asked questions about the birds we see most often. Geared to nonbirders as well as the out-and-out obsessed, it covers more than 200 species and with more than 330 new illustrations by the author. And while the text is aimed at adults, it is nontechnical, making it the perfect occasion for parents and grandparents to share their love of birds with young children, who will delight in the big, full-color illustrations of birds in action. 

Home Sweet Home - Critically Endangered Bermuda Petrels Return to Nest!

Even now, some birds are thinking about nesting. This affectionate Bermuda Petrel pair who has been using this same burrow since 2009 has returned again this year to start a family! But this is not your typical breeding pair of birds. These birds are critically endangered - in fact although once numerous, they were thought to have gone extinct in the 1600’s. But, 300 years later, in 1951, one bird was discovered which led to the Bermuda government taking over conservation efforts for the species. How does a bird like this become so endangered? And be completely unseen for 3 centuries? These are excellent questions! And if you are up for an uplifting and extraordinary story, and a little more info on some seriously unusual birds, you really should ...Read On...

Some birds have really unusual, and in this case dizzying, behaviors. Phalaropes, which are shorebirds, are rarely seen as they spend much of their time on the water , nesting way far north in Alaska, or otherwise overwintering off the coasts of South America and Africa. But if you ever get the chance to watch a flock of them feeding, do not pass it up! Unlike other birds, phalaropes spin like wind up toys on the water. All the better to get food up to the surface! But there also seem to be some rules the birds have to adhere to. One is that this clever system of feeding doesn’t work when everybody isn’t spinning in the same direction. And while most birds are either right or left-footed...a few of these spinning shorebirds are ambidextrous. 

Are you longing for a tropical birding trip but travel restrictions are keeping you home? Take a look at the Panama Canopy Tower Feeder cam and watch one beautiful neotropical bird replace another at the fruit and hanging feeder smorgasbord. Bananaquits, tanagers, thrushes, manakins, hummingbirds and so many other great birds show up throughout the day! It’s a great way to take a break from the day-to-day and get your fix of rainforest birds from Panama Canopy Towers located deep in the heart of Soberania National park. 

We encourage supporting organizations which benefit nature and wildlife. Here are a few we support and hope you will consider them as well.