Avian Beauty

Thanks for listening to the 21st episode of the Avian Beauty podcast. Today I have some news. I have listened to the feedback I am getting from listeners and the majority of you want a longer show. Those who I polled overwhelmingly want me to bring on guests as well. This involves a lot more planning and logistical consideration as well as longer recording and edit times, so I am going to a once per month schedule. Beginning the second week of October, I'll start publishing one episode per month. If you have any suggestions for guests, please email me at [email protected]. Additionally, I am going to introduce a news or current events component to the show. I'll discuss how climate and over population have impacted bird populations and bring on specialists who can discuss possible solutions to the problems birds face. Right now, I'll give you an idea of what I mean by finishing off today's podcast with some items of interest to most bird lovers. According to Birdwatching Magazine, new research at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) shows how the world’s most widely used insecticides could be partly responsible for a dramatic decline in songbird populations. A new study published in the journal Science is the first experiment to track the effects of pesticides on birds in the wild. The study found that White-crowned Sparrows that consumed small doses of an insecticide suffered weight loss and delays to their migration–effects that could severely harm the birds’ chances of surviving and reproducing. According to Aquarian Weekly, a musician named Stephanie Seymour has found a way for bird lovers and music fans to unite. Stephanie is an avid birdwatcher and has brought two unlikely interests together to create the album, "There Are Birds." It's a solo album all about birds (literally, metaphorically, from their perspective, etc.) There is a link to the album in the show notes at avianbeauty.com.https://stephanieseymour.bandcamp.com/album/there-are-birds And finally this piece of news. If you are love birds, you aren't alone. Bird-watching is a multi-million dollar industry and one of the biggest attractions for ecotourism . The recreational sport associated with bird-watching, called "birding," has one of the largest followings of any leisure activity in the world. According to the U.S. census, 24 million Americans play basketball; 23 million play baseball, and nine million play football. By comparison, the census says that roughly 60 million people consider themselves birdwatchers. According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study, in the United States alone, bird watchers contributed about $36 billion to the U.S. economy. I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Avian Beauty. Thanks for listening. If you have news about birds or birding, or if you have show content ideas, please send me an email at: [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. Be sure to visit avianbeauty.com for more bird inspiration and information and please consider subscribing (for free) to our blog and podcast. I’m Scott Bourne. Happy birding. If you'd like to show your appreciation for this site, please consider the purchase of prints or gifts featuring Scott's bird art, visit scottbourne.photos for more information.

Today's Avian Beauty podcast will be a departure. Instead of talking about a specific bird, I'll be sharing some basic tips on how to enjoy birdwatching, or birding as those of us in the trenches call it. The first thing you need to do is get yourself a set of binoculars. Don't worry if you can't afford the fancy kind. Just look for something from Celestron if you're on a budget. If you can spare the change, the more you spend, the better your results. My favorite pair come from Olympus and in today's show notes, I've linked to an article I wrote about the Olympus binoculars that will help you select a pair, regardless of your brand preference https://avianbeauty.com/2019/04/08/olympus-10x42-pro-binocular-first-look/ Next you'll need a good hat, some sun screen and the all important field guide. A field guide is a book that helps you identify birds. While there are plenty of apps for this, I like to encourage beginners to use an actual book they can take anywhere, regardless of access to wifi. My favorite for beginners is The New Birder's Guide to Birds of North America by Bill Thompson III. He passed away recently and was much loved in the birding world. His book is his legacy and will help anyone interested in the hobby. https://amzn.to/2Ut4GjK If you do want to use an app on your phone, the free Merlin Bird ID is the best there is. It's from The Cornell Lab and the link to find it is in the show notes http://merlin.allaboutbirds.org You don't need to go to an exotic place to start birding. Head to the back yard, set up a few feeders, add a simple bird bath, sit down on the porch with your binoculars and field guide and you'll begin to see birds in a new light. You'll want to build a list of birds you see (called a life list) and you may even want to snap a few photos of the birds that visit your backyard. Lastly, I'd suggest going to some bird meetups. They are available almost everywhere and you can find other birders by visiting your local Audubon chapter. Most importantly, have fun. Birding is a great hobby and you'll find yourself relaxing in new ways while getting closer to our feathered friends. I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Avian Beauty. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit avianbeauty.com for more bird inspiration and information and please consider subscribing (for free) to our blog and podcast. I’m Scott Bourne. Happy birding. If you'd like to show your appreciation for this site, please consider the purchase of prints or gifts featuring Scott's bird art, visit scottbourne.photos for more information.

Bird Songs - Hummingbirds Birds are like mother nature's juke box. Their songs and sounds fill the morning air. Birds have different kinds of calls. Just as you and I will change our tone, delivery and volume depending on what we're doing or trying to communicate, birds - especially hummingbirds, have many ways of doing this. LET'S START WITH THE HUM You can't take the hum out of the hummingbird, but then again - that has nothing to do with the bird's song. The hummingbird's wings are responsible for that sound. More on that in a minute. Some of the sounds a bird makes are vocal sounds which are made by a special organ only birds possess called the syrinx. These sounds are usually made to defend or to impress. Hummingbirds are especially territorial, so a majority of the sounds they make are warnings to other birds. The syrinx is small and generally not capable of creating complex vocalizations. Hummers have regular calls, aggressive calls, and they do sing songs. Mostly they just chirp. Many hummingbird sounds are produced by the feathers of the wings or tail vibrating against the air. The male broad-tailed hummingbird of the Rocky Mountain region has an especially impressive sound. You can always tell when an adult male broad-tail flies past, because of the high, metallic trilling of his wings. Some of the sounds you hear from hummingbirds come from the males fighting for territory. They duel with their beaks, clicking a distinct clicking sound. While they sound very much alike to humans, there are distinct differences between the sounds made by different hummingbird species. Some hummers squeak, still others make a whirring sound or a shrill wing whistle. What's your favorite hummingbird sound? I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Avian Beauty. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit avianbeauty.com for more bird inspiration and information and please consider subscribing (for free) to our blog and podcast. I’m Scott Bourne. Happy birding. If you’d like to show your appreciation for this site, please consider the purchase of prints or gifts featuring Scott’s bird art, visit scottbourne.photos for more information.

Last week we talked about why birds matter. But some people have birds that they just don't like. What are some of the least popular birds in the USA? It may seem unusual to find someone who hates birds of any kind but it's common to at least dislike certain bird species. Most of us who are birders spend our time looking for our favorites and don't give much thought to the species we don't enjoy. But there are people who really don't like some birds. Call it a bird phobia - still others just find themselves disinterested in certain species. On the least favorite list would be Couch's Kingbird (a bird that is very successful in south Texas but doesn't travel to other part's of the country and therefore isn't very popular. The MacGillivray’s warbler is near the bottom of the list because it is very shy. It skulks under thick vegetation most of the time. You will most likely never see one in your lifetime unless you are really searching for one. The European Starling is universally disliked because it is one of the most prevalent species in the USA and it's an invasive species. It's very destructive to native wildlife. For instance, these birds can damage crops and their waste can spread invasive seeds and spread disease. One more unpopular bird is the Lucy's warbler. It's a small, dull-colored homebody, that hates social interaction. Those aren't necessarily factors that make birds popular. Another bird that is low on the list - and I confess, one of my personal least favorite is the obnoxious plain chachalaca, a pheasant-like bird with ugly brown feathers. Its favorite activity is hopping up into a tree and screaming at the top of its lungs. At best these birds are a nuisance. I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Avian Beauty. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit avianbeauty.com for more bird inspiration and information and please consider subscribing (for free) to our blog and podcast. I’m Scott Bourne. Happy birding. If you'd like to show your appreciation for this site, please consider the purchase of prints or gifts featuring Scott's bird art, visit scottbourne.photos for more information.

Why should birds matter to you or me? Simple - birds can save us - but only if we can save them first. Beyond culture, color and the enrichment that they offer all of us, birds offer practical help. My goal this week is to get you thinking about all of this and why birds matter. Birds offer something for every constituency. They offer ecosystem services. Because they are an “umbrella” species, their protection ensures good habitat for many others. Birds disperse seeds, helping to revegetate habitats and allow the survival of many species. They even protect drinking water by preventing erosion. Do you like flowers? Thank the birds. Hummingbirds pollinate individual flowers, flowering shrubs and blooming trees. Just think if YOU had to do all that work. They also help slow the spread of disease by eating carrion. Those vultures may be ugly, but they are saving lives. Birds consume 98% of the most harmful pests, giving farmers a chance to grow the crops we all depend on. They also directly stimulate the economy. According to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, birding created more than one million new jobs. There are at least 45 million birders in the USA, contributing $80 billion to the US annually. Birds have important cultural relationships with humans. In addition to occasionally being someone's pet, birds have a role in folklore and in certain religions. Commanders used birds during time of war to communicate with troops. Birds are used to find food. Birds inspire art and design. Their feathers are used to produce more than 100 products. Beyond all these practical matters, birds bring us song and beauty which both nourish our souls. They face lots of challenges and more than 1,200 species face extinction over the next century which is alarming. Because as birds go - so do we. I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Avian Beauty. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit avianbeauty.com for more bird inspiration and information and please consider subscribing (for free) to our blog and podcast. I’m Scott Bourne. Happy birding. If you’d like to show your appreciation for this site, please consider the purchase of prints or gifts featuring Scott’s bird art, visit scottbourne.photos for more information.

What's the most popular bird in the United States? Well if you guessed Bald Eagle - you'd be right. But what about the second most popular bird? Believe it or not it is the Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus). There's a reason that the Snowy Owl is so popular. Firstly, raptors in general and owls specifically are some of the most popular birds worldwide and have been the subject of attention by poets, authors and artists going back to the cave paintings in Europe. These owls are often used in movies and other popular culture to depict wisdom or strength. (Remember Hedwig in Harry Potter?) Those are admirable qualities that most people can identify with. And the snowy owl has other qualities that make it attractive. Their white color makes them striking and easy to identify. Another reason that people like snowy owls is that they are diurnal - you can see them at all hours of the day. The reclusive nature of most owls makes them hard to adore. Snowy's are considered more approachable. My favorite thing about snowy owls is that there are many stories, most of them true, about the feats of these magnificent birds. No less than John James Audubon said he once saw a snowy owl lying at the edge of an ice hole where it waited for fish and caught them with its feet. Another story about snowy owls tracks one young bird that flew from its nest in Victoria Island in the Canadian Arctic and flew all the way to Hudson Bay. I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Avian Beauty. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit avianbeauty.com for more bird inspiration and information and please consider subscribing (for free) to our blog and podcast. I’m Scott Bourne. Happy birding. If you'd like to show your appreciation for this site, please consider the purchase of prints or gifts featuring Scott's bird art, visit scottbourne.photos for more information.

Last week on Avian Beauty, I talked about the role of owls in our culture. This week, it’s the eagle’s turn. Whether it’s music, the written word or our national symbol, the eagle is a much beloved figure in popular culture. Bald Eagle Photograph by Scott Bourne Bette Middler sang of eagles as the wing beneath her wings. Singer-songwriter John Denver wrote and performed a song about an eagle and a hawk. An American rock band is even named The Eagles. And while every state in the United States of America has its own official bird, the bald eagle soars high above them all, representing the United States of America. Images of the iconic raptor can be found everywhere, from coins and paper currency to passports and the president’s official seal. The bald eagle was partly chosen because of its association with authority and statehood in fact, the eagle had been used as a symbol of governmental power since Roman times. The USA’s first official use of the bald eagle was on the one-cent coin issued in Massachusetts in 1776. Not only is the eagle a national symbol, but a religious symbol too. In Christian art, the eagle often represents the resurrection of Christ. It is the artistic symbol of the Gospel of St. John, perhaps because that text is lofty in it theological perspective, and it is one of the four animal symbols seen by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 1:10. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, we read, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) It’s not just modern religions – the eagle prominently appears in many ancient religions. It was sacred to the Greek god Zeus, to the Sumerians and to the Egyptians. If you aren’t convinced that the bald eagle is extremely important to Americans, I’ll leave you with this. At least two acts of Congress make it a potential crime to possess even a single unauthorized feather. Bald eagles are a special part of our lives here in America. Are there other avian species that are special to Americans? Tune in next week to find out. I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Avian Beauty. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit avianbeauty.com for more bird inspiration and information and please consider subscribing (for free) to our blog and podcast. I’m Scott Bourne. Happy birding.

Based on response I get to this podcast and to my bird photography, it's safe to say that people love raptors and particularly owls. (One exception is on the African Continent where most people think they are evil - but that's another podcast.) For all of man's time on this earth, owls have been used as symbols of knowledge, wisdom, power and even as idols in some religions. Whether it's ancient or modern culture, owls seem to capture our hearts and our minds. Owls are referenced in many spiritual texts, including the Bible. I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls. Job 30:29 Many North American Indian tribes thought owls were sacred. Yakima Indians used them on totems. Owls have always been part of the root metaphors of how humans relate to the land. One of the earliest human drawings dating back to the early Paleolithic period was of a family of Snowy Owls (Nyctea scandiaca) painted on a cave wall in France. They pop up in petroglyphs, paintings and now in books and movies. U.S. Geological Survey databases reveal 576 places in the United States that in some way are named "owl," such as Owlshead Canyon, Owl Mine, Owl Creek, and Owl Hollow. Owls play a big part in our popular culture. Whether it's Wini the Pooh or The Owl And The Pussycat, owls have been featured in nursery rhymes. In movies, owls were prominent figures in Twin Peaks and of course Harry Potter, where Hedwig serves as an important symbol of Harry's childhood and owls are used to deliver the mail. Woodsy Owl, the U.S. Forest Service mascot, has encouraged children to protect the environment for almost four decades. His motto was “Give a hoot, don’t pollute!” Then there is Hooters the restaurant chain and I think I'll stop there. Owls are a big part of our lives and are possibly the avian world's best known ambassadors. Next week, I'll talk more about raptors - this time bald eagles, and how they fit into our popular culture. I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Avian Beauty. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit avianbeauty.com for more bird inspiration and information and please consider subscribing (for free) to our blog and podcast. I’m Scott Bourne. Happy birding.

The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) is a successful hunter. Early naturalists called these owls "winged tigers" because of their ferocity. While rare, a great horned owl can occasionally catch and kill even a peregrine falcon! When clenched, a Great Horned Owl’s strong talons require a force of 28 pounds to open. The owls use this deadly grip to sever the spine of large prey. To aid them in their hunt they have large eyes and large pupils that open wide for excellent night vision, paired with excellent hearing. Distributed throughout vast portions of North and South America, the great horned owl is famous for its hoot. This is the owl most children are first exposed to in story tales. They hunt at night, drifting silently looking for insects, reptiles and other birds. There are roughly 225 living owl species, and of those about 50 have ear tufts - including the great horned owl. Though the tufts on their heads resemble ears, and are indeed often called "ear tufts," they are really just tufts of feathers. An owl’s ears are located lower down on its head, on the margin of the facial disk. Great horned owls use these tufts of feathers when they are agitated by a potential intruder or when they want to carry out threat displays. Some researchers think the tufts are helpful in species recognition. Without birds like the great horned owls, the food chain would be unbalanced. Also some animals would become over populated. Owls are important to farmers because they kill/eat rodents that kill the farmers crops. Next week, I'll talk more about owls and how they are referenced in both ancient and modern culture. I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Avian Beauty. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit avianbeauty.com for more bird inspiration and information and please consider subscribing (for free) to our blog and podcast. I’m Scott Bourne. Happy birding.

Imagine that you're a mourning dove - happily flying around when all of a sudden, you see a terrifying peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) flying straight at you. Peregrine falcons are very powerful, fast-flying hunters who's favorite meal would be another bird. The Peregrine eats mourning doves, pigeons, shorebirds, waterfowl, ptarmigan, grouse, and smaller songbirds. The most common prey item is pigeons. Peregrine falcons will also eat small reptiles and mammals. But don't hate them because of their diet. In fact, like most things in nature, they're part of a grander plan. With a hat-tip to Jason Ward, these sky Lamborghinis are the fastest animal on the planet, capable of reaching speeds of more than 200 miles per hour in a dive. They are found worldwide and are one of the most widespread terrestrial vertebrate species in the world. Because of their fantastic agility and capability for high speeds, peregrine falcons have been the favorite choice of falconers. Falconers train them to hunt other birds. They were virtually eradicated from eastern North America by pesticide poisoning in the middle 20th century. After significant recovery efforts, Peregrine Falcons have made an incredible rebound and are now regularly seen in many large cities and coastal areas. While Peregrine falcons are high up on the food chain, they aren't completely free from predators. Next week, I'm going to talk about one of the birds that can introduce turn about is fair play to the Peregrine. Want to find out which bird eats the falcon tune in and please tell your friends. I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Avian Beauty. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit avianbeauty.com for more bird inspiration and information and please consider subscribing (for free) to our blog and podcast. I’m Scott Bourne. Happy birding.