MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont’s loons are thriving with a record 109 nesting pairs recorded in 2021, the highest since loon monitoring began in 1978, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE).

“Across Vermont, 77 loon nests produced 125 chicks this year, and 84 of those chicks survived through August,” said VCE wildlife biologist Eric Hanson.

VCE leads the Vermont Loon Conservation Project in partnership with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

“We are very grateful to Eric Hanson and the many volunteers who help monitor Vermont’s nesting loons,” said Fish and Wildlife’s bird biologist Doug Morin. “The loon has been the flagship species of our nongame work ever since the nongame tax checkoff and conservation license plate programs have been helping to fund these efforts.” Read more

MISSOULA, Mont. —More than 4,600 acres of prime elk habitat in northeast Oregon are now protected and open to the public thanks to a collaborative effort by the Manulife Investment Management’s timberland business (formerly Hancock Natural Resource Group), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other supporters.

“We thank and congratulate our partners for conserving this landscape that is so important for elk, mule deer, birds, fish and other wildlife,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “While we pause to celebrate this accomplishment, we know there is still much to do to complete phase II of the project that covers nearly 11,000 more acres.”

The Minam River Acquisition is a two-phase effort comprised of 15,573 acres that serve as a gateway to the Wallowa Mountains and link the Minam River Wildlife Area and Minam State Recreational Area to the 361,000-acre Eagle Cap Wilderness. It also improves public access for hunting, fishing and other recreational activity to an additional 6,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands.

The Minam River Wildlife Area is easily accessible off Highway 82 and the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway. A proposed trailhead near the highway will flow south through the project area and connect with the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Read more

We all enjoy the birds that visit our feeders each day, but there are times when we yearn for some new birds. Here’s a great option: It’s fun to periodically check on other active feeders located in other areas, for example, a prime feeding station in upstate New York, backyard feeders in northern Ontario, and a rainforest feeding station in Panama. It’s like taking a virtual trip to another active feeding site with a different range of birds for you to observe and identify – especially in the case of the tropical feeder venue in Panama.

A great place to start for an introduction to the Panama bird feeders is a new video compilation of species that include toucans, hummingbirds, tanagers, and motmots that have visited the Canopy Lodge fruit feeders. This video was created from clips from the live cam and is provided on YouTube at Panama Fruit Feeder All Species Compilation – Oct. 28, 2021 – YouTube although you may actually be overwhelmed by the remarkable diversity of birds recorded – in a good way. At the same time, the live cam feed is a bit more serene, and you never know what birds will visit next; access it at Panama Fruit Feeders | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org)

Closer to home, the Ontario feeder cam can provide views of birds that probably don’t swing by your feeders, like Pine Grosbeaks, Canada Jays, a flock of Evening Grosbeaks, and other regional winter birds as you watch the snow fall, all at Ontario FeederWatch Cam | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org)

Also, the infamous feeding station at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provides a look at classic eastern feeder birds, plus an occasional Ruffed Grouse or Pileated Woodpecker. Take a look at Cornell FeederWatch Cam | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org)

On each of the feeder links provided above, there are accompanying YouTube videos of recent highlights you probably missed. These videos come in handy when you visit the site at night or during another low activity period – and they are fun to keep up with throughout the year.

Enjoy the birds at your feeders this winter, but you will also enjoy checking in periodically to see what’s up at these interesting feeding stations in New York, northern Ontario, and Panama.

Unique photos go far in the BirdSpotter photo competition, like this close-up of a Northern Cardinal with a seed and attached snowflake (photo by Gregory Cruthis).

With the BirdSpotter Photo Contest beginning in just 12 days, it’s time to focus your camera on your feeding station to get your best photos of birds that visit your feeders, water feature, and landscaping. One of the nice things about the BirdSpotter contest is that it is a true hobbyist photo activity – professional photographers usually don’t contribute photos, so your chances of doing well in the twice monthly competitions are increased – but perhaps it’s really about the fun of sharing your photos with fellow birders who likewise share photos of birds in their yards and birding sites.

In advance of the December 4th start, you may wish to clean and organize your feeding station to provide clear photo sight lines with regard to the direction of the sunlight. You may even want to add a new natural perch or 2 for birds to use as they approach feeders or a winter birdbath. The BirdSpotter photo contest is a part of the winter activities of Project FeederWatch, but it’s not necessary to be a FeederWatcher to submit photos, or to vote for your favorite submissions, but most contestants are FeederWatch participants.

In short, here’s how BirdSpotter works:

Every other Monday there will be a BirdSpotter photo challenge with a theme that describes what kind of photo will be called for. For example, in the past, categories have included such themes as flying birds, female birds, colorful birds, and as many species as possible in a single photo – but the categories for this season’s BirdSpotter contest will be announced the first week of December.

Then, select your best photo within the category theme and upload it – each contest category is open from Monday through midnight the following Thursday. Even if you don’t submit a photograph, you can help by voting for your favorite photo in the competition.

There will be 2 photo winners every second week: 1 photo that received the most votes from other birders, and 1 “Judges’ Choice” photo. Winners will be announced every other Friday and they will automatically be entered to win the Grand Prize at the end of the contest.

What’s in it for you besides bragging rights and a bunch of fun? Great prizes from Wild Birds Unlimited and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for each of the photo challenge winners.

You can get information about the BirdSpotter Photo Contest at Contests – FeederWatch and you are welcome to check out the winners from last year and review the challenges provided during last year’s contest in the FeederWatch blog at BirdSpotter 2020-21 – FeederWatch

You can also review the archives of winning photos and photographer credits from past years of BirdSpotter competitions at Contests – FeederWatch and for more information about Project FeederWatch, see FeederWatch – Count Feeder Birds for Science You can also see that one of the fun aspects of Project FeederWatch is that you can send photos to share with other birders anytime for their never-ending stream of contributor photos year-round. Photography is obviously a big part of backyard birding, and we hope you enjoy the photo opportunities that come your way.

Share your backyard birding experiences and photos at editorstbw2@gmail.com

After 3 days of rain, snow, and intense wind, as the sun tried to break through the light veil of clouds I was interested in what might have ‘blown in’ on the windless Sunday afternoon. Just a half-mile south of my office, even before reaching ice-covered Melody’s Marsh I could see a hawk perched atop a lone cottonwood along the road – likely a Rough-legged Hawk fresh from the Arctic. You never know how a bird will react as you approach it, but this colorful raptor’s attention was focused in the opposite direction, so I slipped into the best location to take advantage of the afternoon sunlight, which was filtered by an ever-changing veil of light clouds.

This Arctic hawk proved to be one of those remarkable birds we all hope for when we encounter a bird with photographic potential – an individual that I like to call a “species ambassador” – a bird that allows you to spend time with it and photograph at will, as though you were invisible. In reality though, the hawk was accepting a white van with a zoom lens poking out of an open window. The van was obviously larger than a person, but less concerning than me standing in the same position.

Read more

White-winged Crossbills would be a great addition to any birder’s feeding station or evergreen trees.

Anticipation – we find ourselves thinking about what birds we can expect as the season progresses toward winter, and what kinds of birds we can hope to attract. For any birders, the answer is a product of geography, the winter range of the species in question, and having the right stuff – a variety of foods and water. Foods include a quality seed mix that emphasizes black oil sunflower seeds, a tube feeder filled with nyjer thistle seeds, suet, peanuts and other nuts, and in some areas where hummingbirds overwinter, a nectar feeder. But what birds can you really expect?

A great way to get an understanding of what birds might filter into your feeding station is to refer to the information analyzed and provided by FeederWatch, where you can find out the Top 25 species that traditionally visit feeders in your state or province (see the link below). That’s one of the many ways FeederWatch has contributed to our understanding of winter bird populations and monitored variations in annual bird movements, migrations, and irruptions.

You can also check your “region” out for the Top 25, but that information will be less accurate than the state or province list due to the much larger expanse of land included. Even the state list will probably surprise you with some birds that are not on your radar due to variations in habitat types and geography within a state. But it’s a great place to glean a little more information, and maybe even to contribute your own feeder visitor counts as a FeederWatch participant.

Check out your Top 25 lists at Top 25 Feeder Birds (feederwatch.org) Read more