MEMPHIS, Tennessee – May is American Wetlands month and as duck nesting season gets underway across North America, Ducks Unlimited and the rest of the world will celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) on Saturday, May 11.

“Each year, World Migratory Bird Day focuses awareness on conserving migratory birds and their habitats throughout the world,” Ducks Unlimited Chief Operating Officer Nick Wiley said. “The program is dedicated to conservation efforts and environmental education all over the world, including North America, where Ducks Unlimited works every day to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. DU’s conservation work benefits hundreds of species of migratory birds in addition to waterfowl, including some species whose populations are struggling, especially grassland nesting species in the Northern Great Plains like Baird’s sparrow or Sprague’s pipit.”

The conservation theme for this year’s World Migratory Bird Day is “Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution.”

The accumulation of plastic and plastic pollution has become a threat to birds across the globe. Most plastic is not recycled, but discarded as waste, accumulating in landfills and the environment. Some birds eat plastic debris, mistaking it for food. Read more

GRINNELL, Iowa (May 8, 219) – Brownells customers can now experience the overland 4X4 adventure of a lifetime by purchasing a spot in the inaugural Brownells Desert Dash by Yeti Bilt , October 10 through 15.

Starting October 10, Desert Dashers will spend six days with Brownells Adventure Team members Yeti and Yolo roaming the rugged, wild landscape of the Mojave Desert and following a route mapped out exclusively for Brownells.

Along the way, expedition members will spend time honing skills at the Truckhaven 4X4 Training Grounds, encounter the art installations of both Salvation Mountain and the Sculptures of Borrego Springs, and visit the shores of the famous Salton Sea. Read more

One of the biggest advantages mast orchards have over food plots is that once established, they require far less effort. But maximizing the growth potential of your trees does require occasional regular maintenance, particularly in the early stages of growth. That maintenance includes reducing competition in the form of grass and weeds that steal water and soil nutrients away from your trees, and it can be done mechanically and chemically. Read more

SALT LAKE CITY — Do you love wildlife? Do you wish you could watch baby animals at any point in the day? If you answered yes to these questions, we have great news for you: Three livestreams were recently posted that allow you to watch a constant feed of baby bears and several bird species, including sandhill cranes incubating an egg that will hatch in late May.

The two baby bears are being housed at the USDA APHIS Predator Research Facility in Millville, Cache County. These 3-month-old female black bears were orphaned and discovered by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists who were tracking collared bears in southern Utah this spring. They were taken to the Predator Research Facility to be cared for and rehabilitated.  Watch the livestream here. Read more

On Monday, the first chick hatched in the seventh season of our Red-tailed Hawk live cam. Big Red (the mom) and Arthur (the dad) are feeding meals to the youngsters right now. Watch the amazing close-up highlight of the first chick hatching, one of the fuzzy chick’s first meals the next morningas the second chick starts to hatch, or check in on how the third egg is doing right now.

Watch Cornell Hawks on American Spring Live: This hatching chick starred on Monday’s episode of a three-day PBS Nature series celebrating spring’s arrival. Other segments featured Cornell Lab projects including Bird Cams, Celebrate Urban Birds, and BirdCast. If you missed it, you can still stream American Spring Live from PBS.

Ithaca, NY—More than 30,000 people will take part in a massive effort to set a new world record this Saturday, May 4. The goal: tally the greatest number of bird species ever seen in a single day. This day is Global Big Day—a free Cornell Lab of Ornithology event for anybody who likes birds and being outdoors. Anyone, anywhere can join the fun.

Participants from 171 countries joined last year’s Global Big Day. When the counting was done, bird watchers reported more than 7,000 of the world’s approximately 10,000 known bird species. That’s roughly two-thirds of all bird species, seen in a single day.

A “big day” in the birding world means attempting to identify as many species as possible during a 24-hour period. This is usually just one carload of people, but Global Big Day means everyone is on the same team.

“You don’t need to do a full day of birding—10 minutes, an hour, whatever time you can devote to bird watching on May 4 is great,” says Chris Wood at the Cornell Lab. “Every bird counts.” Read more

Up to $70,000 (in matching grants up to $3,000 each) is available this year to support tree planting on public property. It’s all part of the ongoing partnership between the DTE Energy Foundation, which supplies the funding, and the DNR and ReLeaf Michigan, which together administer the program, to promote and properly plant trees on public property.

“Since our partnership began 23 years ago, more than 46,000 trees and seedlings have been planted in Michigan communities,” said Lynette Dowler, DTE Energy Foundation president. “This work helps our environment, beautifies local communities and supports the foundation’s mission to make Michigan an even better place to live, work and play.” Read more