This weekend teams of birders will begin conducting the Christmas Bird Count, Audubon’s 125th early-winter bird census, with hundreds of individual area counts taking place on a selected day between December 14th to January 5th. Thousands of birders will participate in Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) across the United States and Canada, with volunteers identifying and counting the birds on their “count day” in their “count circle.” Birders of all skill levels get involved and everyone is welcome to join the excitement generated during CBCs held throughout the United States, Canada, and other countries.

To get started, contact the “Circle Compiler” for the CBC you wish to join ahead of time to get all the information about how to participate. Whatever skill level you are as a birder, you can be helpful and your participation will be rewarding. For example, if you are a beginning birder, the Compiler will pair you with an experienced birder who will help you become a better birder while participating in the Christmas Bird Count. Read more

A commercial poultry flock in Adair County was confirmed by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to have been infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). ODAFF and APHIS are responding according to their Avian Influenza Response Plan.

HPAI is particularly deadly to poultry, and in some cases, the virus is fatal to wild birds. Waterfowl are susceptible to HPAI as well as quail and pheasants. And so hunters, particularly those with domestic poultry or pet birds, should be aware of how they can lessen the chance of spreading the virus to domestic bird populations. Hunters seeking more information should visit: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/fsc_hpai_hunters.pdf. Read more

Winter brings a fascinating cast of characters to Michigan’s waterways—ducks! As colder temperatures and icy winds freeze Arctic and boreal waters, an array of waterfowl (over 30 species!) migrate south to find their winter haven in Michigan.

Here are just a few reasons to love these winter ducks:

• They are beautiful. From the elegant northern pintail, with its dapper three-piece-suit plumage, to the playful surf scoter, which sports a striking orange bill, many winter ducks catch the eye of bird-watchers.
• They have unique adaptations and behaviors, which are a delight to watch. Surf scoters can dive deep for food amid cresting waves, while the common goldeneye occasionally shows off its quirky mating displays in the winter.
• They gather in awe-inspiring congregations. Up to tens of thousands of waterfowl can be seen on Great Lakes open waters! One species, the ruddy duck can often be found in large flocks, rarely mixing with other ducks, as they strut a punky tail and vibrant blue beak. Read more

If you ask Yvette Bonney to describe the grossest thing she’s seen during her job, she talks about the time she removed an abscessed lymph node from the neck of a mule deer, which Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff occasionally sees in deer.?

“All this green stuff oozed out,” Bonney says.?

She’ll also tell you about other times when she examined tick-infested heads, deer with injuries or heads that were no longer fresh but still sampleable.?

The job of a wildlife technician who samples dead animals for chronic wasting disease (CWD) isn’t always a glamorous one. But Bonney says she likes it. She arrives at her job site, which is an old Globestar camper with a folding table outside, before 8 each morning, takes out her tools and waits for the first hunter of the day. Read more

Idaho Fish and Game has been receiving an increasing number of reports of black bears getting into garbage and other attractants.

After repeated incidents of accessing unsecured residential garbage, a yearling black bear was euthanized north of Hailey on Thursday, November 14, 2024. The young male that weighed approximately 100 pounds had twice broken into a garage to find food and there were signs of the bear attempting to get into a house. Since the bear was showing increasingly aggressive behavior, the decision was made to trap and euthanize the bear to protect public safety.

Over the last several months Fish and Game has been receiving an increasing number of reports of black bears getting into garbage and other attractants in subdivisions and neighborhoods throughout the Wood River Valley. Since early August, well over 100 reports have been received by Fish and Game, with the common theme of a bear getting into residential garbage or other food sources. Read more

“Winter bird feeding is a great way to observe and learn about our year-round bird residents such as black capped chickadees, nuthatches and blue jays. It’s also a great time to learn about winter visitors such as evening and pine grosbeaks.” said Jillian Kilborn, Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s bird project leader.

Here are some basic bird feeding tips from Vermont Fish and Wildlife: Read more