In this issue: New eBird Trends maps show local changes; the Ontario FeederWatch Cam is back; State of the Birds 2022; a quiz bird; and more!
Cornell Lab eNews
November 2022
Wood Thrushes are increasing in blue areas and declining in red areas. This new information is crucial for making conservation decisions.
Amazing New Maps Spotlight Bird Trends Across Their Range
Sadly, we know birds are declining overall. But what's happening to specific birds in specific areas? A new tool called eBird Trends helps answer those questions by revealing local changes in bird abundance over the past 15 years. For example, Wood Thrush numbers have declined over the past half century, but the eBird Trend map above paints a more complex picture of recent breeding population changes: some areas show declines while others show increases.
Here's how you can use the new eBird Trends maps to find out how species are doing near you—a first step in helping to change their prospects.
Watch: Hope and Restoration: Saving the Whitebark Pine
Whitebark pine thrives in the harsh mountain environments of western North America, just below treeline. But disease and pests are ravaging whitebark forests across their range. Now a massive effort is underway to plant out hundreds of thousands of disease-resistant trees. At the heart of this landscape-scale restoration effort are a host of people and one amazing bird—Clark's Nutcracker. Capping off two years of effort, the Lab's Center for Conservation Media has produced "Hope & Restoration," a 14-minute film designed to inspire and activate collaboration among the many partners working to restore these breathtaking landscapes. Watch the film and read the Living Bird story.
If it looks like a duck, it might be a duck...or it might be this chunky waterbird. This bird's small head and chicken-like feet help distinguish it from its web-footed neighbors such as ducks, grebes, and loons. With a charcoal-black body and white face, this bird is a common sight on open water across the continent, where flocks of various sizes often intermingle with actual ducks. But this species is more closely related to the gangly cranes and the secretive rails than to mergansers or Mallards. Do you know the name of this bird?
The Ontario FeederWatch Cam Is Back to Brighten Another Winter
November means the return of some of the finest feeder-watching north of the border! Feast your eyes on vibrant boreal birds like Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, Canada Jays, and Red-breasted Nuthatches. You might even spot rare visitors such as White-winged Crossbills or a Northern Shrike. Stay tuned to the Ontario FeederWatch Cam to see what swoops in next.
Catch Up on Season Highlights: Relive the excitement of the 2022 nesting seasons for the American Kestrels in Wisconsin and the Red-tailed Hawks on the Cornell University campus.
The 2022 State of the Birds Report reveals an urgent message: Birds are declining in almost every habitat. But it highlights reasons for optimism: gains in wetlands prove that dedicated investment can spark dramatic gains. Helping birds also contributes to climate resilience, environmental justice, and biodiversity as a whole. Learn more and help spread the word!
Webinars for Educators: OurK-12 team offers a variety of free, fun, and interactive webinars that engage youth in nature-based science learning through the lens of birds. Please register or pass the word to teachers you know.
Win Big With the Cornell Lab:
Enter 30 or checklists with eBird Mobile in November and you could win ZEISS binoculars.
Attend a Bird Festival: It's a great way to learn about birds and meet like-minded people. Many festivals are planning in-person events—check out our full listings.
Work at the Cornell Lab: Visit our jobs page for current openings.
Gifting a Lab membership deepens your friends' and family's connections to birds and nature: they’ll receive a subscription to our award-winning quarterly magazine, Living Bird, filled with stunning pictures and engrossing stories, plus exclusive discounts and offers on bird supplies. Best of all, membership dues fuel the science and research that's protecting birds now, when they need us most.
Next Wednesday, November 16, join the experts from Project FeederWatch for a one-hour Q&A all about winter bird feeding. You'll learn top tips for helping your avian neighbors through the colder months, and discover how to make the most of your backyard with FeederWatch this season. Register for the Zoom webinar.
Sparrows can be challenging to ID. Immerse yourself in a free Bird Academy lesson, full of field marks, commonly confused species, and ID tips. Then try a SnapID Quiz to put your new skills to work. Take the free lesson now!
Late fall means you have to venture out from those wooded warbler hotspots and into new habitats to find sparrows, waterfowl, and shorebirds. Learn how to find the places that could be hopping with activity right through Thanksgiving.
Photo by Sreang Hok/Cornell University
Cornell Sophomore Is Flying High
As a high schooler, Isaiah Scott started his own small-scale birding tour company. Today he has 40,000 Instagram followers, is a brand ambassador for L.L. Bean, and is an accomplished watercolor bird artist. Read his inspirational story.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Cornell Lab’s website at http://www.birds.cornell.edu.