Birding News

Selected news items and information from National Audubon Society and Audubon Minnesota and other birding news.
(For news from other local environmental groups, go to LOCAL NEWS)

Check Out This Helpful Information From Audubon

“Birds to Help”
New fact sheets from Audubon feature birds that need help in urban, suburban, or rural locations across the country. Thirty species are highlighted, along with downloadable fact sheets featuring what those species need and what you can do to help. To see the list of Birds to Help and download the fact sheets, visit www.audubonathome.org/birdstohelp.

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Protecting the Countryside
Audubon At Home is now offering a workbook and web resources designed to help owners of new ranchettes. (That means large acreage properties to us Duluthians.)

“Preserving the Natural Resources of Your Country Home or Ranchette” is a downloadable workbook available online at www.audubonathome.org/ranchettes.

If large properties in your area are being subdivided into ranchettes or acreage properties, consider promoting these materials to your new neighbors.

The attractive workbook can be printed out and distributed, or you can direct people to it online at  www.audubonathome.org/ranchettes/content/Audubon_Ranchette_booklet.pdf.

Features include the major issues to consider in taking care of property, including how to protect the habitat value of the land and how to care for resident native birds.

  eBird Launches Rare Bird Google Gadget
Imagine being able to get up-to-the-minute reports of rare birds sightings anywhere in the state of Minnesota, including such details as the date, location and the name of the observer, as well as a link to Google Maps that shows the bird's location. READ STORY.

Minnesota's Vulnerable Common Birds
A study of data collected over the past forty years reveals that many of our most common and beloved birds are suffering serious population declines. Of the 20 fastest declining common species nationwide, 16 of those species reside in Minnesota. Birds suffering the biggest decline since 1967 include the Eastern Meadowlark down 71%, the Red-Headed Woodpecker down 89%, Purple Martins down 78%, Indigo Bunting down 62% and the Northern Pintail down 77%. For the full story, go to Audubon Minnesota and follow the link about the story of the front page.