Busy bird cams

Posted 8/21/12

The first day of spring has passed, with the vernal equinox transpiring on March 20. While it might not look like much is happening in the natural world, there is a great deal of activity underway. …

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Busy bird cams

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The first day of spring has passed, with the vernal equinox transpiring on March 20. While it might not look like much is happening in the natural world, there is a great deal of activity underway.

Migratory birds are on the move to summer nesting sites. The National Audubon Society notes that many small songbirds migrate hundreds of miles. Some even rely on navigational cues provided by starlight and constellations. Brightly lit buildings confuse birds, causing collisions. New York’s annual 9/11 “Tribute in Light” throws millions of birds off course, leading to efforts by New York City Audubon members to have the lights intermittently turned off.

As we become more aware of how our lives impact those of other life forms, opportunities arise to modify our behaviors—and to simply enjoy the wonders of the natural world. An increasing number of bird cams allow us to get up close and personal with our avian friends.

Visit cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/46/Great_Horned_Owls/ to check out a family of great horned owls utilizing an abandoned eagle nest.

Keep tabs on a fairly local pair of favorites—Big Red and Ezra—two red-tailed hawks that repeatedly roost near the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY. Each year since 2012, Big Red has laid three eggs, successfully fledging each brood. As of March 16, two eggs have been laid. Stay tuned at cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/16/Red-tailed_Hawks/ .

In Pennsylvania, at the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg, a fourth egg was laid in the peregrine falcon nest on March 14. The famous pair returned to their nest on the 15th floor ledge just in time for Valentine’s Day this year. The 13-year-old male has occupied this nest site for the past 11 years. The seven-year-old female is entering her fourth year at the site. Visit http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon/default.htm to learn more.

And in our nation’s capital, high in a tulip poplar tree within the Azalea Collection at the U.S. National Arboretum, a pair of mated bald eagles—Mr. President and The First Lady—have returned to the nesting site where they successfully raised one eaglet—DC1—in 2015. The first egg of 2016 was laid on February 10, and the second on Valentines Day. DC2 hatched on March 18 and DC3 on the first day of spring.

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