BirdNote Daily

An evening baseball game isn’t the only thing illuminated by the bright stadium lights. High in the air, countless flying insects are drawn to them. And those insects are a perfect snack for the game’s avian attendees! Common Nighthawks swoop with their wide mouths open to hoover up the flying insects under the lights, performing aerial stunts over the athletes on the ground.

This episode is sponsored by Quinn Sedgley, who wants everyone to help birds and wildlife.

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At midday, it might seem like the birds that were so active in the morning have gone silent, maybe even vanished. But cormorants rally in the afternoon, offering a second chance to see and hear them. During the breeding season, Double-crested Cormorants have two peaks of fishing activity: the first around 9 a.m., and the second around 3 p.m. Their efficient fishing lets them spend most of the day drying their feathers and croaking at their neighbors.

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Just a few weeks past the solstice, and the real heat of summer is yet to come. Some shorebirds are already on their way south, but most songbirds will be here for a while longer. What's the best time of day to look for them? Many birds are most active in the early morning, taking advantage of the abundance of insects at that hour. Midday heat sends people inside, and birds take a siesta, too. And then, both birds and bugs rev up again in the late afternoon. But hummingbirds and also gulls — including this Glaucous-winged Gull — forage all day long!

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Zoos can be great places to see birds, and not just in an aviary – wild birds sometimes feel right at home in these urban green spaces. For example, Black-crowned Night Herons love nesting near bodies of water where they can catch fish, frogs, and other prey. They may find that the pond within a crocodile exhibit is also the perfect spot for a rookery! Next time you visit a zoo near you, keep an eye out for local species, too.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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Bearded Vultures have lived alongside humans for thousands of years. Though these majestic raptors are mostly found in Asia and Africa today, they were once abundant in Europe, too. While Bearded Vultures have vanished across much of their original range, their nests remain like time capsules of a bygone era. Researchers analyzed historical nests in southern Spain where the birds haven’t been seen in nearly a century. They found thousands of bone fragments, dozens of egg shells — as well as hundreds of human artifacts that were likely added as nesting material. These hoarded items offer an unexpected glimpse of what life was once like for the people and wildlife that thrived in this region.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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