Archive: Thoughts about birds
February 12, 2016 | Jeff Wells
Each year, notable bird organizations convene to organize the Great Backyard Bird Count. Along with other major observation events such as the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) and the North American...
January 14, 2016 | Dr. Jeff Wells
Some readers may recall past blogs about my annual winter flight out to Matinicus Island, ten or so miles off the Maine coast, to carry out the Christmas Bird Count that is now in its 11th season. We...
December 10, 2015 | Dr. Jeff Wells
It was decades ago that I first witnessed the incredible spectacle of thousands of shorebirds—mostly Red Knots and Sanderlings—in a constantly moving mass along the thin ribbon of sand on a southern...
November 10, 2015 | Dr. Jeff Wells
Some modern scientific research capabilities seem almost like the proverbial pulling back of the magician’s curtain to reveal the hidden secret of a magic trick. That’s how we sometimes feel about...
September 24, 2015 | Dr. Jeff Wells
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Canada has been blessed with one of the world’s most vibrant and expansive breeding grounds for migratory birds. The Boreal forest, which...
June 24, 2015 | Jeff Wells
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The Passenger Pigeon use to number in the billions before going extinct due to overhunting. Credit: Hayashi and Toda (artists) via...
May 5, 2015 | Jeff Wells
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It’s that time of year again. The time when we’re greeted each morning by the exuberant chatter of migrants as they pass through our...
March 16, 2015 | Jeff Wells
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Today, BSI has teamed up with Ducks Unlimited to launch a new campaign called Boreal Birds Need Half. As the title indicates, the campaign calls for the...
January 26, 2015 | Jeff Wells
It isn’t often that we are granted the opportunity to engage in a political debate that could be labeled as ‘fun’. Although the political ramifications of identifying an official national bird for...
November 15, 2014 | Dr. Jeff Wells
An event like the World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia is staggeringly bewildering. With 6,000 attendees and dozens of presentations, meetings, and events happening at any minute of the day, it...
