You are browsing the archives of Asides.

When Francois sent me an image of a presumed Snowy Egret he got at Jamaica Bay this weekend I immediately set about trying to turn it into something else. It turns out that sometimes Snowy Egrets in breeding plumage have pink lores. And this bird had really pink lores! Check out the awesome shots Francois [...]

These are so cool. I hope someone will get to work on some of the New World species. Hat-tip to my Mom.

What do you do if a thousand songbirds get stranded in your yard?  Bird-loving biologist Richard Popko shares his story in an audio interview. Bonus: the interview is conducted in Canadian! (Hat-tip to Clare, who also speaks fluent Canadian)

Larry of The Brownstone Birding Blog shares five symptoms of this affliction.

You do not want to mess with this bird!

What happens when a Kirtland’s Warbler shows up at the Biggest Week in American Birding? Sharon Stiteler, Birdchick, has the story.

Sometimes they fail.

Or are the deaths of dolphins and seabirds in Peru caused by something more nefarious?

You might remember that last May we here at 10,000 Birds hosted “Wood-Warbler Week.”  Well, this year, Grant McCreary over at The Birder’s Library has Warbler Week going, which he describes as “a celebration of warblers in print and other media.” Check it out!

…much to the dismay of the folks in Florida growing blueberries commercially.

The famed swallows of San Juan Capistrano in California are eschewing their normal haunts. The solution? Play mating calls with the hope that the Cliff Swallows will be enticed to return!

The International Ornithologists’ Union has a newly-updated checklist and website. It makes browsing all the world’s birds easier and includes range information for every subspecies. It is awesome and I highly recommend a visit.

“This is not just regular duck. This is an infestation, they come by the thousands.” That is the defense of Lloyd “Chip” Badeaux, a city councilman in Thibodaux, Louisiana, for killing 48 whistling-ducks at a friend’s house. State law allows 6 dead ducks per day. Badeaux, who claims to never have violated hunting laws before this incident, [...]

Have some time to spend looking at someone else’s wonderful images of birds, dragonflies, damselflies, and butterflies? Check out The Mulberry Wing, the website of Queens-based photographer Steve Walter (who you will remember from this post).

The first Crested Ibis chicks to hatch in the wild in Japan in 36 years were caught on camera on 22 April. The birds, reintroduced from captive-bred stock from China, are perhaps the most Japanese of birds, with the scientific name Nipponia nippon.

Oh, wait, never mind. Darned local news stations… Hat-tip to Birdchick.

Especially if you live in New York City!

This is bad news for Northern Cardinals and European Robins but perhaps good news for humans suffering from eye trouble, as the research may lead to a better understanding of what causes cataracts.

Jere Martin Patterson Jr. of Largo, Florida, is charged with animal cruelty. Patterson shot the bird multiple times with a BB gun, police said. Then he captured the injured bird, according to police, and killed it. The egret suffered “multiple fractures to the wing and neck area,” the report said. After killing the bird, police [...]

Though calling them hunters is too nice. Maybe jerks with guns?