Laura Erickson's For The Birds

Wild Turkeys are splendid birds, but maybe their introduction into areas where they were not historically found wasn't a good idea.

Field guides and bird song books help children to recognize and name the birds around them, and that's a Good Thing.

Must a book be entirely about birds to qualify? Laura doesn't think so. The books Walter is most enjoying right now are in the "Monkey with a Toolbelt" series, and Laura says they can help us teach the important role that birds play in our daily lives.

Taxonomists have been studying, and revising their names for, scrub jays for a long time.

We have no clue how much birds deal with anxiety and worry, but they sure have the capacity to relieve ours.

The Florida Scrub-Jay has many endearing habits which, tragically, don't seem to resonate with Florida's human population.

Why does Laura have such a *personal* love for Florida Scrub-Jays?

The American Ornithological Society just announced that they are changing the names of American birds named for people.

Is respecting private property too much to ask?

An astonishing 84 percent of Americans older than 65 think they will have to make just minor sacrifices in their lives, or none at all, because of global climate change. Laura is most seriously displeased.

One of the friendliest, most approachable birds on the planet deserves serious protection from the Endangered Species Act, but isn't getting it.

Sometimes Plan B turns out to be better than Plan A.

A wild flamingo chase becomes a family affair.

Laura has wanted to see a wild American Flamingo in Florida since her first days of birding half a century ago, without luck. Would this trip to Florida be any different? (This episode was recorded in my motel room, so the sound isn't ideal.)

How accurate are those Blue Jay counts at Hawk Ridge?

A late Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Rose-breasted Grosbeak? More record-breaking numbers of Blue Jays? Flamingos in Wisconsin? This month is already on track to be an outlier.

A Barred Owl turned up in Laura's yard, distressing all the nearby birds except two hopeful crows.

On September 26, 2023, Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth set a new season total for the number of Blue Jays flying past: an amazing 75,860, with more still coming! Jim Baker from Baker's Blue Jay Barn has a few thoughts.

You never know when a late hummingbird is going to show up, or what species it will be.

Whether you're a fledgling woodpecker or a person on a bike, landings can be much more awkward than takeoffs.