Episode 6: Geomagnetic storms, bird flu, and migrating shorebirds in Africa!

Welcome to Episode 6 of the Bird Brief. I'm Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist, here to bring you the latest on birds from news and research around the globe. Today, we're discussing everything from geomagnetic storms, to bird flu outbreaks, to migrating shorebirds in Africa. All in just five minutes. Before we start, a quick note: I'm new to mixing sound and audio equipment needed to produce a podcast,so thanks for bearing with the quirky sound quality in the last part of the show. For the love of birds let’s get started.

Stories:

https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2306317120

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0918

https://phys.org/news/2024-05-night-auroras-extreme-solar-storm.html 

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1059801 

https://www.axios.com/2024/05/04/bird-flu-wildlife-mammals

Catry, T., Correia, E., Gutiérrez, J.S. et al. Low migratory connectivity and similar migratory strategies in a shorebird with contrasting wintering population trends in Europe and West Africa. Sci Rep 14, 4884 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55501-y https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55501-y

Music and Bird Sound:

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola); Recorded by Gerrit Vyn/Macaulay Library; Jul 2007; ML138238.

Albert Lastukhin, XC902033. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/902033.

W. Agster, XC897347. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/897347.

Bar-tailed Godwit (European) (Limosa lapponica lapponica); Recorded by Patrik Åberg/Macaulay Library; Jun 2010; ML63209671.

Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator); Recorded by James M. Hartshorne/Macaulay Library; Mar 1956; ML3748.

Don`t trust the News by 1st Contact is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License.

Hearing Protection Tips:

Okay, as your birder friend, I want you to hear your birds today, but also in five years. Make sure you have the basics, get some inexpensive foam earplugs at your local drugstore and put them in your bag or car for those random times you are heading to a show and its going to be way too loud. Also grab some earmuffs and have them handy for when you use the blender or mow the lawn.

Here's a few that I like that are inexpensive and won't break the bank:

-Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 7 Pair + Case – (NRR 33 dB Highest NRR). https://amzn.to/3Xn2xrN .

-3M PELTOR Ear Muffs, X1, (NRR 22) https://amzn.to/41aMcbU. Most comfortable muff in my opinion. Nicely slim for a muff while providing good ear protection. Fantastic to bring to fireworks shows and air shows, so you can take them off to chat with your friends. Bonus -- even comfortable and lightweight enough that your kid will wear them!

-3M PELTOR X3 Earmuffs, (NRR 25-28) https://amzn.to/40XXVZN. Great protection, but can get heavy.

*Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the number of decibels that the ear pro can reduce ambient noise levels – NRR 33 is the maximum. I’ve found that NRR 33 is pretty bulky/heavy in muffs so I opt for NRR 22 or NRR 25.

@THE.BIRD.BRIEF