The Bird Brief
A global rundown of newly published avian research and newsworthy bird stories in just 5 minutes.
The Bird Brief
S2 E3: The Oldest Known Birds, Migration Myths, Neonicotinoids, and a Murder Mystery
Welcome back to The Bird Brief, this is Stephanie Jenkins Aslett, avian ecologist giving you the rundown on the most recent happenings in birds, both in popular news and published research throughout the world. This episode falls in that spooky time of year, so in that vein - we are going to unearth the oldest known birds, talk about migration myths, even say the word neonicotinoid, and end with a murder mystery at 10,000 feet. Let's get started.
Stories:
https://dnyuz.com/2024/10/23/a-feathered-murder-mystery-at-10000-feet/ AND https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/science/birds-migration-10000-feet-predator.html
https://phys.org/news/2024-10-neonicotinoids-birds-fronts.html AND https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.14534
https://www.newsweek.com/why-do-birds-migrate-scientists-debunk-long-held-assumption-1972752
Bird Sound:
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola); Recorded by Gerrit Vyn/Macaulay Library; Jul 2007; ML138238.
Peregrine Falcon (Tundra) (Falco peregrinus calidus/tundrius); Recorded by Michael Andersen/Macaulay Library; Jun 2007; ML136378.
Alain Verneau, XC938588. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/938588.
Mallard. Martin Billard, XC881155. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/881155.
Common Blackbird. Elias A. Ryberg, XC917122. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/917122.
Music: The Weeknd from wish by Lundstroem is li
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