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Worldwide, migratory phenology and movement of many bird species is shifting in response to anthropogenic climate and habitat changes. However, due to variation among species and a shortage of analyses, changes in waterfowl migration, particularly in the fall, are not well understood. Fall migration phenology and movement patterns dictate waterfowl hunting success and satisfaction, with cascading implications on economies and support for habitat management and securement. Using 60 years of band recovery data for waterfowl banded in the Canadian Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), we evaluated whether fall migration timing and/or distribution changed in Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Pintail (A. acuta), and Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) between 1960 and 2019. We found that in the Midcontinent Flyways, Mallards and Bluewinged Teal migrated faster in more recent time periods, whereas Northern Pintail began fall migration earlier. In the Pacific Flyway, Mallards began fall migration earlier. Both Mallards and Northern Pintails showed evidence of short-stopping in the Midcontinent Flyways. Indeed, the Mallard and Northern Pintail distribution of band recovery data shifted 180 and 226 km north, respectively, from 1960 to 2019. Conversely, Bluewinged Teal recovery distributions were consistent across years. Mallards and Northern Pintails also exhibited an increased proportion of band recoveries in the Pacific Flyway in recent decades. We provide clear evidence that the timing and routes of fall migration have shifted over the past 6 decades, but these phenological and spatial shifts differ among species. We suggest that using community-science data collected by hunters themselves to explain one of the group's major concerns (changes in duck abundance at traditional hunting grounds), within the environmental lens of climate change, may help lead to further engagement and two-way dialogue to support effective waterfowl management for these culturally and ecologically important species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Semantic fluency is a prominent neuropsychological task, typically administered within the category 'animals'. With the increasing development of novel item-level metrics of semantic fluency, a concern around the validity of item-level analyses could be that personal background factors (e.g., hobbies like birdwatching or fishing) may disproportionally influence performance. We analyzed animal fluency performance at the item level and investigated the prevalence of individuals with abundant knowledge in specific classes of animals (e.g., birds, fish, insects) and the relationship of such knowledge with personal background factors and other cognitive tasks (episodic memory and executive functioning). Method: Participants included 736 Dutch middle-aged to older adults from the SMART-MR cohort (mean age 58 ± 9.4 years, 18% women). Individuals were asked to name as many animals as possible for 2 min. Number of people with abundant animal class knowledge was calculated for the ability to recall a series of minimum =5 and up to =15 animals within a specific class with at most one interruption by an animal from another class. Subsequent analyses to investigate relationships of abundant class knowledge with sociodemographic characteristics (t-tests and chi-square tests) and cognitive performance (linear regressions) were performed for a cut-off of =10 animals within a specific class (90th percentile), with a sensitivity analysis for =7 animals (67th percentile). Results: A total of 416 (56.2%) participants recalled a series of =5 animals from a specific class, 245 (33.3%) participants recalled =7, 78 (10.6%) participants recalled =10, and 8 (1.1%) participants recalled =15. Those who recalled a series of at least 10 animals within a class were older, more often men, and more often retired than those who did not. Moreover, they had a higher total score on animal fluency, letter fluency (i.e., executive functioning), and episodic memory tasks compared to those who did not. Discussion: Our results suggest that the benefit of abundant animal class knowledge gained by personal background does not disproportionally influence animal fluency performance as individuals with such knowledge also performed better on other cognitive tasks unrelated to abundant knowledge of animal classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birding is one of the most popular recreational activities, but bird populations have been declining worldwide. Understanding how much people benefit from local bird populations levels, species richness and their preferences can help inform bird conservation management. This paper uses eBird data and random utility models to assess the birders' preferences and welfare for trips to local areas. The sample eBird citizen science data includes 35,656 trips by 290 individual birders to 1227 unique birding hotspots in Alberta, Canada. The economic value of seeing one additional bird species during a trip is estimated to be $0.68 on average. We estimated a nonlinear relationship between the utility and number of bird species suggesting satiation in recreation preferences, and the highest MWTP is estimated to be in the summer and fall seasons. Bird species at risk, based on Alberta's strategy for the management of species at risk, are valued almost ten times higher as seeing other types of bird species. We also estimate individualized choice models and find that preference for species richness is heterogeneous across birders. Results of a combinatorial test find that the individualized choice models produce average welfare estimates that are 67% higher than the single model but the difference is not statistically significant. The members of eBird represent a convenience sample that may not constitute the general population. Thus along with proper weighting, these benefit estimates produced in this research can help inform future bird conservation management decisions including alternative funding mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commentary in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examines the relationship between bird migration timing and the timing of spring green-up. The study reveals that bird migration is not keeping up with the advancing spring phenology, indicating a disconnect between migration and current phenological trends. This has implications for ecosystem services, conservation needs, and disease control provided by migratory birds. The commentary emphasizes the importance of migratory birds in maintaining ecosystem resilience and functions, such as seed dispersal, plant pollination, and pest control. It also highlights the economic impact of bird watching and the need for conservation actions to protect migratory species. The findings underscore the urgency of addressing phenological mismatches and the importance of open access data platforms for research and conservation efforts. [Extracted from the article]

This paper is both, a photographic summary with observational and scientific data compiled on the existing natural riches in the Cassorova Ecoparque, situated in the municipality of Brotas, State of São Paulo, Brazil. The scientific and touristic expedition was carried out in November 2022. The Park is inserted in a region comprising several square kilometers of preserved forests, a natural heritage of immeasurable environmental richness, and a true paradise for birdwatchers because the region has registered more than three hundred species of birds. The photos show some of the Park structures, the forest, the waterfalls, species of plants, and animals, in particular the main birds observed on our trip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers news briefs related to vulture conservation efforts including the loss of two prominent members, Michel Terrasse and Peter Mundy, and the activities of the Vulture Specialist Group (VSG) within the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission.

The article presents the proceedings of the XX Congress for the Study and Conservation of Birds in Mexico, published in the Mexican ornithology journal "Huitzil". Several symposiums are highlighted, such as the "Community Monitors" in Guerrero Negro, B.C.S., where the monitoring and recording of birds as citizen science is discussed. The "Kingfisher" symposium in Nuevo León is also mentioned, which highlights the achievements and challenges of birdwatching in the region. Another symposium addresses the socioecological interactions in the Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park in Texcoco, State of Mexico. Additionally, the contribution of territorial defense to the preservation of wetlands and birds in Lake Texcoco is emphasized. Finally, the work of the Chalchiuhtliue Collective in Iztapalapa is mentioned, which promotes the conservation of biocultural heritage through birdwatching in the Sierra de Santa Catarina. The text presents different bird conservation experiences in Mexico, including the participation of women in the protection and restoration of the habitat of the Green Macaw in the Bajo Balsas region, and the surveillance and monitoring to protect the Yellow-naped Parrot in the La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve. It also highlights the recording of bird species and environmental education activities in the Ethnobiological Garden of the Autonomous University of Guerrero, as well as the promotion of environmental awareness and conservation through birdwatching and citizen science in Mazatlán. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents a historical review of the international cooperation between the Ornithological Council (CO) and CIPAMEX, highlighting the challenges and opportunities. The CO seeks to give a voice to ornithologists in the Western Hemisphere and has representatives from the eight most important ornithological organizations in the area. CIPAMEX joined the CO in 1998 and has participated in scholarship programs, international events, and document translation. Despite the decrease in economic resources, the CO continues its efforts and has opened the opportunity for volunteers to participate in working group decisions. Additionally, several studies on birds in different regions of Mexico are presented, including the prevalence of hemoparasites in wild birds, the diversity of shorebirds, the reproductive phenology of the Charadrius vociferus shorebird, the diet of the Mexican finch, the relationship between mistletoe, its hosts, and seed-dispersing birds, bird species as indicators of habitat quality, heron beak morphometrics, and the avifauna of Tula National Park and its surrounding area. Studies on the composition and abundance of the Picidae family, the habitat and nesting success of the cotuí quail, the rehabilitation of nocturnal raptors, the reproductive success of the brown owl in captivity, the influence of urbanization on morphophysiological aspects of the Eurasian blackbird and the Great Kiskadee, the presence of hemoparasites in reproductive adults of Junco phaeonotus, antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria associated with birds, and the development of birdwatching tourism in the UMA of the Ejido Rancho El Salado Jolalpan Puebla are also presented. [Extracted from the article]

Tourism is one of the rapid development sectors on small islands that are abundant with natural resources. However, tourism development is a potential threat and may deplete environmental resources. This paper aims to describe the recent tourism development in Bintan Regency, Indonesia, one of the small islands abundant with mangrove resources. Data were collected on Bintan Island through visitation and observation. The mangrove ecosystem document and the potential impact of tourism development on the mangrove ecosystem were empirically reviewed. Studies confirm that tourism is recently growing in Bintan and significantly contributes to and supports local development. The mangrove ecosystem has abundant resources that are crucial for sustainable tourism development programmes on Bintan Island. Some strategic approaches exist to enhance the link between mangrove conservation and tourism on Bintan Island, including mangrove biodiversity conservation, ecolodge development, nature-based tourism programme development, and community participation in mangrove-based tourism. With a proper management approach, mangroves are a potential resource to attract tourists and promote sustainable tourism development on small islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many real life situations one has m types of random events happening in chronological order within a time interval and one wishes to predict various milestones about these events or their subsets. An example is birdwatching. Suppose we can observe up to m different types of birds during a season. At any moment a bird of type i is observed with some probability. There are many natural questions a birdwatcher may have: how many observations should one expect to perform before recording all types of birds? Is there a time interval where the researcher is most likely to observe all species? Or, what is the likelihood that several species of birds will be observed at overlapping time intervals? Our paper answers these questions using a new model based on random interval graphs. This model is a natural follow up to the famous coupon collector's problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies about charismatic bird species have been carried out using the general public; among the most common charismatic attributes are body mass and coloration. However, research on birders as a target population is lacking. Birders are people who identify bird species based on visual or acoustic cues. It is important to study this group directly because they invest a lot of time and effort in citizen science projects and donate money to the conservation of nature. Identifying charismatic species for birders can help to determine the optimal flagship species for this group. Because some studies show that preferences for certain species and their attributes may be dependent on the personal characteristics of the respondents, we decided to study the preferences of different types of birder (casual, intermediate, advanced). We surveyed 2,303 German birders and found advanced birders to prefer species with a lower body mass and less coloration/brightness, compared with casual and intermediate birders. Moreover, advanced birders prefer species that are difficult to detect: that is, nocturnal species, species with larger flight distances, species with smaller population sizes, and nonurban birds. Because birders differ from the public in species preferences, this should be taken into account when species are chosen for conservation purposes, initiating citizen science projects, or management plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the 9th Employee Meeting, conducted by the Ornithological Center in Romandie and the Swiss Ornithological Station, in Switzerland, covering several topics related to bird monitoring and conservation. It mentions that Hans Schmid from the Swiss Ornithological Station presented the progress and findings of the Monitoring des oiseaux nicheurs réguliers (MONiR) program, which aims to track the population trends of nesting bird species.

La situation sanitaire ne faisant plus l'objet de préoccupations contraignantes, l'assemblée de Nos Oiseaux a pu avoir lieu selon les traditions précédant la pandémie de Covid-19. L'excursion avait pour cadre les champs spécialement inondés pour l'escale des limicoles, au sud de la ville d'Yverdon, et a réuni une douzaine de participants. Elle a été suivie de l'assemblée proprement dite, organisée à la salle de paroisse, puis d'un repas et de la projection du film « Houbara » lauréat du prix Paul Géroudet au 38e Festival international du film ornithologique de Ménigoute, en 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birdwatching is one of the fastest growing sectors of ecotourism. Managing this nature-based activity requires understanding birdwatchers' attitudes and behaviour towards the natural environment. This paper proposes assessing these attitudes and the link to behavioural intentions by combining the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) with a criterion-based segmentation method, the chi-squared automatic interaction detector (CHAID). This methodology was applied through a survey questionnaire to birdwatchers in the Ria Formosa Natural Park, a wetland located in South Portugal. The amount birdwatchers were willing to pay for an improvement in the environmental quality of the site, a behavioural intention variable, was used as the criterion in the CHAID analysis. Two birdwatcher segments willing to pay above average were identified and labelled as 'environmental stewards' and 'birdwatching fans'. A key result that emerged from our study is that the NEP score is not a significant predictor of the willingness to pay for environmental improvement in the CHAID analysis. Hence, there is a missing link, as pro-environmental attitudes do not translate into pro-environmental behavioural intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeledonia is the property of Asociacion Ornitologica de Costa Rica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The history of the decline of the Ivory‐billed Woodpecker is long and complex, but the status of the species since 1944, when the last widely accepted sighting in continental North America occurred, is particularly controversial. Reports of Ivory‐billed Woodpeckers have continued, but none has reached the threshold of quality for general acceptance by ornithologists or the birdwatching public. In 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened for public comment a proposal to declare the species extinct. Here, we present evidence suggesting the presence of the Ivory‐billed Woodpecker at our study site, based on a variety of data collected over a 10‐year search period, 2012–2022. These data are drawn from visual observations, ~70,000 h of recordings by 80–100 acoustic recording units, ~472,550 camera‐hours by as many as 34 trail cameras, and ~1089 h of video drawn from ~3265 drone flights. Using multiple lines of evidence, the data suggest intermittent but repeated presence of multiple individual birds with field marks and behaviors consistent with those of Ivory‐billed Woodpeckers. Data indicate repeated reuse of foraging sites and core habitat. Our findings, and the inferences drawn from them, suggest that not all is lost for the Ivory‐billed Woodpecker, and that it is clearly premature for the species to be declared extinct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tourism Review is the property of Emerald Publishing Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Bird observation mainly relies on field surveys, which are time-consuming and laborious. In this study, we explored using street-view images in the virtual survey of urban birds and nests. Using the coastal city of Qingdao as the study area, 47 201 seamless spherical photos at 2741 sites were collected using the Baidu street-view (BSV) map. Single-rater-all photo checks and seven-rater-metapopulation checks were used to find inter–rater repeatability, the best viewing layer for BSV collection, and possible environments affecting the results. We also collected community science data for comparison. The BSV time machine was used to assess the temporal dynamics. Kappa square test, generalized linear model, redundancy ordination and ArcMap were used in the analysis. Different rater repeatability was 79.1% in nest evaluations and 46.9% in bird occurrence. A re-check of the different-rating photos can increase them to 92% and 70%. Seven-rater statistics showed that more than 5% sampling ratio could produce a non-significant different bird and nest percentage of the whole data, and the higher sampling ratio could reduce the variation. The middle-viewing layer survey alone could produce 93% precision of the nest checks by saving 2/3 of the time used; in birds, selecting middle and upper-view photos could find 97% of bird occurrences. In the spatial distribution, the nest's hotspot areas from this method were much greater than the community science bird-watching sites. The BSV time machine made it possible to re-check nests in the same sites but challenging the re-check of bird occurrences. The nests and birds can be observed more in the leafless season, on wide, traffic-dense coastal streets with complex vertical structures of trees, and in the gaps of tall buildings dominated by road forests. Our results indicate that BSV photos could be used to virtually evaluate bird occurrence and nests from their numbers, spatial distribution and temporal dynamics. This method provides a pre-experimental and informative supplement to large-scale bird occurrence and nest abundance surveys in urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birdwatching is one of nature recreations focusing on enjoying the wild birds. This activity is a hobby that continuously develops and has high economical value, besides beneficial related to conservation. A study of birdwatching in Indonesia is only focused on a bird potential supply concept in various locations without any demand study. A demand study is expected to become the basic of birdwatching management following the birdwatcher desire. This study aimed to analyze the birdwatcher characteristics in Indonesia on demographical and experience aspects. The study was performed on February to April, 2020 using online questionnaire distributed to Indonesian birdwatchers. The respondents who completely filled the questionnaire were 1257 birdwatchers. The respondent demographic is dominated by male, adolescent and early adult, living in the city, high educational background, private employe, and conservation organization member. The birdwatching experience is dominated by less than 3 hours activity. The protected area becomes the most-visited location by birdwatchers followed by the urban landscape. Bird identification is mostly carried out through visuals rather than through sounds. The most commonly used equipment is the bird fieldguide and binoculars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The word "jizz" is part of the language of birding in the English-speaking nations. It's meaning is combination of characteristics which identify kind of a bird, but this characteristics may not be distinguished individually. Jizz is described as embodied way of seeing that instantaneously reveals the identity of a birds species, suspending the laborious and meticulous study of an diagnostic characteristics. In medicine there is an idea of "clinical intuition" - making judgments and clinical diagnoses without clear awareness of consecutive stages of reasoning. Intuitive decision making has been found in some cases to improve decisions and eventually lead into better performance than analytic deliberation. Can a certain sudden conclusion that appear in minds of both birdwatchers (about bird species) and medical doctors (established diagnosis), based on the use of an incomplete set of information, be accurate? And how we can use this similarity to understand process of formulating medical diagnoses? In this paper we discuss the phenomena of jizz and "clinical intuition" in the light of theory of brain as a tool of making predictions. According to this view the primary function of the brain is to make predictions about the word, rather than laborious analysis of the stimuli coming in from the environment at each successive moment. That theory according to us can explain both Jizz observed by birdwatchers and clinical intuition in medical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stakeholder involvement in wildlife management is important and requires knowledge about factors motivating such participation. With several goose populations increasing in Europe and goose management incorporating multiple objectives, involvement of stakeholder groups with diverse interests is needed. In this study, we examined how evaluations of geese (attitude and acceptance capacity), but also experiences of birdwatching and birdwatcher identity, were associated with willingness to participate in local goose management. A survey among members of Sweden's largest birdwatching organization was conducted (n = 5010). The majority of respondents, 64%, displayed a divided evaluation of geese, most frequently in terms of an overall positive attitude towards geese but a low acceptance for current goose population levels (i.e. acceptance capacity). Birdwatchers' willingness to participate in goose management was generally low. Whereas they were more willing to take part in goose counts (i.e. monitoring) than to participate in local goose management groups, they were least willing to contribute to mitigating crop damage through scaring geese. Results further revealed that birdwatchers with a divided evaluation of geese and an entirely positive evaluation displayed the highest willingness to participate in goose management. However, a stronger distinct birdwatcher identity as a result of more birdwatching experiences was even more strongly associated with higher willingness to take part in goose management. The results highlight a need to intensify efforts to engage stakeholder groups with an interest in conservation issues in the participatory goose management system in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the 2022 Maryland Fall Count, focusing on the participation of 12 counties, the weather conditions during the count, and a detailed summary of observations including species count and birding efforts. It discusses the organization of the count, the number of observers, and the variations in bird species spotted across different regions in Maryland.

The article focuses on the 2022 Maryland May Count, detailing bird observations over two days in various counties. Topics covered include weather conditions during the count, participation statistics, and notable bird sightings such as Tundra Swans, Hooded Mergansers, and various flycatchers and warblers across different regions.

Background: Residential green spaces and the co-inhabiting bird communities provide critical cultural ecosystem services for urban dwellers, which is critical for citizens' psychological well-being but has largely been overlooked, especially in China. This study attempted to delineate the relationship between human-nature interactions occurring at different scenarios in the health deriving procedure, and identify the key factors influencing urban residents' psychological well-being and the potential critical human-nature connections within their living spaces. Methods: Bird, plant, and social surveys were sequentially conducted. A model selection procedure based on AICc information was used to find the key factors that are responsible for residents' psychological well-being, and logistic regression analysis was conducted to figure out the key drivers for the occurrence of critical within-living-space human-nature connections. Results: Most of the respondents are aware of the neighborhood biodiversity and most of them are fond of it, and respondents who prefer fauna over flora have a considerably lower depression degree. Watching birds is the only critical within-living-space nature-related activity that is responsible for residents' psychological well-being. Both residents' psychological well-being and bird watching activity were simultaneously affected by nature-related activities within and outside the living spaces, while their preference for different aspects of biodiversity and their capability in perceiving them were also important, despite the difference in exact parameters. In addition, personal attributes such as age, financial income, and physical or mental health status also contribute to psychological well-being. Conclusions: This study successfully bridged citizens' minds with health products, and the major contribution was the demonstration of a spatial-scale-oriented circuit for people-nature connections, which contributes to the practical application of nature-based therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]