“I can’t see those birds in the tree — the leaves are in the way!” Well, that’s not a problem anymore, is it? What winter takes away also reveals something more. The leaves that interrupted views of a warbler flitting hither and thither have fallen to give us a better look at our winter birds. They’ve returned home for the holidays, back from their summer excursions far north.

 The great migration in Nebraska attracts visitors from around the world to see the breathtaking sight of the Sandhill Cranes. Our November program welcomes Sandra Douglas from The Crane Trust.

Hello, fellow nature-lovers. I’m Anne Maguire, the recently elected president of ASO. I’m looking forward to a great year of educational programs, birding events, and field trips. I hope to see you at these gatherings.

National Audubon Society partners with Masterpiecesinc.com to develop Audubon-branded products. A portion of the proceeds go to Audubon. Here’s a few that will spark interest in birds for young and old alike.

Although ethanol plants had been safely producing fuel using harvested corn or grains for some time, no one had done so using seeds that were coated with “neonics,” shorthand for neonicotinoids, which kill insects and fungi and are toxic to humans.

Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation selected “super volunteer” Glenn Pollock to receive the 2024 Lawrence and Eula Hagie Heritage Award. The award is given annually to a person who has demonstrated extraordinary personal service and commitment to improving the quality of Iowa’s natural environment while encouraging others to do the same.

Green Tips: Conservation begins at home; each of us can help restore our unique ecosystem.

Please welcome our new Executive Administrator, Sarah Shepherd.

Fall migration has a different energy. Birds are often in much less of a hurry. If the weather is nice and the eating is good, they might stay for a week or two at a stopover site. Short-distance migrants such as American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds are the slowpokes of the migratory world, only moving south when conditions become unfavorable.

Millions of birds migrate every year to escape winter, but spending time in a warmer climate does not save them energy, according to new research. Using miniaturized loggers implanted in wild blackbirds, scientists recorded detailed measurements of heart rate and body temperature from birds every 30 minutes from fall to the following spring. The data offer unprecedented insights into the true energetic costs of migrant and resident strategies and reveal a previously unknown mechanism used by migrants to save energy prior migration.