IT’S BEEN a bumpy journey for little terns.

But a record number of terns now adorn the Hartlepool and east Durham coastline - despite the nests coming under attack from hedgehogs.

More than 100 little tern chicks, one of Britain’s rarest sea birds, have hatched on a breeding area at Crimdon near Hartlepool. And after several years of poor breeding figures wardens couldn’t be happier.

But it could have been a different story when hedgehogs attacked 18 nests in just two days.

Volunteer warden Trevor Stephenson, 53, said: “Luckily the hedgehogs got to the nests at an early stage so it meant the birds could re-lay and it won’t have affected the total.”

He added: “It has been a brilliant year for results and we couldn’t be happier. Last year there was only 27 chicks hatched and there was none in 2005. The little tern is a very rare protected bird so for us to get 105 chicks is excellent.”

A lack of food, namely sand eels, meant there was a mass starvation of chicks and very poor breeding results in 2004 and 2005.
But in 2006 the government banned sand eel fishing in the North Sea and the breeding figures rose.

Fellow warden, Derek Brown, 68, from Horden said: “This has to be the best year we have ever seen. I fell in love with these birds straight away and it’s fantastic to see them all here.”

A well-known tourist destination is preparing to welcome 250,000 overseas visitors.

Every year, migrating birds from as far away as Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia flock to Southport’s Ribble Estuary (UK) to rest and refuel.

A quarter of a million birds visit the estuary every year and the huge numbers and variety of birds make the Ribble one of the most important estuaries for wildlife in Britain.

RSPB guides will be at the end of Southport Pier from 11am to 4pm every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout August to help visitors get closer to the birdlife.

The RSPB’s Danny Hawker-Bond said: “We want to help people discover the amazing birdlife while getting views of some beautiful animals.”

MANILA, Philippines — Was the love bird searching for its pair?

An African love bird caused a commotion inside a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from Bangkok upon landing in Manila Sunday evening after it was seen fluttering through the passenger cabin as the last passengers disembarked from the aircraft.

PAL flight PR 731 had almost completed deplaning more than 260 passengers from the Airbus A-340 around 6:40 p.m. when flight crew spotted the lone bird flying inside the passenger cabin, said Glen Pastorfide, head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit (DENR-WTMU) at the airport.

“Customs officials boarded the plane for a routine check and saw that the flight crew were trying to catch the bird flying in the cabin … We are not sure yet how the bird ended up inside the plane,” Pastorfide told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Monday.

The bird, about as tall as an outstretched palm, should not have been allowed entry into the country even through importation, said Pastorfide. The Philippines has a standing ban on live birds and poultry products from most Asian countries, including Thailand, to keep the country free from avian flu.

The airline could not say how the bird ended up inside the jet, but Rolly Estabillo, PAL corporate communications manager, said an unidentified passenger might have sneaked the bird into the aircraft during boarding back in Bangkok.

“Apparently, the passenger brought it inside but no one has come forward to say the bird was his,” Estabillo said when reached by phone.

Pastorfide could only surmise that the bird was placed in its owners’ carry-on bag, or kept inside the carrier’s jacket. If indeed it came all the way from Thailand, he wondered how the bird could have made it through screening at the airport there.

As soon as the bird was caught, WTMU officers carefully wrapped it in cheesecloth and turned it over to the airport quarantine office. The aircraft was meanwhile sanitized to get rid of any contamination inside the passenger areas.

“We had it sanitized immediately just to be sure because we don’t want the next passengers to be affected,” said Pastorfide.

Doctor Simeon Amurao, officer-in-charge of the airport Veterinary Quarantine Service, said the bird died due to extreme stress Monday morning, just before it was supposed to be euthanized per routine procedure.

The bird will undergo testing at the Bureau of Animal Industry’s (BAI) laboratory in Quezon City to determine whether it was ill before it died. WTMU will meanwhile continue investigation and locate the bird’s owner.

An albatross, found on a Somerset beach by a walker, has been released after a check-up by animal rescuers.

The bird, believed to be either a yellow-nosed or black-browed albatross, was discovered, apparently uninjured, on the beach at Brean on Friday.

After a once over by staff at the Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre, near Burnham-On-Sea, it was released from a cliff top on Saturday afternoon.

The centre said it had been years since an albatross was seen in the county.

It takes just a few simple steps for bird lovers to attract their feathered friends to their yards.

Making some minor adjustments to properties will help attract different varieties of birds, particularly songbirds, according to a press release from Cornell University’s Cooperative Extension. With growing recognition the climate is warming, native plants are the best choice for creating bird-friendly habitats for the future.

According to the press release, native plants are adapted to temperature extremes and are the best bet for future changes, because of their long history with local climates.

The first tip is to provide a water source near protective shrubs during the summer months. On hot days, birds are especially eager to bathe and drink. Bird baths should be only an inch or two deep, with a shallow slope, and a dripping effect will lure more birds. The bath should be mounted on a pedestal if cats prowl the neighborhood, and it should be cleaned once a week with a stiff brush.

“Just have a clean, fresh water drip onto a hollow rock,” said bird enthusiast Betsy Brooks of Alfred.

The second hint is to create a song bird border along the property edge by planting trees and shrubs that meet the needs of birds throughout the year. The best plants to use are those adapted to the weather extremes of the local climate. The border can take the form of a hedge or windbreak, depending on the property size.

Several of each species of plant should be plated next to each other. The tallest plants should be at the edges of the property, and the shorter plants should be located toward the house. One species of thorny tree, such as hawthorn or raspberry, should be provided for nesting. Evergreens, such as spruce, holly or juniper, should be provided for cover. Berry-producing shrubs, such as dogwood, serviceberry or viburnum, should be planted in order to provide fruit throughout the season.

Property owners who want to attract birds should create a brush pile in the corner of their property, consisting of dropped limbs, downed branches and tree trunks. The larger logs should be layered as a foundation, and living brush piles can be created by cutting saplings most of the way through the trunks, then pulling them into a heap. Songbirds will find shelter from extreme weather in these covers throughout the year.

Another tip is to rake leaves under shrubs to create mulch and natural feeding areas for ground-feeding birds, such as sparrows, towhees and thrashers. Earthworms, pill bugs, insects and spiders will thrive in the decomposing leaf mulch, and will readily be eaten by birds.

Brooks said this is important if property owners want to feed birds. She said brush piles also may provide an escape from hawks and other predators.

Property owners should reduce their lawn by at least 25 percent to focus on meadow plants and taller grasses. Tall grasses provide seeds and nesting places for many birds. The meadow should be cut once each year, and should be grown three to four-inches before being cut.

Brooks said having smaller yards means less upkeep, and is much better for birds.

“A yard that is so well manicured isn’t the best thing at all for birds,” she said.

The CCE press release also urges bird lovers to take the “healthy yard pledge” and avoid using lawn pesticides and wasteful sprinklers. It stated, 50 percent of households in the U.S. currently treat their lawns with chemicals that kill around seven million birds per year. The chemicals also may leak into groundwater, wells, streams, lakes and oceans.

Bird lovers should clean out old bird and mouse nests from nest boxes in early spring. If new nest boxes are put out, the property owner should consider the preferred habitat for different species, as well as the size of the entrance hole and the distance above ground. Nesting boxes should face the east in northern latitudes to provide extra warmth. In forests, residents can create a one and one-fourth-inch hole into dead trees four to five-feet off the ground to mimic a woodpecker. The holes can then serve as nests for chickadees and titmice.

Brooks said boxes should be placed in the appropriate places, such as fields and open areas.

In order to ensure cleanliness, property owners should clean bird feeders with a bottle brush and a 10 percent non-chloride bleach solution. The feeders should be rinsed thoroughly and dried in the sun before refilling. Any soggy seed should be raked up from under feeders, because it could grow deadly mold.

“That’s really important,” Brooks said.

She said some birds are sensitive to chloride, and many will refuse to return to a bird feeder that has been cleaned with a chloride solution.

“It’s just a matter of keeping feeders really clean,” she said.

Feeders also should be moved closer to the house to avoid birds flying into windows. If feeders are within three feet of a window, birds are less likely to gather a high momentum when scared, and property owners will be able to see them more closely.

As for what to put in the feeders, Brooks said encouraged use of a variety of seed, especially if more than one bird feeder is available. She said separate feeders will encourage smaller birds to eat, and larger birds won’t eat all the food. She said some ground-feeding birds will eat the seed spilled on the ground under feeders. She said cut oranges can be put out, and will often attract orioles and other colorful birds.

Brooks said hummingbird feeders should be filled with one-part sugar and four-parts water. She said these feeders should be changed once a week, especially when the weather is warm. She said clean, boiled and cooled water should be used, and no red color needs to be used to attract the birds.

Bird lovers should be patient, Brooks said, if they are having problems attracting birds to their yards and feeders. She said if hawks are in the area and scaring away other birds, bird feeders can be taken down for a week or two, until the hawks leave the area.

She said inviting birds to one’s yard is a great way to see and study birds that aren’t easily seen otherwise.

“It’s great entertainment,” she said.

Those interested in learning more about birds may attend meetings of the Allegany County Bird Club. The meetings are usually held at 7 p.m. the first Friday of the month from September through June at the Allegany County office building in Belmont.

“Anybody is welcome to come,” Brooks said.

A fairy pitta, a rare bird in the avian world, was spotted in Geoje, Gyeongnam Province, singing its distinctive mating call.

The migratory bird, which comes to Korea in the summer, was designated as Korea’s 204th natural treasure, but has not been seen in the country since. A dead fairy pitta was found in 2002, and the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office confirmed the bird’s existence in the country by the sound of its call.

Like a cat on the prowl, the ‘hunter’ was stalking toward a drying water hole. The ground was littered with fallen twigs and leaves and he had to step carefully. Bending to avoid a thorny branch, he momentarily lost concentration and ‘thud..’.. a mistaken step on a stick alerted his prey. With a loud flutter, his subject, a group of Green Imperial Pigeons drinking water, flew away. “Missed a great shot,” he lamented.

This is the frustration that wildlife photographers have to face when trying to ‘shoot’ birds for photographing birds is not as easy as photographing people. In Sri Lanka, bird watching has become a popular pastime. But what about photographing them? Is it only for the experts armed with high-end expensive camera equipment?

Learn to stalk

The most critical issue when photographing a bird is getting close, especially, if you do not have the support of high-end zooming lenses. Approach them slowly, and stop frequently. Birds are vigilant and ready to fly off at the first inkling of danger. Look for natural formations that break your silhouette like trees, rocks etc. Wear clothes that blend with the environment. Avoid jerky motions or making noises. A frequent mistake made is to shout and point towards the bird the moment you see one. You also need to read the bird’s movements and act accordingly. Before taking wing, birds usually show distress signs. Learn to identify such behaviour.

With experience you will learn to anticipate the signs, giving you those extra seconds to get ready. If a lone bird spreads its wings as you are getting close to a group of waders in a mudflat, you should stop immediately. The bird has sensed a danger, and it is a sign that it is getting ready to take wing and also a signal for others to follow suit. The whole flock may flash into the sky. But if you remain still for several minutes, some bird species will resume their normal activity. Be patient and wait. Remember, patience is essential in taking a good photograph.

Another way to get close is to use your vehicle as a hide. Birds are used to vehicles and will tolerate a vehicle. It also removes the human profile from their site.

Learn about your celebrities

It is necessary that the photographer be able to identify the birds, so as to learn and enjoy the experience more. The greatest wealth for a bird photographer in Sri Lanka is the high avian diversity – Sri Lanka has over 400 bird species, 25 endemic and over 200 migrant. The ability to identify them, know their breeding season, feeding behaviour and interpret their other characteristics is an added advantage in the field.

If you can distinguish their behaviour, like preening, foraging, hunting, courtship displays then you can manoeuvre your camera to get a better angle. Some flycatcher species for example return to the same perch. If you stay motionless for few minutes, you may get a second chance.

A good bird field guide book is a mandatory tool that every bird photographer should possess. It helps you to identify the birds and interpret their behaviour. Another good way to learn about birds is to become a member of a bird society.

While some societies require some expertise in birding as pre-requisites, organizations like the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) which is based in the University of Colombo is open for anyone who is interested on birds (see box for contact details). The Young Zoologists’ Association based at the National Zoological Gardens, Dehiwela also conducts weekly study groups. Those under 35 years of age can learn about birds by getting membership.

Where to shoot the birds

“Where should I take pictures of different kinds of birds? Is it necessary to visit places like Sinharaja, Udawalawe, Bundala” you may ask. But your garden may be the best playground for an amateur bird photographer. If you have a food table or a bird bath, it will provide great opportunities. Magpie Robins, Babblers, Asian Koels, Flowerpeckers, and Woodpeckers, Parrots all have their own tale to unravel. Photographing common birds is a good starting point. It is not only the rarity of a bird that makes an exciting bird photograph. But if you are aiming at photographing special groups of birds, you need to go into their habitats. It may be difficult for an amateur to spot birds initially, so it is always advisable to accompany a bird guide or a friend who knows about birds.

Another way to improve your chances of seeing more birds is to become familiar with their calls. Then one can ‘hear’ a bird before actually seeing them. Working with experts will also improve your birding knowledge in general and in particular your ability to identify species.

Ethics and wellbeing of the birds

Remember the welfare of the birds should always come first. A wildlife photographer should be ready to sacrifice his best shot for the wellbeing of the bird. If a bird is showing signs of stress, remove yourself as quickly as possible. Photographing of nests is always a subject for debate. The nests are usually built in a concealed place. During the attempt to take a good shot, the photographer may reveal the nest to the predators. Also some nests are built on unstable platforms and may easily be broken.

Some technical hints

Photographing birds also requires speed. A photographer will get only a fraction of a second to react in the field. You need to know the capabilities of the camera to react fast and not miss the best shot. Fast shutter speeds are always advisable. After some time you should buy the longest focal length lens you can afford. This will allow you to get closer without actually disturbing the birds.

Try taking challenging photographs

“If someone is at the right place at the right time with the advanced modern cameras, he will be able to photograph birds. But bird photography is something more than that. You should always try taking pictures that are challenging. Photographing a bird in flight or taking special behaviours which are uncommon need a lot of effort. You may fail nine times out of ten. But the satisfaction after taking a good challenging photograph is enormous,” commented expert bird photographer, Dr. T.S.U.de Zylva.

Recalling memories of how he photographed the rare endemic Ashy-headed Laughing Thrush at Sinharaja, Dr. de Zylva said, “I was tipped off by a villager about an open patch of wet-zone jungle that these elusive Thrushes used to cross regularly. I built a hide and positioned two flashes to cover a short sapling where I expected the birds to briefly perch before they moved on to the other forest patch. Finally, my patience was fruitful. Two birds perched on those branches at the same time, giving me the opportunity for a very unusual shot. However, I had to patiently wait for three days before I succeeded.”

Bird photography is an art and a fascinating hobby of its own. Passion and patience are the main qualifications needed. Remember if you have these qualities, you could grab opportunities to take good bird photographs even using a basic camera.

Researchers at the Methodist Neurological Institute (NI) in Houston and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City used functional MRI to determine that songbirds have a pronounced right-brain response to the sound of songs, establishing a foundational study for future research on songbird models of speech disorders such as stuttering, as reported today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A.

This is the first functional MRI study to determine how vocal sounds are represented within the brain of an awake zebra finch, a well-studied animal model of vocal learning. Because of many similarities between birdsong and human speech, this research could lead to a better understanding of the cause of stuttering and other speech problems.

By using specifically-tailored high-resolution fMRI in awake, mildly sedated zebra finches, scientists were able to look at the activity in the entire avian brain during song stimulation.

“While we found that both sides of the brain were activated by sounds in the songbirds, our research showed that the right side of their brains discriminated sounds better,” said Santosh A. Helekar, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the paper. Helekar is associate research professor of neuroscience at the Methodist NI and Weill Cornell. “If we can link what we find in birds to what we already know about human brains, then we could better understand the causes of speech disorders and, in the long-run, be able to provide treatments to patients.”

Helekar has long collaborated with Dr. David Rosenfield, director of the speech and language center at the Methodist NI and a nationally-renowned language expert, to study stuttering and other speech disorders.

Using the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI method, researchers observed brain response patterns in 16 adult zebra finches during playback of the birds’ own song, their tutor’s song, an unfamiliar zebra finch’s song, and a synthetic sound of a single frequency. The songbirds’ own song caused a stronger response in the auditory areas of the brain. The overall findings suggest that vocal sounds may be better represented on the right side of the brain in these songbirds.

“We don’t know exactly what goes wrong with the human brain when a patient stutters or has a particular speech problem. But, if we can understand the neurobiology of the brain of this animal model and how sounds are processed by birds that produce normal and variant songs, then we may be able to translate these findings into treatments for patients with disorders such as stuttering and verbal dyspraxia,” said Henning U. Voss, Ph.D., first author on the PNAS paper and assistant professor of physics in radiology at Citigroup Biomedical Imaging Center of Weill Cornell Medical College.

The vocal learning process in the zebra finch offers a model system to study the neural and behavioral mechanisms by which humans learn to produce sounds. Songbirds such as zebra finches have specialized areas of their brains devoted to communication. That is why they have been used as animal models to study speech disorders, such as stuttering. It is estimated that more than 3 million Americans stutter.

This paper appears in the PNAS Online Edition and will be published in the June 19 print issue. The research presented was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medical College, and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Research Center Matheon.

UNALASKA, Alaska – A bald eagle perches atop a pole near the road. Standing 50 feet away, I slowly aim my camera and fire. The bird barely budges.

Creeping two steps forward, I shoot a second frame. The bird doesn’t move.

I edge forward, approaching and firing in two-step increments. Finally, about 15 feet away, my feathered model has had enough. It flaps its wings and flies off.

Normally, I feel lucky to see one of these beauties at binocular distance. Here, I was nearly eye to eye with our national emblem.

Eagle encounters such as this are common near Dutch Harbor on the Alaskan island of Unalaska. It’s from this fish-rich Aleutian port that men from the Discovery Channel’s popular Deadliest Catch reality show set sail for the Bering Sea.

In 1942, in what has been termed the Forgotten War, Japanese bombers unleashed a two-day attack on the island. Today, eagles soar over abandoned fortifications from that confrontation. The combination of balds and bunkers serves as a graphic reminder of freedom’s price.

The best time to see eagles is May through July, when the parents nest and raise young. They glide through the air, alight on beaches and perch pigeonlike on rooftops. Eagles are everywhere.

One drizzly day, I tour a fish-packing plant. Someone has left refuse bins uncovered on the dock, and waiting there for a Dumpster dive is a rain-drenched eagle.

I stand on the opposite side of the container, six feet away, looking into its golden eyes. It’s a new personal record for closeness to America’s bird.

Here are 10 reasons your own backyard may be the best place for bird-watching — especially during the summer.

1. You don’t have to endure oppressive heat or pesky mosquitoes. Backyard bird-watching is a pain-free way to enjoy the sight of a bird like a blue jay standing regal on a fence or indecorously dunking its body in the cool water of a birdbath.

2. You don’t have to travel. No hassles of packing suitcases, lugging equipment through airports or loading your car for a day trip. No gasoline expenses, either. Just the cost of a pot of coffee and a window view of a mourning dove feeding quietly on the ground.

3. Your backyard birds are as beautiful in their own right as any birds you’d see anywhere in the world. I know, because I’ve traveled to exotic places to see incredible birds, and I can think of no better sight than the spectacular crimson plumes of a male Northern cardinal in my backyard.

4. All your bird-watching equipment is handy. You don’t have to worry about whether you have your binoculars or your camera. Everything is at your fingertips.

5. Watching backyard birds improves your skill at bird identification. When I was a young whippersnapper, a professional bird tour guide told me that the best way to learn bird identification was to study birds in my backyard. I still practice that rule.

6. You can enjoy the parenting behavior of birds like chickadees as they coax their young to fly to your bird feeders.

7. You can watch the comings and goings of birds in your yard throughout the seasons. During fall and spring, look for migratory songbirds like warblers and tanagers. Note the arrival of winter residents like yellow-rumped warblers, ruby-crowned kinglets and orange-crowned warblers.

8. You can teach your children or grandchildren the fun of observing birds without dragging them kicking and screaming away from their computer games to a wildlife refuge. And when they discover the wonders of wild birds, maybe they’ll drag you to a wildlife refuge.

9. You don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn as many bird-watchers do to get to a bird-watching spot. Birds will hang around your yard all day. Enjoy them at your leisure.

10. You can watch birds while carrying out other activities like housecleaning, installing a new kitchen sink or just looking up while reading a book. Of course, if you start watching the antics of birds like Carolina wrens flitting around your flower pots, you may not finish cleaning the house, installing a sink or reading more than 20 pages of a book.