Articles by Joanna Thompson

Field Notes

Yes, Birding Does Change Your Brain

By Joanna Thompson
March 29, 2023 — Neuroscientists puzzling over how human memory and learning function often turn to birdwatchers to connect the dots.
News

You Could Use Some Good Bird News

By Joanna Thompson
September 10, 2021 — Stop doomscrolling and check out these hopeful stories.
A juvenile Caspian Tern stands on the beach in Ocean Shores, Washington.
Climate

Why Heat Waves Amplified by Climate Change Are a Big Problem for Baby Birds

By Joanna Thompson
August 13, 2021 — The extreme heat wave earlier this summer was a disaster for nestlings in the Pacific Northwest. With climate change, these intense hot spells will become more frequent, ultimately threatening bird populations.
Climate

Emperor Penguins Proposed for Listing Under Endangered Species Act

By Joanna Thompson
August 04, 2021 — The Antarctic seabirds may qualify as a ‘threatened’ species due to climate change. But without reducing carbon emissions, can the listing help them?
News

Florida's Early and Severe Red Tide Raises Concern for Coastal Bird Safety

By Joanna Thompson
July 23, 2021 — As harmful algal blooms kill off fish and sicken birds in the Tampa Bay area, conservationists worry that nesting Black Skimmers, terns, and other shorebird species could be at risk from eating tainted seafood.
News

How One Clash With an Iceberg Threw an Emperor Penguin Colony into Disarray

By Joanna Thompson
July 14, 2021 — Climatologists predict an increase in wayward icebergs as warming seas weaken glaciers. A new analysis shows how they threaten penguin survival.
News

Scientists Still Searching for the Pathogen Behind the East's Songbird Epidemic

By Joanna Thompson
July 08, 2021 — In a new report, experts ruled out a range of causes, but they still recommend taking down feeders until the source of the disease is identified.
News

A Drone Crash Caused Thousands of Elegant Terns to Abandon Their Nests

By Joanna Thompson
June 11, 2021 — California wildlife managers are hoping the birds relocated to other nesting sites. Meanwhile, they are working to ensure this doesn't happen again.