Audubon MagazineFall 2023

Audubon View

We Go Where Birds Go

Colombia is a major biodiversity hotspot in the Americas, and the successful work we do there can serve as a model for effective conservation across the Western Hemisphere.
Close up of a condor chick with wrinkly, bald, pink head and neck and a fluffy, gray, downy body, sitting in a wooden enclosure with a feather on the floor in the foreground.
Letter From the Editor

Mixed Emotions

Giving birds the best chance requires dedication—and a dose of resilience.
News

As Avian Flu Ravaged Wild Condors, One Chick Became a Ray of Hope

By Zoe Grueskin
October 03, 2023 — Helpless to stop the virus, biologists did everything in their power to protect the endangered species amid the deadly crisis—including trials of an avian flu vaccine never before used on U.S. birds.
Illustration of a crowd of people in a park looking at and photographing an owl in a tree with the Manhattan skyline in the distance.
News

Social Dilemma: What’s at Stake When We Propel Wild Birds to Stardom?

By Willy Blackmore
October 03, 2023 — Manhattan Bird Alert, a New York-based social media account, has fueled the rise of celebrity birds while attracting droves of new birders. But like many a story of unchecked fame, the phenomenon is also a cautionary tale.
Illustration of an egret holding a postcard in its beak.
Audubon for Kids

Send a Child’s Imagination Soaring With This Migration-Themed Activity

By Daisy Yuhas
October 02, 2023 — Use the Bird Migration Explorer to learn about the journeys of different species—then write a postcard from a place one has visited.
Field Notes

A Proposed Reset for Public Lands Could Be a Big Boost to Conservation

By Andy McGlashen
October 02, 2023 — The agency responsible for one-tenth of the country’s terrain aims to make healthy habitat a more prominent priority.
Fire takes over a grassy forest floor, leaving black ash and smoke in the already burned area.
News

Meet the Fire Starters Restoring One of North America’s Greatest Forests

By Gabriel Popkin
October 02, 2023 — In the Southeast, the fates of longleaf pines and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are inextricably tied. To save both, we must remember how to embrace fire.
Field Notes

A Bold Bet to Ensure the Future of Desert Birds: Plant Thousands of Cacti

By Margo Rosenbaum
October 02, 2023 — Can saguaro cacti that take root today survive the next century of extreme wildfire and drought? Tucson Audubon aims to find out.
News

How the War in Ukraine Takes a Devastating Toll on Nature

By Kristi Marciano
October 02, 2023 — As the collateral damage to the nation’s environment and wildlife mounts, conservationists, scientists, and birders do what they can to continue their work and help each other.
Field Notes

These Are the Seabirds Most Vulnerable to Plastic Pollution

By Jessica Leber
October 02, 2023 — As more marine plastic accumulates, the biology of some ocean-going birds puts them at particular risk. Scientists can now pinpoint which species may face the highest exposure.
A crane lowers its neck to forage in shallow water, with the rest of the flock in the background. The sunrise casts an orange glow on the foggy pond.
News

Don’t Sleep on the Other Sandhill Season

By Jen Monnier
October 02, 2023 — Spring may squeeze more birds into a single area, but autumn offers a cornucopia of crane-viewing options.
A woman with braids and a flower crown holds a large leaf up to her face and looks through a hole in the leaf.
News

Foraging Isn’t Just for the Birds

By Jenny McKee
September 30, 2023 — Harvesting wild food is a great way to deepen your native-plant know-how. Get started with help from expert and influencer Alexis Nikole Nelson.
News

You’ve Got What It Takes to Become a Master Naturalist

By Anna Gibbs
September 30, 2023 — Combining coursework with volunteer opportunities, these training programs are a pipeline for local conservation leaders.
News

Revealing the Mysteries of Whip-poor-wills—and What It Might Take to Save Them

By Susan Cosier
September 29, 2023 — Recently uncovered secrets long held by species in the elusive nightjar family, and those still waiting to be unraveled, could provide information vital to curtailing their recent losses.
News

A Binocular Guide for Growing Birders

By Susan Cosier
September 29, 2023 — A good pair of bins can wow kids, helping them to delight in birding. Here are five picks that make the grade.
Field Notes

Projects That Help Wildlife Navigate Highways Pick Up Speed

By Ben Goldfarb
September 29, 2023 — Simple solutions reduce road hazards to animals, and now more money is flowing to implement them.
Drawing of two black birds with yellow and white patches perched, mirroring each other, on grass blades against a star-spangled black backdrop and abstract lines.
The Aviary

A Celebration of the Bobolink’s Star-Guided Migration

By Jessica McKenzie
September 29, 2023 — In her piece “I’ll See You When I Get There,” artist Kirsten Furlong uses ink and acrylic to capture the birds’ seemingly magical journeys.

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