Summer 2023 issue

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A life-size sculpture of Black-necked Stilts in a cracked, dried up landscape.
A Sculpture Captures the Dry Reality for Black-necked Stilts
July 11, 2023 — Artist Sarah Conti situates life-size versions of the shorebirds in a disappearing habitat.
The Aviary
A crowd watches a baseball game while a flock of birds circles overhead.
Why Baseball and Birding Go Together Like Peanuts and Cracker Jacks
July 10, 2023 — America’s pastime presents plenty of opportunities to spot birds, says sports writer Joe Trezza.
From Audubon Magazine
A bird feeder with a camera and microphone hangs outside.
These Smart Devices Can Identify the Birds Outside Your Window
July 10, 2023 — The Bird Buddy and the Haikubox offer new ways to get excited about birding from home.
Tech
A person in hiking boots steps onto a bus in a city. The side of the bus says "Trailhead Direct" and shows a photo of people hiking in a forest.
Why Cities Need Better Public Transit to Public Lands
July 10, 2023 — More transportation agencies and nature advocates want to help people explore the outdoors without a car. But they face challenges.
Field Notes
A woman wades into a rocky river in a vast old growth forest.
Fieldwork for All
July 10, 2023 — Eager young scientists dream of careers outdoors, studying and protecting wildlife and ecosystems. To succeed, they need something that’s proven elusive: a feeling of safety.
News
Sunlight peeks through dark storm clouds over a landscape of dense forest.
The Cerrado, the World’s Most Biodiverse Tropical Savannah, Is in Peril
July 10, 2023 — A young bird expert is among the scientists racing to document Brazil's ancient and understudied biome—while simultaneously raising the alarm about what’s being lost.
News
People wearing life vests look through binoculars while sitting in canoes on a river.
The Single Most Important Way to Make Your Binoculars Last
June 30, 2023 — Experts share how to keep your foremost birding tool in working order and what to do if yours breaks.
Gear
Black vulture bird with a large beak and a wrinkly face looking to the side against a light grey backdrop
Black Vultures’ Northward Expansion Creates New Conflicts with Farmers
June 30, 2023 — The newcomers occasionally prey on calves, leading livestock producers to take up arms. But are reports of the problem exaggerated?
News
A woman looks something up on her phone in a forest, while high school students to the right hold up a plant and look through binoculars.
Don’t Have Binoculars To Go Birding? Try Borrowing a Pair From the Library
June 30, 2023 — Libraries across the country are lending gear to patrons, creating a new entry point to birding with no costs attached.
Field Notes
Illustration of a person looking through binoculars in a forest surrounded by internet browser windows open to unpaid job offers.
Unpaid Labor Is a Problem for Conservation
June 30, 2023 — Failing to offer adequate pay to student and early-career biologists excludes many from the field, reducing diversity and creativity in science.
From Audubon Magazine
An Atlantic Puffin stands on a rock with its wings outstretched, puffing out its chest and holding two fish in its large orange beak. Next to it is a worn looking painted wooden decoy puffin affixed to the rock.
50 Years of Project Puffin: An Oral History of an Incredibly Audacious Idea
June 29, 2023 — In 1973 a young biologist hatched a plan to bring a charismatic seabird back to Maine. It was the start of a five-decade scientific adventure that would ultimately revolutionize seabird restoration.
News
How to Have a Bird-Friendly Fourth of July
June 28, 2023 — Fireworks can disturb birds and pets, spark wildfires, and pollute. Consider forgoing your own pyrotechnics, or joining a cleanup the morning after.
From Audubon Magazine
A cormorant bird swims underwater, rays of sunlight shining through dense kelp plants.
A Photographer Documents Kelp Forests’ Decline and Efforts to Bring Them Back
June 24, 2023 — In our attempts to restore kelp forests, hungry sea urchins should not be villainized, says Kate Vylet. “Everything’s just trying to survive.”
From the Magazine
The original image shows detailed texture of 2 pigeons’ feathers as they preen. The Ai image is similar, but vivid details are missing.
What Does Generative AI Mean for Bird and Nature Photography?
June 21, 2023 — Soon we may not be able to easily tell if a bird photo is real or fake. And that poses fundamental questions that the wildlife photography field must grapple with.
Audubon Photography Awards
The 2023 Audubon Photography Awards: Winners and Honorable Mentions
June 21, 2023 — We pored through thousands of entries for this year’s contest. The best images show birds going about their business in the most glorious ways.
Audubon Photography Awards
Plunging view of a river from the top of a dam with green algae in the foreground on the wall of the dam below
With a Historic Dam Removal Imminent, Tribes Prepare for a Klamath River Rebirth
May 24, 2023 — The project, set to begin this summer, promises to boost dwindling salmon populations, bolster tribal traditions, and restore a rich ecosystem.
News
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