Field Notes

Field Notes

A Beloved Winter Finch Is In Decline—and Scientists Want to Know Why

By Zoe Grueskin
November 15, 2023 — Feeder visits from Evening Grosbeaks are rarer than in the past, and a new initiative is trying to understand the root causes.
Field Notes

This New App Looks to the Birds to Bolster Southeast Alaska’s Economy

By J. Besl
November 15, 2023 — A birding trail developed by Audubon Alaska and partners seeks to shift the region away from reliance on extractive industries.
Field Notes

How Do Birds Respond to Extreme Wildfire Haze? Project Phoenix Aims to Find Out 

By Alice Sun
November 15, 2023 — Harnessing the power of community science can help birds as smoke pollution from blazes becomes more extreme.
Field Notes

Why Bird Advocates Want to Double Down on Conservation Across the Americas

By María Paula Rubiano A.
November 08, 2023 — A bipartisan U.S. bill would ramp up funding for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, an under-the-radar program with a long reach.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Field Notes

Why Cities Need Better Public Transit to Public Lands

By Kharishar Kahfi
July 10, 2023 — More transportation agencies and nature advocates want to help people explore the outdoors without a car. But they face challenges.
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.
Field Notes

Don’t Have Binoculars To Go Birding? Try Borrowing a Pair From the Library

By Jason Gregg
June 30, 2023 — Libraries across the country are lending gear to patrons, creating a new entry point to birding with no costs attached.