Field Notes

A white oak in its full fall foliage display of reds and oranges.
Why Wildlife Groups and Whiskey Makers Are Rallying to Save This Vital Eastern Tree
December 10, 2024 — White oaks remain abundant, but experts say the prized species needs help regenerating to sustain businesses, birds—and booze supplies.
Illustration of robot hands typing on a laptop, the screen showing elements of a power plant, with a bird perched on the screen.
How the AI Boom Threatens to Short-Circuit Climate Action
December 10, 2024 — The energy-devouring technology is giving new life to fossil fuels.
People with binoculars walking in an urban park.
Science Is Revealing the Social Disparities at the Root of Urban Ecosystems
November 22, 2024 — When it comes to biodiversity, research shows not all neighborhoods are created equal. They’re defined by injustices past and present.
Illustration of people gardening and installing solar panels on a roof while surrounded by birds and nature.
The American Climate Corps Puts a Fresh Spin on the New Deal
September 19, 2024 — Nearly a century ago, the Civilian Conservation Corps transformed the country. Can a new youth workforce make a difference in today’s crisis?
A floating grid abuts a building atop a vast plane of water. Fish are grown inside nets being held aloft in this grid.
Conservationists Urge Caution as the Federal Government Promotes Fish Farming
March 22, 2024 — Aquaculture comes in many forms and can be done sustainably, but a push for more offshore operations raises concerns, environmentalists say.
A woman is climbing up a crack in an otherwise solid red mountain, off in the distance are mesas and valleys in various shades red and rust.
Rock Climbers Rise to the Occasion to Protect Cliff-Nesting Raptors
March 22, 2024 — In Bears Ears National Monument and climbing areas around the country, adventurers are working with scientists and educating their peers to prevent harm to the majestic birds whose habitat they share.
A fisheye view from above a paraglider, the earth looks remote but the sky is filled with gliders.
To Understand How Birds Soar, a Scientist Looks to Paragliders
March 22, 2024 — Like vultures, the aerial athletes rely on thermals to power their flight. But how do they find these invisible updrafts?
Illustration of an adult and child smelling flowers outside next to a house.
New Laws Protect Bird-Friendly Yards From Neighborhood Rules
March 22, 2024 — A blossoming legislative trend prevents homeowners associations, which set landscaping rules for a growing number of Americans, from forbidding native plants.
Illustration of a house and building next to trees and birds.
Conservation Groups Retool Their Missions to Address the Affordable Housing Crisis
March 22, 2024 — Protecting green space can drive up local property costs, so land trusts are forming new partnerships to create homes for people and wildlife.
Portrait of Amy Tan sitting on a stone wall in a garden.
In Amy Tan's Newest Book, the Drama Is All About the Birds
March 22, 2024 — The acclaimed novelist recently started exploring a world of avian characters through nature journaling. The result is a work of art.