AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATING MASS BIRD DEATH IN HILLSBORO

Some birds have been taken to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lab in Ashland for testing.

Posted: Nov. 17, 2018 10:30 AM

Updated: Nov. 18, 2018 12:58 AM

Posted By: Associated Press

HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP) - Federal and state authorities are investigating a mass bird death in northwestern Oregon.

Officials say a bald eagle, red-tailed hawk and dozens of red-winged blackbirds and European starlings were found dead in a field in Hillsboro earlier this week.

Oregon State Police are investigating, and some birds have been taken to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lab in Ashland for testing.

Portland General Electric says crews checked a nearby transformer but it's designed to be safe for birds, and it's unlikely the birds were electrocuted.

Audubon Society of Portland Conservation Director Bob Sallinger says it's possible the smaller birds were poisoned, and the larger, predatory birds died after eating them.

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Blackbird Could Edge Puffin as Cannon Beach's Official Bird

April 5, 2018, at 3:05 p.m.

By BRENNA VISSER, The Daily Astorian

CANNON BEACH, Ore. (AP) — As a part of the 12 Days of Earth Day celebration, Cannon Beach will be asked to consider designating an official city bird.

But don't get too excited, tufted puffins. A different bird could be brought into the spotlight: the red-winged blackbird.

The medium-sized, black-and-red songbird loves marshes, brushy swamps and chirping on city power lines. They relish pecking out the seeds of invasive plants and fiercely protecting habitat — whether the trespasser be a fellow bird or an elk. But most importantly, the species is an abundant and longtime inhabitant of the beach town.

"Red-winged blackbirds have been in that habitat forever. It seemed to fit the character of Cannon Beach," said Neal Maine, a wildlife photographer who serves on the 12 Days of Earth Day committee. "They are a part of the downtown, which is kind of rare to have a bird colony right in the central part of the community."

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Birdwatchers flock to North Ronaldsay after rare bird sighting

North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory (NRBO) has been inundated with visitors over the past two days, following the sighting of a Red-winged Blackbird.

Though very common in North America, this is the first recorded sighting of the species in Europe. Since it was first spotted last Saturday, April 28, over between 50 and 60 birdwatchers have arrived on the island each day, hoping to catch a glimpse.

NRBO’s Simon Davies explained that Red-winged blackbirds typically nest marsh areas. 

This specimen has been feeding in the middle of the Iris beds on North Ronaldsay, but no one is quite sure how it got there.

With the volume of birdwatchers increasing, NRBO made the decision yesterday to “flush” the bird out of its new residence and into a more suitable area. They hope that this will prevent any damage being done to the Iris beds, which already provide an important breeding ground for the island’s waterfowl.

“When a bird is flushed, it involves a lone member of the observatory staff going through the known feeding area to push the bird out towards another favourable area for the bird,” NRBO explained in a statement on Twitter.

“As you’ll appreciate, the bird is very rare and the volume of twitchers on the island is high. Without the use of this policing technique, groups of twitchers would simply arrive on the sit, fan out over the area and trample the irises that breeding birds find so important.”

NRBO staff also confirmed that they will be continuing to monitor the area, round-the-clock, in order to protect the both the bird and its habitat.

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Rare Picture: Blackbird "Rides" Hawk

The two birds were likely involved in a mid-air tussle, expert says.


By Stefan Sirucek, National Geographic



PUBLISHED AUGUST 04, 2015

Talk about a bird's eye view—a red-winged blackbird was recently photographed "riding" atop a red-tailed hawk.


A visitor to the DeSoto and Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuges in Iowa and Nebraska recently snapped an incredible photograph, which wasreleased today by the U.S. Department of the Interior.


But if the photograph seems too good to be true, that’s because it probably is, experts say.


“I don’t believe that it’s a bird taking a ride—I think it was just a well-timed shot,” says refuge manager Tom Cox.


Cox said the picture most likely captures a perfect moment during a fight between a blackbird and a hawk—and that blackbirds attacking and harassing hawks is actually quite common.

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Angry red-winged blackbird attacks passersby on Parliament Hill

And now it has a Twitter account

CBC News Posted: Jun 11, 2015 4:18 PM ET Last Updated: Jun 12, 2015 2:29 PM ET

Parliament Hill angry bird attacks passersby 1:39

For yet another spring, a red-winged blackbird has been divebombing people as they walk by its nest on Parliament Hill.

The fun speculations abound.

Maybe it's mad it wasn't chosen as the unofficial bird of Ottawa, or perhaps this is the bird's way ofpushing for Senate reform?

Maybe the Parliament Hill bird is hoping for this kind of CBC TV coverage.

More likely, it's simply protecting its family.

But it didn't take long for a Twitter account to materialize, of course.

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Dive-bombing bird targets downtown walkers, runners

5:27 PM CDT Jul 09, 2014

Dive-bombing bird targets downtown walkers, runners

DES MOINES, Iowa —An unusual warning in downtown Des Moines today: Beware of the dive-bombing bird.

Red-winged Blackbird dive-bombs runners and walkers in downtown Des Moines.

An angry Red-winged Blackbird is apparently targeting anyone walking, especially with a hat, or running by the west side of the Center Street walking bridge over the Des Moines River.

KCCI cameras captured the bird getting so close it was getting into people's hair.

Experts said the birds become aggressive when protecting their nest, which is somewhere near the bridge and river. The bird sits on a nearby light pole or the bridge and swoops down on passersby.

Watch video of this story

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Unique natural beauty: Leucistic red-winged blackbird near Green Bay

By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel

April 29, 2013

The spring bird migration in North America offers many of the most colorful wildlife viewing opportunities of the year.

In addition to the chance to see rare or unusual species as they pass through, spring features birds in breeding plumage, avian finery designed to help attract a mate.

This spring, courtesy of Nancy Nabak of Green Bay, we're privileged to witness a once-in-a-lifetime bird in Wisconsin.

Nabak has shared photos of a beautifully-colored bird that's especially noteworthy because it's not in the animal's standard dress.

Take a look at the spectacular photo below and try to guess the species.

It's a "leucistic" male red-winged blackbird. Leucism is a genetic mutation that results in a lack of pigment. 

Nabak, an avid birder and chair of the Bird City Wisconsin program in Green Bay, said she received a call earlier this month from a friend who had seen an unusual bird.

Nabak attempted to locate the bird near Green Bay. On the third try she was able to see and photograph it. 

Birds with unusual plumage are among the most difficult to identify. They don't appear in field guides and the abnormality may hide or change some key color features. But in this case Nabak knew shortly after seeing the bird it was a leucistic redwing.

"What a beauty," Nabak said. "I watched him interact with other redwings."

Several of Nabak's photographs show the leucistic redwing displaying its red shoulder patches, a typical behavior for male redwings.

Red-winged blackbirds are native to Wisconsin and among the most abundant bird species in North America. The species typically migrates south of Wisconsin for the winter. Male redwings normally feature an all-black body and head with red-and-yellow shoulder patches or "epaulettes."

Most people have heard of albinism, or the absence of pigment. Leucism comes in two main varieties: paleness, an equal reduction of melanin in all feathers; and pied, an absence of melanin in some feathers creating white patches.

Continued: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/205262591.html