Reprints from my column, A Bird’s Eye View of Conservation, in the magazine Nova Scotia Birds.
Episode 1. Winter Rendezvous Recent scientific studies provide evidence that social relationships are essential in achieving successful outcomes in the winter and migration stages of a bird’s life. This paper examines the “friendships” of Golden-crowned Sparrows in their wintering habitats in California and draws parallels with the winter relationships of Yellow-rumped Warblers in Pennsylvania and Nova Scotia. In this article, I introduce a recurring theme of this column: the integration of scientific and cultural knowledge. View Episode 1. Published March 23, 2024
Episode 2. Quantum Entanglement European ornithologists have made the stunning discovery that quantum entanglement in an eye protein enables migrating songbirds to “see” the earth’s magnetic fields. It is a major step to understanding how birds can fly thousands of kilometers and arrive at the same precise location each year. View Episode 2. Published July 2, 2024
Episode 3. Sacred Groves Since the dawn of civilization, humans have created sacred groves to protect biodiverse landscapes from the ravages of overgrazing, wars, and economic expansion. In this episode of a bird’s eye view of conservation, I compare the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation in existing sacred groves government and land trust protected areas. View Episode 3. Published December 3, 2024
Episode 4. Silent Spring In 1962, Rachel Carson wrote a cataclysmic expose of the use of pesticides in the United States. Her book inspired the formation of grassroots environmental movements around the world. This episode examines how birds have fared in the continuing use of pesticides in Canada since the publication of this groundbreaking book. View Episode 4. Published January 29, 2025