Summer 2021 Issue

Several of the winning and honorable mention selections, clockwise in a grid from top left: a Red-tailed Hawk claws for a chipmunk; a Red-winged Blackbird dips her bill into a lily pad flower; a Northern Cardinal in flight; a Greater Roadrunner with its back to the camera; a Purple Sandpiper resting; a Sandhill crane adult and chick.
The 2021 ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Photography Awards: Winners and Honorable Mentions
July 07, 2021 — The finest images and videos from this year's competition showed birdlife at its most tranquil, clever, and powerful.
Elizabeth Gray bands a female Redwinged Blackbird during her graduate field studies.
I'm Proud To Be Part of Your Flock
November 03, 2022 — An introduction to Elizabeth Gray, the first woman to hold the title president or CEO at ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
How a Land Acknowledgment Can Correct Stereotypes of American History
November 18, 2021 — Here’s how to properly recognize Indigenous people and the land we’ve stewarded for millennia.
Magnificent Frigatebird, captured by 2020 winner Sue Dougherty.
How To Become a Better Bird Photographer: Advice From ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Photo Award Winners
July 07, 2021 — Go from beginner to award winner by following these strategies from alumni of our annual bird photography contest.
How to Catch a Rat
July 14, 2021 — In 2019 a Mexican island that harbors 95 percent of the world’s Black-vented Shearwaters received an unwanted vermin visitor. To nab the interloper, Isla Natividad’s human inhabitants had to get creative.
The Violent Cost of Conservation
July 07, 2021 — Each year more people die while attempting to protect the world’s most biodiverse places. It’s a trend poised to devastate the planet itself. How can we stem the rising tide of attacks to ensure a safer future for us all?
These Student-Led ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ College Clubs Are About Much More than Birding
July 07, 2021 — When the pandemic upended college life, the resilient young people leading a new network of on-campus ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ chapters didn’t let canceled plans and remote learning derail their mission.
This Ambitious Project Aims to Rebuild Louisiana's Vanishing Coastal Wetlands
July 07, 2021 — An influx of Mississippi River sediment promises to provide vital bird habitat and hurricane protection, but not without disrupting livelihoods.
A male Bobolink at Wagner Ranch in Bridport, Vermont, one of two dozen farms enrolled in a project to save grassland bird habitat in the Northeast.
How Farmers In New England Make Hay for Bobolinks
July 07, 2021 — Grassland birds in the Northeast face growing pressures. Programs that pay farmers to help them offer both a boost.
Corn seeds treated with the neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin, which is banned in the European Union for outdoor use
Lax Pesticide Policies Are Putting Wildlife Health at Risk, Experts Warn
July 13, 2021 — Scientists and advocates say neonicotinoids—shown to harm bees, birds, and other wildlife—need tougher regulation. The U.S. EPA has a key window to take action in the next year.
In the midst of an evening dust bath, a Greater Roadrunner stands proudly, backlit by the sun. Brilliant, golden light exposes white-tipped tail feathers that contrast with downy feathers fanning out from its sides. Dust from a recent roll in the dirt lingers in the air.
Conservation Photography Is About More Than Pretty Pictures
July 13, 2021 — Even some photos that can’t be captured tell a powerful story.
Three lost birds that have been rediscovered in the last two decades. Left to right: Black-browed Babbler, Blue-eyed Ground-Dove, and the Madagascar Pochard.
The Quest for ‘Lost’ Birds Delivers Highs and Lows
July 13, 2021 — Thousands of species exist in a liminal space of conservation—they haven't been seen in a long time, but that doesn't mean they are extinct. Groups hope to crowdsource more rediscoveries.
American Avocet by Phil Wheeler
Reimagining the American Avocet
July 13, 2021 — Phil Wheeler uses repeating patterns to unite a hungry wader with otherworldly terrain.
Other Issues
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Summer 2025
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Spring 2025
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Winter 2024
How Much Longer Can These Cold-Loving Birds Last in the Rapidly Warming Rockies?