An excellent source of news from the North American birding world can be found in a weekly email newsletter delivered by The Birding Wire, a service of the outdoor wire digital network.
See the current copy at www.birdingwire.com
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An observer in Carver County has seen 56 species of birds there in the past three days, including 18 species of waterfowl and a Great Horned Owl in a tree eating a duck. Our yard has finally welcomed its first Red-winged Blackbird of the season, and our hibernating muskrat has made an appearance.
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A 225 percent increase in the area of overwintering habitat occupied by Monarch butterflies since last year's estimate has been announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The acreage occupied by the butterflies this winter is 10 acres, compared to 2.8 acres last winter. Each winter the population is estimated by the total area occupied in the overwintering grounds.