Leaving the leaves helps insects, and birds. 🐛🐝🐞🐦

Helping animals find fruits: Plants advertise to bird dispersers via colorful fruit. Red fruits stand out in the visible spectrum, like these Ilex vomitoria fruits, but they may also contrast with the foliage in the UV spectrum, which birds can also see. #dispersal #Aquifoliaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Looking forward to the keynote and more at #birdabilityweek!

#ChintiminiWildlifeCenter is the only Wildlife Center in the mid Willamette Valley of Oregon, and is in need of donations of money, supplies, and volunteers. If you can help in anyway, it is most appreciated. They are a dedicated, compassionate team doing such important work.

Townsend’s Solitaires start claiming juniper-rich territories in fall, singing all winter to defend them. Why so early? They rely on 42k–84k juniper berries to survive the cold so securing the best patch before winter hits is a matter of life or death. 📷: Andrew Reding

‘They’re Small but They’re Mighty.’ Meet the Wisconsin Sisters Healing the Land

The women of Holy Wisdom Monastery have restored 170 acres of native prairie and oak savanna. “Humans need creation to find ourselves,” one said.

#GiftLink #GiftArticle 🎁

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/c...

New resource alert - learn about including service dogs in accessible birding events from @birdability.bsky.social

www.birdability.org/blog/service...
#NationalServiceDogMonth

It's the Autumn Equinox - the first astronomical day of autumn! 🍂

Crisp air on your cheeks...
The smell of damp earth.
Dew sparkling in cobwebs.
Cold hands wrapped around a hot drink.
A Robin singing as golden leaves crunch underfoot...

#AutumnEquinox

The wait is over: the Birdability Week 2025 schedule is LIVE!
Panels. Workshops. Bird(ability) Your Way! Weekend.
It’s all happening October 20–26 under this year’s theme: You Belong Here. Join us!

Explore the lineup + register now: www.birdability.org/birdability-week

The Almeda Fire was devastating. It destroyed thousands of homes, and many residents still live with lingering trauma. But The fire burned those blackberry thickets to the ground, leaving a blank canvas for the restoration work.

Like many wildfires, the Labor Day fires of 2020 left behind islands of seemingly untouched trees crucial for wildlife and recovery. Now, research shows those patches of green are gone or disappearing. While that's bad news, scientists say it does provide some helpful information for the future.

Central Oregonians describe hope and grief along Whychus Canyon, where efforts to fight the Flat fire and protect homes intensely focused over the weekend.

Such a busy morning in the yard, following two days of 100 degree temps...
Western Tanager, Cedar Waxwing, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Western Bluebird, White Breasted Nuthatch, Black Capped Chickadee, Oregon Junco. In Hawthorne, Ash, Pine trees, and sipping from the birdbath.

Do you have lesser goldfinches in your backyard? This species has seen a remarkable range expansion into the Northwest in the last decade or so, and I wrote about it for @columbiainsight.bsky.social. 🪶 columbiainsight.org/why-a-new-ty...

If spring migration in Portland felt quiet this year, you weren’t imagining it. New data from BirdCast shows a steep drop in migrant songbird numbers across Oregon & much of the West, raising big questions about what’s happening on the wintering grounds. birdallianceoregon.org/blog/oregons...

Western Bluebirds sometimes have "helpers" at the nest, often young'uns from a previous season. While these helpers assist with feeding and protecting the chicks, the situation is more complex - genetic studies have shown that 19% of all the young in these nests were fathered outside the pair bond.👀

In honor of #MothWeek, we are excited to announce our latest pollinator habitat resource- Host Plant Garden Recipe Cards now available for download at pollinator.org/garden-cards

See an example below!

#Pollinators #Plants #PlantsForPollinators #Moths #Caterpillars #Butterflies #Garden #Gardening

📌 Pro Tip: Your bee house should support future generations, not look cute on Instagram.

It's Pollinator Week, (June 16-22) celebrating pollinators and ways we can help them.
Check out pollinator.org for lots of great information on pollinators and resources to benefit them.
#pollinatorweek #pollinators