Please observe this darling little Peruvian hummingbird, called an Amethyst-throated Sunangel (Heliangelus amethysticollis), and listen to it snore. Ahhh. For more fun from the same videographer, please see this darling baby swallow-tailed nightjar. more ›

Perhaps your weekend's been a bit hectic and you need some calming visuals. Look no further than these awe-inspiring high-speed videos of animals in flight shot by a group of Dutch photographers as part of the Flight Artists project at Wageningen University. We especially like the above footage of the dove. The lighting, detail and movement of the dove's wings are truly remarkable. more ›

Mentioned in Morning Links, but too good not to award its own post: Berkeleyside gives us yet another reason to visit Berkeley—our goal in 2012 is to head over there at least once a quarter—with these wild turkeys roaming the streets of Berkeley (and a far off land called Albany) with nary a care in the world. More than a dozen birds ran around the two East Bay cities this week, spotted by local photogs. more ›

The red-tailed hawk speared with a framing nail shot from a nail gun has been successfully rescued, reports Bay City News and the Wild Rescue team. The injured bird, which turned out to be a female juvenile, was brought in using a bal-chatri trap near the Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park and promptly taken to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose. According to vets at the center, the nail fell out while the bird was being transported down the peninsula. more ›

WildRescue put up a $5,000 reward for information leading up to an arrest and conviction for the person(s) responsible for shooting a red-tail hawk with a nail gun. "Animal rescuers are trying to capture a wild, red-tailed hawk loose in Golden Gate Park that may have been shot with a nail gun, reports the Chronicle. "Rescuers will set two traps in the park and hope they can safely secure the bird and take it to veterinarian, said Rebecca Dmytryk, director of WildRescue, a Monterey-based animal ambulance." more ›

Pardon us if we somehow didn't notice this little bit of local legislation until we slammed right in to it today: Supervisor Mar, famously responsible for banning Happy Meals, pushed through new legislation this afternoon to "establish standards for bird-safe buildings." The problem, as anyone with a sliding glass door and a backyard full of avian life has probably noticed, is that birds tend not to notice clear glass window panes. Mar's legislation would require less transparent or non-reflective glass on new buildings and construction projects in the city. more ›

State game wardens are offering $1,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the person(s) who shot and injured two peregrine falcons in Oakland. Both protected under the California endangered species law, a mother bird and her three-month-old daughter "suffered pellet wounds on their wings and bodies this month in Oakland." more ›

A great horn owl was spotted recently in the Glen Park Canyon (where?) by local park frequenter Steven Uchida. The retired U.S. Postal worker snapped these photographs of the owl perched on a eucalyptus tree on June 15th. Cool. According to the Glen Park Association, Ucgida can be found each week in the canyon "with his arms windmilling as he wrestles with Italian thistle and wild radish from canyon slopes." Even cooler. more ›

We're happy to report that no injuries were recorded in the three-alarm fire that captivated every photographer in the Mission on Friday afternoon. According to the Examiner, the fire started around 4:15 p.m. at 506 Capp St and spread to the building next door as well as the building behind it on 21st street. 14 mph winds complicated things, but SFFD had the blaze under control after about two hours and crews were able to rescue both a dog and a bird cage. [SFEx] more ›

The UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group has set up a falcon cam that live streams little baby falcons perched in downtown San Francisco. These babies and their mother are located on the 33rd floor of the PG&E building at 77 Beale Street. And they're so cute! SCPBRG notes: "Falcons arrive in early February to begin courtship at this nest box on the PG&E headquarters building in downtown San Francisco. PG&E has been a terrific host to the birds since we established the first nest camera on the building in partnership with them in 2005. In addition, PG&E helps underwrite conservation education school assemblies by SCPBRG throughout Central and Northern California." more ›

Photo by Demetrios Lyras. more ›

Today, Jan. 5th, is National Bird Day. Chirp. In honor of National Bird Day, SFMOMA made a little video using a Felix Gonzalez-Torres' poster. Delightful. more ›

Over the weekend, we spotted several reports of a second seagull freed from the clutches of the Budweiser-loving bird-hater. This particular gull was befriended by a neighbor close to San Francisco State University who fed it daily until rescuers were able to capture the bird with a net. No word, however, on whether that net was launched from the awesome-looking net-launcher device that WildRescue put on their Holiday Wishlist. more ›

In our ongoing coverage of local bird deaths, we have some good news to report: future generations of golden eagles, red-tailed hawks and other local birds will be spared death by wind turbine. Recent research from a Sacramento biologist suggests that a raptor holocaust has been occurring along the Alameda-Contra Costa County border where over 9,300 birds are killed each year. more ›

Well, this is just cute: After news of a Budweiser-drinking seagull hater took off a few weeks ago, local rescue organization Wild Rescue received an outpouring of support and donations. Enough donations, in fact, that they were able to order a high-tech, net-launching device to help them capture the collared birds. more ›

According to BCN/The Appeal this morning: several birds have been spotted around the Bay Area with torturous collars fashioned from cut Budweiser cans around their necks. All jokes about jewelry made from recycled materials aside, someone out there has a sick attitude towards sea gulls. Two local wildlife organizations, WildRescue in Monterey and International Bird Rescue in Fairfield, are asking for any information or sightings of the collared birds so they can track them down and help them out. more ›

In addition to two new capybaras (the world's largest living rodents), the San Francisco Zoo welcomes this week-old flamingo chick to the family. Here the baby bird stands next to its father. more ›

In an effort to stop the proposed animal ban at San Francisco pet stores--buying your pets at stores, as some of you know, is wrong, especially when one can adopt--a group calling itself POPA (Protect Our Precious Animals) sent out this excruciatingly formatted flier urging you to stop the ban. more ›

by Jerry James Stone

Contra Costa County has installed 20 man-made perches on land in Concord and Walnut Creek to attract hawks, falcons, and eagles. They hope the predatory birds will hunt down the exploding squirrel population and kill them.

Photo by Troy Holden. more ›

"Stepfather Factory" by Plug1/What I'm Seeing. more ›

Flickr photog andertho captured nature in action above the Land's End Trail, this hawk gathering twigs for her nest. more ›

Let Ann-Margaret sooth your soul. Because after hearing this news, you're gonna need it. See, Swoops, the adorable and infamous blackbird who terrorized passersby from her perch outside City National Bank at Front and California streets, is gone. Or, so says a City National Bank employee who had a clear view of Swoops from his desk, who notices his absence this week. more ›

"Pigeon, out" by The Inadvertent Gardener. Taken at Yerba Buena Gardens. more ›

Swoops caught on tape! more ›

Have you had your head pecked while lunching or lollygagging downtown? This might be the reason: A tiny, adorable, rapscallion of a blackbird has been tormenting pedestrians in San Francisco's financial district as of late. The little bird, christened Swoops, has been "guarding his nest in a behavior experts call 'mobbing.'" more ›

Yesterday afternoon, one of the young female falcons that adorn the roof at San Jose City Hall (named Ilahay, which is "angel" in Persian) took her first flight. According to the Mercury News, the falcon "flew over the Martin Luther King Jr. library with ease, but had a little difficulty on her first landing." While reporting on the flight progress of said baby bird's siblings, the Mercury News goes on to call the Ilahay's mother a slut, saying, "Falcon siblings Kya, Tierra and Veer -- all named by San Jose school children -- have not yet been as brave as their sister yet, and have stayed on the 18th floor ledge of City Hall, where their mother and her series of boyfriends and offspring were first noted in 2007." What a tramp. Anyway, bird watchers have since swamped Falcon Cam in record numbers, eager to see the famed bird's flying. more ›