How Genetically Modified Mice Could One Day Save Island Birds
CRISPR, a new gene-editing technology, has the potential to help scientists combat invasive predators. But is tinkering with nature worth the risk?
Summer 2017
The winners of the eighth 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards, revealed. Dive into our science team's comprehensive Western Water report and learn what it means for people and birds. Take a trip with our photographer as he peeks through the most stylish (and practical) bird blinds across America. Also: editing nature to combat seabird predators, the flamingo ambassador of Curaçao, portraits of rescued newborns, Ryan Zinke puts the bull in Bull Moose, and Chicago fire, conservation style.
Read on for the full contents of our summer issue.
The 2017 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Award Winners
Congratulations to the champions—and to all those who strive to share the beauty of birds.
The 2017 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Photography Awards: Top 100
Explore the incredible pool of photographs our judges had to choose from, along with each image's backstory.
Windows into Another World: Take a Tour of Bird Blinds Across the Country
What compels bird lovers to hunker down in these dark, often cramped structures? An intimate view of avian lives. But as with birds, every blind has its own character—and story.
In Chicago, Controlled Fires Are Helping to Restore Crucial Bird Habitat
The burns, conducted by 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Great Lakes and others, stave off invasive plants while spurring new growth at sites across the region.
The 'Smart Nest Box' Provides a Peek Into the Secret Lives of Birds
The high-tech nesting boxes catch feathered families on camera for science, education, and pure entertainment.
The Dovekie, a Keystone Arctic Species, Is Changing Its Diet With the Climate
Feeding shifts are helping the seabird survive warming oceans and preserve a reliant tundra ecosystem—at least in the short term.
A Close Look at the Early (and Awkward) Days of Baby City Birds
As captured by a New York City photographer and wildlife-rehab volunteer.
In the Arid West, Protecting Oases Vital to Birds Requires Creative Solutions
Like people, birds depend on water, relying on it during migration, breeding, and nesting. But increasing pressures on already scarce Western waters have put birds and other wildlife in a perilous situation.
Politicians Are Offering a False Choice Between Nature and the Economy
Protecting birds and the environment doesn’t have to come at the cost of economic health and growth.
Teddy or Not? How Ryan Zinke Is Failing American Conservation
By falling short of his Rooseveltian rhetoric, the Interior Secretary is endangering his department's (and his self-proclaimed idol's) legacy.
51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Remains Dedicated to Practicing Journalism You Can Trust
Our commitment to rigorous reporting stretches back more than a century—and far into the future.
Reimagining the American Flamingo
Artist Dan Winters turns the lanky wader into a 'creature of lore.'
The Busy Life of Bob the Flamingo
Once badly injured, the recovered bird now teaches residents of Curaçao about the importance of conservation.
