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HISTORICAL BIRD RECORDS
Rosita Corey was a Massachusetts schoolteacher who recorded spring bird arrivals for decades; her old notes now help show that some birds are arriving about 7 days earlierRosita Corey’s birdwatching records reveal significant changes in spring migration timing for various species. Migratory birds in Concord, ...- In 1879, a French postman Ferdinand Cheval stumbled over an unusually shaped stone; 33 years later, he had built a palace in his vegetable gardenFerdinand Cheval’s work was not immediately treated as a major artistic achievement. His creation existed outside conventional architectura...
- In 1905, Beatrix Potter used Peter Rabbit royalties to buy threatened farmland in UK; the result protected 4,000 acres and 14 farms, preserving the Lake District’s working countrysideWhen Beatrix Potter bought Hill Top Farm in 1905, she was doing much more than investing her book royalties. She was starting a quiet, deca...
- In 1921, Alaskan seamstress Ada Blackjack joined an Arctic expedition for $50 a month; nearly two years later, she was rescued as its only surviving personAda Blackjack joined an Arctic expedition for $50 monthly pay. She became the sole human survivor after others perished or vanished. Blackj...
- In 1851, Brooklyn released 100 house sparrows from England; 175 years later, the birds are found across nearly all of North AmericaHouse Sparrows, introduced to North America during the mid-1800s, have rapidly become a prevalent part of the continent's avian scene. Thei...
- In the 1940s, a few snakes arrived in Guam hidden in military cargo; decades later, nine of the island’s 11 native forest bird species were goneGovernment bodies are collaborating with local citizen scientists in a proactive approach towards snake removal on Guam. This program's aim...
- The Wrigley family spent 56 years reshaping Catalina Island after buying it in 1919; in 1975, they gave 42,135 acres away to protect the California islandIn 1919, William Wrigley Jr. acquired the Santa Catalina Island Company, and his family dedicated the next 56 years to managing the island,...
- In 2025, British naturalist Chris Packham helped restore 55 acres in Devon with 3,500 native trees; a year later, wetlands, wildfowl, waders and otters had transformed the former pastureA rewilding project in Downicary, Devon, has transformed a plain field into a vibrant wetland. This initiative has successfully attracted d...
- Iowa conservationists restored more than 200 forgotten river bends. Now this endangered fish is returningIn Iowa, conservationists are bringing back the forgotten oxbow wetlands, shaped like U's, to protect the endangered Topeka shiner fish, wh...
- Nearly 200 years after bison were hunted to extinction in northern Mexico, 47 were reintroduced in 2025, and are now helping prevent wildfires and regenerate their lost ecosystemIn a remarkable conservation effort, 47 American bison have been reintroduced to Mexico's Cuatrociénegas region after vanishing for nearly ...
- Science says flamingos don’t start out pink: Here’s how their food changes the color of their feathersCanthaxanthin is one of the major carotenoids associated with flamingo coloration. Astaxanthin and other carotenoid derivatives can also co...
- In 2021, an Oregon farmer turned 70 acres of his barley farm into a wetland. Four years later it attracts thousands of birds and helps endangered fish surviveIn Oregon, a farmer has transformed seventy acres of barley into a thriving managed wetland, fostering a habitat for countless waterfowl an...
- Henry Ford owned more than 2,000 acres around his Michigan home. The estate later became a national historic landmarkHenry Ford's ambitious vision led him to acquire vast tracts of land near Dearborn, Michigan, to support his burgeoning automobile enterpri...
- In 1963, New York abandoned an island where Typhoid Mary had been quarantined; 63 years later, 25 decaying buildings remain closed to the publicNorth Brother Island ultimately stands as one of New York City’s most unusual historical landscapes because its ruins tell several stories ...
- In the 1920s, Arizona’s State Game Department introduced bullfrogs for food and sport; the predators now eat young northern Mexican gartersnakes and move up to 7 milesArizona introduced American bullfrogs a century ago for sport, which now threatens native gartersnakes. These nonnative frogs disrupt food ...
- In the 1960s, a Paradise Valley landowner acquired 2 mute swans for their beauty; by the late 1970s, they numbered 120, prompting a Yellowstone-led removal effort in 1987In Montana's Paradise Valley, the introduction of non-native mute swans, intended to enhance the scenic beauty, led to an unexpected explos...
- In 1772, Benjamin Franklin sent Chinese tallow seeds to Savannah, Georgia; the government planted more along the Gulf in 1900, and the tree now covers 185,000 hectaresIn the late 1700s, a shipment of 1772 seeds sparked a significant invasion of non-native trees across southern U.S. forests. The federal pl...
- Quote of the Day by David Attenborough: “No one will protect the natural world we don’t care about...” — a powerful life lesson on nature, curiosity, responsibility, conservation and why we rarely protect what we have never learned to truly see, from the legendary broadcaster known for bringing the hidden world of wildlife into millions of homesQuote of the Day by David Attenborough: “No one will protect the natural world we don’t care about...” highlights a fundamental truth about...
- In 1958, an American ornithologist found pigs devastating a remote Pacific atoll and the removal of 58 pigs was followed by a seabird increase from 650 to 137,000In 1958, an ornithologist took decisive action by removing feral pigs from Clipperton Island, leading to a remarkable recovery of seabird p...
- In the early 1970s, Maui planted miconia for its spectacular purple leaves; its descendants spread across East Maui and threatened native forest watershedsIntroduced to Maui in the 1970s, Miconia calvescens, known as the velvet tree, has emerged as a significant invasive species. Its swift spr...
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