Odds and Ends #5

• Now here is a bird that I do not see enough: wild turkeys. Though another birder saw one over the summer in Washington, I have yet to see any in this city. But in New Hampshire, these wild fowl are doing very well, apparently due to backyard bird feeders, which help them survive the winter.
• Mike has a post on the plight of the red-cockaded woodpecker at 10,000 Birds. As this species used to range as far north as New Jersey, it ought to be at least conceivable to re-establish a breeding population in New Jersey's Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens represent several large tracts of mostly undisturbed pine woods and bogs.
• The latest Circus of the Spineless is up at Snail's Tales.
• From November 1 until March 31 there will be an exhibit of illustrations depicting birds and other animals - including reconstructions of extinct creatures - at the American Association for the Advancement of Science here in Washington. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more on the artist.
• Here is a summary of an interesting study on the relationship between deer abundance and bird populations. As one might expect, populations of bird that depend on the forest understory were lowest in areas with the highest density of deer. What ought to be done about this remains to be seen.