THE MYSTERIOUS MARBLED MURRELET
POPPA MINDS THE NEST
ECOLOGY OF SONG
CUTE BUT NASTY--THE BUTCHER BIRDS
LOVELY AS A TREE
HUNTING BY EAR [STEREO "VISION"]
PECKING ORDER
LEWIS' WOODPECKER AND CLARK'S NUTCRACKER
BIRD CALLS
SING ME A SONG
SONG CYCLES
EGG-SACTLY THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE
NO ROSES FOR THE OWL

THE MYSTERIOUS MARBLED MURRELET
DID YOU EVER GO ON AN EGGHUNT--AND JUST ABOUT GIVE UP BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T FIND A SINGLE HIDDEN EGG? SCIENTISTS SPENT YEARS HUNTING FOR THE NEST OF ONE PACIFIC COAST BIRD. LET'S SEE WHAT THEY DISCOVERED, ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

[SFX;  OCEAN WAVES, UNDER]
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IS WHERE YOU'LL FIND THE GREAT REDWOOD FORESTS--AND A MYSTERIOUS LITTLE BIRD CALLED THE MARBLED MURRELET.  FOR MANY YEARS, ADULT MURRELETS WERE SEEN FLYING FAR INLAND FROM THE OCEAN, CARRYING FISH IN THEIR BILLS.  BUT WHERE WERE THEY HIDING THEIR YOUNG?  IT WAS SUCH A PUZZLE THAT THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY EVEN OFFERED A CASH REWARD TO THE FIRST PERSON TO FIND A MURRELET NEST. 

[SFX: MURRELET CALL]
THEN  IN 1974 ,  A TREE SURGEON, WORKING WAY UP IN A BIG OLD REDWOOD TREE--137 FEET OFF THE GROUND--ACCIDENTALLY KNOCKED A STRANGE, MOTTLED CHICK OUT OF ITS HIDING PLACE.

[SFX: CHEEPING MURRELET? OR JUST WIND IN TALL TREES?)
THE NEST WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A LITTLE HOLLOW MADE BY THE WEIGHT OF THE  BIRD'S BODY IN THE MOSS OF A HUGE OLD-GROWTH TREE.. (IT CAN TAKE A HUNDRED YEARS FOR LICHENS TO GROW DEEP ENOUGH FOR A SOFT NEST LIKE THAT.)  THE MURRELET LAYS ONE GLASS-GREEN EGG, AND, ONCE IT'S HATCHED, THE  PARENTS RETURN FROM THE OCEAN ONLY AT DAWN AND DUSK TO BRING THEIR CHICK FISH TO EAT. NO WONDER IT WAS SO HARD TO FIND THE HIDDEN NEST!

 I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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POPPA MINDS THE NEST
WITH BIRDS, IT'S USUALLY THE FEMALE WHO SITS ON THE NEST TO HATCH THE CHICKS. BUT WE'LL LEARN ABOUT ONE BIRD FAMILY WHERE MOM LEAVES AS SOON AS THE EGGS ARE LAID--AND POPPA STAYS TO MIND THE NEST--ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

[SFX:SPOTTED SANDPIPER CALL]
THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW BIRD SPECIES IN WHICH THE MALE IS EXPECTED TO HATCH THE EGGS AND RAISE THE CHICKS ALL BY HIMSELF.

ONCE THE FEMALE TURNS THE PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES OVER TO DAD, SHE CAN GO ON TO LAY ANOTHER BATCH OF EGGS. WITH MULTIPLE PARTNERS, SHE CAN PRODUCE UP TO 20 EGGS PER BREEDING SEASON. THE AVERAGE, THOUGH, IS ABOUT EIGHT--THAT'S BECAUSE OF A CHRONIC SHORTAGE OF AVAILABLE MALES. THE REPRODUCTION STRATEGY OF THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER HAS MADE IT THE MOST WIDESPREAD SANDPIPER IN NORTH AMERICA

[SFX: ANY OF BIRDS NAMED BELOW]
THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF OTHER BIRDS--LIKE  THE MOUNTAIN PLOVER, HARRIS HAWK, AND SOME WOODPECKERS--WHERE THE MALE BIRD IS CHIEFLY RESPONSIBLE FOR RAISING THE BABY CHICKS. 

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THESE FATHER'S DAY HEROES OF THE BIRD WORLD! I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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ECOLOGY OF SONG
DID YOU EVER NOTICE BIRDS SEEM TO SING MORE WHEN ITS SUNNY? WE'LL FIND OUT HOW THE WEATHER AFFECTS BIRD SONGS ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED BIRDS SEEM TO SING LOUDEST WHEN ITS A NICE, SUNNY DAY. NO, IT'S NOT JUST YOUR IMAGINATION: BIRDS REALLY DO SING LESS WHEN ITS COLD. THEY DON'T SING AS MUCH WHEN ITS REALLY HOT EITHER. AS FOR SINGING IN THE RAIN--WELL, RAINY WEATHER CAN DIMINISH BIRDS' MELODIC EXUBERANCE, TOO!

[SFX: LOUD RAINFOREST BIRD SOUNDS]
THE WEATHER IS ONLY ONE ECOLOGICAL FACTOR THAT AFFECTS BIRDS' SINGING. LOCATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE TOO. BIRDS THAT LIVE IN THE RAIN FOREST HAVE LOUD, PERSISTENT VOICES THAT THEY USE TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH OTHER. THEY NEED TO "TURN UP THE VOLUME" BECAUSE THE THICK VEGETATION NOT ONLY OBSTRUCTS VISION--BUT ABSORBS SOUND.

BIRDS THAT RAISE THEIR YOUNG IN OPEN NESTS KEEP THEIR VULNERABLE LITTLE ONES SILENT BEFORE THEY CAN FLY AWAY FROM DANGER. BUT FLEDGLINGS BORN IN PROTECTED NEST HOLES MAKE LOTS OF NOISE. 

WEATHER AND LOCATION ARE TWO OF THE MANY THINGS THAT AFFECT BIRD SONG. 

I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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CUTE BUT NASTY--THE BUTCHER BIRDS

IT'S NOT OFTEN A CUTE LITTLE SONGBIRD NASTILY STABS ITS PREY, BUT WE'LL  TAKE A LOOK AT ONE THAT DOES ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

BIRDS OF PREY LIKE THE HAWK ARE EXPECTED TO BE KIND OF NASTY. BUT YOU DON'T THINK A SWEET LITTLE SONGBIRD WOULD BE THAT WAY. THE LOGGERHEAD  SHRIKE --ONE OF THE SO-CALLED "BUTCHER BIRDS" --IS A HANDSOME-LOOKING PALE-GREY CHARMER. YOU'D NEVER GUESS THIS IS A BIRD THAT IMPALES  ITS PREY --INSECTS, SMALL BIRDS, AND EVEN MAMMALS--UPON THORNS, BARBED-WIRE AND TWIGS.   YOU'LL FIND A VARIETY OF THIS LITTLE SHRIKE LURKING IN JUST ABOUT EVERY STATE. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, YOU CAN SEE THE SHRIKE HAS A HOOKED BILL AND STRONG, SHARP, TALON-LIKE TOENAILS, LIKE A MINIATURE FALCON.

[SFX: SHRIKE CALLS]
THE OTHER SONGIBRDS IT MINGLES WITH RECOGNIZE IT AS A PREDATOR.  YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THE BIRDS AT YOUR FEEDER PANIC AS IF A HAWK WERE APPROACHING--ONLY TO FIND ITS A NORTHERN SHRIKE THAT HAS LANDED

[SFX: MORE SHRIKE CALLS]
I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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LOVELY AS A TREE
"I THINK THAT I SHALL NEVER SEE A POEM AS LOVELY AS A TREE," WROTE THE AMERICAN POET JOYCE KILMER. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHY TREES REALLY ARE LOVELY THINGS, ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.
[SFX: INTERESTING VARIETY OF SONG-LIKE BIRD CALLS]

IF YOU ENJOY THE COMPANY OF SWEET-SINGING LITTLE BIRDS, THINK CAREFULLYABOUT THE BEST WAYS TO GET THEM TO VISIT. WHAT LEAFY WONDERLAND CAN YOU CREATE TO ENTICE THESE SONGBIRDS? PINES, SPRUCES, OAKS, AND MAPLES OFFER NATURAL FOOD SOURCES, AS DO HICKORY AND WALNUT TREES.  LARGE HICKORIES AND OAKS ATTRACT BIRDS LIKE THE PILEATED WOODPECKER.   NUTHATCHES, CHICKADEES, AND OWLS FIND APPEALING INSECTS TO EAT IN THOSE SAME TREES.  AND HAWKS AND OWLS ROOST IN THEM. 

[SFX: MORE WILD BIRD CALLS--0WL OR HAWK PERHAPS]
SMALL SHRUBS LIKE THE HAWTHORN AND  CRAB APPLE. OFFER TASTY MEALS FOR OTHER BIRDS, AND PERENNIALS SUCH AS  SUNFLOWERS AND DAISIES CAN KEEP YOUR  FEATHERED FRIENDS HAPPILY FED THROUGHOUT THE LONG WINTER MONTHS.

[SFX :MORE HAPPY BIRD CALLS--CARDINAL, IF POSSIBLE]
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PLANTING  THE YARD THIS SPRING, CONSIDER PUTTING IN SOME LOVELY TREES AND SHRUBS DESIGNED TO ATTRACT YOUR SONG-BIRD COMPANIONS.

I\M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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HUNTING BY EAR [STEREO "VISION"]
MODERN MILITARY AIRCRAFT USE SOPHISTICATED SOUND-LOCATING DEVICES TO DETECT THEIR TARGETS. WE'RE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT A BIRD THAT HUNTS  ITS PREY BY SOUND--BY EAR AND NOT BY EYE--ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

[SFX:  BARN OWL HOOTS]
THE COMMON BARN OWL HUNTS IT PREY BY NIGHT. IT  LOCATES MICE AND SMALL RODENTS BY LISTENING VERY CAREFULLY. ITS EARS ARE WELL DESIGNED TO PICK UP THE TINIEST SOUNDS:

[SFX: VERY SLIGHT RUSTLING OF DRY LEAVES]
SET AT DIFFERENT ANGLES AND AT DIFFERENT LEVELS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE OWL'S HEAD, THE EARS CAN MOVE LIKE  ROTATING ANTENNAE. THE BARN OWL'S FLAT FACE, WITH ITS FLEXIBLE RUFF OF FEATHERS, ACTS AS A SOUND REFLECTOR, PINPOINTING SOUNDS WITH DEADLY ACCURACY.

[SFX: FLAP OF FEATHERS AS OWL ATTACKS? OR JUST ANOTHER HOOT]
THE OWL HONES IN ON ITS AFTER-DARK KILL WITH WHAT AMOUNTS TO THE AUDIO EQUIVALENT OF BINOCULAR VISION. THANKS TO THE DOUBLE READING IT GETS FROM REFLECTED SOUNDS AND THE MANEUVERABILITY OF ITS SENSITIVE EARS,. IT FIXES ON THE PREY USING INFORMATION FROM TWO DIFFERENT READINGS--MUCH LIKE THE TARGET-LOCATING EQUIPMENT ON TODAY'S MILITARY JETS.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!I I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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PECKING ORDER
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THE EXPRESSION, "HE'S A HENPECKED HUSBAND," BUT DO YOU KNOW WHERE IT COMES FROM? WE'LL EXPLORE WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE HENPECKED, ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

[SFX: SOUNDS OF CHICKENS SQUAWKING]
BIRDS WHO FLOCK TOGETHER AND SHARE COMMON SOURCES OF FOOD OPERATE BY CERTAIN RULES OF SOCIAL CONDUCT. TO BE A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY MEANS FINDING A PLACE IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS A "PECKING ORDER."  THE TOP-RANKING, DOMINANT BIRD CAN PECK AWAY ANY OTHER MEMBER OF THE FLOCK WITHOUT FEAR OF RETALIATION. A SECOND-RANKING BIRD CAN PECK ANY BUT THE TOP BIRD, AND SO ON. THE LAST BIRD IN THE ORDER CAN BE PECKED BY EVERY OTHER MEMBER--BUT CANNOT RETURN THE PECKS. 

[SFX; MORE CHIX FIGHTING]
WHEN A FARMER BRINGS HOME A BUNCH OF NEW CHICKENS, THERE IS RAUCOUS CONFUSION, AS NEW ARRIVALS SORT OUT THEIR PLACES IN THE PECKING ORDER.  BY THE WAY, THE TOP BIRD CAN BE A MALE--OR FEMALE. GIVEN THE RATIO OF HENS TO ROOSTERS AMONG DOMESTIC FOWL, HOWEVER,  TO BE "HENPECKED" IS THE CASE FOR MOST MEMBERS OF THE FLOCK.

[SFX: CARDINAL OR CHICKADEE CALL]
WILD BIRDS ALSO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN PECKING ORDERS, BUT THEY ARE MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE RELATIONSHIPS THAN THE ONES BARNYARD FOWL CREATE.

I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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LEWIS' WOODPECKER AND CLARK'S NUTCRACKER
THE EXPLORERS LEWIS AND CLARK WERE THE FIRST TO DESCRIBE MANY  BIRDS AND ANIMALS NATIVE TO THE AMERICAN WEST. WE'LL LEARN ABOUT TWO INTERESTING BIRDS NAMED AFTER THESE EARLY NATURALISTS, ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

[SFX; LEWIS WOODPECKER]
MERIWETHER LEWIS SPIED THE WOODPECKER THAT NOW BEARS HIS NAME IN 1805, JUST OUTSIDE A PLACE WE KNOW AS HELENA, MONTANA. THE BIRD WAS AS BLACK AS A CROW,  WITH A BEAK SOMEWHAT CURVED AND SHARPLY POINTED. THE LEWIS WOODPECKER MAKES ITS NEST IN A TALL, DEAD TREE OR UTILITY POLE AND FEEDS MOSTLY ON INSECTS. UNLIKE OTHER WOODPECKERS, IT FLIES WITH A STEADY, CROW-LIKE WINGBEAT.

[SFX; CLARK NUTCRACKER; COULD ALSO CONTINUE UNDER FIRST SENTENCE]
"THIS BIRD," WROTE WILLIAM CLARK, "HAS A LOUD, SQUAWTING NOTE--SOMETHING LIKE THE MEWING OF A CAT." IT WAS WHILE CAMPING WITH A TRIBE OF SHOSHONE INDIANS IN IDAHO THAT HE FIRST HEARD WHAT WE NOW CALL A "CLARK'S NUTCRACKER." ITS BEAK AND TAIL ARE WHITE, ITS WINGS BLACK, AND EVERY OTHER PART A DARK BROWN.
.
[SFX: MORE NUTCRACKER]
DEDICATED TO THE TASK OF RAISING THEIR YOUNG, A CLARK'S NUTCRACKER PAIR HIDES AWAY AS MANY AS 30,000 NUTS AND SEEDS EACH FALL--TO BE RETRIEVED THE FOLLOWING SPRING AS THEY FEED THEIR PROGENY.

I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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BIRD CALLS
THE COCK "CROWS,"  AN OWL "HOOTS," A PIGEON "COOS"--BUT A NIGHTINGALE "SINGS." WE'LL LEARN ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIRD SONGS --AND BIRD CALLS--ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

ALMOST ALL BIRDS PRODUCE VOCAL SOUNDS. SOME PRODUCE SIMPLE CALLS THAT SERVE A FUNCTION--AN ALARM CALL ALERTS OTHER BIRDS THAT DANGER IS NEAR. 

[SFX: WARNING CALL, KILLDEER OR SOME OTHER]
CONTACT CALLS ALLOW MATES TO FIND EACH OTHER IN A FLOCK.
THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IN FLOCK OF XXX IN BREEDING SEASON:

[SFX: WHAT HAVE YOU GOT?]
BIRDS THAT LACK SONG--LIKE GULLS [PARROTS]--DEVELOP COMPLEX REPERTOIRES OF CALLS.

[SFX: GULL OR PARROT]
THE SOUNDS THAT SONGBIRDS MAKE ARE LONGER, AND USUALLY CONSIST OF A SERIES OF NOTES OR A SINGLE NOTE REPEATED IN A PATTERN.. WE'LL LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR SONGS ON ANOTHER EDITION OF NATUREWATCH. 

I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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SING ME A SONG
MORE THAN HALF OF ALL BIRDS ARE CONSIDERED SONGBIRDS. BUT DID YOU EVER TO STOP TO WONDER WHY THEY SING? WE'LL FIND OUT, ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

ALMOST ALL BIRDS PRODUCE SOME KIND OF VOCAL SOUND. IN THE 50 PERCENT OF THE BIRD WORLD WE CONSIDER SONGBIRDS THERE'S AN EXTRAORDINARY VARIETY OF TUNES. COMMON EXAMPLES INCLUDE THE SPARROW:
[SFX: SONG SPARROW]

AND THE  CARDINAL:
[SFX: CARDINAL]

THE SONG IDENTIFIES ITS SINGER AS A MEMBER OF A PARTICULAR SPECIES. BUT EVEN WITHIN A SPECIES THERE CAN BE GREAT VARIATION . THERE ARE NEARLY 900 VARIATIONS OF THE SPARROW'S SONG! AND EACH INDIVIDUAL BIRD MAY KNOW AS MANY AS 20 DIFFERENT MELODIES.

GENERALLY IT'S THE MALE WHO DOES THE SINGING. BUT WITH SOME--LIKE THE CARDINAL AND WREN--BOTH MALES AND FEMALES SING.

BIRDS SPEND AS MANY AS 9 HOURS A DAY SINGING, SOMETIMES WITH A VERY CLEAR PURPOSE. THROUGH SONG, BIRDS ADVERTISE FOR A MATE, FOR EXAMPLE, AND IDENTIFY EACH OTHER AS MEMBERS OF A FLOCK. AND SOMETIMES, IT SEEMS, BIRDS SING JUST FOR THE SHEER JOY OF IT!

I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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SONG CYCLES
ITS SPRING, ITS SPRING--AND THE BIRDIES SING!
AND SING THEY DO! WE'LL FIND OUT WHY, ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

[SFX: LOTS OF HAPPY MALE BIRDS A-COURTING].
IN THE SPRING, WHEN BIRDS ARE BUSY SEEKING MATES AND ESTABLISHING THEIR TERRITORIES, YOU'LL HEAR A MARVELOUS, RICH VARIETY OF BIRD SONGS. MALES WITHOUT A PARTNER SING MUCH MORE THAN THOSE WHO HAVE A MATE. WHEN THE DUTIES OF REARING A FAMILY BEGIN, SONG GENERALLY DIMINISHES. BIRDS RARELY SING  NEAR THE NEST FULL OF VULNERABLE FLEDGLINGS.

HORMONES PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN DETERMINING WHEN A BIRD SINGS. IN ONE EXPERIMENT, FEMALE CANARIES GIVEN MALE HORMONES BEGAN SINGING SUSTAINED, VIGOROUS TUNES THAT SOUNDED JUST LIKE THE MALES!

LIGHT AFFECTS THE CYCLE OF BIRD SONG, TOO. MOST BIRDS BEGIN THEIR SINGING AT DAWN. IT TAPERS OFF BY EARLY AFTERNOON. THEN SINGING OFTEN INCREASES AGAIN UNTIL DUSK.  IF YOU'VE EVER OBSERVED AN ECLIPSE OF THE SUN YOU'VE SEEN FIRST-HAND THE DRAMATIC CORRELATION BETWEEN LIGHT AND BIRD SONG:  BIRDS STOP SINGING ABUPTLY AT MIDDAY AS THE SUNLIGHT DISAPPEARS.

I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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EGG-SACTLY THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE

WHEN A MOTHER BIRD SITS ON HER EGGS, WAITING FOR THEM TO HATCH, SHE HAS TO KEEP THEM WARM--BUT NOT TOO WARM! WE'LL FIND OUT HOW, ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

ALMOST ALL BIRDS HATCH THEIR EGGS BY SITTING ON THEM AND TRANSFERRING BODY HEAT. THEY USE WHAT'S CALLED A "BROODPATCH"--AN AREA OF SKIN THAT HAS NO FEATHERS AND THAT HAS KEEN TEMPERATURE SENSORS. PENGUINS AND PELICANS TRANSFER WARMTH THOUGH THEIR WEBBED FEET.

TO WARM THE EGGS EVENLY, BIRDS TURN THEM PERIODICALLY--THE MALLARD DUCK, FOR EXAMPLE, TURNS ITS EGGS ABOUT ONCE AN HOUR. 

BUT SOMETIMES EGGS CAN GET TOO HOT. BIRDS WHO BUILD OPEN NESTS HAVE TO PROTECT THEIR EGGS FROM THE SUN. DUCKS WILL PULL DOWNY FEATHERS OVER THE NEST TO COVER THEIR EGGS. OTHER SPECIES STAND CLOSE TO THE NEST, SHADING IT WITH THEIR BODIES WHEN TEMPERATURES RISE. SHORE BIRDS LIKE THE KILLDEER SOAK THE FEATHERS OF THEIR BELLIES AND USE THEM TO WET THE EGGS, HELPING TO COOL THE EMBRYOS INSIDE.

IT'S NOT EASY KEEPING THINGS AT EGG-SACTLY THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE! I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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NO ROSES FOR THE OWL
WHEN TWO LOVERS WOO--AS THEY ARE WONT TO DO.--WHAT IF ONE SAYS.... HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOO? LET'S FIND OUT HOW BARN OWLS SEEK A MATE, ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.
OR:
WHEN A YOUNG MAN WOOS A YOUNG WOMAN, RED ROSES, CANDY, AND WINE ARE STILL PRETTY STANDARD ENTICEMENTS. BUT HOW DOES THE BARN OWL GO ABOUT ATTRACTING A MATE? WE'LL FIND OUT, ON TODAY'S NATUREWATCH.

[SFX: OWL HOOTS]
THE COMMON BARN OWL HAS ONE OF THE MOST ROMANTIC COURTSHIP PATTERNS IN THE BIRD WORLD. EARLY IN THE SPRING, THE MALE IS OFTEN SPIED SEARCHING FOR DELICACIES HE CAN USE TO WOO HIS MATE. AS DARKNESS FALLS, YOU MAY HEAR HIM BEGIN THE SCREECHING SONG THAT HIS LADY FRIEND RETURNS. THE PAIR SOMETIMES EVEN PERFORM A SPECTACULAR ACROBATIC DANCE, BEFORE SHE ACCEPTS HIS OFFERING--PERHAPS A MOUSE OR VOLE.

[SFX: WING FLAPPING? SCREECHING? SOMETHING BESIDES HOOTS]
HE TEARS THE PREY INTO BITE-SIZE STRIPS AND TENDERLY FEEDS HER. SHE URGES HIM ON, BEGGING LIKE AN OWL-CHICK, AND OFFERING HIM GUTTURAL, HUSKY HISSES THAT SOUND A LITTLE LIKE A SNORING BABY. 
[SFX: SNORING OWL AVAILABLE?]

THE MALE THEN ENTICES HER TO FOLLOW HIM TO ONE OF SEVERAL NEST HOLES HE'S PREPARED. THERE, THE SEDUCTION IS COMPLETED. MATING RITUALS CONTINUE EVEN AFTER THE EGGS ARE LAID. BARN OWLS, WHO CAN LIVE AS LONG AS 13 YEARS, SEEM TO REMAIN FAITHFUL NOT ONLY TO THEIR NESTING SITES--BUT TO EACH OTHER.

[SFX: MORE HOOTS]
 I'M BOB KANTOR FOR NATUREWATCH, PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL PAPER - A LEADER IN PAPER AND FOREST PRODUCTS COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES. INTERNATIONAL PAPER - WE ANSWER TO THE WORLD.
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