SF Bayflower: How to Help Birds During Heat Waves

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| Joy of Birds July 2026

A silhouette of a bird perched on a huge nest on top of a pole in the foreground with a crimson and orange sunset in the background.

Photo: Royce Fonseca/Audubon Photography Awards

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s another round of “Who’s That Bird!” Using the silhouetted image above and three hints below, can you guess our mystery bird?

Clue #1: This mystery raptor is an expert fisher. In the right conditions, they can successfully catch fish on three-fourths of their dives.
Clue #2: This bird of prey can be found around the world just about anywhere fish live (except Antarctica).
Clue #3: This bird tends to build nests on tall, open platforms and other structures made by people, including utility poles.

Here’s a bonus hint: this bird’s four-letter banding code, which researchers often use as shorthand for species' names, is “OSPR.” Click here to learn more about this bird and reveal the answer.

A Lesser Goldfinch takes a dip in a body of water.

Lesser Goldfinch. Photo: Jim Nelson/Audubon Photography Awards

4 Ways to Help Birds Stay Cool

Birds have their own ways of cooling off in hot weather, but sometimes it's not enough. The worst part? Summers are expected to get even more sweltering from here on out. As another heat wave hits much of North America, here are four easy ways you can help your local birds deal with extreme heat.

An illustration of hands offering peanuts to a murder of three crows.

Illustration: Halsey Berryman

Are Crows Really Our Friends?

When it comes to corvid–human connections, people like to think of it as a courtship ritual. You leave peanuts for your crow of interest, they bring you shiny gifts in return as a sign of friendship. But do crows actually return the feeling, or are we reading too much into their motives? Keep reading for more on crow relationships (and how you can catch their attention).

The Chicken Dance performed at an annual intertribal powwow in North Dakota. Photo: Hemis/Alamy

These Four Indigenous Dances Are Inspired by Birds

Kicking off in the early spring and extending until the fall, powwow season is in full swing. These inter-tribal celebrations are filled with Indigenous food and art—and dancing is the main event. From the high-energy chicken dance to the fluid swan dance, watch four bird-inspired dance routines that blend Indigenous traditions with the natural world.

An Osprey and their young sit in their nest, looking to the left.

Ospreys. Photo: Jose Victoria/Audubon Photography Awards

Give This Osprey Plush a Home!

Thanks to the ban on DDT, habitat protection efforts, and conservation initiatives, Osprey populations across the Americas made a comeback, highlighting the resilience of these raptors in the face of environmental challenges. Your generosity can power work that keeps birds like the Osprey thriving and healthy. Start an annual donation now and we’ll send an Osprey plush as thanks!