Ashley Braun

Articles by Ashley Braun

Mark Hauber inspects a nest in a tree using a telescopic mirror.

Got Beef With Cowbirds? This Researcher Wants to Change Your Mind

January 15, 2026 — The brood parasites get a bad rap for making other birds raise their young, but study by study, Mark Hauber and his “Cowbird Lab” have revealed a species worthy of respect.

Bird Science

An owl sits on a tree branch in a dense, mossy forest.

Fire Is a Major Threat to California Spotted Owls—Could it Also Help Save Them?

July 15, 2024 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could soon give the subspecies protection under the Endangered Species Act, and is calling for more beneficial fire to help the birds rebound.

Conservation News

A floating grid abuts a building atop a vast plane of water. Fish are grown inside nets being held aloft in this grid.

Conservationists Urge Caution as the Federal Government Promotes Fish Farming

March 22, 2024 — Aquaculture comes in many forms and can be done sustainably, but a push for more offshore operations raises concerns, environmentalists say.

Field Notes

Standing in a meadow of yellow goldenrod, Lang Elliott listens for bird calls with a headset on.

A New App Brings Birdsong Back to People With High-Frequency Hearing Loss

December 13, 2022 — Hear Birds Again, an iPhone app, is only the latest in Lang Elliott’s long line of inventions to solve a challenge that affects more birders as they age.

Field Notes

Two dead barred owls lay in the back of a pick-up truck.

It’s the Moment of Truth for the Northern Spotted Owl

September 20, 2022 — Preventing the Pacific Northwest icon’s extinction calls for aggressive intervention, including killing another owl species. Will we act fast enough?

News

A woman holds an iPad up to a boy in a wheelchair on a path in a forest and two other people look at another iPad in the background. The iPad shows an image of a Douglas Fir tree.

How Wifi Binoculars Could Help Make Birding and Nature More Accessible

September 01, 2022 — On a recent outing with Seattle’s Seward Park 91�� Center, a small group put the technology to the test, with promising but mixed results.

News