Loose Feathers #27

News and links about birds, birding, and the environment.

• The US Fish and Wildlife Service is working on guidelines for the construction of windmills to minimize the impact on birds and other animals. Representatives of industry and conservation groups are both involved in the process.
• Dominion Virginia Power had over 500 black vultures killed at its power plant in Dutch Gap.
• Meanwhile, several towns in Lancaster County, PA, have poisoned a large crow population.
  
• CLO has documented a pileated woodpecker with very little black pigmentation in the course of its ivory-billed woodpecker search in the Arkansas Big Woods. The search team is confident that such an individual could not be confused with an ivory-billed woodpecker based on its shape and behavior. That link is worth a visit to see the pictures of this magnificent bird.
  
• Meanwhile, a birder from Virginia who has been searching a portion of the Pearl River basin claims to have seen two ivory-billed woodpeckers. Video stills and audio files along with a long narrative of his expedition are available here. Video clips are available here. While the visual documentation available at those sites does not do much for me, this birder does seem to know what he is talking about. As with the CLO sightings in Arkansas, we need to wait and see whether more definitive evidence will be forthcoming.

Blogs

• Tony G. has resumed posting at milkriverblog after a long absence.
  

Carnivals

• Circus of the Spineless #6 is up.