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Yellow Warbler / Photo by Donna Dewhurst (USFWS)News and links about birds, birding, and the environment
An eaglet in County Donegal is the first wild golden eagle chick to hatch in Ireland since 1910.- National Park Service is planning improvements to two major DC-area parks.
- The Dartford warbler, down to 11 pairs in 1963, is repopulating its former range. As of the latest survey, there are now about 3,200 pairs. The RSPB attributes the recovery to habitat protection.
- The administrator of NASA does not think that global warming is a problem, even though members of his own agency have provided much of the evidence for it.
- Bird mortality and wind power are in the news again this week, with a possible project near Point Pelee and a wind farm in northern New York that is killing hundreds of songbirds. Meanwhile, Rendell wants to open Pennsylvania's state parks and forests to wind development.
Birds in the tropics live a more leisurely life than closely-related birds in northern regions. Researchers measured their life styles in terms of energy use, life span, and growth rates. Neotropical migrants used more energy than resident tropic birds, but less than resident northern birds.- Some birds follow hordes of army ants to catch the insects that try to escape from the ants.
- Maryland is attempting to block a 4,300-home development project in northern Allegany County. The planned development is close to Green Ridge State Forest, which provides important breeding habitat for several species of birds. The plan appears to be supported by local officials but opposed by a coalition of local citizens.
- Also in development news, there is a dispute over a 1,063-home project near Virginia Beach, which would effect a wetland.
- The U.S. House approved a defense appropriations bill that excluded funding for the planned airfield near Pocosin Lakes NWR in North Carolina. The House urged the Navy to use a different site.
- Residents in the Chicago area are worried about the effects of new sporting venues for the 2016 Olympics on local wildlife preserves. One potential site is home to sandhill cranes and yellow-headed blackbirds.
- Bird festivals are coming soon to Sussex County, New Jersey, and Canaan Valley, West Virginia.
- Thomasburg Walks: I'll Sing What I Want to Sing
Birdchaser and Birdchick argue over the appeal of bird-related kitsch. I'm mostly with Birdchick, though I think that the Audubon clock (or Birdchaser's proposed variant) would drive me nuts.- BES Group: Encounters with the Great Argus
- Mike's Birding and Digiscoping Blog: Birder, Biker, Birker
- Belgrade 2.0: Birdwatching in Serbia
- Palemaleirregulars: Who Says Birds Don't Have Personality?
