Posts
Belted Kingfisher / Photo by C. Schlawe (USFWS)Bird and birding news
- The NJ Assembly passed the horseshoe crab ban, 70-6. The state Senate votes on Monday.
- Among Lincoln's sparrows, the first laid egg is the least likely to hatch, possibly because eggs are laid over several days and the mother sparrow does not start incubating right away. However, the first hatchling typically has an advantage over its siblings. The full article is available here.
- Wandering albatrosses use their sense of smell to find food. These seabirds can detect potential food sources from several miles away.
- New radar technology can differentiate between birds and flocks of insects. The new technology should help air traffic controllers direct aircraft away from potential bird strikes and provide biologists with better data for studying bird migration.
- A lumber company is challenging the constitutionality of Canada's Migratory Bird Convention Act.
- New Jersey Audubon conducted a two-year bird survey in the Meadowlands to gauge the potential effects of massive developments underway in the area. The survey recorded 200 bird species, including 29 listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern.
- A new study found that bird vocalizations are governed by the same brain region that controls physical movement.
- The Post followed up on the Great Backyard Bird Count results.
- A North Island Brown Kiwi hatched at the National Zoo.
- Navajo Nation is seeking better power pole designs to prevent golden eagle electrocutions.
- Mike's Birding & Digiscoping Blog: Offending Birds
- Drinking Bird: Blowing the Lid off the Lid-nosed
- Tails of Birding: The Robin Is Not a Sign of Spring
- Behind the Bins: Birding without binoculars
- The EPA director rejected the recommendations of the agency's scientific advisory council and imposed a lower smog standard. The change came after intervention from the White House.
- A new study concludes that China will see an 11 percent growth in greenhouse gas emissions from 2004-2010, which is 2-4 times higher than the IPCC estimate.
- Excess fertilizer from corn-based ethanol production will enlarge the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Policy makers need to account for sea-level rise when planning coastal transportation infrastructure.
- David Attenborough's latest project is a butterfly conservation center. Six species of Britain's butterflies have declined by over 50%, while another 15% have lost over 30% of their populations.
