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News about birds and birding
A study of Acadian Flycatchers in Columbus, Ohio, concluded that urban birds have low breeding success because they are smaller and start their nests later in the breeding season compared to rural birds of the same species. Urban flycatchers are also less likely to return to the same nest site. The study did not find higher levels of nest predation among urban flycatchers. The study suggests that flycatchers see the urban forests as less desirable habitat; future study will try to determine why.
A large number of birds in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest suffer from bill deformities that make it difficult for them to eat. The cause of this "long-billed syndrome" is unknown, though it seems to be connected with some pollutants and genetic damage. The deformities also make it hard for a bird to preen its feathers, so they become dirty and lice-ridden. (See also this follow-up from Dateline Earth.)- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may start killing ravens in southern California to prevent them from preying on threatened desert tortoises. They could kill up to 200 per year; the plan includes nonlethal methods to discourage predation as well.
- Michael Chertoff waived environmental and land management laws to speed construction of the border fence. Construction of the fence is opposed by a coalition of environmentalists and local landowners. The fence threatens rare and endangered species that live along the U.S.-Mexican border. The National Audubon Society describes the waiver as "unprecedented and extreme."
A study offered blackcaps fruits that were alike except for their flavonoids content, a type of antioxidant. The birds favored fruits with the highest concentration of flavonoids, and had improved immune function as a result.- British scientists have found evidence of cooperation among rooks, a type of crow, though the birds may not fully understand its significance.
- Seven threatened waterbird species in Cambodia have rebounded since active conservation efforts began in 2001. The recovery is partly due to the use of former poachers as game wardens.
- The New Jersey DEP is likely to close public access to Champagne Island in Cape May County. The uninhabited island provides nesting habitat for 1,600 black skimmers, as well as smaller colonies of royal terns and piping plovers.
- If you live in the U.K., here are some animals you can expect to find in or around cities. (In D.C., you can bird by Metro; in New York, you can bird by subway.)
- A man in the U.K. was jailed for 23 weeks for keeping a collection of more than 7,000 bird eggs - including eggs of rare bird species. The collection also included over 50 dead birds.
- Burrowing owls at the site for a planned community center saved Miami $1 million.
- A webcam captured a video of a red-tailed hawk chick hatching.
- Most people feed sparrows and finches in their backyards. One woman in Alaska feeds bald eagles instead.
- birdQUIZ: Abnormal birdQUIZ
- BrdPics: Cabeza Roja
- Prairie Ice: Snowy Sage-Grouse morning
- Born Again Bird Watcher: Varied Thrush Flocking in the April Sunlight
- mon@rch: Staghorn Sumac and Birds
- Snail's Tales: Will it be the same without frogs?
- Also, David has resumed posting daily migration forecasts at his Woodcreeper blog.
- The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers have announced a plan to require builders to replace wetlands they destroy by creating or restoring wetlands elsewhere. A representative from NWF fears that the new rule could make it harder to preserve existing wetlands from destruction.
- The second annual Chesapeake Bay Report Card gave its lowest grades to rivers around Annapolis in Anne Arundel County. Overall, the bay's health improved from a D+ in 2006 to a C- this year, even though 88% of the watershed does not have enough dissolved oxygen in the summer months to sustain life.
- Climate change skeptics often claim that the earth's current warming trend is caused by variations in solar activity. A study by British scientists disproves the link.
- The Nation explores the implications of shifting to a green economy for different sectors of the work force.
- The Independent investigates the usefulness of carbon offset programs.
- VBS.tv will air a series on the floating plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean starting on April 7.
- Friday Ark #185
- I and the Bird #72
- Tangled Bank #102
- Carnival of the Cities
- Circus of the Spineless #31
- Festival of the Trees #22
- Learning in the Great Outdoors
- Birds in the News #124
