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Emperor Penguins / Photo by lin padgham
Bird and birding news
- A study of the fossil record argues that there were six genera and nine species of moas (much lower than other estimates) and that the North and South Islands of New Zealand have been geographically isolated for 20-30 million years.
- The Puerto Rican Nightjar's range is much than previously estimated; in all this species has 1,400-2,000 individuals ranging throughout southern Puerto Rico.
- Satellite transmitters on penguins, albatrosses, and other animals enabled the creation of an atlas of species and migration corridors in the Patagonian Sea.
- A birder is collecting birds that hit buildings in downtown Chicago to document the dead ones and give stunned birds a chance to recover. She has also gotten many buildings to shut off lights during migration.
- Surveys over the summer found 201 to 208 endangered Snowy Plovers on Oregon beaches, up from 50 in 1990. The goal is to bring the population up to 250.
- So far 17 Madagascar Pochard ducklings have been raised successfully in captivity. This almost doubles the known world population of the species.
- When two Common Ravens got electrocuted on a power line in Fairbanks, Alaska, observers saw dozens of other ravens flock to the scene.
- Tourists hoping to see Emperor Penguins in Antarctica got stuck in the ice.
- Vermont Center for Ecostudies: Look What the Cat Dragged In
- Bell Tower Birding: The Splitting of Birds
- Stokes Birding Blog: Cackling Goose Subspecies in the East
- Birdfreak: Snipe Hunting: American Folklore
- Urban Hawks: Great Horned Owl Still in Central Park
- Botanists worry that solar and wind development in the Mojave could wipe out rare species before they can even be identified. Since the 1920s, the area has averaged 25 new plant discoveries per decade.
- Maryland regulators approved a 20-turbine wind farm on top of Backbone Mountain at the western end of the state. Another company already has a permit for building 28 turbines on the same mountain.
- Meanwhile, the governors of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia have formed a coalition to encourage wind energy development off the Atlantic coast.
- Oceans, one of the earth's largest carbon sinks, are losing their ability to absorb more carbon due to the extreme amount of emissions. On average, oceans absorb about one quarter of all carbon emissions.
- The U.S. Senate will not consider climate legislation until the spring.
- Carbon offset programs for air travel soothe consciences but lack the standards or monitoring to ensure that they work.
- Grizzly bears in the Pacific Northwest are highly dependent on salmon runs. Poor salmon numbers in recent years have led to declines in the numbers of adults and cubs found on aerial surveys.
- Carbon dioxide and methane are not the only compounds that cause climate change.
- 2008 was another record year for carbon emissions; humans emitted 8.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide. The rate of growth is also higher than it was in the 1990s. Much of the rate increase is due to more emissions in the developing world; however, these emissions largely serve consumers in richer nations.
- A new study of ancient lake sediments argues against several hypotheses for the extinction of large fauna in North America, including climate change, a meteor, and the Clovis people. Humans are not entirely off the hook yet, however.
- Coastal habitats such salt marshes and mangroves can sequester 50 times as much carbon as tropical forests. This finding emphasizes the need for protecting and restoring these fragile habitats.
