Posts
Brown pelican perches on Pelican Island refuge boundary sign / USFWS Photo
Birds and birding news
- A new fossil analysis concludes that the earliest birds probably glided rather than flew because their feathers were too weak for powered flight.
- "Vulture restaurants" may prevent smaller scavengers from getting their meals.
- The prosecution and defense wrapped up their arguments this week in the Syncrude trial, in which the company is accused of violating environmental laws by allowing 1600 birds to die in its oil tailings ponds. A verdict is expected on June 25.
- A New York artist sculpts the skeletons of extinct birds from chicken bones.
- Increased deer browsing can drive nightingales out of a wooded area.
- The U.K. is known for having a lot of enthusiastic bird watchers, and birding is more prominent there than in the U.S. Unfortunately, egg collecting remains a popular hobby, too, even though it is illegal.
- Swedish scientists have tried to protect declining wader populations by surrounding their nests with cages and laying out fake eggs that will make predators feel sick. The goal of the fake eggs was to make predators think that the waders' eggs are inedible.
- A study tagged lambs to see if sea eagles preyed on them, but 60% of the tags fell off. Results from the other lambs suggest that less than 2% of lamb deaths could be attributed to sea eagles.
- Partners in Flight published a conservation assessment for 1,150 bird species in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
- New York City is mapping its potential for solar power, areas vulnerable to flooding, and neighborhoods in need of more trees. The maps, created by airplane flyovers, will help the city meet its environmental goals.
- 10,000 Birds: Preparing for a Big Day
- The Drinking Bird: Hatteras. Again.
- Sibley Guides: Color Illusion and thrush identification
- Net Results: How to Bird UM-Dearborn
- The Birders Report: Cliff Swallows Engage in Extra-Pair Copulation
- Earbirding: Whip Split!
- IBRRC: Oiled Pelican: Before wash and after cleaning
- Birding Dude: Wilson's Plover at Jones Beach Long Island, NYC
- Leaf Warbler: Even waterfowl like the green. Of the $$ kind, that is, it seems.
- Greg Laden's Blog: Hawk Pwns Moth, Crowd Cheers!!!
- Based on the short video of a leaking pipe that BP released this week, a scientist estimates that between 56,000 and 84,000 barrels are spilling per day. This estimate is far higher than official estimates, but matches unofficial estimates made by other independent experts. If attempts to stop the well fail, it could be gushing for a long time.
- Another offshore oil rig sank off Venezuela this week. So far no leaks are reported.
- Yesterday, the US EPA finalized a new rule that regulates greenhouse gas emissions from major sources like power plants. The rule will take effect in July 2011.
- This week, Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman unveiled an energy and climate bill that they had negotiated with Lindsey Graham and other key Senators.
- Canadian legislators heard testimony from BP on the safety of their planned offshore Arctic operations. Meanwhile, the Canadian prime minister bragged that the Canadian rules for offshore drilling are tougher than those in the U.S. (even though Canada has an oil-related mess on its hands in the form of Syncrude).
- One fifth of the world's lizards face extinction within the next 70 years.
- A gray whale was spotted in the Mediterranean near Israel, the first time that species has been seen in the Atlantic region since the 18th century.
