Posts
Least Sandpiper with chick / USFWS Photo
Birds and birding news
- Scientists have discovered the earliest known fossils of a pelican, which lived about 30 million years ago. Like its modern descendants, the bird had a large bill.
- Researchers from Hawk Mountain are studying the locally nesting American Kestrels to understand the causes behind the species's decline.
- The brightest male American Goldfinches also tend to be the poorest fliers, showing that attractive plumage comes at a cost of diverting resources from other needs.
- The larvae of many moth species are an important source of food for breeding birds and their nestlings.
- Bridget Stutchbury discusses 10 myths about birds.
- Ferruginous Hawks are declining in eastern Washington. The decline is attributed to loss of habitat and a reduction in prey animals, particularly ground squirrels and black-tailed jackrabbits.
- One of the Piping Plovers banded in the Bahamas this winter was found nesting on Martha's Vineyard. To date, 36 of the 57 banded birds have been re-sighted.
- A fledgling owl flew into the lion enclosure at Paignton Zoo, leading to a photo of the owlet and lion together.
- Deep Sea News: Why Oil-Laden Prey is Bad for Sea Birds
- WildBird on the Fly: USFWS science journals now online
- Conservation Maven: Hiking quietly benefits birds... and birders
- Great Auk or Greatest Auk: Zootopia
- BES Group: Leaves, caterpillars and yellowness in birds
- Birder's Lounge: Hummingbird Hovercraft Steals Insects from Spider’s Web
- So far 639 oiled birds have been captured live, 829 were collected dead and 42 have been released; IBRRC keeps a running total. Proctor & Gamble has donated 7,000 bottles of Dawn for cleaning the birds.
- In some cases, rescue crews have to leave oiled birds to fend for themselves because capturing them would cause too much stress or damage nests.
- Some cleanup crews have been careless around nests; both Brown Pelican nests and Least Tern nests have been destroyed by cleanup workers.
- Here are the steps in rehabilitating an oil-covered bird.
- In Nigeria, oil spills have been a recurring problem for the past fifty years, at a rate averaging 11 millions gallons per year.
- Twenty miles west of the Deepwater Horizon well is another, even deeper well that has been producing since 2008.
- An eleven-year-old is selling drawings to raise money for rehabilitating oiled birds. She has raised at least $96,000 so far.
- A juvenile sperm whale may be among the wildlife victims of the spill.
- SpiderIdentification.org is a new website to help people identify spiders. Users may submit questions with photos and get help from spider experts. You can read more about it at Eric Eaton's blog.
- Scientists studying mud cores have found a link between past climate changes and atmospheric carbon dioxide.
- Conservationists are trying to save Plum Island on Long Island, an Important Bird Area, from development and have launched a petition drive.
- Horseshoe crab numbers in the Delaware Bay appear to be rising thanks to harvest restrictions.
