Posts
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| Snowy Plover / Photo by Keenan Adams (USFWS) |
- Almost 500 birds of 30 species were found dead at a wind farm in West Virginia in October. It appears that instead of colliding with wind turbines, they were attracted to the 250-watt floodlights at an electrical substation, where they either died from exhaustion or crashed into one of the substation's structures. The deaths happened during an overcast or foggy night, conditions when artificial lights are especially confusing to migratory birds.
- Anna's Hummingbirds are able to stay active in wet weather because they shake their heads and twist their bodies rapidly in flight to cast the water off their feathers. The link has a video of this behavior.
- Hawaii is becoming the planet's extinction capital as many of its endemic species are in serious decline or already extinct. Among the species is the 'Alala, or Hawaiian Crow, which is extinct in the wild but still has a captive breeding program that may some day result in reintroduction.
- The earthquake in Oklahoma stirred up a swarm of birds, bats, or insects that was dense enough to be visible on weather radar.
- An article on this year's Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival includes excerpts from an interview with Greg Miller, the birder portrayed by Jack Black in The Big Year.
- In summer, King Penguins at South Georgia Island bathe in streams and mud to keep from overheating.
- A same-sex pair of African Penguins at the Toronto Zoo is going to be separated in an attempt to get them to breed. The African Penguin population is declining in the wild, and the two male penguins were acquired by the zoo to participate in a captive breeding program.
- The Guardian has some suggestions about making a garden hospitable to wintering birds.
- Some vineyards in New Zealand have used live falcons to guard their grapes against songbird flocks that feed on them. A similar solution is being used at some vineyards in Sonoma County, California.
- 10,000 Birds: Tubenose Taxonomy 101
- Not Exactly Rocket Science: Cross-dressing raptors avoid violence
- Laelaps: Debating Diatryma
- Audubon Guides: Formerly Known As the Louisiana Heron
- The Skeptical Moth: Diversification of Moths with Teeth
- Compound Eye: Naskrecki’s “Relics” argues for a conservation ethic rooted in evolutionary history
- The Dragonfly Woman: The Long, Involved Process of Giant Water Bug Mating
- Lawyers, Guns and Money: Endangered Species and Environmental Leverage
- Martin's Moths: The village of Moth
- Facing political pressure from both sides, the Obama administration decided to delay a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline until after the 2012 elections. Environmentalists were increasingly vocal in opposition to the proposed pipeline. In the most recent action, 12,000 protesters surrounded the White House to demand that the pipeline be stopped. Yesterday's announcement came on the heels of a decision by the State Department to investigate possible conflicts of interest.
- Meanwhile, the Interior Department will open new oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska but keep the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the U.S. off-limits to drilling.
- Even though the threat of climate change is well documented and some steps to reduce the threat are underway, global emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise. Meanwhile, fossil fuel use is rising again in the United States as the economy slowly recovers from its deep recession.
- Spruces along the edge of the tundra are growing faster as the climate warms. The news for northern forests is not all good, however, as warmer temperatures also increases the threat of wildfires in interior forests.
- New research finds a decrease in the wintering population of Monarch butterflies in Mexico from 1994 to 2011. Habitat fragmentation in both breeding and wintering areas appears to be the major cause of their decline. This fall, drought in Texas and other southern states will pose an additional challenge for migrating Monarchs.
- A new spider species with a white cephalothorax was found in Australia. The link has an image of this unusual-looking spider.
- The western black rhinoceros is extinct in the wild according to a report by the IUCN. The same report notes that 25% of the world's mammals are facing extinction. Meanwhile, the Sumatran tiger continues to survive in what remains of its range.
