Posts
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| Snow Geese and Ross's Geese at Sacramento NWR / Photo by Steve Emmons, USFWS |
- Scientists are urging that at least one third of "forage fish" like anchovies and herring be left for seabirds to eat. The high commercial demand for "forage fish" is starting to put seabird populations such as gulls, kittiwakes, terns, puffins, and penguins at risk.
- When Lesser Kestrels and Jackdaws breed in mixed colonies together, they keep a truce of sorts: the Lesser Kestrels help protect the Jackdaw nests, and in return the Jackdaws do not prey on the Lesser Kestrels' eggs.
- A study in Oregon found that thinning forests to give them old-growth characteristics (and thus make extra habitat for Spotted Owls) chases out flying squirrels, the Spotted Owl's primary prey.
- A pair of Whooping Cranes are wintering in western North Carolina.
- The captive Spoon-billed Sandpipers that were taken to the U.K. are now out of quarantine.
- Neurotic Physiology: The only thing birds have to fear is fear itself
- The Freiday Bird Blog: A Tale of Two Counts
- Laelaps: Why Is a Pelican Like a Whale?
- 10,000 Birds: Merry Christmas Shearwaters!
- ABA Blog: Chicago mystery hummingbird a mystery no more
- Beetles in the Bush: A Riot of Colors
- BugBlog: Pholcus phalangioides, the Daddy Long-leg spider
- Not Exactly Rocket Science: Why aren't all chilies hot?
- November 2011 was the 12th warmest November on record.
- The EPA's new mercury rules became final this week. Unlike past rules, the current rules will cover mercury sources like aging power plants that were grandfathered under the Clean Air Act. These plants will either need to come into compliance or shut down.
- Over 40,000 Monarchs were counted wintering at Ellwood Mesa in California.
- Some winter nature photos in honor of the solstice included this snowy landscape from the Sierra Nevada and pronghorn running in the snow.
- Here is a Christmas-themed gallery of insects (mostly multicolored beetles).
