Posts
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| Male Greater Sage-Grouse struts for female at a lek / Photo by Jeannie Stafford (USFS) |
- This week the ABA blog has been running an informative series of posts by Steve N.G. Howell on the problem of identifying subspecies. It is worth reading the series in full if you are interested in learning about subspecies: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4.
- New research adds to evidence that ravens are able to differentiate individuals and remember prior interactions.
- Last year's generation of Whooping Cranes in the reintroduction program has begun migrating north on their own. You can follow their progress on the Operation Migration blog.
- Scientists have discovered a loon-like prehistoric waterbird called Brodavis americanus in Saskatchewan. It was active in the Cretaceous Period and is one of four members of the newly-discovered Brodavidae family.
- There are now ten Short-tailed Albatross individuals frequenting the Hawaiian Islands. Elsewhere in the archipelago, fencing around Kaena Point on Oahu has allowed a seabird colony to flourish free from the island's various invasive predators. Nesting birds include Laysan Albatrosses and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters.
- A British birder discusses the rewards of urban birdwatching while touring London's birding hotspots with a reporter.
- Reduced water flow to the Lower Klamath NWR is disrupting the breeding season and may claim the lives of many birds.
- A man in a kayak was attacked by a Mute Swan and drowned when the swan blocked him from reaching shore. Mute Swans are notoriously aggressive, but fatal attacks like this one are rare.
- The oldest-known breeding Osprey has laid its 62nd egg. The bird has nested at Loch of the Lowes in Scotland for 22 consecutive years.
- In bird-related political news, Newt Gingrich was bitten by a Magellanic Penguin this week.
- 10,000 Birds: Watching a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Sibley Guides: Bird Topography – How it helps identify birds
- Not Exactly Rocket Science: Scientists crawl into tower of poo to understand reasons for swift decline
- Extinction Countdown: Geese May Be Helping to Spread Frog-Killing Fungus
- Climate Desk: Will Obama’s New Rules Make Fracking Better for the Planet?
- DeSmogBlog: Unethicull Oil: What Alberta's Wolf Cull Plan Tells Us About Canada's Oil Addiction
- On the road: Blackburnians
- Today is the two-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This week some organizations reported on the spill's aftermath. Corexit, the dispersant used by BP to break up the oil slick, has hindered microbes that break down the oil. In addition, it is easily absorbed by human skin, a possible health hazard people who worked on the cleanup. According to a report by Al Jazeera, many common seafood species such as shrimp now lack eyes or have been found with lesions or other deformities. The good news is that ecological recovery has proceeded faster than expected.
- New Jersey's DEP is planning to remove over 200 trees (mainly sycamores) from Bull's Island in response to a fatal accident last June even though the campground will be shut down anyway. The activist cited in the article, Bill Wolfe, has been writing about the changes DEP is making at Bull's Island in a series of posts on his blog: Bulls Island Update – D&R Canal Commission Engaged; DEP Statements On Bulls Island Are Flat Out False; Bulls Island Update; Bulls Island – Weekly Update. Historically, Bull's Island has been home to bird species that are uncommon in New Jersey, including Cliff Swallow, Cerulean Warbler (which nest in sycamores), and Acadian Flycatcher.
- Maryland is banning the use of arsenic in chicken feed.
- After two years of decline, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2010.
- Technology companies have been moving their power-hungry data centers eastward to take advantage of cheaper (and dirtier) coal-based energy.
- Scientists have found regional dialects in the songs of rock hyraxes. The finding suggests that hyraxes have more complex vocalizations than previously realized.
- Two new (as yet unnamed) frog species and the Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat (Crateromys australis) have been found in the Philippines. Elsewhere, 36 new species of frogs were found among the 76 unique frogs observed in survey of Madagascar's Betampona Nature Reserve.
