Tuesday, December 31, 2013

My Best Photos of 2013

I have not been uploading my own photos on this blog as much as I used to, but I am still photographing birds, insects, plants, and other things. The best place to follow my photos are my Flickr account and my Twitter account. (I usually tweet links to my Flickr photos.) Here is a selection of my best photo from each month of 2013.

1. Snowflakes on broomsedge, 2. Ring-billed Gull, 3. Snowy pines, 4. Spring Beauty, 5. Pink Lady's Slipper, 6. Periodical Cicada, 7. Isabella Tiger Moth, 8. American toad, 9. Merlin, 10. Yellow-collared Scape Moth, 11. Turkey Vulture in flight, 12. Fish Crow

Friday, December 27, 2013

Loose Feathers #424

Razorbill photographed by Bill Thompson/USFWS
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, December 20, 2013

Loose Feathers #423

Northern Harrier / Photo credit: Doug Racine/USFWS
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, December 13, 2013

Loose Feathers #422

Northern Gannet / Credit: USFWS
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, December 06, 2013

Loose Feathers #421

Black Duck (by Scott Nielsen/USFWS)
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, November 29, 2013

Loose Feathers #420

Common Goldeneye / Photo by Bill Thompson (USFWS)
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, November 22, 2013

Loose Feathers #419

Male and female Short-tailed Albatross at Midway NWR / USFWS Photo by Dale Chorman/SeeMore Wildlife Systems
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, November 15, 2013

Loose Feathers #418

Sanderling and Ruddy Turnstones / Photo by Bill Buchanan (USFWS)
Birds and birding
Nature and science blogging
Environment and biodiversity
  • A study estimated that 600,000 bats were killed at wind turbines last year. The precise number is hard to determine; it could be as high as 900,000. Deaths occur mainly when bats are hit by moving blades, but in some cases sudden changes in air pressure might be fatal. Several solutions are currently being tested.
  • In other bat news, a church in Hunterdon County wants to keep its steeple as welcoming to bats as possible as it repairs hurricane damage. 
  • A new interactive map from the University of Maryland shows how forests have changed worldwide from 2000-2012. Among other things, it makes clear the scale of forest loss in Indonesia.
  • The Senate defense bill has language exempting the Navy from laws protecting the southern sea otters of California.
  • Morbillivirus is spreading south with migrating dolphins along the Atlantic coast, and it may be infected whales as well.
  • The US government crushed six tons of ivory to demonstrate its seriousness about ending the illegal ivory trade (and the consequent slaughter of elephants).
  • Since the return of wolves to Yellowstone, grizzly bears there have had more berries to eat.
  • A recent study of modern and fossil DNA suggests that dogs were first domesticated in Europe. However, other recent studies have pointed to origins in China or the Middle East, so there is not yet a consensus.
  • A 90-car train carrying 2.7 million gallons of crude oil derailed and caught fire in Alabama. The damage to surrounding wetlands is so far unclear.
  • A clam that was thought to be 405 years old turned out to be 507 years old.
  • In local news, a rabid fox was found in the vicinity of College Farm Road in New Brunswick. This is the 14th rabies case in Middlesex County this year. Also, a pumpkin-launching catapult was found in the beach in Laurence Harbor, an occasional birding site.

Friday, November 08, 2013

Loose Feathers #417

Red-bellied Woodpecker / Photo by Frank Miles / USFWS
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, November 01, 2013

Loose Feathers #416

Immature Bald Eagle / Photo Credit: Neil Mishler/USFWS
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, October 25, 2013

Loose Feathers #415

California Quail / USFWS Photo
Birds and birding
  • Two dead California Condors were recently found in water tanks used for fighting forest fires. One found near the Tehachapi Mountains was one of the few condors hatched and reared in the wild. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Kern County Fire Department are working to prevent future condor deaths at the tanks.
  • Here is a tongue-in-cheek essay about why a zombie apocalypse would be good for condor conservation.
  • A citizen science project is tracking bird collisions at windows.
  • The Ashy Storm-Petrel, a rare seabird found in the Pacific, was denied federal endangered species protection
  • North American birders will be familiar with a Red Knot subspecies (Calidris canutus rufa) that migrates along the Atlantic coast. Another Red Knot subspecies, Calidris canutus piersmai, breeds in Siberia, migrates through China, and winters in Australia. Like the North American subspecies, C.c. piersmai faces threats to its migratory stopover sites, in this case from coastal development.
  • Since invasive rats were exterminated from Rat Island in Alaska, seabirds have begun to breed there again. The island, which is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, has been renamed Hawadax Island, a name chosen by the local Unangan people.
  • An international agreement has banned ships from dumping PIB, the chemical responsible for killing and injuring numerous birds in the English Channel.
  • If you are setting up outdoor Halloween decorations, be careful of how they might affect birds.
  • Meanwhile, 30 dead birds were found around the Ivanpah solar installation; half of them had burn injuries. 
  • Scientists have discovered some genes that govern the molecular clock of the Common Buzzard. A molecular clock is an internal mechanism that governs things like circadian rhythm and migratory timing.
  • A newspaper article from 100 years ago records the appearance of a white starling.
  • A new condor cam has a live feed of a condor feeding area in central California.
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, October 18, 2013

Loose Feathers #414

Hermit Thrush / Photo credit: Bill Thompson/USFWS
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, October 11, 2013

Loose Feathers #413

Cedar Waxwing / Photo by Dave Menke (USFWS)
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, October 04, 2013

Loose Feathers #412

Merlin / Photo by me
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging

Environment and biodiversity

Friday, September 27, 2013

Loose Feathers #411

Varied Thrush / Photo by Roy W. Lowe (USFWS)
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity

Friday, September 20, 2013

Loose Feathers #410

Red-shouldered Hawk / USFWS Photo
Birds and birding
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity