Loose Feathers #385

Greater Sage-Grouse / USFWS Photo

Birds and birding

• A Red-tailed Hawk attacked a Bald Eagle nest at Duke Farms and got more than it bargained for.
• According to data from the Big Garden Birdwatch, garden birds in the U.K. continued their declines, including a 17% decline in House Sparrows and a 16% decline in European Starlings.
• The nests of Monk Parakeets were removed from utility poles in Edgewater, New Jersey.
• A study of Great Tits found a correlation between appearance and reproductive success.
• A report by the US Fish and Wildlife Service details the most important habitat for the Greater Sage-Grouse, which may be listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2015.
• As the Polynesians colonized the Pacific islands 4,000 years ago, they drove many of the islands' endemic species into extinction, a toll of up to 1,300 species.
• Research on Lesser Prairie-Chickens in Texas has shown that the birds stay away from tall structures like wind turbines and power lines.
• Scientists have sequenced the genomes of Peregrine and Saker Falcons and found evidence of rapid evolution to hone their predatory adaptations.

Nature and science blogging

• ABA Blog: 2013 AOU Check-list Committee Proposals
• Not Exactly Rocket Science: Africa’s Weird Fairy Circles are Termite-Built Water Traps
• March of the Fossil Penguins: Plenty of Penguins Once Roamed Africa
• Outside My Window: Sniffing Their Way North
• Bug Girl's Blog: Planet of the Arthropods
• Extinction Countdown: ‘Extinct’ Indian Gecko Rediscovered After 135 Years
• The Loom: Ducks Meet the Culture Wars
• PhotoNaturalist: What’s Wrong With This Photo?

Environment and biodiversity

• Obama protected five new national monuments using his authority under the Antiquities Act. Two are administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and three will be administered by the National Park Service as historic sites.
• Last summer was the worst on record for British butterflies.
• A Canadian Pacific train spilled 30,000 gallons of crude oil in Minnesota.
• Erratic winter weather in the eastern United States and Europe is influenced by the loss of Arctic sea ice, which causes the jet stream to bend away from its normal path. Arctic sea ice hit its yearly maximum on March 15, the sixth-lowest maximum since 1979.
• Conservationists working to eliminate rats from Alcatraz found glowing millipedes on the island.
• A magnitude 5.7 earthquake in Oklahoma in 2011 was linked to the injection of oil-drilling wastewater underground.
• Peru declared an environmental state of emergency because of oil contamination from drilling operations along the Pastaza River in the Amazon.
• A massive pollination operation is required for the 85% of the world's almonds that grow in California's Central Valley.

Loose Feathers #384

Piping plover at Cape May NWR / Photo by Don Freiday (USFWS)

Birds and birding news

• The Center for Conservation Biology is tracking the movements of 70 Bald Eagles tagged around the Chesapeake Bay with GPS transmitters. The project was started to find out how eagles were using Department of Defense lands, but expanded to include other eagles as well.
• Here is a gallery of seven species waiting for endangered species classification, including Yellow-billed Loon.
• Last Friday, the National Geographic Society and TEDx sponsored a conference on de-extinction, the possibility that extinct species could be brought back via genetics. There have been a number of good responses, including Corey Bradshaw's. A few others are listed below.
• New research shows that the behavior of flocks — whether of birds, fish, insects, or other animals — is governed by simple rules, and individuals within a flock or swarm align themselves with the movements of their closest neighbors, sometimes with prodding from other members of the group.
• An analysis of bird fossils from Haiti shows that the extinction of many species was not simultaneous with the first arrival of humans on the island 6,000 years ago.
• Conservationists are concerned that a European ban on discarding fish at sea could have a detrimental effect on seabirds that have grown accustomed to scavenging around fishing boats.
• The American Bird Conservancy is calling for an independent review of the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on birds.
• Automobile collisions appear to be having a selective effect on Cliff Swallows, as swallows with shorter wingspans are less likely to end up as roadkill. (See also Greg Laden's discussion of the study.)

Nature and science blogging

• Culturing Science: The Narcissism of De-Extinction
• Laelaps: Reinventing the Mammoth
• Myrmecos: We really don’t know why monarch butterflies are disappearing
• The Skeptical Moth: How to Sex a Moth 
• mocosoco Birds: Three Pacific Loons in Morris County, Mar. 17, 2013
• The Birdist: Google Street View Birding
• Bug Eric: True Bug Tuesday: Exporting the Western Conifer Seed Bug 
• Extinction Countdown: Illegal Pet Trade Wiping Out Yellow-Crested Cockatoos
• 10,000 Birds: Why Did The National Audubon Society End Their Contract With Ted Williams?
• Not Exactly Rocket Science: The Global Kraken 
• Flickr Blog: Amazing landscapes of Altiplano

Environment and biodiversity

• This week is National Wildlife Week, and there is still time to celebrate.
• The first data is coming in from NASA's Landsat 8 satellite. The satellite was launched in February to replace older satellites and contains instruments for monitoring the Earth's environment, including land and water use.
• Scientists found eight new species of frogs in a nature preserve in Sri Lanka, all in the genus Pseudophilautus.
• Two new lizard species have been discovered in the Peruvian Amazon.
• A genetic study of salamanders suggests that salamanders crossed from Central to South America earlier than previously thought.
• The contractors who wrote the State Departments report on the Keystone XL pipeline had significant conflicts of interest, with financial ties to energy companies that stand to benefit from the pipeline.
• The Keystone XL pipeline has become an issue in the Massachusetts Senate race as one candidate (Edward Markey) opposes its construction while the other (Stephen Lynch) supports it. Among the many groups opposing the pipeline are Native Americans, who claim it violates treaties signed by the Canadian government.
• Meanwhile, Amazon Indians are trying to block oil exploration by a Canadian oil company in their tribal areas. 
• According to a recent study, selectively logged tropical forests harbor more biodiversity than previously thought and are deserving of conservation protection (rather than being turned into palm oil plantations).
• A new sea level mapping tool provides a view of what the New Jersey coast might look like under different climate change scenarios.
• The unusually cold weather the eastern United States is experiencing this March may be linked to the loss of Arctic sea ice, which affects the path of the jet stream.
• Canada is not adequately prepared for climate change, which will put unprecedented challenges on its infrastructure and public health systems.
• Los Angeles is trying to end its use of coal for producing energy.
• Due to the success of the High Line, another former railroad in Queens may be converted into a trail. 
• A massacre in Chad claimed the lives of 89 African Elepahants, all killed for their ivory.

Loose Feathers #383

Cedar Waxwing / Photo by Bill Thompson (USFWS)

Birds and birding

• A study of shorebirds showed that sex roles are dependent on the ratio between adult males and adult females. When males outnumber females, males tend to take the primary role in caring for offspring.
• The Gunnison Sage-Grouse may be the rarest bird species in the United States, with only about 5,000 individuals in the wild. This bird species was only discovered 13 years ago and is one of many cryptic species.
• A study found that ambient noise reduces avian diversity in cities, and loud ambient noise is especially bad for birds with lower pitches in their songs.
• Some parrots are willing to make trades to get better snacks.
• A recent expedition into Cambodia's Virachey National Park found 163 species of birds, including Slaty-backed Forktail, Yellow-vented Green Pigeon, and Mustached Barbet.
• Seabirds are being killed by another oil spill in the UK, this time in Yorkshire.
• 100 years ago this week, a writer in The Guardian celebrated seeing the first Chiffchaff of spring.

Nature and science blogging

• Not Exactly Rocket Science: The Rise and Fall of Four-Winged Birds
• Safari Ecology: Common birds: Red-billed Quelea, commonest bird in the world?
• Extinction Countdown: Google Earth Inspires Rediscovery of Lost Butterfly Species
• The Meadowlands Blog: Great Seal of New Jersey
• The Loom: Resurrecting A Forest
• The Scicurious Brain: Plants give bees a caffeine buzz
• Laelaps: The Promise and Pitfalls of Resurrection Ecology
• mocosoco Birds: Pacific Loon updates; other field notes, Mar. 12, 2013
• The Rattling Crow: There is more to the eyes of the Robin

Environment and biodiversity

• Temperatures are rising faster in the Arctic than elsewhere on the planet, and the resulting ecosystem changes are visible from space. Tall shrubs and trees are starting to invade the formerly treeless tundra.
• Southwestern cities like Phoenix will face severe challenges as the climate continues to warm, to the point that they may not be able to survive in the face of unmitigated climate change.
• A new study reconstructs the global climate over the past 11,300 years and finds that the Earth is warming at an unprecedented pace.
• A project needs volunteers to find wildlife crossings in northern New Jersey.
• The UK environment minister is blocking a Europe-wide pesticide ban to protect bees even though it has widespread public support.
• It appears that invasive Asian long-horned beetles have been extirpated from New Jersey.
• Monarch butterfly numbers are down again this year, due to drought and changes in agricultural practices.
• Despite annual monsoons, much of India is struggling to provide enough clean drinking water to its growing population. Gujarat is planning to cover its canals with solar panels to reduce evaporation (and generate power, of course).
• CITES has so far been ineffective at stopping the illegal ivory trade. In other CITES news, five shark species have won protection under CITES from fin harvesting for shark fin soup and dozens of tree species gained new protections.
• Red tide is currently killing dozens of manatees in Florida.
• Thanks to budget sequestration, Yellowstone National Park will be opening later than usual this year because it lacks the money to pay for plowing the roads.
• Some scientists think that oil from the Deepwater Horizon well may have mixed with plankton and sediments and precipitated to the ocean floor in a "dirty blizzard" effect. That may account for the oil that went missing after the spill.
• A contagious cancer is wiping out the Tasmanian Devil population, but scientists are getting closer to understanding how it works (hopefully in time to prevent the species's extinction).

Loose Feathers #382

Common Goldeneye / Photo by Mike Guyant (USFWS)

Birds and birding

• Scientists are trying to keep the "Little Dodo" or Manumea of Samoa from going extinct.
• English scientists are studying how Rooks and Jackdaws interact in mixed-species flocks.
• Conservationists are trying to save forests in southwestern Australia that are home to endemic cockatoos and other unique species.
• Some Australian native plants are almost exclusively pollinated by birds and have developed color structures to appeal to birds rather than insects.
• Emperor Penguins in Antarctica are surrounded by a cushion of cold air that helps keep them warm by convection.

Nature and science blogging

• ABA Blog: Spot Check
• Round Robin: Weighing the Fate of the Gunnison Sage-Grouse
• Laelaps: The Giant Camels of the Prehistoric High Arctic
• Not Exactly Rocket Science: The Origin of the Friendly Wolf that Confused Darwin
• Extinction Countdown: De-Extinction: Can Cloning Bring Extinct Species Back to Life?
• Tetrapod Zoology: Kea, Kaka, Kakapo
• Coffee & Conservation: New orchid species named for coffee company

Environment and biodiversity

• This week countries met in Thailand to celebrate the 40th anniversary of CITES, a treaty protecting endangered species from economic exploitation, and discuss updates to its protections. A proposal by the US and Russia to ban trade in polar bear parts was defeated. The meeting also discussed the illegal trade in elephant and rhinoceros parts.
• Over the last decade, 62% of the forest elephants in Africa have been killed to support the ivory trade.
• Last year saw the largest increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide since record-keeping started in 1959. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at 395 parts per million (ppm), far higher than the 350 ppm that climate scientists think is the threshold for catastrophic climate change. (see also)
• Obama nominated Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency. This is a promotion from her current position in the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, where she oversaw implementation of stricter emissions standards.
• One problem with concentrated solar energy plants is the massive amount of concrete it takes to build them.
• This website has zoomable images of mammal and bird bones.
• Last week, the New York Times discontinued its Green Blog; this week the Washington Post decided to reassign a great reporter away from her environmental beat.
• The US Fish and Wildlife Service is due to rule on all the species on its endangered species candidate list over the next few years. It plans to release rulings for 97 species by September.

Loose Feathers #381

Ring-necked Pheasant / Photo by Mike Guyant (USFWS)

Birds and birding

• Exurban residences affect bird populatioms up to 200 meters away. Human-sensitive species such as Hermit Thrush were 26% less likely to live within 200 meters of a residence than in surrounding forest. Likewise, human-adapted species like Blue Jay were 36% more common around residences.
• The NY Times has a nice article on recent develops in owl research.
• The Center for Birds of Prey in South Carolina treats over 500 birds a year.
• Sand and gravel mining companies in Nebraska have partnered with the federal government to protect Piping Plovers and Least Terns around their mines.
• Two dozen guillemots have been released in England after being cleaned.
• When a bird is singing, some of its neurons are focused on the sound being produced while others are thinking about the next few sounds.
• Many White Storks have stopped migrating from Europe to Africa for the winter and now stay in Europe year-round. 
• Six captive-bred Blue-throated Macaws will be released in Bolivia to bolster the endangered wild population.
• A new paper proposes that hummingbirds create two vortices rather than one with their wingstrokes.

Nature and science blogging

• Bourbon, Bastards, and Birds.: Gull Worshippers: The Cult of Larophilia
• BirdWatching Field of View: 10 huge discoveries uncovered with small geolocators
• 10,000 Birds: Whooping Crane Ancestry
• The Smaller Majority: African Tuesday: Heelwalkers
• All Things Birds Blog: Departure Time for Many Wintering Waterfowl
• Extinction Countdown: Tragedy in New Zealand: Dozens of Critically Endangered Birds Dead, Cause Unknown

Environment and biodiversity

• New research highlights the agricultural importance of wild pollinators, which are in steep decline for a variety of reasons. Wild pollinators are twice as effective as honey bees at pollinating crops and are better at providing cross pollination. A second study estimates that half of the native bee species in the U.S. went extinct during the 20th century.
• Shell will not drill in the Arctic in 2013 due to continuing problems with its drill ships.
• While numerous politicians continue to deny the existence of climate change, the US Navy is forging ahead with plans to address climate change, from switching to renewable fuels to adapting to changed ocean conditions.
• Highlands, New Jersey, is considering a plan to raise its downtown to cope with storms and rising  sea levels.
• Low-lying areas along the East Coast are particularly vulnerable to climate change because of subsidence, and climate change is already costing residents of those areas a lot of money.
• A study by Oceana found widespread mislabeling of seafood, with over one third of the fish sampled bearing the wrong label. Most fish labeled "white tuna" are actually escolar, a fish that can cause uncontrolled diarrhea.
• Earlier this week a sensationalized photo of a sea lamprey caught in New Jersey made the rounds. Less well publicized was the news that the sea lamprey genome has been sequenced.
• In Puerto Rice, the coquí, a tiny tree frog, is becoming emblematic of the need to address climate change. Coquí species are threatened by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, whose spread is aided by climate change, and three coquí species have already gone extinct.