Posts
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| Wilson's Phalarope / Photo by Alex Galt/USFWS |
- According to DNA analysis, the Spotted Green Pigeon (known only from specimens) was a distinct species that was most closely related to the Dodo and Nicobar Pigeon.
- Fall migration and post-breeding dispersal are already underway. Here are some examples of how birds move around during July.
- Speaking of migration, American Scientist has an article on physiological changes and the annual migration cycle (via 10,000 Birds).
- Scientists have recovered the first-ever geolocator data from a Semipalmated Sandpiper, and a map of the bird's migration route is available.
- The Western Watersheds Project is criticizing the federal government's management plan for Greater Sage Grouse because it does not protect adequately against livestock grazing.
- The US Fish and Wildlife Service is in the midst of a pilot project to remove Barred Owls from the historical range of the endangered Northern Spotted Owl. One biologist who has shot 92 Barred Owls in the past five years reports seeing Northern Spotted Owls move back into habitats where he shot Barred Owls.
- The feathered dinosaur, Changyuraptor yangi, had a long tail to help control its flight and landings, much like many modern raptors.
- Here is a look at some fall flycatcher plumages (via BBB).
- An experiment suggests that fruit colors evolved to draw the attention of birds.
- Satellite tracking shows that ducks use public and private conservation land extensively during their migrations.
- Pelicans are the birds most at risk of being snagged by a fishing line in Australia.
- Atlantic Puffins in Scotland had a successful breeding season.
- An American birder writes about looking for birds in Poland.
- 10,000 Birds: Summer guide to bird taxonomy and systematics news
- Bourbon, Bastards, and Birds.: Sic Semper Tyrannus
- View from the Cape: Ducks - like you never saw them before!
- Birding Dude: Banded Red Knot A6T
- Anything Larus: Lesser Black-backeds Galore: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
- South Jersey Butterfly B/Log: Appalachian Brown, Up Close & Personal
- Avian Images: Northern Cardinal Nest
- The Birders Report: Portrait of the Juvenile Acorn Woodpecker
- The Prairie Ecologist: Longhorns on the Prairie
- National Moth Week is next week, starting Saturday, July 19, and running through Sunday, July 27. Visit the link to learn more about how to participate. It can be as easy as going to a local public mothing event or leaving a outside light on and submitting photos of the moths to one of the partner websites. To whet your appetite, here is an essay on Luna Moths.
- Australia just repealed its carbon tax, which was enacted just a few years ago.
- The water level at Lake Mead keeps sinking lower and lower.
- Meanwhile, Arizona is hoping invasive plant control will make more water available for consumption and agriculture. (My guess is that this might help a little around the margins, but it will not solve the longer-term problems of water availability in the western states.)
- A Walmart is planned for one of the last tracts of pine rockland forest in South Florida.
- A study on Heiltsuk First Nation lands found a previously unknown grizzly bear migration route through British Columbia.
