Loose Feathers #493

Marsh Wren / Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• North American shorebirds have declined rapidly over the past several decades.
• Greater Prairie-Chickens are more likely to abandon leks near wind turbines.
• A new feathered bird ancestor was found in China.
• A study traced the evolution of domed nests to a transition to nesting on the ground instead of in trees.
• The World Series of Birding will take place this Saturday, May 9. The event will coincide with eBird's global big day.

Science and nature blogging

• Jeff Ollerton's Biodiversity Blog: Urban bee diversity – a new study
• The Barley Birder: Twitching the Hudsonian Godwit in Somerset
• The Birdist: Google Street View Birding: Antarctica Part I: The Falkland Islands

Environment and biodiversity

• Prolonged drought is having a severe impact on many wildlife populations in the American west.
• The newly-elected premier in Alberta has promised to reduce the province's carbon emissions and end lobbying for the Keystone XL pipeline.
• Volunteers are needed to help monitor horseshoe crabs in Raritan Bay.