Loose Feathers #534

Trumpeter Swans / Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• The FBI completed evidence collection at Malheur NWR, and USFWS employees have access to the refuge for restoration and reopening. Refuge employees conducted the February raptor survey with help from the FBI.
• Warmer ocean temperatures could make it harder for the Little Penguin to find food.
• Red-backed Fairywrens sing duets to maintain their pair bond in the face of intruders.
• Surveys in China discovered a new wintering location for Spoon-billed Sandpipers, with at least 45 individuals spread over four locations.
• Even elusive pittas are not safe from traffickers; 81 pittas from several species were found in markets in Java last year.
• Brood parasites have a variety of methods for deceiving their hosts.
• In the future, the USFWS will place captive-bred Whooping Crane chicks with wild foster parents rather than having them guided by humans.
• NJ state officials are lobbying federal agencies to ease regulations that protect migrating Red Knots to allow more oyster aquaculture along Delaware Bay.
• Birds that migrate farther have more new neurons in parts of the brain for navigation and spatial orientation.
• Audubon has a new series of rules for birding (mainly aimed at new birders).
• New Jersey's Osprey breeding population is up to 534 active nests in 2015.
• Here is a guide for rescuing birds that accidentally fly indoors.
• CT scans of a Dodo's skull showed that its brain size was comparable to modern pigeons and that it had an enlarged olfactory bulb.
• Thirteen Bald Eagles were found dead in Maryland, and secondary poisoning is the suspected cause.
• About 20 geese were returned to the wild in Washington, DC, after being cleaned of mineral oil that had spilled into the Potomac from a power plant in Virginia.

Science and nature blogging

• Boreal Bird Blog: Wondrous World of Warblers
• wadertales: Why do Turnstones eat chips?
• Extinction Countdown: Brazil's Bats to Face Climate-Change Squeeze
• Nemesis Bird: Northeast Goose Finding Tactics by Alex Lamoreaux  
• Inkfish: Barnacles Plus Plastic Trash Make Rafts for Ocean Animals
• Birding Dude: Cackling Goose Conundrum  
• The Rattling Crow: Play in gulls

Environment and biodiversity

• Polish scientists are protesting a plan to increase logging in the Białowieża Forest, an old-growth forest that is home to the largest wild population of European Bison.
• The natural gas leak in California was the largest greenhouse gas accident on record, spilling the equivalent of the annual emissions of 600,000 cars. While that incident was particularly bad, natural gas drilling operations leak a lot of methane even under normal conditions.
• Sea levels are rising faster now than they have in the past 2800 years according to a study that included sediment cores from South Jersey salt marshes.
• A new paper includes a major revision of spider taxonomy. 
• The Deepwater Horizon oil spill changed microbial communities that thrived near shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico.
• A previously bold population of raccoons changed the way they foraged in response to recordings of dogs barking. The study supports the notion that introduction of predators can have cascading effects through fear as well as predation.
• Droughts worsened by climate change are not just a western problem.
• A ship that sank off the coast of California 60 years ago is still leaking oil.
• Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, wants to cut down over 18,000 trees to build a solar farm.
• Trendy animal photos can harm wildlife by causing stress to the individuals photographed or by encouraging the exotic pet trade.

Loose Feathers #533

Horned Lark / Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• Malheur NWR will be closed for at least a month as the armed occupiers left quite a lot of damage. Some participants in the Malheur occupation are also being charged for the armed standoff over public lands in Nevada. Refuge employees hope that Great Horned Owls will return to nest in the fire tower once things settle down. While the occupiers clamored for federal land to be transferred to states or sold to private owners, it is unlikely that small ranchers would benefit.
• News reports this week declared that 150,000 Adélie Penguins perished at a single colony in Antarctica, but the missing penguins may have dispersed to other colonies.
• Parrots are among the most threatened bird orders; 28% of extant parrot species are classified as threatened. 
• A toe bone found on Ellesmere Island shows that large flightless birds from the genus Gastornis once roamed the Arctic.
• Geolocation data has revealed that the Atlantic Puffins that nest in Maine spend the winter at sea, particularly in waters near deep sea canyons.
• The true relationship between humans and honeyguides may not be what is presented in nature documentaries. 
• Migrating songbirds drift with crosswinds except near the Atlantic coast, where they expend more energy to stay close to shore.
• The Black Hills population of Virginia's Warblers is not genetically isolated from other Virginia's Warblers.
• Plastics are a problem, but Northern Fulmars absorb more toxins from their prey than from microplastics.
• Large oil palm plantations have more habitat fragmentation and less avian biodiversity, but birds do well at some small plantations.
• Cockatoos and galahs prefer areas with a lot of kangaroos, but some smaller birds like swallows lose out when kangaroos are common.
• A trained Bald Eagle is being used to test systems for stopping or slowing wind turbines when birds are in danger.
• A specialized white blood cell found in birds can prevent a fungal infection that kills humans. 
• There is a webcam for the Bald Eagles that nest in the National Arboretum.

Science and nature blogging

• 10,000 Birds: Did humans kill off one of the last dinosaurs, er, giant birds?
• Pine Barrens Blog: State of the Pinelands: The Year in Review
• Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey: Track the Bald Eagle’s Triumphant Return to New Jersey 
• Bird Ecology Study Group: Little Spiderhunter hovering
• Mercenary Ornithology: California Condor vs. Common Raven
• Bug Eric: To Collect or Not to Collect
• Extinction Countdown: Rarest Crocs in the Americas Get a Radio Boost
• Vitrified Headers: Moths of Plainsboro, Fourth Edition

Environment and biodiversity

• Death Valley is expected to be unusually colorful this spring as excessive rain from El Niño set the conditions for a massive wildflower bloom.
• New research has mapped the climate sensitivity of habitats in all the world's regions. As one might expect, polar and mountainous areas are particularly sensitive.
• Yellowstone National Park plans a large cull of its bison herd. The ostensible reason is to avoid conflicts with nearby ranchers; there may also be an ecological justification for the cull.
• The US will have trouble meeting its greenhouse gas reduction commitments without cuts that go beyond the Clean Power Plan and related policies.
• A model predicts that there would be far greater mammalian diversity, especially in the Americas, if humans had not killed off so many animals.
• Wildlife advocates have proposed a series of reforms to reduce the brutality of leg-hold traps.
• A website chronicles changes in the Elwha River watershed since its dams were removed.
• The border wall has significant environmental impacts, because of habitat fragmentation and the genetic isolation that results from blocking migration and dispersal routes.
• Warm-water algae-related toxins have been found in Arctic sea mammals for the first time.
• The recent declaration of new national monuments had its seeds in the energy land rush at the start of the Obama administration and will fill gaps between areas that were already protected.

Loose Feathers #532

Wild Turkey / Photo by Joanna Gilkeson/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• The armed occupation at Malheur NWR finally ended when the last four holdouts surrendered yesterday after intense negotiations. Now that the occupation is over, the refuge will remain closed for weeks as the FBI investigates it as a crime scene, and then it will take time to clean up and restore the refuge. Portland Audubon put out a call for volunteers, and the refuge's friends group is accepting donations to help with restoration efforts. Even before the end of the occupation, refuge employees were negotiating to get back into the refuge to continue their work and prevent long-term damage to the refuge's wetlands, which are important for many migratory birds. Local birders are relieved that the occupation ended in time to prepare the refuge for spring migration.
• The Great Backyard Bird Count starts today, February 12, and runs through Monday, February 15. Participate by counting birds for at least 15 minutes in your backyard or someplace else and submit your observations to the GBBC website.
• The remains of the Ivory Gull found in Minnesota have yielded a treasure trove of ectoparasites (lice and mites), some of which may represent new species. 
• Many parrots, including the long-lived and intelligent Gray Parrots, are disappearing from their native ranges due to wildlife trafficking.
• The size of Blue Tits' nests is unrelated to their breeding success.
• Verreaux's Eagles and agriculture coexist in South Africa's Sandveld region. You can read the paper here.
• The oldest known living bird, a 65-year-old Laysan Albatross, hatched her 40th chick this week.
• Careless use of rat poison threatens birds of prey and carnivores.
• A study found that songbirds recognize sound patterns using the overall spectral shape.
• Using eagles to hunt drones is probably bad for the eagles.
• Some birds were oiled along the Potomac River last weekend.
• Whooping Cranes in Louisiana survive by hunting reptiles and amphibians.

Science and nature blogging

• The Crux: How the Malheur Occupation Hamstrung Science
• Extinction Countdown: Every Member of This Rare Bird Species Is About to Get its Genome Sequenced
• Birding Dude: Kumlien's Gull in Queens NYC
• The Xerces Society Blog: 5 Tips for Better Insect Photography
• On The Wing Photography: An American Kestrel attacking a Red-tailed Hawk – How I Messed Up This Shot 
• 10,000 Birds: The true “Mediterranean” Gull
• Not Exactly Rocket Science: Oops! Giant Raptor’s Wishbone is Actually a Bit of Turtle Shell
• Nature Photo Guides: Death Valley Wildflower Update: Prelude to a Super Bloom?
• Bird Ecology Study Group: Rufescent Prinia – family group and vocalisation
• The Rattling Crow: The Mute Swan

Environment and biodiversity

• Obama will designate three new national monuments in California to protect desert landscapes with unique habitats and archaeological features. In addition, the new monuments will connect existing protected areas to preserve wildlife corridors and allow species to adapt to climate change.
• A new paper links the breakdown of empires in the fifth and sixth centuries to a cooling climate. 
• The Supreme Court blocked enforcement of the EPA's Clean Power Plan while the regulations are challenged in the court system. This could end up stalling the plan until Obama is out of office.
• Some EPA officials knew that a toxic spill was possible at the Gold King mine site.
• Most schoolchildren in the US are not getting accurate information about climate change.
• The Porter Ranch gas leak reveals a lack of oversight for oil and gas drilling operations in the Los Angeles area.
• The USDA's Wildlife Services agency continues to kill carnivores in sometimes horrible ways. 
• Up to half of the Amazonian tree species are endangered if deforestation trends continue.
• The deer tick genome has finally been sequenced.
• The Western Bumble Bee, Bombus occidentalis, is recovering from severe population declines in some areas.

Loose Feathers #531

Northern Harrier / Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• The armed occupation at Malheur NWR continued for another week, with four holdouts left on the refuge. The occupation is a symptom of larger problems, and federal land managers are continually harassed into not following official management policies. The occupation may affect the proposed wilderness designation at a nearby site.
• An Indian birder saw a record 1,128 bird species during a big year in India in 2015.
• The numbers indicate that California Condors are recovering, but the species is nowhere close to surviving on its own.
• Corvids help spread the seeds of oaks and pines, and their seed caches may be key to whether some tree species can cope with climate change.
• The number and duration stopovers that Purple Martins make during migrations are linked to their body and wing size. 
• Winter singing by migratory songbirds may be less about defending a territory and more about practicing for the following breeding season.
• A reader of Why Evolution Is True photographed interaction between a Black Vulture and Crested Caracaras.
• Little Blue Penguins from Australia invaded New Zealand about 500 years ago and replaced a native penguin species.
• Barn Owls are a widespread species but are declining in much of their range.
• Ravens can imagine being spied on even when potential competitors are unseen.
• Sanderlings are more commonly seen in Kentucky during autumn migration than in the spring.
• Australian parrots need more protection.
• Massachusetts had at least 51 breeding pairs of Bald Eagles last year.
• Here is a photo gallery of some of Costa Rica's hummingbirds.
• Small birds like the Eurasian Siskin prefer traveling in social groups.

Science and nature blogging

• Not Exactly Rocket Science: Butterflies Forty Million Years Before Butterflies
• The Artful Amoeba: The Venus Flytrap Can Count Past 2
• Meadowlands Nature Blog: Don Torino’s Life in the Meadowlands: Native Grasses for the Backyard
• Nemesis Bird: Delaware Goose-a-thon 2016 by Alex Lamoreaux
• Anything Larus: Appledore Gulls - Herring x Lesser Black-backed Hybrids
• The Smaller Majority: Lungless and happy about it
• 10,000 Birds: Cattle Egrets Eating Herps at the Viera Wetlands
• Pioneer Birding: MA - an interesting 'Yellow-legged'-type Gull at Turner's Falls
• ScienceBorealis.ca Blog: World Wetlands Day: The Hunter and the Number Cruncher 

Environment and biodiversity

• Tuesday was World Wetlands Day, a day to celebrate these vital but threatened habitats.
• A new bridge in Singapore is helping pangolins and other animals cross a busy highway.
• Attacks and uncomfortable encounters between humans and large carnivores are often linked to risky behaviors. 
• The lead poisoning crisis in Flint, Michigan, is a reminder that environmental lead exposure is a serious problem around the country, including in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Lead may be present in the soil in addition to old paint and drinking water.
• Most of the Great Bear Rainforest will be off-limits to logging.
• Salamanders will be migrating soon to vernal pools in the northeast.
• A plan to install solar panels at Six Flags in New Jersey would involve destroying 66 acres of Pinelands habitat; opponents of the plan want the amusement park to install the solar panels in the parking lot instead.
• Fish with sexual mutations have turned up in the Great Swamp and Walkill River, which suggests that those watersheds may be more polluted than thought.