Posts
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| Atlantic Puffin / USFWS Photo |
- Migrant birds are returning to Malheur NWR, but the refuge is still such a mess that it is unclear when the refuge will be reopened. A major issue will be repairing the irrigation system that waters the refuge's wetlands and stops the spread of invasive carp. Workers at the refuge had a sense that there might be trouble well before the occupation started. The FBI is continuing to make arrests in connection with the Malheur occupation and the earlier incident in Nevada.
- A satellite transmitter recorded the migratory journey of one of Project SNOWstorm's Snowy Owls from Maryland to the northern tip of Québec and south to Amherst Island. If the owl survives and the transmitter keeps working, it may record its activities during next summer's breeding season.
- Project SNOWstorm is but one example of how new technology (especially in miniature form) is changing how ecologists study wildlife.
- The demise of the Heath Hen (an eastern subspecies of the Greater Prairie-Chicken) informs the conservation of grassland birds today.
- Audubon's website (including its excellent field guide) is now available in Spanish. Kenn Kaufman explains the reasoning behind the Spanish-language site.
- This year's Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz began this week. The Rusty Blackbird is one of the fastest declining species in North America; this citizen science project is designed to document they use migratory stopover sites to aid conservation of the species.
- Here is a profile of the scientist studying the endangered Blakiston's Fish Owl.
- A project using geolocators is tracking the winter movements of Atlantic Puffins.
- Crows can be taught to play the shell game.
- Researchers are studying how common pharmaceuticals affect birds like European Starlings.
- A new conservation area is being created in Guatemala's lowlands for migrating songbirds.
- Breeding birds that nest above alligators for protection in the Everglades may also provide food for the alligators in the form of chicks that fall from the nest.
- Living Alongside Wildlife: The Lack of the Landscape of Fear in Eastern Forests --Guest Post
- ABA Blog: On Birding and Photography
- STOKES BIRDING BLOG: Great White Pelican at Ding Darling NWR, 1st N.A. Record, or Escapee?
- Science Sushi: Arachnophobia in the Medical Literature: Are Published "Spider Bites" Reliable?
- Bug Eric: Bee vs. Wasp Memes Perpetuate Ignorance
- ABA Blog: Birding at the Zoo
- Bird Ecology Study Group: Collared Owlet’s “dorsal face”
- Birding Dude: Cackling Goose - A Photo Study
- The Lab and Field: Amusing bird names explained: Fluffy-backed Tit-babbler
- Nemesis Bird: Goose-a-palooza 2016 Summary by Alex Lamoreaux
- The world set new temperature records in February, and the northern hemisphere hit 2°C above normal, the threshold for catastrophic climate effects.
- The proposed Liberty Canyon Wildlife Corridor near Los Angeles would be the largest wildlife corridor in the world if built.
- Different populations of the Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) are so genetically similar worldwide that the dragonflies must be migrating great distances to interbreed with each other. (Read the article at PLOS ONE.)
- An environmental activist was murdered in Honduras, most likely for her opposition to hydropower projects.
- Careless disposal of toxic coal ash, often in poor or minority communities, a serious public health problem.
- Contaminated soil from former farms or industrial sites is a problem in many places. Here are some ways to reduce risk.
- Some scientists argue that invasive species are less of a threat than they are usually presented. The NY Times article has some serious weaknesses, including missing the distinction between nonnative and invasive and glossing over the many instances of human-caused introductions that resulted in serious ecological damage.
- Canada is working out a new climate plan that will include carbon pricing.
- Louisiana is working on restoring some of the wetlands in its delta.
- Researchers are experimenting with a cheaper and lighter moth trap that could make citizen science projects easier.
- Drought and climate change are causing the wetlands to disappear in California's Central Valley.
- The number of Monarchs wintering in Mexico increased significantly this winter.
- The US Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the EPA's plan for cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, so states in the bay's watershed will need to get to work on implementing it.
