Loose Feathers #537

Eastern Towhee / Photo by Thomas Tetzner/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• Thousands of dead murres turned up dead at a freshwater lake in Alaska. Why the seabirds ended up at the lake is unclear.
• Common Ravens are nesting in Washington, DC, for the first time in 100 years.
• Hooded Plovers had a successful breeding season in Australia.
• Here is a chart (pdf) for identifying gulls on the west coast. 
• One of the Bald Eagle eggs at the National Arboretum started to hatch yesterday. You can watch the proceedings here.
• Mass Audubon was founded by two women who wanted to stop the killing of birds for hats.
• A study of Little Blue Penguins aims to discover how climate change is affecting marine life.
• Scientists have identified genes that cause some pigeon breeds to grow feathers on their legs.
• New Caledonian Crows evolved a unique beak to make it possible to use tools.
• Fishing reforms are needed to keep the Balearic Shearwater, Europe's rarest seabird, from going extinct.
• Birds that nest in the Arctic may struggle with climate change.

Science and nature blogging

• Wild Things: Snake fungal disease spreading in eastern United States 
• 10,000 Birds: The National Wildlife Refuge System: Birders Leading the Way
• Inkfish: Birds Give Up Colorful Feathers for Carefree Island Lifestyle
• Shoreline Area News: For the birds: St. Patrick’s Day — a green bird, for the luck of it
• Fotoportmann: American Woodcock: Bryant Park, NYC
• Whimbrel Nature: Great Swamp Wilderness 
• Extinction Countdown: Meet the Tiny, Parasitic "Corpse Flower" That Smells Like Coconuts
• Bird Ecology Study Group: Pin-striped Tit-babbler – frugivorous behaviour
• The Rattling Crow: Great Tit grammar
• Dan Tallman’s Bird Blog: Turkey in a Crabapple Tree

Environment and biodiversity

• Trees may not be as stressed as predicted by climate change, which means they might be more effective as carbon sinks. 
• A new butterfly species, the Tanana Arctic, discovered in Alaska may be the state's only endemic butterfly species. Read the paper here (pdf).
• A new species of golden frog was discovered in Colombia, which is second only to Brazil in amphibian diversity.
• The Malheur occupation had the support of a group of lawmakers.
• SeaWorld agreed to stop breeding orcas in captivity.
• The Obama administration changed its mind and will not open most of the Atlantic coast to offshore drilling. 
• Last year was good for Monarchs, but a lot of other butterflies are also in danger.
• Relocating the cougar that mauled a koala in Los Angeles would likely cause conflicts elsewhere, so it may be best to let the cougar stay where it is.