Loose Feathers #561

Female Broad-tailed Hummingbird feeding on Agastache rupestris / Photo by Ryan Moehring / USFWS

Birds and birding news

• The Hawaiian Islands NWR and Midway Atoll NWR within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument support globally significant nesting colonies of seabirds.
• North American bird populations are down by about a billion individual birds over the past 40 years, with dozens of species losing 50% or more of their population. Losses affect both rare and common species.
• The American Birding Association is considering adding Hawaii to the ABA Area, a somewhat arbitrarily defined region used for North American big years and life lists. Here is an explanation of how that change would work (pdf). 
• One argument for expanding the ABA Area to include Hawaii is that it would bring greater attention to the plight of Hawaii's native bird species.
• Ivory Gulls, which are dependent on sea ice, are disappearing from the Arctic.
• Drew Lanham wants to make birding and ecology more diverse.
• Cape May Point is one of the best places on the East Coast to see migrating hawks in the fall.
• The endangered Piping Plover was named shorebird of the year for World Shorebirds Day.
• Via Birding Dude, the 3rd Annual Long Island Birding Challenge will take place on September 24.

Science and nature blogging

• PLOS Ecology Community: Critically Endangered Hawaiian Crow Joins the Tool-Users Club
• Cool Green Science: Purple Martins: The Bird That Relies on Human-Built Nests  
• Bourbon, Bastards, and Birds.: Bay Area Specialties 
• Birding New Jersey!: Franklin’s Pipixcan
• Extinction Countdown: Thousands of African Grey Parrots Stolen from the Wild Every Month
• Laura's Birding Blog: Splitting the Yellow-rumped Warbler
• 10,000 Birds: Blue Jays On the Move
• Dan Tallman’s Bird Blog: Bobolink 
• ABA Blog: ABA Area Big Year Update: September, and Everyone Goes to Alaska

Environment and biodiversity

• Now that sanctuaries in the Pacific have been expanded, Obama created the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the first marine national monument in the Atlantic. Here is an explanation of why this area deserves protection. The protected area includes part of the wintering range for Atlantic Puffins that breed in Maine. 
• In recent decades, conservationists have put more of an emphasis on protecting large swaths of ocean.
• While Polar Bears have diversified their diet recently (including by eating nesting birds), they still need the sea ice that is steadily disappearing since land-based foods are not nutritionally sufficient.
• This year's Arctic sea ice minimum was the second-lowest on record.
• Fungal diseases, often spread by humans, are an increasing threat to biodiversity. 
• National parks have been the site of numerous scientific studies, including ones that track the progress of climate change. 
• The trial of seven of the Malheur NWR occupiers began this week.
• New Jersey is considering a drought warning due to a prolonged dry spell affecting northeastern states. 
• The EPA is considering giving Superfund status to the Hackensack River. The nearby Passaic River is already in the midst of a Superfund cleanup.