Loose Feathers #591

Atlantic Puffins / USFWS Photo

Birds and birding news

• Citizen science has helped link shorebird decline to the loss of mudflats at migratory stopover sites. 
• The Snail Kite is one of the world's most specialized raptors but has adapted to eating invasive snails in addition to the native apple snails it prefers.
• This week PBS ran a special on the conservation of Puerto Rican wildlife, including the endangered Puerto Rican Parrot.
• A sediment core full of penguin guano led to the discovery of a lost Gentoo Penguin colony decimated by a pre-modern volcanic eruption. 
• Puffins that stay close to their partner during migration have more chicks. 
• The ammonia in seabird guano helps create localized cooling effects in parts of the Arctic with nesting colonies.
• Chiffchaffs, like many other birds, are named for their distinctive song.

Science and nature blogging

• 10,000 Birds: Endangered Species Act: Delisting the Black-capped Vireo?
• Corner of the Cabinet: Some plants are still making fleshy fruit to attract extinct megafauna
• Jeff Ollerton's Biodiversity Blog: A fossilised flower in amber – with its pollinator!
• Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography: Female and Male Western Meadowlarks–A Glimpse into Their Mating Behaviors
• Dan Tallman’s Bird Blog: Bloodroot and Siberian Scilla
• Bird Ecology Study Group: Nature Conservation and Nature Society (Singapore): 1. Introduction 
• Bug Eric: Jeers for Cheerios? Not so Fast

Environment and biodiversity

• Many important but inexpensive programs are targeted for steep funding cuts in the Trump budget. Among them is Superfund, which cleans up toxic waste sites. Climate satellites and data collection are also targeted.
• Upcoming naval exercises in the Gulf of Alaska pose risks to salmon, whales, and seabirds.
• In the face of attempts to weaken the Endangered Species Act, Rep. Raúl Grijalva counters claims that the law has been a failure.
• The fight over public lands continues, sometimes pitting conservatives against each other.
• The increasing use of road salt is causing a salinity problem in freshwater lakes. 
• This may be a very bad year for Lyme disease due to the warm winter and a boom in the white-footed mouse population.
• Thanks to unfavorable weather conditions, 70% of British butterfly species declined in 2016.
• Here is a profile of Ron Shields, a nature photographer who frequents the Meadowlands.
• Following a rainy winter, the drought warning has been lifted in 12 NJ counties but is still active in Somerset and Hunterdon counties since Round Valley and Spruce Run are still less than 3/4 full.
• Spring is a good time to look for bee flies.
• POWWW is a nonprofit organization that works to protect land in Morris County, New Jersey.