Birds and birding news
- A new study using high-speed photography unraveled how hummingbirds drink nectar: not by capillary action (as traditionally thought) but by rapidly scooping nectar like a piston.
- Endangered Snail Kites are evolving larger beaks to eat invasive snails in the Everglades (though they still prefer the native apple snails when available).
- Meanwhile, invasive frogs are boosting the numbers of invasive birds in Hawaii.
- The pesticides chlorpyrifos and imidacloprid may be lethal or disorienting for songbirds exposed to them.
- Congress may vote to weaken the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the primary law that protects birds; sign a petition here to let your representatives know if you oppose this.
- Manitoba has long been a stronghold for Golden-winged Warblers, but the population there has started to show signs of hybridization.
- Many Whooping Cranes start forming pair bonds before they are ready to mate and then maintain those bonds for life.
- It looks increasingly like this winter will be an irruption year for Snowy Owls. This week one was banded by Project SNOWstorm at Island Beach State Park in New Jersey. Project SNOWstorm is seeking donations to help cover expenses for transmitters this winter.
- The Guam Kingfisher is extinct in the wild, but its population has been maintained in captivity in U.S. zoos. Reintroduction to the wild will depend on eliminating invasive snakes or finding a suitable alternative location.
- A study found that shy elk accept the grooming they receive from magpies, which pick ticks off the elk.
- Climate change is shifting the wintering grounds of some birds from Africa into the Middle East, which also has an effect on farmers in the region.
- In California, many birds are breeding earlier in response to climate change.
- Little brown birds that are endangered tend to get less attention from conservation organizations and the general public than more colorful endangered birds.
- With the return of large migratory goose flocks, contractors are again using pyrotechnics to scare them off some places where they congregate, like parks in the Sayreville area. (Oddly, that story was illustrated with a photo of a Pink-footed Goose, which is pretty rare in the Sayreville area.)
- Here is a list of New Jersey's Christmas Bird Counts, with dates and contact information.
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity