Friday, April 20, 2018

Loose Feathers #643

Trumpeter Swans / Photo by Jacob W. Frank/NPS
Birds and birding news
  • The change has been rumored for some time, but last week the Interior Department made it official that it would not enforce the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in cases of accidental bird deaths, even in the case of major disasters like the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
  • Hooded Warblers will desert their young if they molt their tail feathers while still brooding, and the other parent (usually the female) is left to care for young themselves.
  • NJ Audubon's reintroduction program for Northern Bobwhite has been successful so far but needs to expand to other sites to establish a stable population in the state.
  • Since Piping Plovers nested at Presque Isle State Park in Pennsylvania last summer, conservationists are looking to restore other sites around the Great Lakes as plover nesting habitat. 
  • Understanding birds' natural behavior is necessary for reducing the number of collisions with aircraft, buildings, and wind turbines.
  • Zimbabwe has one of the greatest concentrations of raptors in the world.
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity