Loose Feathers #668

Savannah Sparrow / my photo

Birds and birding news

• The red tide affecting Florida's Gulf Coast is sickening migratory shorebirds like Red Knots as they pass through. 
• The US Fish and Wildlife Service will list the Eastern Black Rail as threatened due to its rapid decline.
• Despite improvements to some buildings, tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds still die in collisions with New York City's buildings.
• Two new studies looked at declines in Tree Swallow populations in eastern Canada. 
• Protecting rare birds from overhunting can help a declining population recover.
• Here is a guide to identifying Henslow's Sparrows. 
• The combination of habitat loss and capture for the wildlife trade is particularly threatening for some Asian bird species.
• In 2016, there were 81 attacks on protected raptors in the UK, but no one was prosecuted for them.

Science and nature blogging

• Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography: Immature Female Northern Harrier Harassing A Ring-necked Pheasant Hen
• The Meadowlands Nature Blog: Don Torino’s Life in the Meadowlands: Helping Your Backyard Birds Through the Coming Winter
• The Prairie Ecologist: Crab Spider Tent
• Bird Ecology Study Group: The Variable Brown Shrike
• Natural Newstead: In sunlight and shadow
• Corvid Research: You need to know more about jay spit 

Conservation and biodiversity

• Pando, the massive Quaking Aspen clone forest in Utah, is threatened by overgrazing from deer and livestock and may die out without careful management.
• Satyrine butterflies have swollen veins on their forewings that help them hear low-frequency sounds.
• Several major dam removals are underway to restore spawning habitat for fish.
• Conservation spending slows biodiversity loss, but not enough to keep pace with development. 
• A new study shows that bats save energy by flying close to the ground, and it is likely that applies to birds and insects as well.

Climate change and environmental politics

• Here is a short review of how we know that humans are the main cause of climate change.
• The destruction from Hurricane Michael shows how unprepared the US is for what climate change will bring.
• Vandalism, off-road vehicle use, and other types of damage have increased since the Trump administration cut pieces out of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 
• Ryan Zinke has been the subject of 18 ethical investigations by the Interior Department's Inspector General, who was replaced this week.