Loose Feathers #712

Western Kingbird / Photo by Kari Cieszkiewicz/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• As shorebirds migrate south, they depend on being able to forage at key stopover sites, like the Bay of Fundy.
• A single Red-billed Tropicbird has spent the summer at Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge in Maine every summer since 2005 despite the lack of other tropicbirds in the area. 
• Burned forests, when left alone, can benefit certain birds like Black-backed and Lewis's Woodpeckers.
• City Wildlife has recommendations for keeping migratory birds safe on their journey.
• Atlantic Puffins are protected in the northeastern US by three key environmental laws. Those laws and others are under political attack.
• Various studies have shown that birds in urban contexts change their songs to be heard over the ambient noise. A new study suggests that birds around airports sing at lower pitches because of hearing loss. Birds around airports also tend to be more aggressive.
• Captive-bred Helmeted Honeyeater hybrids were released into the wild to keep an endangered subspecies from dying out due to inbreeding. 
• A Mexican environmentalist who studied and protected macaws was found murdered. Murders of environmentalists have increased worldwide in recent years.
• A new study attempted to estimate the number of birds killed illegally in the Middle East.
• Last year the RSPB documented 87 incidents of raptor persecution, but only one resulted in a conviction.
• Raptor persecution is a problem in Australia as well, where Wedge-tailed Eagles are among the targets.
• A new study found that Wekas can disperse seeds as far as doves despite their flightlessness. However they become less effective at dispersal when they live near humans.
• British birders may have recorded the country's first ever Brown Booby this month.

Science and nature blogging

• Corvid Research: Dumpster diving is giving crows higher cholesterol—but does it matter?
• Avithera: Musk Duck displaying
• Avian Hybrids: More than meets the eye: Scientists discover several cryptic storm-petrel species
• AOS News: Seeking Mixed-Species Flocks in China’s Misty Mountains  
• awkward botany: Seed Dispersal by Way of Tree Climbing Goats

Biodiversity and conservation

• A new report calls for a ban on fishing Shortfin Mako sharks, which are declining from overfishing. 
• Sea Otters are dying from Toxoplasma infections transmitted by domestic cats. Infections could be reduced by keeping cats indoors and not maintaining feral cat colonies.
• Insect declines reported in Puerto Rico might not be the result of climate change.
• Ground-nesting bees may be exposed to lethal doses of pesticides in the soil near agricultural areas.
• The rare Union Island Gecko, which is threatened by the pet trade, was given the highest listing under CITES.
• A newly-discovered species of gall mite may change the way gall mites are classified. 
• Invasive Zebra Mussels have spread to lakes in Texas. 
• The arrival of beavers increases the biodiversity in wetlands through their engineering work.
• Increased park visitation is stressing Elk in Colorado's Rocky Mountains.

Climate change and environmental politics

• The president has promised pardons to subordinates if they break laws to build his border wall.
• The administration plans to gut methane regulations, despite objections from fossil fuel companies and the effect of methane on the climate.
• The administration is also pushing to expand logging in Tongass National Forest, which is home to the world's largest intact temperate rainforest.
• Meanwhile the DNC reiterated its ban on 2020 presidential candidates participating in a climate debate.
• The cruise ship industry has its share of environmental problems, from greenhouse gases and water pollution to striking marine mammals.
• Evidence shows that the fires in the Brazilian Amazon are linked to deliberate deforestation.

Loose Feathers #711

Barred Owl (my photo)

Birds and birding news

• EBird completed its taxonomic update for 2019. Read the details at the link. This year's update moves the Clements Checklist closer to other taxonomic authorities for birds in Africa and Southeast Asia.
• Despite an outbreak of fungal infections, the Kakapo Recovery Program recently hit a milestone of 200 living parrots, the highest the population has been in decades.
• A study of Garden Warblers found that migrating birds that are better fed tend to sleep with their heads facing forward, while underfed birds sleep with their heads tucked to conserve energy. (The illustration in the article is of a warbler in a different family.)
• Bird Twitter provides a more positive experience than much of social media. 
• Banders in Alabama recaptured a Kentucky Warbler that is at least eleven years old, a record for that species.
• Darwin's finches survive despite low genetic diversity, and some of the Darwin's finch species with the highest genetic diversity are extinct. 
• Even without intensive logging, the numbers of insect-eating birds fell in Himalayan forests after biomass was removed for firewood or fodder.
• White-tailed Eagles are being reintroduced to the Isle of Wight after success with a reintroduction program in Scotland.
• Barnacle Geese at Svalbard benefit from an earlier spring but face more predators after a warmer winter.

Science and nature blogging

• ABA Blog: Skylarking Cassin’s Sparrows in Southeast Arizona
• The Xerces Society Blog: Fun with Harvester Butterflies, Part Two
• Sciblogs: Genomics, genetic persistence and the hihi 
• Cool Green Science: Focus on Native Bees, Not Honey Bees
• Birds Korea Blog: Another New Identification Challenge: Warbling and Swinhoe’s White-eyes
• Bird Ecology Study Group: Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis

Biodiviersity and conservation

• Los Angeles is planning to build a wildlife crossing over a ten-lane highway to connect different parts of the Santa Monica Mountains.
• A First Nation and provincial and federal governments worked together to create a new national park in Canada's Northwest Territories. 
• Scientists are trying to figure out how killing large numbers of mosquitos affects other organisms like plants and birds.
• Controlled burns can be a useful management tool.

Climate change and environmental politics

• The big environmental story this week has been the burning of the Amazon, where fires have increased by 85% since the beginning of the year. Brazil's president blames NGOs, but most likely the fires are part of a deliberate strategy of deforestation. The extent of the fires can be seen in satellite imagery. 
• The Democratic National Committee voted down a proposal for a debate focused on climate change despite pressure from activists. 
• Parts of the border wall extension will cross floodplains and put people in danger from flooding on both sides of the Rio Grande.
• The regulatory changes regarding enforcement of the Endangered Species Act could affect conservation in Canada as well, especially as some provincial governments are making similar changes.
• Washington, DC, is about 5% more humid than in 1970 and 10% more humid than in 1950. The reason seems to be climate change, since warmer air can hold more moisture.

Loose Feathers #710

Canada Goose / Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• Female American Kestrels spend the winter in higher quality habitat than males do, a difference that can be traced back to their roles during the breeding season. 
• An elusive rat on St. Paul Island in Alaska is a reminder of the danger rats (and other invasive mammals) pose to seabirds.
• A study found that GPS transmitters affect the survival of tagged sage-grouse more than VHF transmitters do. 
• Scientists found the remains of a very tall extinct penguin in New Zealand. 
• A study using geolocators found that Northern Wheatears that breed in Alaska migrate across Russia and the Middle East to spend the winter in eastern Africa. A tagged wheater from Baffin Island spent the winter in western Africa.
• Since the end of the civil war, the Colombian government has devoted more attention to stopping wildlife trafficking, particularly of songbirds.
• Bones of an extinct Creighton's Caracara that where found underwater on a Caribbean island preserved DNA. The site, called Sawmill Sink, preserved bones of many other species as well.
• Here are some suggestions for getting into birding.

Science and nature blogging

• 10,000 Birds: The Economic Impact of Birding on National Wildlife Refuges: Creating Local Jobs
• World Shorebirds Day: Global Shorebird Counts 2019 is coming 
• The Prairie Ecologist: Grasses Have Flowers Too
• awkward botany: Idaho’s Native Milkweeds (Updated)
• In Defense of Plants: Path Rush
• robertscribbler: Melting Ice Everywhere — Arctic Sea Ice Extent Hit New Record Lows in Late July and Early August 
• On The Wing Photography: Imagine Utah Without California Gulls
• BugTracks: Eggshells 

Biodiversity and conservation

• This week iNaturalist reached a milestone with 15 million research grade observations (out of 25 million observations overall). While the observations have a regional bias and are skewed to things that are easier to photograph, the site now has one of the largest citizen science datasets. 
• A group of volunteer naturalists found a colony of rare Purple Fringeless Orchids in Virginia. The plants are endangered in the state, with fewer than 1,000 left.
• Lands in Canada that are managed by indigenous people tend to have more biodiversity than unprotected lands. 
• Lyme disease gets most of the attention, but ticks carry a variety of other diseases as well. 
• A study looked at ways to encourage farmers to plant more wildflower strips that benefit pollinators. 
• Nigeria has become a center for illegal trade in pangolins.
• A trove of new water scavenger beetles were discovered and named in Brazil. 
• As a result of deliberate introduction in the 1990s, invasive waterwheel plants are thriving in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, while they are in serious decline elsewhere in the world.

Climate change and environmental politics

• The Interior Department changed the regulations governing how it implements the Endangered Species Act, by raising the bar for listing, adding economic criteria, and weakening protections for threatened species. Here is an evaluation of how the rule changes could affect the Northern Spotted Owl, the Wolverine, and the American Burying Beetle. Another species that could be affected is the Monarch, since the department will no longer consider climate change in whether to list a species. The changes were written by opponents of the Endangered Species Act and appear to cater to business interests.
• After making those regulatory changes, the administration denied endangered listing for several species, including Joshua Trees, which are threatened by climate change,
• The Northeast is among the fastest-warming parts of the U.S., with Rhode Island already past the 2°C mark and New Jersey not far behind. Parts of New Jersey have already warmed as much as 2.7°C, which contributes to the closure of Lake Hopatcong and a longer mosquito season.
• The Adani mine in Australia (which directly threatens an endangered bird) is an example of how capitalists keep the world stuck on coal despite the threat it poses to the climate and public health.
• The Anthropocene may be better seen as an event than an epoch considering how brief it will likely be on a geological timescale. 
• Mitigating climate change will require changes in land use, with more protection for natural habitats and sustainable agriculture.
• A study found microplastics in the snow in isolated places like the Alps and Svalbard, which is a sign of how much plastic is present in the air we breathe. The most common sources of microplastic in that study were varnish and rubber.
• The Bolsonaro administration approved 290 pesticides for use in Brazil. This mirrors the Trump administration's willingness to reinstate pesticides that been banned under previous administrations.

Loose Feathers #709

Killdeer / Photo by Grayson Smith/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• Black-backed Woodpeckers nest around the edges of burned patches, and climate change is reducing that type of habitat by making fires larger and more intense.
• Kirtland's Warbler has recovered sufficiently that it no longer needs protection from Brown-headed Cowbirds. Some habitat management to maintain young Jack Pine forests will still be necessary.
• Northern Spotted Owls are continuing to decline in Mount Rainier National Park, and their territories are being taken by Barred Owls.
• Kinder Morgan wants to build a pipeline through the heart of the Golden-cheeked Warbler's breeding range. 
• The Interior Department has increased drilling and leasing in areas that had been set aside as priority conservation areas for sage grouse.
• Piping Plover breeding colonies have been more successful in New York than in North Carolina. Colonies in North Carolina have depended on attracting plovers hatched elsewhere to maintain their numbers, while colonies in New York keep growing.
• Fossils of the largest parrot ever recorded were recently identified in New Zealand. The parrot probably stood about three feet tall and lived in the Miocene.
• Here is an interview with two scientists working to protect hornbills in Indonesia. The country is home to 13 hornbill species, which are threatened by habitat destruction and the wildlife trade.
• A review by BirdLife identified the biggest threats to seabirds as invasive species (at nesting sites), bycatch, and climate change, but which threat is most significant varies by seabird species. For albatrosses, bycatch is the biggest threat, but penguins are more threatened by climate change.
• Seabird chicks can be harmed by even a few pieces of plastic.
• A study of Herring Gulls found that they were less likely to steal food if someone was watching them.
• Vultures have an important niche despite some misconceptions about them.
• One site in Cambodia is home to five critically endangered bird species: two ibises and three vultures.

Science and nature blogging

• The Meadowlands Nature Blog: Don Torino’s Life In The Meadowlands: What Makes A Great Birder?
• Avian Hybrids: These two White-eye species should be hybridizing, but they don’t…
• Bird Ecology Study Group: Black-thighed Falconet – courtship behaviour 
• Vermont Center for Ecostudies: Field Guide to August 2019
• Research on the Bass Rock gannets: Sex differences in gannet migration and demography – new paper out!
• BugTracks: Sharing the Fruit Trees 

Biodiversity and conservation

• The Western Conifer-Seed Bug is native to North America but invasive in Chile, where it causes alarm if mistaken for a kissing bug, which transmits Chagas disease.
• Activists are seeking federal endangered listing for Photuris bethaniensis, a rare firefly found only in coastal Delaware. Some of its habitat is currently threatened by a housing development.
• Firefly and Monarch numbers appear to be higher this summer than in past years in Ontario.
• New Zealand has announced a new plan to protect and restore its native biodiversity.
• Here is an interactive about what it feels like to be a bee.

Climate change and environmental politics

• The US Fish and Wildlife Service is pushing back against the latest proposed border wall extension, which would run through Cabeza Prieta and San Bernadino National Wildlife Refuges and cause significant habitat destruction.
• A new UN report warns about the threat climate change poses to the world's food supply. 
• Alaska recorded its warmest month ever this July, and there is no sea ice within 150 miles of its coast.
• The Forest Service is seeking to reduce or eliminate public comment periods for management actions in national forests. 
• Climate change and failing infrastructure are worsening algae blooms like the one affecting Lake Hopatcong this summer.

Loose Feathers #708

Wild Turkey / Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• In Australia, a single cat caused the collapse of a Fairy Tern colony after it killed 6 adults and 40 chicks.
• A new book considers the career of George Bird Grinnell, an early conservationist who founded the original (but short-lived) version of the Audubon Society.
• A pair of Common Loons in Wisconsin has been fostering a Mallard duckling this summer.

Science and nature blogging

• 10,000 Birds: Uncommon Yellowthroats
• Laura's Birding Blog: Le Conte's Sparrow: Losing a Favorite Sound
• Vermont Center for Ecostudies: VTBees Update From the Field
• Bird Ecology Study Group: Why do Woodpeckers Make Holes in Trees?
• Avian Hybrids: How many species of Red-shouldered Hawk are there?
• In Defense of Plants: Meet the Blazing Stars 
• spiderbytes: The great black widow race: how males use the silk road to find females faster

Biodiversity and conservation

• An interactive map shows an endangered or threatened animal for every state.
• Endangered Species Act protections are being restored to Grizzly Bears around Yellowstone National Park after a court found that they were delisted improperly.
• A scientist is studying parasitic flies to learn more about the Buffy Flower Bat of the Bahamas.
• Two rare ferns were recently rediscovered in Australia after they were thought to be extinct. 
• A new species of jewel beetle was discovered in Green-Wood Cemetery by researchers looking for the Emerald Ash Borer and other potential pests.
• Maine Audubon is mapping where roadkill happens most frequently to identify problem spots where the road could be redesigned to add tunnels or signage.

Climate change and environmental politics

• Coastal flooding, especially sunny day flooding during high tides, is likely to keep getting worse. 
• A heat dome over Greenland is causing record melting of its ice sheet.
• The same heat dome broke a temperature record in the UK.
• Black carbon, which exacerbates both climate change and respiratory illnesses, was mysteriously deleted from New Jersey's recent climate change bill shortly before it was passed and signed into law.
• An opponent of public lands is being appointed to head the Bureau of Land Management, which has responsibility for much of the federal land in the West.