Posts
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| Bald Eagle chick in nest / Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS |
- Black Birders Week continued on social media through the end of last week to raise the profile of non-white birders. Here are five lessons from the event. One birder had the police called on him multiple times and thinks environmental groups need to do more to encourage diversity. The week was about more than birders, but also include people who love the outdoors. Several Black hikers describe their experiences outdoors. So does this Twitter thread. A South African birder describes the difficulties of working in conservation. See the #BlackBirdersWeek hashtag for more.
- Only 6,100 Red Knots were counted feeding around Delaware Bay this spring, down from 30,800 in 2019 and 32,900 in 2018. The low numbers are blamed on delayed horseshoe crab spawning; it is unclear how many Red Knots will make it to the Arctic to breed.
- The Trump administration is citing the "Miracle on the Hudson" airplane collision as an excuse to gut protections for migratory birds.
- David Sibley explains how to identify shorebirds, in anticipation of fall (really summer) migration.
- Here is some advice for learning bird song.
- Shorebird declines have outpaced the decline in coastal mudflats, and the reason may be related to which parts of the coast get developed.
- This Twitter thread runs through some of the birds saved via the Endangered Species Act.
- New research suggests that Night Parrots do not see well in the dark, which may make fencing and other obstacles more dangerous to them.
- Here are some photos of Peregrine Falcon chicks being banded on Long Beach Island.
- The UK's Barn Owl population is increasing thanks to the provision of nest boxes.
- Three Peregrine Falcon chicks have hatched on the eastern tower of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
- A flock of Glossy Ibises is nesting in Sri Lanka, where the species usually only occurs in the winter.
- Feathered Photography: Cliff Swallow – An Unusual Behavior Repeated
- Shorebird Science: Shorebirds of the High Andean Wetlands: Monitoring in the Bolivian Altiplano
- Kent Dragonflies: Male Stag Beetle
- 10,000 Birds: eBird and Urban Planning: City Green Spaces
- Observations: To Save the Climate, Look to the Oceans
- On The Wing Photography: Photographing Gray Catbird Interactions In The Mountains
- A new report lists 515 animal species with less than a thousand individuals, which puts them on the brink of extinction.
- A study in California found residues of 64 pesticides on milkweeds; 32% of the sample were at levels lethal to Monarchs.
- Environmentalists are trying to save Hawaii's ‘ōhi‘a lehua trees, which are threatened by a fungal disease.
- Here is a gallery of some of the 800 insect species documented around Los Angeles in the last decade.
- A new report names the banks financing destructive fossil fuel projects in the Amazon.
- Planted prairie restorations sometimes fail because of too much precipitation, among other factors. This may be because weeds spread more rapidly in rainy years.
- Some of the oldest trees in Canada are in coastal British Columbia, in an area that is slated for logging.
- China is banning the use of pangolin scales in Chinese traditional medicine.
- The Late Ordovician mass extinction may have been caused by a sudden spike in global temperatures.
- Reintroduction and protection of beavers in Europe has led to richer and more diverse wetlands.
- Recent research has shown that grasslands in Madagascar that were thought to be the result of deforestation actually have ancient roots.
- The Black Lives Matter protests have led to some reporting on the links between race and the environment. Black people are more likely to live in areas with higher levels of pollution, and the need for reforms focusing on environmental justice. Black and Indigenous people tend to feel climate grief more strongly than white people. In response to BP's declaration of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, one article explores connections between the oil industry and racist colonialism.
- Last week, Trump stripped commercial fishing restrictions from the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which accounts for most of the protected ocean in the continental US. The order continued his administration's campaign to remove protections from close to 35 million acres (with probably more to come in the next few months.) The waters of the monument are important foraging grounds for many bird species, including Altantic Puffins. An aerial survey last summer counted 1,200 individuals animals representing six species in the monument.
- The Trump administration is also deciding whether to allow the proposed Pebble Mine, which would have detrimental effects on salmon fisheries.
- Another executive order waived environmental reviews for infrastructure projects, including pipelines, roads, mines, and transmission lines.
- There is currently a massive oil spill in the Russian Arctic, with 6,000 tons spilled onto the tundra and another 15,000 tons into waterways. The spill occurred when the ground under the reservoir collapsed because of melting permafrost. The temperature in Siberia last month was 10˚C above normal.
- Cristobal was the earliest-ever third named storm. This year is expected to have an especially active hurricane season.
- Last month, the Mauna Loa Observatory recorded a carbon dioxide peak of 417.1 parts per million, the highest monthly total ever recorded.
- Scientists are debating whether megadrought or aridification is a better way to describe the West's changing climate.
- Scientists are finally beginning to understand how climate change affects the ocean, and the signs are not good, especially in the Southern Ocean, which has absorbed carbon faster than other oceans.
- Building the border wall has led to a loss of trust between CBP and local residents. Wall construction is undoing decades of conservation work.
- Non-white environmental activists put themselves in danger when their work clashes with powerful interests.
- New Jersey is introducing new rules to promote energy efficiency and reduce overall energy use in the state.
- Activists in Alberta are fighting a decision to stop environmental monitoring in the tar sands during the pandemic. At some point the tar sands will need to be cleaned up, and it is likely to be expensive.
- Researchers found airborne microplastics in 98% of 339 samples collected in US national parks and wilderness areas. Many of the plastic bits are microfibers from clothing.
