Posts
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| American Robin on nest / Photo by Mara Koenig/USFWS |
- The Cornell Lab of Ornithology published their comment on the proposed regulatory changes to weaken the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, along with a link on how to comment.
- For anyone who missed it in previous weeks, here is a summary of this year's taxonomic changes, including the changing status of the Mexican Duck and Northwestern Crow.
- A study found that Andean Condors fly for hours without flapping, which gives them extremely efficient flight. Condors mainly flap during takeoff.
- Hunting is a factor in the declines of many shorebird species along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, including highly endangered species like the Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Far Eastern Curlew.
- This week I saw Ring-billed Gulls on my patch for the first time in two months, which is a sign that fall migration is already underway.
- A study used hybrids of Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers to identify genes that control their plumage colors.
- Christian Cooper will not participate in the prosecution of Amy Cooper, the dog walker who called the police on him, because structural change is more important than one individual.
- An out-of-place Sandhill Crane has been hanging around North Carolina's Outer Banks.
- In other displaced bird news, a Bearded Vulture turned up in the UK, the second record of one in that country, and a Brown Booby showed up in Ireland, which seems to be the third record there.
- A robin's nest provided some welcome distraction during the pandemic until the chicks fledged.
- Sibley Guides: Scarlet Tanagers are bright red - but this one is yellow
- Avian Hybrids: Solving the seabird paradox: How does genetic differentiation arise in highly mobile species?
- CanadianWoodcock: Things That Are Like Birds but Aren’t Birds – Part 1
- Backyard and Beyond: Periodic Reminder
- On The Wing Photography: Recently Fledged Red-tailed Hawks From Two Nests
- Tetrapod Zoology: The Dodo in Life
- Chicago Ornithological Society: Dan's Feathursday Feature: Henslow's Sparrow
- A viral disease killed 90% of Australia's Bellinger River Snapping Turtles, and the few that remain may be displaced by another turtle species.
- Last winter British Columbia culled 463 wolves to protect caribou, but the paper the cull was based on has problems.
- A newly-discovered Sumatran frog species, Micryletta sumatrana, is threatened by the expansion of palm oil plantations.
- This week dam removal started on the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River in Washington to provide more habitat for spawning salmon.
- On the other side of the country, fish have already migrated upstream following the removal of a dam last year on the Patapsco River in Maryland.
- Despite their bad reputation, sharks are necessary for healthy ocean ecosystems, and many of them are threatened with extinction.
- The Trump administration finalized a set of regulatory changes to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act, the cornerstone of environmental law in the US. The changes would limit public comment, shorten the timeline for the environmental review process, and eliminate consideration of climate change. The changes are intended primarily for the benefit of the fossil fuel industry and would probably damage the health of communities that already suffer a disproportionate level of pollution.
- Joe Biden announced a climate change plan that borrows extensively from Green New Deal proposals, combining emissions reductions with infrastructure spending to support the transition.
- "Net zero" emissions does not necessarily mean the same as 100% renewable energy, as the former would maintain some use of fossil fuels. As a result "net zero" has become the preferred slogan for fossil fuel companies and their supporters.
- One problem is to figure out how to replace natural gas for things like home heating and cooking.
- Abandoned oil and gas drilling sites emit large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas, and the problem is likely to get worse as fossil fuels become less profitable.
- The Trump administration is appealing the order to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline. Regardless of what happens with DAPL, the cost of pipelines is going up because of organized opposition from activists that combine public protests with lawsuits.
- A tanker off the coast of Yemen is deteriorating and threatens to spill its 1.1 million barrels of oil.
- Construction of the border wall will close access to part of the Arizona Trail in Coronado National Memorial.
- Paul Fireman, who wanted to expand his golf course into Liberty State Park, announced that he is giving up on the project, and his announcement included a diatribe against the activists who fought to preserve the park.
