Loose Feathers #760

American Goldfinch / Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• For the sixth year in a row, there has been a mass die-off of seabirds in Alaskan waters, this time near Nome. Most have been murres or Horned Puffins, and many are emaciated; it is unclear if this is due to disease or an inability to find food.
  
• Swifts make vesper flights twice a day, which they use to orient themselves.
• Artificial lighting disrupts birds' sleep at night, and the lack of sleep may affect their ability to forage during the day.
  
• The timing and route of Rufous Hummingbirds during migration varies by age and sex.
• The EU has threatened to fine France if it does not end the practice of hunting birds with glue sticks.
  

Science and nature blogging

• Feathered Photography: Willow Flycatcher – Now That’s A Pretty Neat Trick
• 10,000 Birds: What Birders Dream About?
• Matthew R. Halley: Who was the first non-male American ornithologist?
• The Urban Nature Enthusiast: Mabel the Matriarch
• Coffee & Conservation: New Rainforest Alliance criteria for shade
  

Biodiversity and conservation

• Last week was National Moth Week, and observers recorded moth sightings worldwide. Many of them can be seen in the iNaturalist project. (Most of mine are here.) Moths have remarkable diversity, and there is still much to learn about them. Mothing can be an alternative when birding slows down over the summer.
  
• Populations of migratory fish have fallen by 76% over the past 50 years, and some species have fallen by 90% or more. Causes include the reduction of breeding habitat due to obstructions like dams and culverts.
  
• Monarchs are declining, and their habitat is threatened all along their migration, from their wintering grounds in Mexico, to stopover sites like the National Butterfly Center, to breeding grounds that are being converted to lawns or high-intensity agriculture.
• Scientists are debating whether species whose ranges shift in response to climate change should be regarded as invasive species.
• Brittlebush is showing some ability to adapt to rising temperatures in the Mojave Desert.
• Also in the Mojave, some mosses are able to survive long dry periods under quartz rocks.
  
• The only wolf pack in California has just produced its fourth litter, bringing the pack to 14 wolves.
• Some forms of the hourglass frog lack the distinctive hourglass shape on their backs.
  

Climate change and environmental politics

• Last year was the most deadly so far for environmental activists, who are at risk of being killed or kidnapped by governments or private individuals whose projects they opposed. At least 212 activists were murdered worldwide in 2019. The Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries for environmental activists, with at least 43 killed in 2019, second only to Colombia's 64 killed.
• In the United States, activists are less likely to be killed, but protestors are still treated harshly by police.
  
• The Smith River in Montana is a popular spot for rafting, but it may be threatened by tailings from a copper mine.
• Smoke from wildfires represents the life that was destroyed by burning.
• The pending US withdrawal from the Paris agreement will exacerbate inequality along racial and ethnic lines and encourage other countries to ignore climate change as well.