Loose Feathers #775

Red-breasted Nuthatch / Photo by Peter Pearsall/USFWS

Birds and birding news

• Ecologists are noticing hidden bird declines even in relatively undisturbed forests. 
• The decline of Common Loons had been somewhat hidden because it affected unpaired loons (or "floaters") more than breeding pairs.
  
• Light pollution causes birds to nest earlier than they would otherwise, when sufficient food might not be available. Urban birds also become less sensitive to noise than ones in forest habitats. 
• A new study links how and when birds molt to their migration patterns.
  
• Australians can use the Big City Birds app to report sightings of five bird species that are the focus of an urban bird study.
• The outlook for the Orange-bellied Parrot has improved significantly thanks to a captive-breeding program.
• California Condors will soon return to the Pacific Northwest, thanks to work by the Yurok Tribe.
• The small Salineño Wildlife Preserve in Texas has been sold for border wall construction. Update: The Valley Land Fund withdrew from the sale agreement after public outcry.
  

Science and nature blogging

• In Defense of Plants: Arctic Vegetation is Growing Taller & Why That Matters
  
• 10,000 Birds: The Cutting Edge II: Hummingbird Feeders
• Avian Hybrids: Building bowers and phylogenies: Genomic study reconstructs the complex evolution of bowerbirds
  
• Feathered Photography: Dark Morph Swainson’s Hawk Eating A Snake 
• Natural Newstead: Kingfisher special
• The Rattling Crow: Herring Gull pair long call duetting
• The Speckled Hatchback: Post #186 - Rusty Blackbird Spotlight
• Cape Sable Birding: A Good Run of Birds
• Backyard and Beyond: Autumn Meadowhawk 
• Birds Korea Blog: Korea’s First Buff-throated Warbler Phylloscopus subaffinis. Notes on Discovery and Identification.
• On The Wing Photography: How An American Oystercatcher Ruined A New Pair Of Pants 
  

Biodiversity and conservation

• The decline of insect populations puts insectivores — birds, bats, and other insects — into competition with each other for found.
  
• Rising temperatures could endanger some damselflies, which like other insects are exothermic.
• While native mason bee species are declining, introduced species have remained stable or even expanded their population.
• Decades of tracking data show how climate change has affected the migrations of Arctic animals like Caribou and Golden Eagles.
• There is continuing evidence of global insect declines, driven by systemic causes like habitat loss and climate change. The link reviews studies published and interviews conducted in the past year.
• Conservationists are working on a plan to protect wild American Ginseng in Appalachia through forest farming instead of the unsustainable harvest of wild plants.
  

Climate change and environmental politics

• Climate scientists have some advice for the incoming Biden administration. Here are some other suggestions for what the incoming Biden administration should do about climate change. Here is a look at how the incoming Biden administration might affect birds and wildlife. Of course, substantive action is dependent on getting legislation through Congress, which seems unlikely.
• It will take a lot of work to undo the damage to the environment done by the Trump administration. The New York Times has counted 104 rollbacks of environmental protections under Trump.
• Overall the election was a mixed bag for progress on environmental issues.
  
• Earlier this week, Theta became the 29th named storm in the 2020 hurricane season and set a new record for named storms. Twelve of those storms hit the U.S., which is also a record.
  
• Hurricanes are staying stronger after landfall because of warmer ocean temperatures, which means inland cities face more potential for damage. Here are five other ways that climate change is making hurricanes worse.
• NOAA will allow the Navy to kill up to 51 Southern Resident Orcas per year during military exercises off the coast of Washington.
• Groundwater pumping is drying up Arizona's rivers. A similar dynamic is at work in the Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer, which farmers are draining faster than it can be recharged.
• One of the problems with free-trade agreements is that they undermine labor and environmental regulations. In this case, the US plastic industry is using CUSMA to threaten legal action against Canada for banning some single-use plastics.