Loose Feathers #781

White-throated Sparrow / my photo

Birds and birding news

• Christmas Bird Count season is halfway over, but counts are still happening (under rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19.). You can find one here. Here are tips for entering CBC observations into eBird.
  
• A new study found that the pitch of bird songs depends on the body size of a given species. Larger birds sing at lower pitches.
• The Sunda Laughingthrush is threatened by the illegal wildlife trade because it is desirable for collectors for its distinctive vocalizations.
• A town in New Zealand is turning off streetlights to avoid confusing fledgling Westland Petrels.
• An iceberg drifting towards South Georgia Island could threaten colonies of King and Macaroni Penguins if it gets stuck near the island.
• Birds at wildlife rehab centers in Florida most often died of traumatic injuries, like cat predation or collisions with buildings.
  

Science and nature blogging

• Corvid Research: Do you see what I see: subjective consciousness in crows
  
• Birdchick: Bird Seed Prices
• On The Wing Photography: Christmas Day Bird Photos Thru The Years
  

Biodiversity and conservation

• The earliest forms of mistletoe may have been carried into the treetops by prehistoric primates and marsupials rather than songbirds, which only adapted to eating mistletoe later. 
• COVID-19 outbreaks on mink farms raise the potential for spread among the wild mink population.
  
• The Guardian has a review of the year in conservation news.
• The Revelator also has a list of top environmental stories from 2020.
  
• Most animal species will lose some habitat to agriculture over the next several decades.
• Indigenous tribes have been fighting to restore and maintain sockeye salmon runs along the Snake River.
• Deforestation remains a major threat to biodiversity in Colombia despite agreements that should protect forests.
• Bunchgrass prairies in Montana have become warmer and drier over the past several decades.
  

Climate change and environmental politics

• The bills Deb Haaland has sponsored provide hints about what she might do as Interior secretary. Among other things, she wants to replace offensive place names and create new wilderness areas within existing national monuments.
• Activists want the 30-by-30 plan, which Haaland supports, to include more outdoor recreation opportunities in urban areas.
  
• This year may be the hottest on record, and so far there have been at least 16 major climate-driven disasters.
• The combined COVID/omnibus bill included money for clean energy and a ban on HFCs. (Whether the bill will be signed is currently unclear.)
• A new report finds that the US could reach net-zero emissions by 2050, but it would require aggressive changes by government and industry.
  
• Stopping pipeline projects could be a first step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Restoring salmon runs would provide a benefit to Native tribes in the Northwest.
• The Trump administration has been awarding contracts for border wall construction even on land that the government does not own.
• While I have emphasized the conservation problems caused by the border wall, the biggest problem is the human cost: at least 225 migrants have died crossing the border this year.