Posts
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| Bald Eagles / Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS |
Birds and birding news
- The Trump administration is removing protections from 3.4 million acres of critical habitat for the Northern Spotted Owl. The move is to benefit the timber industry.
- A small group of King Penguins has established itself on Martillo Island in Argentina. Scientists are trying to figure out where they came from and whether the new colony will survive.
- Emus will probably survive climate change, but their eastern population is threatened by development and introduced predators.
- Cleaning feeders helps keep winter finches from getting sick.
- Eastern Black Rails have been designated as threatened after a 25-year campaign to stop their decline.
- Sand dredged from the Intracoastal Waterway is being used to restore saltmarshes to provide habitat for coastal birds like the Saltmarsh Sparrow.
Science and nature blogging
- 10,000 Birds: A Slacker's Guide to Bird Photography (Part One)
- Bug Eric: The Mayfly Analogy
- Avithera: Great Knots
- Geotripper's California Birds: Wait, Why Are They Called "Ruby-crowned" Kinglets?
Biodiversity and conservation
- PNAS suggests eight ways to help insects as part of a special issue on global insect declines.
- New tracking studies are revealing how and where animals migrate.
- People with disabilities would like parks and nature preserves to make more of their trails accessible.
- The pandemic has boosted birding and other passive outdoor activities, especially in urban parks, but it has also led to an increase in hunting.
- Researchers found a genetic basis for sexual dimorphism in Asian butterflies.
- Conservation groups are suing to stop the Trump administration from reducing protections for the American Burying Beetle.
- Scientists are studying how insects make fast decisions in flight.
- The world lost 166,000 square miles of tropical and subtropical forests from 2004-2017, mostly to make room for agriculture.
- Brown tree snakes developed a new way to move that allows them to get around baffles meant to protect Micronesian Starlings.
- A photographer in Washington specializes in photos of animals in dark lighting.
Climate change and environmental politics
- In 2020 the world's oceans set a new record high average temperature, and the ocean heat contributed to the year's climate disasters. Meanwhile, temperatures overall were statistically tied with 2016, the hottest year on record. New Jersey had its second-hottest year on record.
- Merrick Garland, the nominee for Attorney General, has expertise in environmental law gained from hearing cases in the DC Circuit related to the Clean Air Act and other environmental issues.
- Under the new administration offshore wind energy generation, which has been stalled for years, might finally get underway. How offshore turbines will affect wildlife, from birds to whales, still requires more research, but there may be ways to mitigate any harm.
- Climate activists want the Biden administration to address environmental justice, especially with helping poorer nations to mitigate the damage from climate change.
- Biden's incoming environmental staff will need to repair damage from rule changes to budget and staffing cuts.
- Synthetic fabrics, such as polyester, are major contributors to microplastic pollution in the Arctic.
- While some cities are trying to switch to renewable energy, the technology for full decarbonization is not quite ready.
- Last week's riot at the US Capitol had its roots in anti-government movements in the West, such as the takeover of Malheur NWR and the armed standoff at Bundy Ranch. Disinformation about the election was boosted by climate change deniers who used propaganda techniques developed by the fossil fuel and tobacco industries.
