Friday, March 26, 2021

Loose Feathers #794

Song Sparrow / by me

Birds and birding news

  • A Ring-billed Gull in Cleveland turned out to be the oldest Ring-billed Gull ever recorded after a partial band number was determined from photographs. It was 28 years old and had been banded at Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto.
  • A new species of mihirung, Dromornis stirtoni, was found in Australia. The new species is the largest member of the extinct family Dromornithidae, which is related to modern waterfowl or gamebirds.
  • Atlantic Puffins are in decline because of a lack of prey, which causes chicks to starve.
  • Ornithologists split two new species, the Xingu Screech-Owl and Alagoas Screech-Owl, out of the Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl complex in Brazil. Both have small ranges and are threatened by fires and forest fragmentation.
  • The Bald Eagle population in the Lower 48 states has quadrupled since 2009, with 316,700 individuals and 71,400 nesting pairs as of 2019.
  • However, some Bald Eagles have been dying of a neurodegenerative disease caused by cyanobacteria growing on invasive Hydrilla. Herbicides used to control Hydrilla may contribute to the problem if they contain bromide.
  • Three species were added to the ABA Checklist recently: Hooded Crane, Northern Giant-Petrel, and Mitred Parakeet.
  • Irregular water releases from upstream dams along the Mekong River threaten birds that nest along the river, especially ground-nesting birds.
  • The Iberá Seedeater does not interbreed with closely related species even though they share most of their neighbors' genomes and live in the same area.

Science and nature blogging

Biodiversity and conservation

  • An update to the IUCN Red List classifies the African Forest Elephant as critically endangered and the African Savanna Elephant as endangered. Both had previously been considered vulnerable in the previous update. The ivory trade is a major threat to both species.
  • Patagonia is one of the most important breeding grounds for Blue Whales, but the whales there have to dodge numerous boats that tend the area's salmon industry.
  • A survey in Hawaii found 13 new moth species as well as one that had been considered extinct.
  • A pair of dolphins was filmed swimming in the East River in New York City.
  • Every invasive tree in North America was introduced as an ornamental and many harm insects and the wildlife that depend on them.
  • The history of whaling restrictions shows how empathy can be a motivating force for conservation even when it is seen as extreme or at odds with scientific standards.

Climate change and environmental politics

Friday, March 19, 2021

Loose Feathers #793

Wood Duck / Photo by T. Kersten/USFWS

Birds and birding news

Science and nature blogging

Biodiversity and conservation

  • According to a new study using whaling records, Sperm Whales learned how to evade whalers and communicated the information with each other.
  • At this time of year, many amphibians need to cross roads to find vernal pools for breeding, so volunteers try to keep them from getting crushed by cars.
  • Researchers identified parts of central Arizona and New Mexico that could support up to 150 Jaguars. The area is not currently designated as critical habitat because the species has only been recorded south of I-10.
  • A Sri Lankan tree species was considered extinct until one was discovered in 2019. Now that individual tree is threatened by a road project. Three of the five "extinct" plants on Sri Lanka's 2012 red list have since been rediscovered, but another 177 plant species are still threatened or possibly extinct.
  • Saint Patrick did not drive the snakes out of Ireland. Instead they were eliminated in the last Ice Age and never made it back.
  • Sea-level rise is killing forests along the Atlantic coast.

Climate change and environmental politics

  • The Biden administration is considering a carbon tariff on goods coming from countries that are not doing enough to reduce carbon emissions.
  • To be effective, the EPA needs to be restaffed and end arrangements that allow states and industry to block enforcement.
  • Property owners in the Hamptons are fighting an offshore wind farm because the cable connecting it to a substation would pass through their town. Long Island is also the focus of a fight over flood insurance, which needs to be adjusted to account for sea-level rise.
  • Bottom trawling releases a gigaton of carbon from the seabed each year, which is roughly equivalent to global aviation. The amount could be reduced by protecting more of the ocean.
  • North America was the only continent whose air quality declined in 2020 due to western wildfires.
  • One of the challenges in switching to carbon-free energy is obtaining necessary elements like lithium without causing additional environmental damage. One proposed lithium mine in Nevada would pollute local groundwater and disturb vulnerable species, while another would destroy 70% of a rare plant's range.
  • Biofuels should not be part of a carbon-free transportation system because they are inefficient and stall the replacement of internal combustion with electric vehicles.
  • Researchers found microplastics in 53 waterways that flow into the Delaware Estuary. Among the main contributors are plastic fibers from synthetic clothing.
  • Deb Haaland was finally confirmed and sworn in as Interior secretary. She is the first Native American cabinet secretary and supports the 30x30 plan for biodiversity conservation.
  • The Keystone XL pipeline might be dead, but activists are still trying to stop another cross-border pipeline known as Line 3.

Friday, March 12, 2021

Loose Feathers #792

Bufflehead / USFWS Photo

Birds and birding news

  • Whooping Cranes avoid stopover sites near wind farms, so approval for new wind farms should take that into account when selecting sites.
  • Bird watchers in California are urged to take down and clean their bird feeders to stop an outbreak of salmonellosis. The feeders should stay down for at least a month.
  • Wing tags are often used to make individual banded birds easier to observe, but in the case of Cape Vultures, wing tags make it harder for them to fly.
  • Tropical forest bird populations in Tanzania are declining as the climate warms. Many tropical birds disperse only short distances after leaving the nest, which makes it harder for them to move to places with an ideal climate.
  • Researchers found the genetic basis for plumage variations in White Wagtails.
  • A study of 23 bird species found that species with cooperative breeding live longer than other birds.
  • An Irish photographer recorded a starling murmuration.
  • Used PPE needs to be disposed properly so that birds and other wildlife do not get entangled in it. The pandemic has revived the use of single-use plastics, which activists had tried to phase out.
  • A threatened Red-backed Button-quail recently showed up in an Australian coastal town, which is a sign of the bird's recent population boom.
  • From April 1 to May 31, lights will be turned off on major buildings in Philadelphia's Center City to protect migrating birds, which can be disoriented by artificial light. The Bird Safe Philly initiative was spurred by an incident last fall when 1,000 to 1,500 birds struck buildings on a single night.

Science and nature blogging

Biodiversity and conservation

Climate change and environmental politics

Friday, March 05, 2021

Loose Feathers #791

Common Grackle / Photo by Diana Cosby/USFWS

Birds and birding news

Science and nature blogging

Biodiversity and conservation

Climate change and environmental politics