Moths at the Light

I have run my moth light three times over the past two weeks in the hope of attracting some early season moths. The first session, on March 8th, was mostly a bust, with no moths and not even midges or gnats. In the second session, on March 11th, I recorded one moth, a Spring Cankerworm (Paleacrita vernata), in two and a half hours of running the light. That moth is shown below. It came towards the end of the session after the temperature had dropped to 43°F.

On the day of my third session, March 18th, the daytime temperature had risen to 77°F, so I expected to see a few moths. However, I only saw one micromoth, pictured below. I think it is a Palmerworm Moth (Dichomeris ligulella), a species I first encountered last fall. That species is active from early spring through late fall.

Cape May Light at Dawn

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I took these photos this week from the dune crossing observation platform at St. Peter's in Cape May Point.

Loose Feathers # 282

Black-footed Albatross chick and Short-tailed Albatross Chick / Photo by Pete Leary (USFWS)

Birds and birding news

• The tsunami generated by Japan's recent earthquake washed over many Pacific islands used for nesting by seabirds, including Midway Atoll. Visit the USFWS Pacific photostream to see images of the damage. The endangered Short-tailed Albatross chick (pictured above) managed to survive the tsunami. You can read more about it at Pete Leary's blog.
• A study explored why birds collide with human-made obstacles such as buildings and wind turbines by examining how their sensory information. Part of the reason is that they are more likely to be looking down or to the sides than straight ahead. Birds' forward vision may also be tuned to detect movement rather than stationary obstacles.
• Oklahoma wildlife officials are trying to rebuild the state's Northern Bobwhite population, which has declined in recent years.

Birds in the blogosphere

• Laelaps: The Lost Cowbird of Térapa
• Sibley Guides: Identifying songbirds by flocking behavior
• Not Exactly Rocket Science: How the Transylvanian naked neck chicken got its naked neck
• 10,000 Birds: Meet Suliformes, one of the newest orders of birds
• Hawkwatch at the Franklin Institute: Eggciting news! Egg #1 just arrived

Environment and biodiversity

• A recent study found 89 cases of national parks and protected areas being shrunk or abolished over the past century.
• A new population of the rare Andean cat was discovered in central Argentina. The find was significant both for extending the cat's known range and because this population occurs at a much lower altitude than any of the other known populations.

Carnivals

• I and the Bird #146
• Carnival of the Blue #46

Bird Strikes against D.C. Buildings

City Wildlife tracked the deaths of migratory birds around buildings in Washington, D.C., last year during spring and fall migration.The group collected 123 birds, 36 of which appeared at the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building near Union Station. The building proves particularly deadly to birds because it fronts an open plaza with a glass facade. When the lights are left on all night, migrating birds seeking shelter at the end of a long flight see the trees inside the atrium; instead of landing in the trees, they crash into a glass wall. In other cases, birds may simply be disoriented by the bright lights.

Here is a list of the most dangerous buildings, with the numbers of dead birds in parenthesis.

1. Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building (36) 
2. TechWorld, 800 K Street NW (21) 
3. Senate Hart Office Building (11) 
4. U.S. Court of Appeals, 430 E St. NW (10) 
5. 300 New Jersey Avenue NW (8) 
6. 1099 New York Avenue NW (7) 
7. Washington Convention Center (7) 
8. 425 I Street NW (6) 
9. 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW (3) 
10. Second and G Streets NE (3)

The organization proposes a voluntary "lights out" campaign similar to those implemented in other cities, like Toronto, Chicago, and New York City. If you want to get involved, you can more information at CityWildlife.org.

Hermit Crab

A hermit crab in a snail shell at Two Mile Beach near Wildwood Crest.