Posts
Sandhill Crane / Photo by USFWSNews and links about birds, birding, and the environment
- Oiled birds are still being found around San Francisco Bay. So far 2,150 dead birds have been reported. From the link: "Bird experts figure that for every bird found dead or alive, about five to 10 others go unreported because they sink at sea, get eaten by predators or fly elsewhere. That would put the fatality number at up to 21,500 birds."
- Meanwhile, about 500 birds have been found sickened from red tide around Monterrey Bay.
- Alaska and the federal government are working on a plan to eliminate Norway rats that prevent seabirds from nesting on "Rat Island" in the Aleutians.
This year's Audubon Watchlist of endangered birds has been published. Here is a slideshow of ten threatened species.- Kenya is hoping to increase bird tourism and the revenue it brings.
- A study from the USFWS reports that wildlife refuges generate $4 for every $1 in federal spending. In other words, it is more cost-effective to spend money on this Osprey than this Osprey. (via bootstrap analysis)
- While it has been unpopular in some places, protection for piping plovers has more than doubled the species's population in the last twenty years.
- Some British researchers want to know more about how people listen to birdsong. To contribute listening experiences to the study, visit their website.
A young whooping crane on its first flight to Florida became separated from the group, but was found and captured in Kentucky.- BirdLife International has released a rare birds yearbook for 2008.
- Seattle currently has five active breeding pairs of peregrine falcons.
A few black-crowned night-herons look for handouts at an outdoor restaurant in San Diego.- Federal, state, and local officials are trying to drive over 400 hundred black vultures out of Dutch Gap, Virginia.
- This Week in Hilton Pond features all three eastern nuthatch species.
- Ocean County, New Jersey, is investigating ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through changes to zoning laws.
- The Boston Globe offers 84 ways to help the planet. See also the newspaper's story on a small Massachusetts town that is trying to reduce its emissions despite a small budget.
- Google is investing in renewable energy with the goal of developing renewable power sources that are cheaper than coal. Gristmill is skeptical that this can be done without a carbon tax.
- A report has identified ways to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 28% without significant investment or new technology. Structural barriers and inertia make the changes unlikely.
- International Bird Rescue Research Center: Top ten of sadness: Oiled bird species list
- 10,000 Birds: Rare Birds in Montauk: Breaking 300
- Hawk Owl's Nest: Visiting Bosque del Apache NWR
- Born Again Bird Watcher: A Fowl Misunderstanding
- Drinking Bird: Exotic Birds in Urban Environments: Part 3
- Earth, Wind, and Water: Seashore Midwivery
- Ecobirder: Common goldeneye and hooded merganser hybrid at Vadnais Lake
