This week in birds - #596
A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:
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Which species would be the winners in the Bird Olympics?
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Increased temperatures could lead to the demise of the Great Barrier Reef.
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The species, Homo floresiensis, nicknamed "Hobbit," was discovered some twenty years ago. A new study suggests they may have been even smaller than first thought.
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Why do fish school? One reason might be to conserve energy.
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The Great Salt Lake is shrinking and may be headed for a catastrophic decline.
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Is there hope for a comeback for endangered manzanitas?
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Extreme heat creates many challenges, including making schools hotter and making it harder to learn.
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The United States may see more than one billion bird deaths each year because of collisions with windows, many more than previously suspected.
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A year ago a landmark banyan tree in Laihana, Maui, was scorched by the flames of wildfire but you can't keep a good tree down. It has survived and is even thriving.
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Spotted lanternflies have invaded the Northeast once again and residents there are being urged to kill them when they are found.
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Life on Earth, it could be argued, depends on soil.
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Wildlife depends on soil and here are thirty-three ways to welcome that wildlife into your garden.
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Gardening for wildlife is one thing that we can do to help the planet.
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Protecting "umbrella species" helps to conserve ecosystems.
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Thirty years of conservation work has helped the threatened bull trout to now be able to thrive in the Klamath Basin.
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One of the weapons in the amphibian defense arsenal is a kind of sticky glue.
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A big asteroid will be passing close to Earth in 2029.
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The plant that produces what may be the world's favorite scent is in danger.
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Climate change has many effects, including causing some venomous snakes to move into new ranges.
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Spring-run Chinook salmon are on the brink of being obliterated and the Park Fire in California poses a new threat.
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Sri Lanka's turtle guardians are helping to save baby sea turtles.
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Margaret Renkl has an appreciation of orb-weaver spiders.
Good morning, Dorothy, and thank you for the weekly roundup. I was interested to see the focus on soil, truly the key to pretty much everything else, yet we have depleted it of nutrients in so many parts of the world, and still we pour on more chemicals. I am sure that many people are going to be alarmed at the prospect of venomous snakes moving into their neighbourhood, but with global warming and habitat modification by humans it appears to be inevitable. In Texas, of course, you already have your share so watch where you put your feet! All the best - David
ReplyDeleteI think venomous snakes - and all snakes, really - do their best to avoid us.
DeleteI agree, Dorothy. More than once while at the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, I've watched thundering herds of humans walk right past rattlesnakes lying in the undergrowth at the side of the path. The humans were completely unaware, and the snakes made absolutely no move to make their presence known.
DeleteMargaret Renkl's latest book was suggested for our naturalist book group reads in 2025. It would be an interesting book for discussion, I think.
ReplyDeleteWhew. That is a lot of bird deaths from collisions with windows. I wish something substantive could be done to change this.
High-rise buildings are the main culprits and unless we are will to change our building practices it sees that, as you suggest, nothing substantive can be done to solve the problem. The carnage will continue.
DeleteSchools being hot is no joke. My building is massive even though it is an elementary school. At one point there were 1300 students from pre-k through 6th grade. Now we are pre-k through 5th, and a new elementary was built nearby a couple years ago. We are at about 750 I think, now. And it is so hard to cool our building, even on a cooler day. But if its in the 90s? IMPOSSIBLE. We started teacher work days on Wednesday and I was sweating just standing and talking to colleagues. It was disgusting. Friday was marginally better, but not much. It's something people don't think about, but how can kids learn if they're so uncomfortable? It's not possible.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in elementary school, we had a split school year and school was open in July and August. No air conditioning, of course, but then we didn't have air conditioning at home either so I was used to it. I don't remember it being much of a problem for me but I suspect that it would be for children who are used to air conditioning.
DeleteWe've had a rufous hummingbird visiting our feeders this week. I love seeing that flash of orange when they fly, and hearing that deeper thrum of their wings. It's about the only fall migration bird we get every year, and I love it. :D
ReplyDeleteFall migration has begun and we need to be on the lookout for unusual sightings over the next several weeks.
DeleteI like the Bird Olympics article ... which is surprised me a bit. The regular mallard is fast !
ReplyDeleteI know! That's really amazing, isn't it?
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