This week in birds - #598
A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:
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To prevent a climate breakdown we not only need to reduce carbon emissions; we need to restore Nature.
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As glacial melt continues and increases, there is a danger of a megatsunami being triggered.
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There are at least 144 species of birds that have not been seen in at least a decade but scientists suspect (hope) they may still be out there somewhere and they have issued a BOLO for the public.
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An Icelandic volcano has erupted for the sixth time since December.
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Out there in space somewhere is a "speedy little star" that may be on its way out of our galaxy.
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And back here on Earth, there is good news from the world of endangered California Condors: The captive breeding program at the Los Angeles Zoo has produced a record-breaking seventeen chicks this year.
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There is renewed hope that the worst-case scenario for the melting of Antarctica may not occur.
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Tree frogs are usually green but a rare blue species has been discovered in Australia.
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The Dovekie is one of the smallest and most abundant members of the Alcid family and it is also the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week.
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Giant, ancient tropical trees are the anchors of their ecosystems and many of them are dying. Scientists are trying to discover why.
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Brown Pelicans off the coast of California are also dying in alarming numbers and scientists are working to determine the cause.
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There is much better news from the world of the Peregrine Falcon. In Yosemite National Park the birds are making a comeback.
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And in Botswana, the second largest diamond ever found has been discovered. It is an amazing 2492 carats!
Good morning, Dorothy: As always, I appreciate receiving the roundup; it is a marker to start my day. I sit here each Saturday morning with my first coffee, poring through it and making notes about what I wish to check on later. I feel that I have my own personal editor - and she is very reliable! Except for your picture, I am afraid to say. The bird you label as a Purple Gallinule is in fact a Common Gallinule, sometimes also referred to as a Common Moorhen, although that term is more correctly applied to the European version of this bird - a separate species. Have a wonderful weekend - David
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I accidentally uploaded the wrong picture. I probably should not do this late at night. I had intended to use a Purple Gallinule picture. I have corrected the caption.
DeleteIt's entirely frustrating when the part about restoring the environment is left out of the conversation.
ReplyDeleteAnd it makes the conversation entirely pointless. Restoring the environment is essential.
DeleteHmm... which link should I visit first? Decisions, decisions! :-)
ReplyDeleteI wonder what is happening to the Brown Pelicans of California. They were virtually absent here along the Gulf Coast for a long time.
ReplyDelete"To prevent a climate breakdown we not only need to reduce carbon emissions; we need to restore Nature." I agree, but it feels like an impossibility.