This week in birds - #600

 A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is one that most of us have not seen and perhaps will never see. It is the largest of North America's auklet species, the Rhinoceros Auklet. It is a seabird that nests in burrows or deep crevices on rocky islands and cliffs and winters at sea and is decreasing in numbers.

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Electricity generated by solar power is increasing across the country. Moreover, solar farms not only produce power, in many cases they produce habitats for pollinators and other wildlife.

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Expeditions to the sunken RMS Titanic are still making discoveries.

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More proof that everything is connected: New research has linked crashing bat populations and infant mortality.

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Chimpanzees and other apes, just like humans, use meaningful gestures to help communicate and make their point.  

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Flash floods can happen even in deserts.

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According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, extreme heat killed more Americans in 2023 than in any year in the past quarter century.

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Cambodia is celebrating the return of artifacts that were looted from that country in previous decades.

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CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) has suspended Bangladesh due to its illegal trade in birds.

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The Navajo Nation has adopted changes to tribal law that regulate the transportation of uranium across its lands.

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Bats are sometimes victims in illegal wildlife trade.

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The California coast has been suffering through excessive heat that extends all the way through midnight each day.

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Researchers in Oregon are painting wind turbines partially black in order to try to reduce bird deaths from them.

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The National Audubon Society explains what a songbird is.

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Drought and heat are taking their toll on Nature, but Nature is nothing if not resilient.

Comments

  1. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzSeptember 7, 2024 at 4:42 AM

    It's wonderful that the solar farms are becoming habitats for polinators and wildflowers. That's something I did not expect.

    Our writing teacher is always encouraging her students to read the work of Margaret Renkl. Thank you for sending us the link to the resilience of Nature. The article offers me encouragement to continue to bring more and more native plants into my gardens.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 7, 2024 at 10:26 AM

      The growth of solar farms and the use of solar power is one of the more hopeful trends of the moment, I think, and the fact that they are also wildlife habitats is definitely a bonus!

      Delete
  2. David M. Gascoigne,September 7, 2024 at 5:37 AM

    Good morning, Dorothy. Thank you for the weekly roundup. First of all let me tell you of two great spots to see Rhinoceros Auklet. You are overdue for a nice vacation anyway, so get on a plane for Victoria, BC and go to either the Ogden Point Breakwater or Clover Point, preferably both. There you stand an excellent chance of seeing Rhinoceros Auklet! And so many other really interesting species too. Let me know before you leave and I will produce a customized checklist for you!
    In the meantime, I off to scan the news you present this weekend. All the best - David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 7, 2024 at 10:28 AM

      If I am ever in that area, I will certainly make use of your list and I'll definitely be on the lookout for the wonderful Rhinoceros Auklet!

      Delete
  3. CathySeptember 10, 2024 at 2:37 AM

    That's such good news about solar farms aiding in pollination. Now I'm off to explore your other links!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 10, 2024 at 7:59 AM

      Increase in the use of solar is certainly a hopeful bit of news.

      Delete

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