This week in birds - #601

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

                                                                                                         Photo by Susan Borders Evans

The orb weavers are out and doing their thing. They are wonderful critters. Please be kind to them.

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Defending Nature is a dangerous business in a world where at least three defenders are killed every week.

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Unfortunately, Nature must be defended not only against those who harm intentionally but also those who harm through carelessness. 

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Fall migration is in full swing. According to BirdCast, nearly two million birds passed over my county last night.

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Sometimes humans actually manage to assist Nature. This was the case of the Bald Ibis in Europe.

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A scientific investigation has concluded that Earth vibrated for nine days after a landslide and mega-tsunami in Greenland in 2023. Figuring that out took the efforts of about seventy people from fifteen different countries.

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It is for good reason that the Amazon is referred to as "Earth's lungs.

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Some orb weaver spiders are known to use captured fireflies to lure in more prey.

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At least three major wildfires are burning in southern California displacing tens of thousands of residents.

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It seems that Earth may have a new mini-moon at least for a couple of months.

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The Brazilian city of Linhares has granted its ocean waves the status of legal personhood in order to pave the path to marine protection.

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We have recognized the need for wildlife bridges over busy highways, but do marine animals need such bridges also?

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Studies have found that methane emissions are rising faster than ever.

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Those methane emissions could contribute to the fact that this year has seen the hottest summer on record and could lead to the warmest year that humans have measured.

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The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week this week is a seabird, the Parkinson's Petrel, also called the Black Petrel because its only spot of color is its pale yellow bill with its black tip. 

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Hundreds of sea lions took over a popular California beach during their migration, causing officials to close the beach down for a period of time.

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Pompeii was destroyed by a volcanic eruption 1945 years ago, but it is still yielding up its secrets to archaeologists.

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There is evidence that birds that live in the city have less vibrant colors than the same species living in more rural areas.

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The new Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary in California will protect more than 116 miles of that state's coastline.

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This is a new tarantula species (Aphonopelma jacobii) that has been discovered in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona.