This week in birds - #575
A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:
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Here are some of the key biodiversity issues for the coming year.
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El Niño continues to build strength. What does that mean for the weather in 2024?
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At least it gave plenty of warnings; now an Icelandic volcano has erupted.
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Space rocks slamming into our planet have long affected life on Earth.
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Five endangered gray wolves have just been released into the wild in the western part of Colorado.
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Some of the weirdest life on Earth exists in deep caves.
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I would love to visit this exhibit of leaf-cutter ants at the American Museum of Natural History. Amazing critters!
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Have you ever seen an orange river? Some of the Arctic rivers are turning that color.
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That apes have remarkably long memories and can remember old friends from years earlier should not be a surprise.
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What were Earth's early days like? A lagoon ecosystem in Argentina's Puna de Atacama Desert may hold clues.
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Human activities have driven about 12% of Earth's bird species to extinction, according to a new study.
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As insects become more scarce, flower species are adjusting and evolving to self-pollination.
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President Biden has moved to ban most old-growth logging in national forests. That's a great step in the right direction but how can we save our forests?
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Here's a report about tracing Charles Darwin's route around the tip of South America.
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Maybe curling into a ball when things get tough is an instinctive reaction. Trilobites perfected it.
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It turns out there are plenty of "Christmas" lights in the cosmos at this time of year.
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And here on Earth, some of the smartest creatures have eight arms and one of them has a warning about climate change and rising sea levels.
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A Ponderosa pine called Bigelow 224 also contains a warning for us. Maybe we should listen to what Nature is shouting at us.
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The Guardian's "The week in wildlife" as always has some marvelous pictures.
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And finally, reindeer are multitaskers which is probably good news as Santa gets ready to steer his team on their annual journey.
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Whatever holidays you celebrate here at the end of this calendar year and the beginning of the new one, my wish for you is that they will be peaceful and joyful.
Happy holidays to you and yours!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the roundup, Dorothy, dismal news though it contains. The article on the Alaskan rivers is especially disturbing, but let me not dwell on the negative given the time of the year. I have seen Leafcutter Ants many times on my visits to Central and South America and I have never ceased to marvel at them. Once at the end of a day’s birding I sat and watched them for about an hour and was treated to a seminar in nature right before my eyes. Not only the ants, but so much else was revealed by sitting and watching. A day in a classroom didn’t come close. We do not celebrate Christmas, but never fail to acknowledge the Solstice. May the very best of life be part of yours in 2024. It has been such a pleasure to get to know you and benefit from this remarkable service you render to all of us each week. In admiration, affection and gratitude - David
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling that the Ponderosa pine was in Arizona!
ReplyDeleteMay your New Year be filled with Health and Happiness, Dorothy!
As I recall, Ponderosas are quite common there, though likely there are few as old as Bigelow.
DeleteI have seen my first Orange-crowned Warbler this year. Great photo!
ReplyDeleteIt's shocking to see how many bird species have been lost because of us humans.
The five wolves let go in Colorado is really interesting and I only cross my fingers they will live & be okay.
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