Skip to main content

This week in birds - #589

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

A Pied-billed Grebe swims in the waters of Galveston Bay.

*~*~*~*

There is a strong link between the decline in the number of insects and the use of pesticides. Detective work has revealed that agricultural insecticides are a prime suspect as a cause of the decline. Wildlife experts are urging a reduction in the use and toxicity of pesticides before it is too late.

*~*~*~*

Labor and environmental groups are lobbying the Federal Emergency Management Agency to declare that extreme heat is a "major disaster." Moreover, researchers have found that deadly heat in Mexico and the U.S. is made 35 times more likely by global warming. 

*~*~*~*

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, more than 1,000 hajj pilgrims have died because of the heat. Around the world, the extreme heat has already affected billions of people.

*~*~*~*

The Bald Eagle is widely believed to be our "national bird." Nope. In fact, we don't have such a designation.

*~*~*~*

The Supreme Court has drastically weakened federal Clean Water Act protections. The Audubon Society is making a priority of working to protect the wetlands that are so essential to the overall health of the environment.

*~*~*~*

Contraceptives to control the numbers of species humans consider to be pests? Scientists are working to make it happen.

*~*~*~*

Here's a bit of good news: The deforestation of the Brazilian rainforest is declining for a variety of reasons.

*~*~*~*

The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has managed to drastically cut plastic pollution of its lagoons.

*~*~*~*

Do you know what a "grolar" is? Well, it is a hybrid of a grizzly and a polar bear and it is extremely rare. I suspect that is a good thing.

*~*~*~*

Birding helped this man get through his chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

*~*~*~*

Why did two lions swim across a crocodile-infested river?

*~*~*~*

The farm bill passed by a House of Representatives committee fell short in advancing climate-smart agriculture and forestry policies.

*~*~*~*

This little beauty is the Lazuli Bunting which was the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week for last week.

*~*~*~*

A familiar sight in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the White Pelican is the ABC's Bird of the Week for this week.

*~*~*~*

Our neighbor planet, Mars, was recently hit by a powerful solar storm.

*~*~*~*

It seems that bees have been enlisted as crime fighters on a Virginia "body farm."

*~*~*~*

Birds Canada will partner with other conservation organizations to create local protected areas in Latin America and the Caribbean.

*~*~*~*

Easter Island is forced to deal with a flood of multinational plastic that washes up on its shores.

*~*~*~*

Herpetologists are working to save nearly extinct giant salamander species found in Asia.

*~*~*~*

What is the "mysterious monolith" that appeared in the Nevada desert? Naturally, some people are convinced it was left by visitors from outer space!

*~*~*~*

The Eastern Band of Cherokees is opening a dispensary for cannabis. Predictably, North Carolina officials do not approve.

*~*~*~*

And here's some more good news: The Iberian lynx has had its status changed from "endangered" to "vulnerable," a recognition of improvement in its numbers after a 20-year conservation effort.

*~*~*~*


Wild Przewalski's horses have returned to Kazakhstan after having been absent for 200 years. These two were among the first group of seven to be returned. Forty more will be introduced there over the next five years.

*~*~*~*

A 64-year-old tourist was killed by an elephant attack in Zambia this week. Such attacks are becoming more common due to pressure on the habitats and herds of the animals.

*~*~*~*

How did the flounder end up with both eyes on one side? It's all down to evolution.

*~*~*~*

Can mosquitoes help save rare Hawaiian birds from extinction? Conservationists are hoping so.

*~*~*~*

Rewilding of one's garden areas is becoming more popular but officials in one Canadian city do not approve.

*~*~*~*

Some bird species have not been sighted for decades. The authors of a new list of lost species are asking birders for their help in finding 126 "lost" species.

*~*~*~*

A dinosaur dug up in Montana and named Lokiceratops may be a previously unknown species.

*~*~*~*

The ancient monument of Stonehenge which was recently attacked by protestors has seen thousands of people gather there this week to celebrate the summer solstice.

*~*~*~*

A baby moose that was stuck was saved by rescuers in Alaska this week while the mother moose watched.

*~*~*~*

A pet donkey named Diesel escaped in California five years ago and has now been found living, apparently quite happily, with a herd of elk.




Labels:

Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,June 22, 2024 at 4:55 AM

    Thank you for this very comprehensive roundup this morning, Dorothy. My reading is set for the day! I was supposed to lead a nature walk this morning, but it was cancelled due to the possibility of severe thunderstorms, so my time has been reclaimed. Wouldn’t you think that by now we would have figured that pesticides and other poisons only work for a short time until the target species build up immunity and more toxic substances are then needed - and on and in it goes. As for your Supreme Court it seems to be a disgrace from every angle and one can hardly be surprised that they don’t operate for the common good. To weaken clean water protection seems about as foolhardy as it gets. We are sliding down the steep slope to oblivion and the slope is being greased daily. Have a great weekend! All the best - David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 22, 2024 at 10:05 AM

      The evidence seems to suggest that, as a species, we are very slow to learn.

      Delete
  2. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzJune 23, 2024 at 1:04 PM

    Thank you, Dorothy, for sharing all these fascinating stories. I especially liked reading the story of the fellow who was greatly helped in his recovery from cancer by engaging in his passion, birdwatching, and the article about the use of pesticides and their impact on the decline in the number of insects in the world. I'm still thinking about the article that talked about using contraceptives with animals; it might help one problem but possibly create another.

    Side note: I sometimes spend a long time going through the articles you share here. I hope I never forget to come back to your blog and thank you for your work. If I have in the past, I thank you now!

    ReplyDelete
  3. CathyJune 24, 2024 at 2:41 AM

    Lots of excellent links for me to explore this week. The curmudgeon in me reacted when I saw the link about contraceptives for insects humans consider to be pests. I suppose we ought to know-- we're the biggest pests of them all.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sarah @ All The Book Blog Names Are TakenJune 28, 2024 at 8:40 PM

    I hadn't heard about Stonehenge being attacked! I will be reading up on it, I hope there is not too much damage; the stones are already so destroyed.

    A new dinosaur is amazing. Dinosaurs will never not be cool.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...
19 comments
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters!  Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...
6 comments
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...
24 comments
Read more