This week in birds - #612

(Note to readers: If you are unable to access any of the links below, I encourage you search Google on the subject and find a link that is available to you.)

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

This is a Plain Chachalaca that I photographed on a visit to the Rio Grande Valley a few years ago. The Chachalaca is primarily a resident of Eastern Mexico and Central America but it does stray north into southernmost Texas where I saw it. It is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week.

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Bird flu is abroad in the land once again, with several cases having been reported in California.

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If countries do not curb production of plastic, the world may not be able to handle the volume of plastic waste within ten years.

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Scientists are studying the flight of hummingbirds in order to help them design robots for drone warfare. That just seems wrong. 

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Ancient footprints discovered in Kenya indicate that two of our related species probably shared the same habitat and may have interacted. 

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Whale sharks are the largest fish found on our planet but their size does not protect them from predation by killer whales.

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Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross, is the oldest known banded bird in the wild, aged at least 74 years. She has a new mate and has returned to her nest and laid an egg which the mate is now incubating. 

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Drones and artificial intelligence have helped researchers discover more Nazca lines in the Peruvian desert. The discoveries have doubled the number of known geoglyphs in the area.

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In the 1960s, the Bald Eagle was driven perilously close to extinction in the country where it is the "national bird." But, with a little help from its friends, it has come all the way back.

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In Massachusetts, where wetlands were once turned into cranberry bogs, there is a move afoot to restore the wetlands. 

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It turns out one can learn quite a lot from dinosaur poop. Well, if you are a paleontologist you can.

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This is the fossilized skull of an amphibian that lived more than 230 million years ago on the land of the Eastern Shoshone tribe. The tribe gave it a name in their language. It is the Ninumbeehan dookoodukah.

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What a good idea this is! Across the country, cemeteries are rewilding, becoming homes for native plants, wildflowers, and animals.

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Finally, here are photos of the week in wildlife.

Comments

  1. jabblogNovember 30, 2024 at 3:54 AM

    Plain Chachalaca chicks are unusually precocious. Rewilding in cemeteries seems a wonderful idea. Cemeteries are peaceful places, ideal for harbouring life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzNovember 30, 2024 at 5:59 AM

    Rewilding in cemeteries is an excellent idea. I have heard that cemeteries are a good place to find native plants.

    If we can successfully bring back the Bald Eagle, maybe we can work together to bring back the idea of the common good to our country, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersNovember 30, 2024 at 10:47 AM

      That one might be even harder to accomplish.

      Delete
    2. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzDecember 2, 2024 at 10:41 AM

      I'm afraid you are right. Still, one can do what one can to try to bring it about...

      Delete
    3. Dorothy BordersDecember 2, 2024 at 1:32 PM

      That's certainly the most positive response!

      Delete
  3. David M. Gascoigne,November 30, 2024 at 6:09 AM

    Good morning, Dorothy. Thank you - as always - for the roundup. The thought of using hummingbird flight to create robots of destruction makes me sick. There is no barrel where humans will not scrape its bottom. I read recently about the rewilding of the cranberry bogs in Massachusetts. What a splendid idea. I remember visiting the area many years ago and the cranberry harvest was enormous. In fact, on the ferry over to Nantucket, I had a drink called a Cape Codder, which comprised Vodka and cranberry juice. With luck it will fade into memory, perhaps to be replaced by a new concoction bearing the name of a wetland flower not seen in decades. One has to cling to small glimmers of hope. I hope that you had a very pleasant Thanksgiving and that your weekend will be filled with Nature. With my very best wishes - David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersNovember 30, 2024 at 10:58 AM

      Those "small glimmers of hope" are what keep us going when all around us critical thinking, intelligence, and care and concern for the planet seem to be in short supply.

      Delete
  4. thecuecardDecember 1, 2024 at 8:57 AM

    The amount of plastic waste is one of my very worst fears for planet Earth. So worrisome. But thanks for the Kenya ancient footprints story -- that is very interesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersDecember 1, 2024 at 10:34 AM

      Handling its plastic waste is surely one of the biggest challenges modern society faces.

      Delete

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