This week in birds - #622
A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:
The traffic at the bird feeders has been heavy this week. Frequent visitors have been Red-winged Blackbirds, like this female.*~*~*~*
The new administration's pro fossil fuel agenda is a threat to our national monuments.
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And right on cue, the administration has killed a major report that was due on the state of Nature in the country. Those who worked on the report are hoping to publish it anyway.
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Also thanks to the new administration, plastic straws will be returning to our lives, because, you know, that's what he ran on.
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The president has nominated an oil industry insider to oversee drilling on public lands, because, of course, there will be drilling on public lands.
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Here are the species we lost in 2024.
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Pollution from factory farms can be seen from space.
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A new study has found that people do actually pay attention to and are willing to follow expert climate advice.
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Appallingly, a river near Buenos Aires turned red after a suspected industrial dye leak.
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Are we in for four years of the Orbánization of America?
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Humans couldn't seem to get it done so the beavers took over!
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Scientists have found evidence of an exceptional ultra-high-energy neutrino, a messenger from the cosmos.
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This is the Red-crested Cardinal, the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week. In spite of its name, it is not closely related to our beloved Northern Cardinal. It is, in fact a member of the Tanager family, the second largest bird family in the world. It is a native of South America and can be found in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina.*~*~*~*
Sadly, most countries are missing the climate deadlines that were set at the last Conference of the Parties on climate.
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Scientists have detected that the core of Earth is changing.
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This is the weekend of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Are you participating? It's not too late!
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There's new evidence that microplastics could be a danger to our brains.
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It was literally an unidentified flying object. What was it?
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I agree with the AP; it'll always be the Gulf of Mexico for me.
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Most Birds-of-Paradise species absorb light through their bodies and emit it through their plumage. They literally glow. As a part of the mating ritual, the males send off these bioflourescence signals.
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The National Park Service will be able to exempt some positions from the hiring freeze imposed by the new administration.
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And here's a kerfuffle about methane-cutting cow feed. What an interesting world we live in.
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Helen Hays, an ornithologist famous in the bird world for her work on Great Gull Island, has died at the age of 94.
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Arsenic as one of the building blocks of life? Maybe.
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Magnetic field signals can cause turtles to "dance for joy."
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The threat of "forever chemicals" to human health is very real and the new administration is rolling back limits meant to protect us.
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Moreover, the threat of avian flu is spreading and data censorship by the administration will make combating it even harder.
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Years ago, Shell was responsible for polluting Nigeria. Finally, the trial regarding their actions is set to begin.
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Fulfilling current land restoration pledges would require only a small portion of global gross domestic product. And the will to do it.
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The eruption of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has become a tourist attraction.
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There are alligators and quite a bit of other wildlife living in the sewers of Florida.
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Off the coast of Chile, a kayaker was scooped into the mouth of a humpback whale. Apparently the whale didn't like the taste and spit him right back out again. Shades of Jonah and the whale.
Thanks for this extensive roundup, Dorothy. You have put a lot of work into this report and we are all grateful for it. It is a disgrace, and a cause of great sadness, that not only is the new administration in Washington denying climate science and following a path of resource extraction, it is actively overturning progressive measures already in place. It will be a measure of citizen response whether they accept plastic straws. If they do then they are complicit with their government. The world has truly gone mad. If you are doing a backyard bird count - enjoy! It will be a respite from the dark cloud that was voted into Washington by the people. All the best - David
ReplyDeleteThe Backyard Bird Count is one of my favorite citizen science projects. I wouldn't miss it!
DeleteMy favorite, too. I'm always happy to document who is visiting my backyard.
DeletePlastic straws and renaming things with titles no sane person will ever call them. It's exactly what I expect froma joke of an administration that is hellbent on destroying our country and in the process will also destroy the planet. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt is utterly appalling and we have four years of this to look forward to.
DeleteA week in, I was exhausted. And many of my 5th graders are scared. More than one has asked me if ICE can take them from school. ICE will have to go through me first, they're not taing a single one of my babies.
DeleteThank you, Dorothy, for offering a roundup of the important nature stories of the week. I appreciate it so much...now more than ever.
ReplyDeleteI am doing the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend. One thing I can do to help...
Good for you! The GBBC is an important way to help our birds.
DeleteGulf of Mexico - it is to me too. The next 4 years look very grim for nature & combating pollution. Hold them accountable! What a beautiful cardinal --
ReplyDeleteAs far as I'm concerned, it will always be the Gulf of Mexico. And you are absolutely right - we must hold them accountable and we must vote and encourage other like-minded people to vote every change we get. It's the only way we can get change.
DeleteI read an article recently about the growth of the panther population in Florida. Between all the pythons, alligators, crocodiles and the like, they'll certainly have plenty to eat.
ReplyDeleteI won't be able to participate in the GBBC this year because I'll be spending most of my time visiting Denis in the hospital. And as far as the current administration is concerned, I fear for this country.
My best wishes to Denis and to you. I hope he'll soon be able to be home again with a much improved outlook for his health.
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