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This week in birds - #668

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

The Monarchs are on their way! I haven't seen any yet but others in my area here in Southeast Texas have reported seeing them. I will be on the lookout and I need to get my milkweed plants in the ground to welcome them.

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Daylight saving time is coming for most of us whether we like it or not. It arrives at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday so let's prepare as best we can.

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A report on the health of Nature in the United States was killed by the president but it has now been released independently, and the good news about that is there actually is some good news!

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The Potomac River, once seriously polluted, had been deemed safe from sludge more recently but then a sewer pipe broke and dumped human waste into it.

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There's potential good news on the California Condor front and goodness knows it's about time we had some. Wildlife biologists in California believe a pair of the birds is tending the first egg laid in the state's northern region in more than a century. This is still unconfirmed but our fingers are crossed.

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Peer pressure may play a part even in the world of clownfish. Babies typically have two or three of those vertical white stripes but by the time they reach adulthood they are down to just one and scientists now believe that is a result of social pressure. 

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What was the origin of the wood that was used by Antonio Stradivari to make his famous violins? A study of the tree rings found in the wood may provide the answer.

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Ants are very interesting critters with complex social structures and societies. A new technology called Antscan allows us to see them like never before. 

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People pay a lot of money to be able to see jaguars in the wild. They are a Brazilian tourist attraction. 

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One of NASA's missions is to work to protect the planet from deadly asteroids.

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A brutal winter has played havoc with the floating oyster farm systems on the East Coast. If you enjoy oysters, you may find them in short supply this summer.

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This picture of a pronghorn antelope is one of fifteen recent photographs from Yellowstone National Park, the nation's first park.

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