A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:
The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the colorful Mourning Warbler. It is found during breeding season in forest habitats of southeastern Canada and upper northeastern United States and down into Central America and parts of Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador in South America during its nonbreeding season. Its population is decreasing but its status is not yet a matter of concern.
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A cruise ship has been stranded in the Atlantic Ocean because of an outbreak of the deadly hantavirus.
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El Niño is headed our way once again but it probably won't reach full force until autumn or winter.
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Our current president seems to be a big fan of coal, because of course he would be. He is directing that aging coal plants be kept open.
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Lithuania is hoping that its restored peat bogs can combat global warming, as well as stopping Russian tanks from invading.
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A preliminary study indicates that building a dam across the Bering Strait could help save the planet from some effects of climate change.
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The current administration in Washington has killed the Public Lands Rule which gave conservation activities on federal land equal priority with mining and logging.
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It appears that the predator-prey ratio of wolves and moose at Michigan's Isle Royale National Park is stabilizing.
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A study of ancient and modern human DNA indicates that our species is still evolving.
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Since building nests is such hard work, some birds choose to steal instead.
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Remora often hitch rides on on marine creatures, sometimes in a very intrusive part of the animal.
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The Devil's Hole pupfish population declined drastically about a year ago and scientists released some fish that they had raised into the hole to help stabilize it.
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Excavations at Pompeii are still finding remains of those who tried to flee the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
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The illegal trade in gibbons has hit an all-time high.
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One million Houston toad eggs have been released into a Texas park to try to help the endangered species make a comeback.
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An endangered northern quoll has been released back into the wild in central Queensland after it accidentally took a ride on a truck.
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Hyenas are unexpected helpers in the fight against climate change.
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Here are fifteen images that won the German Society for Nature Photography's annual contest.
Good morning, Dorothy, thanks for the roundup. The perverse actions of the Trump administration continue to cause dismay and despair for the entire world. I think someone wrote a textbook on stupidity and actions to accelerate the climate crisis and they are following it to the letter. Maybe even adding a few sections here and there. Best wishes - David
ReplyDeleteI would say that this administration is writing that textbook. I shudder to think what the next chapters may be like.
DeleteThe quoll is so pretty. It's good to see that hyenas are receiving a better press than usual, at least in some parts of Ethiopia.
ReplyDeleteHyenas play an important role in the environment and I agree that it is good to see that that is being recognized.
DeleteI've been following the cruise ship troubles via a World Health Organization email subscription (I feel like I need to link up to some source of good health information---it doesn't seem to be something our government is supporting these days). The photos from the German Society for Nature Photography's contest are amazing.
ReplyDeleteI had not thought to subscribe to the WHO email. Perhaps I will do that.
DeleteI haven't read that about Lithuania. Good for them. We've been very worried about the wolves at Isle Royale. I'm glad to hear it's stabilizing. I appreciate this terrific list.
ReplyDeleteI have followed the story of the wolves closely and, like you, I'm very happy to read that the situation appears to be stabilizing.
DeleteI guess I didn't know about quolls so glad to learn more about them! And you might have featured a couple of these before: the Bering Strait article and the DNA one that indicates we're still evolving -- which are fascinating. Maybe Pompeii ... they all needed strong helmets!
ReplyDeleteYes, the Bering Strait situation continues to evolve and apparently so do we!
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