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| Merlin / Photo by me |
- Just before the government shutdown, the US Fish and Wildlife Service finally proposed the rufa subspecies of Red Knot as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Here is a reaction from the American Bird Conservancy. Here are reactions from some scientists involved in Red Knot conservation. Here is some background on the Red Knot's decline.
- More details have come out about the burned birds at the massive Ivanpah solar installation.
- Two new parcels added to Brazil's Serra Bonita Reserve will provide protection for six rare bird species.
- About 500 ducks are being rescued and rehabilitated after an oil spill in Wales.
- A report from Canada has similar results to reports by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the US Fish and Wildlife Service on the effects of feral and outdoor cats on bird mortality.
- Analysis of fossilized feces gives clues about the habitat preferences of extinct moa species.
- A proposed wind farm in the Shetlands may not be approved because of concerns about a rare wader. Apparently the bird in question is the Whimbrel; 95% of its breeding population in the UK nests in the Shetlands.
- Birds exposed to urban light pollution produce lower levels of melatonin, a chemical that regulates the sleep cycle.
- Laelaps: “Lake That Turns Animals to Stone” Not so Deadly as Photos Suggest
- Myrmecos: Genomic data reveal that ants and bees are close relatives
- All About Birds: Infidelity in Australian Bird May Be the Secret Keeping a Species Together
- 10,000 Birds: The Problem with Eagles
- Wild New Jersey: The Pine Barrens around Helmetta No. 25: Back in the woods
- The Rattling Crow: Canada Geese taking off decisions
- Outside My Window: Starling Story Problem
- Earbirding: The Five Basic Pitch Patterns
- View from the Cape: "How do you know it's a Parasitic Jaeger?"
- Last week the IPCC published its latest report on climate change. Here is analysis by Weather Underground. Here is analysis by a climate scientist. Past predictions have held up well, despite claims to the contrary. BirdLife calls for an aggressive response to climate change, which threatens many bird species.
- Because of the federal shutdown, all national parks are closed, as are national wildlife refuges. (Take action!) It may still be possible to visit some public lands managed by the Forest Service and BLM. The National Eagle Repository is shut down. At her new home at Wired Science, Bug Girl reviews the effects of the shutdown on conservation and science. A former head of the USGS argues that a prolonged shutdown will affect all scientists. The government shutdown also could be very troublesome for some renewable energy projects that are waiting for approval.
- A new leak of radioactive water at Fukushima was caused by a worker error.
- Meanwhile, a reactor in Sweden had to be shut down because jellyfish clogged its water intake.
