This week in birds - #5

Here is a recap of stories about birds, science, and Nature that were making news this week.  Follow the highlighted links to read the full stories.

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An irruption is defined as an unusual winter appearance of a particular species of birds. Regularly, at this time of year, we may encounter large numbers of birds like Red-breasted Nuthatches, Pine Siskins, or Evening Grosbeaks in areas where they don't normally appear. This winter, the bird that is making the biggest stir among birders is the beautiful Snowy Owl which is irrupting in great numbers in the Northwest.

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The damage done by the oil spewing from BP's Deepwater Horizon rig in 2010 was greatly lessened by the action of the Gulf currents which served to break up and disperse the oil over a large area.  

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With a warming climate bringing less snow cover to the Arizona mountains, the elk that live there are staying higher in the mountains rather than moving to lower elevations in the winter. This means that they are overgrazing areas at higher elevations which is having a detrimental effect on the population of such songbirds as the Red-faced Warbler.

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Another animal that had been thought to be extinct in the wild has been found in Myanmar. A wildlife camera captured a picture of a snub-nosed monkey, the first ever picture of the monkey that had been taken in the wild.

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One animal that may actually be benefiting from a warming climate is the Wandering Albatross. Scientists have found that because of a warmer climate, nesting birds are able to make shorter flights to search for food for their nestlings. This appears to result in better-fed and healthier nestlings with higher survival rates.

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Those concerned about the Grand Canyon and possible environmental degradation of the area around it were happy to hear that Interior Secretary Salazar had imposed a 20-year moratorium on new uranium and hard-rock mining claims there.

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The EPA has released its greenhouse emissions report for 2010. Users of the site can click on the map, enter a state name and get information about their individual state.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a proposal to regulate the killing of seabirds by vessels in the Hawaiian swordfish fishery. The action is important because it marks the firs time the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, America's foremost law protecting migratory bird species, has been invoked to protect seabirds in federal waters.

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It seems that every week we read of another "world's smallest frog species" being located. Well, here's the story for this week. Several of these latest discovered frogs could sit on a dime at once!

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Most birds, particularly songbirds, do not have a highly developed sense of smell, but now comes a study which seems to prove that the chicks of Zebra Finches, those tiny, busy finches that we sometimes see for sale in pet stores, do have a working sense of smell and that they use it to recognize their relatives by their scent. 

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A booming population and resulting urban sprawl in Peru and Bolivia are threatening to overwhelm famed Lake Titicaca with sewage and other pollutants.

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The National Park Service is waiving entrance fees to national parks this weekend in honor of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There are fourteen other dates in 2012 when the fees will be waived.

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Around my backyard: The action has been fast and furious around the bird feeders this week. The number of songbirds visiting the feeders has increased considerably in the last few days and, as I reported yesterday, those birds have been harried by another hungry bird, a Sharp-shinned Hawk. As I was working in the yard today, I witnessed two strikes by the little hawk.

The first strike happened so quickly that I had no time to react at all. I was watching the feeders when the hawk seemingly came out of nowhere, like a flash, scattering the birds from their feeding. I couldn't even be sure whether or not he had caught a bird, but since he returned less than an hour later, I assume he didn't.

The second time, he came out of a tree to my right and I was able to watch as, again, he made a dash at the feeders, sending the birds scurrying for cover in the shrubbery. This time, after he missed catching his dinner, he flew to a limb less than twenty feet away from me and perched. I was afraid to move for fear I would scare him away, so I froze and just watched as he sat there for several seconds, swiveling his head from left to right, searching the yard for a likely meal. Finally, finding none, he flew up and circled the yard a few times before going higher and higher until he was just a speck against the sky and then flying off down the street over my neighbors' yard. Perhaps he was luckier there.