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The effort to establish another flock of Whooping Cranes in the wild, the Wisconsin/Florida flock, continues to be tenuous, but there are hopeful signs. In order for the flock to be self-sustaining, the first order of business is that the birds pair up and reproduce. There was good news on that front this week when it was announced that a chick had hatched in the wild in Wisconsin.
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Historical climate data assembled with the help of a NASA researcher shows that spring is actually coming earlier than the controlled climate change experiments have indicated. Birds are nesting earlier and plants are flowering earlier each year than was true in the past.
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As more evidence of the advancing of spring, the Wandering Albatrosses that nest on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia are now nesting an average of 2.2 days earlier than they did in past years, according to the scientists that study them.
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Scientists have postulated that the extinction of species, resulting in biodiversity loss, is just as big a threat to the environment as climate change, and that, in fact, this loss is one of the factors that is driving the rapid heating up of the earth.
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A Bald Eagle in Pennsylvania has shown a remarkable tenacity for life. The bird was found recently in a pool of blood in a parking lot there. An examination by veterinarians of the wildlife services that rescued it showed that the bird was suffering from lead poisoning, that it had been shot with BB pellets, and that it had likely been hit by a car. It was barely alive when found and its life still hangs in the balance as wildlife rehabbers try to bring it back from the brink. They say they don't yet know if the eagle will survive. I'm betting on the bird.
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A new interactive map by the American Bird Conservancy shows areas where birds are most likely to be harmed by the placement of wind farms. It is hoped that this will be a tool in better planning for placement of the turbines in spots that will be less deadly to birds.
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The development of natural gas fields in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is pushing the pronghorn antelope out of its traditional wintering grounds. This could result in a population decline of this iconic animal of the West.
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Renewable energy sources are being more widely used in many states throughout the country over the past decade, according to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
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Ornithologists in Peru are investigating the mysterious deaths of some 600 seabirds, including pelicans and boobies, that have washed up on the beaches in the north of that country. This comes after a finding of mass deaths among dolphins in the same area.
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Heavyweight trees measuring three feet or more in diameter accounted for nearly half the biomass measured in Yosemite National Park even though trees of that size represented only about one percent of the trees growing in the park.
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Conservationists are seeking Endangered Species protection for the declining Black-backed Woodpecker. Ironically, the bird is declining because of the reduction in forest fires in its habitat. This bird likes to feed on the larvae of beetles that attack trees that have been through a fire.
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If you think tonight's full moon appears larger and brighter than the normal full moon, you're right. It's a Supermoon! The moon averages about 230,000 miles from the earth, but tonight's moon will be only 221,802 miles away at its closest point. That's 12.2 percent closer than the beautiful orb is when it is at its farthest point from our planet. It looks like it will be a clear night, so get outside and have a look!
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Around the backyard: For the last couple of years, I've not noticed any Common Nighthawks over my yard during migration. Imagine my pleasure then when, late Wednesday afternoon, just before dusk, I was outside and heard two of their familiar voices up above. I looked up to see the two circling in the area, enjoying their late day meal of flying insects. More power to them!
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