This week in birds - #35

A roundup of the news of birds and the environment this week:

Eastern Kingbird - always on the alert.

*~*~*~*

Nature photographers can easily get carried away in the excitement or the beauty of the moment that they are trying to photograph. Unfortunately, when you are trying to photograph a grizzly bear, that could easily cost you your life, as it did a hiker in Alaska this week. Best to always remember where you are and that they are called WILD animals for a reason.

*~*~*~*

The Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than any other place on the planet and this, scientists believe, is the main cause of a significant decline in the breeding population of Chinstrap Penguins.

*~*~*~*

Amber has proved to be an amazing preservative for prehistoric life forms. The latest to be found encased in amber are two species of tiny arthropods called gall mites. The creatures lived 230 million years ago. 

*~*~*~*

Green Herons may be the brainiest member of the heron and egret clan. They have been documented to use tools in their fishing techniques. Here's a link to a video showing one of the clever birds using a piece of bread to entice fish.

*~*~*~*

The great web of life on Earth is inextricably linked and the extinction of one species can have a domino effect, leading to the extinction of others. 

*~*~*~*

The horse chestnut leaf mine moth, an alien species, arrived in the UK in 2002 and has proceeded to cause significant damage to trees there. But there may be hope in combating the invasive species in the form of a tiny bird, the Blue Tit, a relative of our chickadees and titmice. Apparently, the tits relish a snack of moths. 

*~*~*~*

Sea ice in the Arctic is at the lowest level on record and there are still three more weeks of warming left before the temperature should begin to moderate and get cooler. This is likely a harbinger of more drastic changes to come as the planet continues to heat up.

*~*~*~*

Fossils of dinosaurs in China have been found with the bones of birds and small dinosaurs in their stomachs, indicating that the creatures may have been very adept and agile hunters.

*~*~*~*

The National Park System along the east coast of the country is at risk from rising seawater. As Arctic ice continues to melt and the seas continue to rise, the coastline of the area could be significantly changed.

*~*~*~*

A mystery marine larva called Cerataspis monstrosa kept scientists guessing for some 200 years but they've finally figured it out. The little critter turns into a shrimp.

*~*~*~*

The heating up of the planet is causing a new concern among scientists. It is feared that it may lead to a greater incidence of avian influenza among wild birds because it is significantly disrupting the migration patterns of many species, causing them to come in contact with other species with whom they may not have shared space in the past.

*~*~*~*

Around the backyard:

Well, actually this is the front yard where we have installed my new bird feeder along with its squirrel baffle. Unfortunately, it seems to have also baffled the birds, too. I haven't seen a single feathered visitor on the feeder since it was put up and filled with their favorite black oil sunflower seed. Normally, the old feeder would have had a constant stream of visitors throughout the day. I have witnessed a couple of squirrels trying to climb the post and being thwarted, so that at least is working as it is supposed to. Maybe in a couple of days when the wary birds get used to the appearance of the new feeder, they will begin to visit it.

Meanwhile, the furry ones have their own designated feeders on a nearby live oak tree.

Once the squirrels start utilizing their feeders, that, too, may help to reassure the birds.

There is certainly no lack of visitors to the backyard feeders as this smallest and cutest of the native woodpeckers, the Downy,  proves. This is a male, as shown by the spot of red on his nape.

Landing gear down! Coming in for a landing, this male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is one of the many of his kind that showed up in my yard this week. There was a new wave of the migrants, most likely pushed this way by Hurricane Isaac as it rolled through the Gulf. It was nothing like September 2005, when I had literally hundreds of the hungry birds in my yard after the double whammy of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This time there were more like ten or fifteen of the birds, both Ruby-throats and Rufous, but it was a noticeable increase over the previous week.

I hope you'll find time to enjoy the birds in your yard this Labor Day weekend. Have a safe and happy holiday.