A Laughing Gull in winter dress dozes on a rock beside Galveston Bay this week.
*~*~*~*
The results are in and it wasn't even close: 2012 was the hottest year on record in the United States. Last year's average temperature of 55.3 degrees was a full degree Fahrenheit higher than the previous high set in 1998. There were 34,008 new record daily highs recorded in weather stations across the country.
*~*~*~*
Global warming, though, does not just mean that the planet is getting hotter. It means that extreme weather of all kinds - heat, cold, flood, drought, storms - is becoming more commonplace worldwide. This is having a devastating effect on human health and safety, as well as economics.
*~*~*~*
The Lesser Prairie Chicken that is native to West Texas, an area of oil wells and wind farms, has declined drastically in numbers and the USFWS is studying whether it should be listed as endangered. A decision is expected by September. The listing of the bird could have very detrimental effects on the ability of those energy companies to conduct business as usual.
*~*~*~*
A new fossil discovery shows evidence that an ancient bird developed teeth that were specialized to deal with a tough diet. As Darwin showed with the finches of Galapagos, the beaks - and sometimes the teeth - evolve to handle the diet that is available.
*~*~*~*
The USFWS has substantially increased the critical habitat territory for the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, a small bird indigenous to wetlands in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. The bird has been listed as endangered since 1995.
*~*~*~*
As the Texas Legislature meets, one of the most pressing problems facing it is finding ways to improve the state's water infrastructure in the face of a booming population and a devastating two-year drought which continues to drag on.
*~*~*~*
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the Honduran Emerald Hummingbird as an endangered species. The population of the bird that is endemic to small valleys in Honduras is estimated to be under 1500 birds and is decreasing.
*~*~*~*
A study has shown that urban birds are able to sing at a higher pitch in order to make themselves heard above traffic noise. The higher pitch automatically makes their songs sound louder.
*~*~*~*
One of the big stories in the human environment news this week was influenza. Federal health officials confirmed that the disease had reached epidemic proportions in the country, but, on the bright side, they saw indications that it had already peaked.
*~*~*~*
Scientists continue to study the phenomenon of Western Scrub Jays' "funerals." When the birds encounter a dead bird of their species, they fly into the surrounding trees and call. Soon, jays from all over the area join them in a cacophonous display over their dead comrade. The reasons for this probably have to do with reaction to predators, but they are still not clearly understood.
*~*~*~*
South Florida, including the Everglades, is one of the most important breeding areas in the country for wading birds. It is worrying, therefore, to find that the breeding population of wading birds there has plummeted by 39 percent below the ten-year average. The decline is due primarily to the drought which has the region in its grip.
*~*~*~*
Around the backyard:
Around the backyard this week, the birds have been very hungry and very wet. We've had rain nearly every day, a total of just over four inches in all. I've had to refill all the feeders in the backyard twice to keep the ravenous birds satisfied. I even refilled the hummingbird feeders once.
At the end of the week, I am still hosting at least three Rufous Hummingbirds. Whenever I am in the backyard, I am entertained by their constant chatter. These are very vocal hummingbirds!
In the little time that I've spent in the yard in between rain showers, I can't help noticing that the Eastern Bluebirds seem to be beginning their courtship and their investigation of housing possibilities. Even the Carolina Wrens are thinking about nesting. I caught one with her beak full of twiggy nesting material one day this week! Yes, spring will be here before we know it and the birds are getting ready.
No comments:
Post a Comment