Always a welcome visitor to the backyard - the Tufted Titmouse.
*~*~*~*
The annual Great Backyard Bird Count, possibly my favorite citizen science project, is coming up in less than a month, on the four-day Presidents' Day weekend in February. If you've never participated and are wondering what it's all about or how you can be a part of it, there is a free webinar coming up on January 29 that explains all about it. Check it out. You'll be glad you did.
*~*~*~*
Many raptors nest in late winter while the trees are still bare and grass is dead, offering less cover to potential prey. Audubon's online magazine has an article about one of them, the Great Horned Owl
*~*~*~*
The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster caused the forced evacuation of about 300,000 people from the area and thus created one of the most unlikely wildlife sanctuaries in the world. Prior to the leak, few wild animals had lived in the area, but once the people moved out, the animals started moving in. Their populations are closely monitored, but so far, most of the critters seem to be doing surprisingly well.
*~*~*~*
It sometimes seems that every week we hear of another feathered dinosaur fossil being discovered somewhere in China. This week, the fossil was found in northwest China and has been named Eosinopteryx. Paleontologists believe it was flightless.
*~*~*~*
Vultures are the garbage collectors of Nature. They clean things up and help to prevent disease from spreading. When their numbers plummet, it can have an adverse ripple effect throughout their habitat. The Indian subcontinent offers a prime example of this. Over the last thirty years, vulture populations there have declined sharply. The White-rumped Vulture, once numerous, is now critically endangered. With the decline of the birds' population, rabid dogs have become more prevalent over the area, with the result that more and more humans are dying of rabies.
*~*~*~*
Another creature that has fallen on hard times is Australia's wombats. They have been hit by a variety of disasters, both man made and natural, which threaten their continued survival.
*~*~*~*
Chicago's skyline is the deadliest in the country for migrating birds, because of its location along the Central Flyway, one of the major routes for the birds between North and South America. Thousands of birds die each year in collisions with the city's high-rise buildings. Their bodies are collected and studied by scientists for clues about migration and about how global warming is affecting it. .
*~*~*~*
A critically endangered Mexican gray wolf has been released into Arizona's Apache National Forest, near the New Mexico border.
*~*~*~*
The governor of Nebraska has given his approval to a new route for the Keystone XL pipeline. The final decision is now up to the Obama administration as to whether the pipeline will be allowed to proceed.
*~*~*~*
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper, one of the most critically endangered birds in the world, is being illegally trapped in China by the use of mist nets, providing yet another obstacle to its continued survival.
*~*~*~*
Many were surprised when President Obama actually mentioned climate change in his inaugural speech on Monday and indicated that it would be a priority in his second administration. It will not be easy as long as the the House of Representatives is in the control of tea party Republicans who deny that climate change is happening and are poised to obstruct any legislation. It looks like any progress that is made will have to be through executive and regulatory action.
*~*~*~*
Around the backyard:
Here are just a few of the birds seen around the backyard this week. It's been a very birdy week!
No comments:
Post a Comment