Prompted by some good discussion I’ve read on TexBirds and elsewhere: I want to stress the point that the danger to birds is not so much the height of the wall, but more the wide swath of habitat that would be cleared for the wall and service roads. Chachalacas, Pygmy Owls, Green Jays, etc will […]
More on Texas Border Wall Read More »
Revised 8 Apr 2008 – Do something: Write or call Congress. See the No Texas Border Wall campaign and their suggestions for action with several petitions to sign and instructions for contacting government officials. Defenders of Wildlife has a handy form here for writing to your representative. ————————— The proposed border wall (1) from Texas
Border Fence puts Texas birds and birding at risk Read More »
One of the enduring mysteries of North American ornithology involves several species which were painted by Audubon in the early 1800s but never seen again. The most striking and appealing of these birds is the Carbonated Swamp-Warbler, and since the painting was published ornithologists have debated whether this could be a rare and now-extinct species,
Audubon’s mysteries: Carbonated Swamp-Warbler Read More »
Great news: New Jersey’s governor Corzine yesterday signed into law a moratorium on the harvest of Horseshoe Crabs in that state (press release here). This is great news for Red Knots – politicians have finally recognized the dire situation and put the needs of a species ahead of the seasonal income of a few fishermen.
A reprieve for Red Knots Read More »
The decline of Red Knots from 1982 to 2006:data from Niles et al. 2007. Status of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) in the Western Hemisphere. USFWS report. The Red Knot and Horseshoe Crab story has been in the news in the last several weeks, with a major PBS documentary “Crash: A Tale of Two
The Red Knot’s troubles Read More »
Taking a break from redpoll identification: I’ve written an essay about the challenges faced by migrating birds, which appears in this month’s Green issue of Delta’s Sky magazine. You can read it here.
On conserving migratory birds Read More »
After a week of pretty good success on the windows, today was cold with light snow, and the bird feeder was very active. I realized last week that one of many variables I need to consider when I record bird-strikes-per-hour is bird activity, but I haven’t tried to record that yet other than excluding long
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Update 16 November – There are a couple of points I think I should clarify. First – and I guess this may be clear already – I’m still not convinced this will work, or how well it will work, and it will probably work in some situations better than others, and never be 100% effective
A Potential Simple Method for "Bird-Proofing" Windows Read More »
The enigmatic and charismatic Spoon-billed Sandpiper may be headed for extinction according to a Bird Life International report. The population estimate, never more than a few thousand pairs, has recently plummeted to only 200 to 300 breeding pairs. The reasons for these losses are complex, involving changes to habitat during migration and loss of breeding
Troubled times for Spoon-billed Sandpiper Read More »
An Op-Ed in today’s New York Times by Vaclav Havel makes reference to the larger issues of consumption and the environment. He minimizes the debate over climate change, saying that whether it is primarily human-caused or not action is important, and there are other equally serious anthropogenic issues which are simply Nature’s response to the
Havel on the environment Read More »