Friday, October 03, 2014

Loose Feathers #463

Tundra Swan at Yukon Delta NWR / USFWS
Birds and birding
  • With warmer temperatures and less sea ice in the Arctic, polar bears are forced to spend more time on land, where they are now hunting Snow Geese in greater numbers. Researchers are trying to figure out how this affects the geese and other aspects of Arctic ecosystems.
  • Studies of common birds can be beneficial for protecting rare species.
  • Plans for an Ivanpah-like solar development in California have been stopped for now because of concerns about the toll Ivanpah is taking on migratory birds. 
  • The western population of Yellow-billed Cuckoo will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. While cuckoos in the east are common, western cuckoos face threats to their breeding habitat from agriculture, changing hydrology, and climate change.
  • Steamer ducks are notoriously aggressive.
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity