Tag archives for birds
Tenacious Whimbrels Can Handle Hurricanes, Not Habitat Loss
Posted by Jeff Wells on September 25, 2012 Hurricane Isaac captured the country’s attention last month as it lumbered across Florida and raked over New Orleans, impacting millions of people. But before Isaac had even reached land, indeed while it was still not even a hurricane, many in the birding world were watching a single bird struggling against its high winds. I…
Posted by By Jonathan Alderfer, National Geographic Birding Books Editor Three hundred years ago, in 1712, an unheralded Englishman named Mark Catesby arrived in America. His trip began with a visit to Williamsburg, Virginia, but the discovery and description of the little-unknown flora and fauna of the Colonies became his obsession and he stayed for seven years.…
As bird populations plummet worldwide, will Earth become the Planet of the Spiders? Research on Guam, a 30-mile-long U.S. island in the Pacific, found that arachnid populations increased as much as 40-fold in the wake of insect-eating birds being eaten into oblivion by invasive brown treesnakes.
The hen with the largest comb gets a bigger dose of sperm, and thus more chicks, according to research published this week. Roosters have figured out what poultry breeders know — combs are a reliable indicator of a hen’s ability to produce more eggs.
Flying Into A Hurricane — A Bird’s Perspective
Posted by Suzan Eaton on August 29, 2012 
Why would a bird fly into a hurricane? It seems that some migratory birds fly in so they can be slingshot out the other side.
A 24-hour BioBlitz by some 150 scientists and 2,000 students this weekend identified 489 species alive and well in Rocky Mountain National Park. Or did a last-minute flyover by a bald eagle make the final count 490? Presenting the tally confirmed by scientists this afternoon, BioBlitz coordinators said there were 89 species of birds, 12…
BioBlitz Poetic Inventory: Garter Snake
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on August 24, 2012 
While volunteers and researchers record the science of the many species found at this year’s BioBlitz, writers across Colorado are putting down a record of their own as well.
American Prairie Reserve, a Vast Grassland to Fill Your Soul
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on July 3, 2012 Despite our different approaches, conservationists in the West can all generally agree on one thing: nature inspires people. The diversity, richness and complexities of ecosystems encourage scientists to dig deeper, farmers to innovate, artists to paint, and, perhaps most importantly, the broader public to get out and explore. As we assemble American Prairie Reserve…
Posted by Pop phenom Rihanna took to Twitter on June 23 to share her new ink: a tattoo of an Egyptian Falcon perched on her right ankle. “Falcon: a light that shines in the darkness! Never close their eyes during sleep,” Rihanna tweeted. Which begs the question: Do falcons really sleep with their eyes open?
Mike Fay’s Pitcairn Journal: Rat Patrol
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on April 28, 2012 
After unexpectedly sighting a rat on an island everyone hoped was free of them, NG Explorer-in-Residence Mike Fay goes on the hunt to get a better sense of how many rodents may be there.
Mike Fay’s Pitcairn Journal: Tragic Sighting
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on April 28, 2012 
In the early evening of March 27, NG Explorer-in-Residence Mike Fay made an unfortunate discovery on the remote Henderson Island. Read his account of the day.
EPA Makes Historic Announcement: First Greenhouse Gas Rule for New Power Plants
Posted by Tim Profeta of Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University on March 29, 2012 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released long-awaited greenhouse gas rules for new power plants this week. Using the Clean Air Act, the agency standard would set the first national limits on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions new power plants can emit. The EPA proposed the rule after delaying it several times since July 2011. Power plants are the largest…
Today, after a rained-out attempt at filming the sunrise, we took to the beach to survey the trash that was strewn all about this uninhabited island. Then the mystery of the dead petrels thickened.
Another successful day kayaking and counting birds at Ducie atoll, with a UFO lost at sea, and visits from shipmates and sharks.
We had a big assignment today, to census all the petrels in the forest and try to figure out what species they are. It is kind of like Christmas when you do your first transect in a new place: you don’t know what you are going to find.
Last night the boat’s engines went silent around 3 am. I got up at 6:30 and could already see this most southern of all atolls on Earth low on the ocean. A few petrels and masked boobies showed to greet us. Today would be exploration day.
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Advances in digital photography have given us the opportunity to capture the beauty and freedom of birds in the wild like never before. In January 2011, the Wild Bird Trust set up a Facebook page with the intention of celebrating free flight and birds in the wild from around the world. Here are the “Top 25 Wild…
Photographers document endemic species of Tompotika, Sulawesi
Posted by International League of Conservation Photographers on February 23, 2012 
Tompotika, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia An international team of photographers gathered on the island of Sulawesi for a Tripods in the Mud photographic expedition in partnership with the Alliance for Tompotika Conservation / Aliansi Konservasi Tompotika (AlTo). Joining the effort were ILCP Fellows Sandesh Kadur (India), and Kevin Schafer (USA), joined by Riza Marlon, a well-known Indonesian…
Join National Geographic Scientist Steve Boyes on an expedition into the heart of Botswana’s Okavango wilderness, on a mission to an island in the wetlands seldom visited by humans, where the “Bush Boyes” are researching cavity-nesting bird communities.
Advances in digital photography have given us the opportunity to capture the beauty and freedom of birds in the wild like never before. In January 2011, the Wild Bird Trust set up a Facebook page with the intention of celebrating free flight and birds in the wild from around the world. Here are the “Top 25 Wild…
Advances in digital photography have given us the opportunity to capture the beauty and freedom of birds in the wild like never before. In January 2011, the Wild Bird Trust set up a Facebook page with the intention of celebrating free flight and birds in the wild from around the world. Here are the “Top 25 Wild…
African Penguin Colony at the Edge of Extinction
Posted by Leon Marshall of Environmental Journalist, News Watch South African Contributor on November 28, 2011 
A colony of African penguins living and breeding on a small island off the southern tip of Africa is fighting an increasingly desperate battle for survival.
Bats, Vultures and Owls Face More Tricks than Treats
Posted by Wildlife Conservation Society on October 28, 2011 As children prepare for their beloved Halloween trick-or-treat ritual, nature is playing tricks of its own with some of our autumnal holiday’s winged icons. Two expert conservationists with the Wildlife Conservation Society argue that to protect bats, owls, and vultures perhaps it’s time to give them some treats in the form of environmental and habitat protection.
When the clock stopped at noon on Saturday, more than 170 scientists and 2,000 students had collected or identified 859 species in the 94,000-acre park.
By Mel White Word got out months ago that a movie was in the works based on the book The Big Year, which recounts the true exploits of three birdwatchers competing to find the highest number of species in North America in a single calendar year. This wasn’t some made-for-TV cheapie destined for an obscure…
