About Those Birds

I’ve just finished reading the book A Shadow and a Song: The Race to Save an Endangered Species by Mark Jerome Walters. Here’s the Amazon link. Was that race won? No, it wasn’t. This book chronicled the extinction of the dusky seaside sparrow. That species had such a tiny range, which meant it was extremely specialized. It’s story starts with the building of the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida. However, that wasn’t what started their decline – it was Mosquito Control. Mosquito Control built dikes, which turned the water fresh. Ducks then moved...

Nobody wants to see species go extinct, especially very visible species, like the bald eagle. This list represents some of the best species success stories. I’m sure there are other very good stories, but this is just a short list. Bald Eagle Most everybody knows the story of the bald eagle, but here it is again for good measure. The species numbers dropped from about 500,000 to about 50 pairs. This is due to the extensive spraying of DDT (a pesticide) in the 1950s, which made the eggshells thinner. DDT was banned in 1972 and the bald eagle started to recover. In 2007, it was removed from...

Credit to Flickr user purrboycasey.

In 2007, the large-billed reed warbler was named the world’s least known bird. Recently, researchers discovered breeding pairs in Afghanistan. This is considered the only known range for this unknown warbler. The researchers found the birds in a place called Wakhan Corridor, which is in northeast Afghanistan and has been little affected by war. The researchers were apart of the Wildlife Conservation Society and Sweden’s Gothenburg University. A variety of techniques were used to identify the birds, such as field observations, DNA examples, and specimens. About 20 birds were even caught...

Well, Happy New Year to all my readers! It’s been a while since my last post, but the holidays are quite busy and I was not able to. I’m starting up again, but I still might not be around a computer everyday for a few weeks. I will try to post as much as I can, though. The Heard Museum is really an amazing place to bird. They have everything from grasslands to wetlands and its not out in the middle of nowhere. I’ve been to the sanctuary twice now and have seen a great many species on both occasions. The museum is located in McKinney, Texas and for those not familiar with the...

Credit to Flickr user johndykstraphotography.

Note: This will probably be my last post for a few days because of the holidays. I’m really busy at the moment and cannot make it to a computer most of the time. I hope you have a good Christmas tomorrow! Obviously birds want their offspring to survive. They aren’t going to favor sick or small offspring instead of healthy ones. Parasites do pose a threat to young birds. If the parent birds can detect parasites in their young, they may cut those young out. This will save their energy and food resources for the unaffected young and for future breeding possibilities. A recent study shows...

Credit to Flickr user 鳥勇士.

After nearly a decade, vultures are once again seen in Bihar, which is in Eastern India. Nests and babies have been sighted in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve. As many as four nests have been counted, which is a great increase from before when they were thought to be extinct. A few months ago a flock of about thirty vultures were sighted. The reason for the vulture decline was the use of diclofenac, which is a veterinary medicine. The use of the medicine is the main reason for the vulture decline. The birds suffer from renal failure and eventually die. They ingest the medicine from dead carcasses. After...

In an area that stretches from the Wash to the Thames Estuary, a marine conservation proposal is up for consideration. These new sites will be an extension to the Natura 2000 network, which is a network designed for habitat and species protection throughout Europe. Firms will be consulted over these possible new additions, such as fishermen, energy firms, leisurely interests, and sediment extractors. Possible impacts to the site will also be considered when consulting firms. The areas are mostly coastal areas that can use the protection because they are used by many species, like shorebirds. The...