A seagull flies in front of the Rampion offshore wind farm in the United Kingdom. Neil / CC BY 2.0
By Tara Lohan
A key part of the United States' clean energy transition has started to take shape, but you may need to squint to see it. About 2,000 wind turbines could be built far offshore, in federal waters off the Atlantic Coast, in the next 10 years. And more are expected.
<p>East Coast states from Maine to North Carolina are working to procure nearly <a href="https://www.oedigital.com/news/483741-2020-has-been-a-big-year-for-us-offshore-wind" target="_blank">30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035</a> — a huge leap from the five turbines currently generating 30 megawatts in Rhode Island waters. If a regulatory backlog of projects awaiting approval from the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is finally unstuck — <a href="https://therevelator.org/offshore-wind-growth/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">as experts hope will happen this year</a> — the buildout of offshore wind will arrive during a crucial decade for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.</p><p>Spinning turbine blades on the watery horizon may be a welcome sight in the fight against climate change, but they still come with potential threats to marine wildlife. Many environmental groups believe the challenges aren't insurmountable if scientific study can help inform regulatory action and if we can learn — and adapt our practices — as we go.</p><p>"We believe that offshore wind can absolutely be developed in an environmentally responsible manner," says Francine Kershaw, a staff scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "But that has to be incorporated throughout the whole process — from site assessment through development, construction and operations."</p>
Threats to Birds
<p>One of the gravest threats facing birds is climate change, according to Audubon, which found that rising temperatures threaten <a href="https://www.audubon.org/2019climateissue" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nearly two-thirds of North America's bird species</a>. That's why the impending development of offshore wind is a good thing, says Shilo Felton, a field manager in the organization's Clean Energy Initiative, but it also comes with dangers to birds that need to be better studied and mitigated.</p><p>The most obvious risk comes from birds colliding with spinning turbine blades. But offshore wind developments can also displace birds from foraging or roost sites, as well as migratory pathways.</p><p>Along the Atlantic Coast four imperiled species are of top concern to conservationists: the endangered piping plover, red knot, roseate tern and black-capped petrel, which is being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act.</p><p>"Those four species are of utmost importance to make sure that we understand the impacts," says Felton. "But beyond that there are many species that are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act that could potentially see more impacts from offshore wind."</p><p>Northern gannets, for example, are at risk not just for collision but <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308703197_Possible_impacts_of_offshore_wind_farms_on_seabirds_a_pilot_study_in_Northern_Gannets_in_the_southern_North_Sea" target="_blank">habitat displacement</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ3NDc0My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MzA3NTkwM30.L3sUMX9PbRxFqSnNPKWfQSB33NNak0zZ6x9gdLCZPJM/img.jpg?width=980" id="31fc5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e1429caf713cfa9e6b78cc218d884453" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="799" data-height="533" />
A northern gannet flying along Cape May, N.J. Ann Marie Morrison / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
<p>"There's <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320716303196" target="_blank">some evidence</a> that they just won't use areas where turbines are, but that also excludes them from key foraging areas," says Felton. Researchers are still studying what this may mean for the birds. But a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141113620305304" target="_blank">study</a> published in December 2020 conducted at Bass Rock, Scotland — home to the world's largest northern gannet colony — found that wind developments could reduce their growth rate, though not enough to cause a population decline.</p><p>Other birds, such as great cormorants and European shags, are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320716303196" target="_blank">attracted to wind developments</a> and use the infrastructure to rest while opening up new foraging areas farther from shore.</p><p>"There's plenty of potential for a bird to use a wind farm and still to avoid the turbines themselves," says Felton.</p><p>Birds like pelicans, however, are less versatile in their movements and are at particular risk of collision because of their flight pattern, she says.</p><p>But how disruptive or dangerous offshore turbines will be along the East Coast isn't yet known.</p><p>Federal and state agencies, along with nongovernmental organizations, says Felton, have done good research to try to better understand those potential impacts. "But these are all theoretical, because we don't have a lot of offshore wind yet in the United States."</p>Threats to Ocean Life
<p>Birds aren't the only wildlife of concern. More development in ocean waters could affect a litany of marine species, some of which are already facing other pressures from overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction and climate change.</p><p>Scientists have found that marine mammals like whales and dolphins could be disturbed by the jarring sounds of construction, especially if pile driving is used to hammer the steel turbine platform into the seafloor.</p><p>The noises, though short-lived, could impede communication between animals, divert them from migration routes or cause them to seek less suitable areas for feeding or breeding. Research from Europe found that harbor porpoises, seals and dolphins may avoid development areas during construction. In most, but <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/045101" target="_blank">not all cases</a>, the animals were believed to have returned to the area following construction.</p><p>The biggest concern for conservation groups in the United States is the critically endangered North American right whale. There are fewer than 400 remaining, and the species' habitat overlaps with a number of planned wind development areas along the East Coast.</p><p>"Offshore wind is in no way the cause of the challenges the whales face, but it's going to be another pressure point," says John Rogers, senior energy analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists.</p><p>Researchers aren't sure how right whales will respond to the noise from pile driving.</p><p>"But we are concerned, based on what we know about how whales react to other noise sources, that they may avoid [wind development] areas," says Kershaw.</p><p>And if that displacement causes them to miss out on important food resources, it could be dangerous for a species already on the brink.</p><p>There are a few other potential threats, too.</p><p>Ships associated with the development — more plentiful during construction — also pose a danger. In the past few years cargo ships, fishing boats and other vessels have caused half of all deaths of North Atlantic right whales.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ3NDg5MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1ODIyNzI3MX0.PzGzo5LJmV9E00augQhHgO5eMTxkVqRBYGZrzkrxP78/img.jpg?width=980" id="f44b2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5fcb375b72d14dd0cf745ecc7fb4494a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="799" data-height="533" />
A juvenile right whale breaches against the backdrop of a ship near the St. Johns River entrance. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission / NOAA Research Permit #775-1600-10
<p>And after construction, the noise from the spinning turbines will be present in the water at low decibels. "We don't quite know how the great whales will react to those sounds," says Jeremy Firestone, the director of the Center for Research in Wind at the University of Delaware.</p><p>Other marine mammals may also perceive the noise, but at low decibels it's unlikely to be an impediment, <a href="http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v309/p279-295/" target="_blank">research has found</a>.</p><p>And it's possible that wind development could help some ocean life. Turbine foundations can attract fish and invertebrates for whom hard substrates create habitat complexity — known as the "reef effect," according to researchers from the University of Rhode Island's <a href="https://dosits.org/animals/effects-of-sound/anthropogenic-sources/wind-turbine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Discovery of Sound in the Sea</a> program. Exclusion of commercial fishing nearby may also help shelter fish and protect marine mammals from entanglements in fishing gear.</p>Ensuring Safe Development
<p>Despite the potential dangers, researchers have gathered a few best practices to help diminish and possibly eliminate some risks.</p><p>When it comes to ship strikes, the easiest thing is to slow boats down, mandating a speed of <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/vessel-speed-limits-sought-protect-endangered-north-atlantic-right-whales-2020-08-06/" target="_blank">10 knots</a> in wind development areas, and using visual and acoustic monitoring for whales.</p><p>Adjusting operations to reduce boat trips between the shore and the wind development will also help. A new series of service operating vessels can allow maintenance staff to spent multiple days onsite, says Kershaw, cutting down on boat traffic.</p><p>For construction noise concerns, developers can avoid pile driving during times of the year when whales are present. And, depending on the marine environment, developers could use "quiet foundations" that don't require pile driving. These include gravity-based or suction caisson platforms.</p><p>Floating turbines are also used in deep water, where they're effectively anchored in place — although that poses its own potential danger. "We have concerns that marine debris could potentially become entangled around the mooring cables of the floating arrays and pose a secondarily entanglement risk to some species," says Felton, who thinks more research should be conducted before those become operational in U.S. waters — a process that's already underway in Maine, where a <a href="https://composites.umaine.edu/2020/08/05/diamond-offshore-wind-rwe-renewables-join-the-university-of-maine-to-lead-development-of-maine-floating-offshore-wind-demonstration-project/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">demonstration project is being built</a>.</p><p>If loud noises are unavoidable during construction, noise-reducing technologies such as bubble curtains can help dampen the sound. And scheduling adjacent projects to conduct similar work at the same time could limit the duration of disturbances.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ3NDkwMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDIwMTMwNX0.EzMWtZyoKz02dkfoC7ZYvs51VS4JwnUZzeaby4WBs5w/img.jpg?width=980" id="fa370" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5f32770cc89291d00aed7de6d0204760" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="755" data-height="552" />
The foundation installation of the off shore wind farm Sandbank using a bubble curtain. Vattenfall / Ulrich Wirrwa / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
<p>Once turbines become operational, reducing the amount of light on wind platforms or using flashing lights could help deter some seabirds, NRDC <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/harnessing-wind-advance-wind-power-offshore-ib.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">researchers reported</a>. And scientists are exploring using ultrasonic noises and ultraviolet lighting to keep bats away. "Feathering," or shutting down the turbine blades during key migration times, could also help prevent fatalities.</p><p>"We need to make sure that offshore wind is the best steward it can be of the marine ecosystem, because we want and expect it to be a significant part of the clean energy picture in some parts of the country," says Rogers. "We also have to recognize that we're going to learn by doing, and that some of these things we're going to figure out best once we have more turbines in the water."</p><p>That's why environmental groups say it's important to establish baseline information on species before projects begin, and then require developers to conduct monitoring during construction and for years after projects are operational.</p><p>Employing an "adaptive management framework" will ensure that developers can adjust their management practices as they go when new information becomes available, and that those best practices are incorporated into the requirements for future projects.</p>Putting Research Into Action
<p>Advancing these conversations at the federal level during the Trump administration, though, has been slow going.</p><p>"We didn't really have any productive discussions with the administration in the last four years," says Kershaw.</p><p>And when it comes to birds, Felton says the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's recently completed "draft cumulative environmental impact statement" covering offshore wind developments had a lot of good environmental research, but little focus on birds.</p><p>"Part of that comes from the current administration's interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act," she says.</p><p>President Trump has been hostile to both wind energy <em>and</em> birds, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/climate/trump-migratory-bird-protections.html" target="_blank">and finished gutting the Migratory Bird Treaty Act</a> in his administration's the final days, removing penalties for companies whose operations kill migratory birds.</p><p>There's hope that the Biden administration will take a different approach. But where the federal government has been lacking lately, Kershaw says, they've seen states step up.</p><p>New York, for example, has established an <a href="https://www.nyetwg.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Environmental Technical Working Group</a> composed of stakeholders to advise on environmentally responsible development of offshore wind.</p><p>The group is led by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, but it isn't limited to the Empire State. It's regional in focus and includes representatives from wind developers with leases between Massachusetts and North Carolina; state agencies from Massachusetts to Virginia; federal agencies; and science-based environmental NGOs.</p><p>New York's latest solicitation for clean energy projects includes up to 2,500 megawatts of offshore wind and <a href="https://www.nyetwg.com/announcements" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">requires developers</a> to contribute at least $10,000 per megawatt for regional monitoring of fisheries and other wildlife.</p><p>Environmental groups have also worked directly with developers, including an agreement with Vineyard Wind — an 800-megawatt project off the Massachusetts coast that could be the first utility-scale wind development in federal waters — to help protect North Atlantic right whales.</p><p>The agreement includes no pile driving from Jan. 1 to April 30, ceasing activities at other times when whales are visually or acoustically identified in the area, speed restrictions on vessels, and the use of noise reduction technology, such as a bubble curtain during pile driving.</p><p>"The developers signed the agreement with us, and then they incorporated, most, if not all of those measures into the federal permitting documents," says Kershaw. "The developers really did a lot of bottom up work to make sure that they were being very protective of right whales."</p><p>Environmental groups are in talks with other developers on agreements too, but Felton wants to see best practices being mandated at the federal level.</p><p>"It's the sort of a role that should be being played by the federal government, and without that it makes the permitting and regulation process less stable and less transparent," she says." And that in turn slows down the build out of projects, which is also bad for birds because it doesn't help us address and mitigate for climate change."</p><p>Kershaw agrees there's a lot more work to be done, especially at the federal level, but thinks we're moving in the right direction.</p><p>"I think the work that's been done so far in the United States has really laid the groundwork for advancing this in the right way and in a way that's protective of species and the environment," she says. "At the same time, it's important that offshore wind does advance quickly. We really need it to help us combat the worst effects of climate change."</p><p><em><a href="https://therevelator.org/author/taralohan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tara Lohan</a> is deputy editor of The Revelator and has worked for more than a decade as a digital editor and environmental journalist focused on the intersections of energy, water and climate. Her work has been published by The Nation, American Prospect, High Country News, Grist, Pacific Standard and others. She is the editor of two books on the global water crisis.</em></p><p><em style="">Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/offshore-wind-wildlife" target="_blank" style="">The Revelator</a>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
- U.S. Offshore Wind Power Blown on Course - EcoWatch ›
- How Renewable Energy Could Power Your State - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Cities Can Help Migrating Birds on Their Way By Planting More Trees and Turning Lights Off at Night
16 January
Animals
By Frank La Sorte and Kyle Horton
Millions of birds travel between their breeding and wintering grounds during spring and autumn migration, creating one of the greatest spectacles of the natural world. These journeys often span incredible distances. For example, the Blackpoll warbler, which weighs less than half an ounce, may travel up to 1,500 miles between its nesting grounds in Canada and its wintering grounds in the Caribbean and South America.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ1OTYwNy9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzM0MTg3OH0.nNQfbJ7kSW-dhYN2fzUsXifK_9BZ0m-DgJ_O48NaMzk/img.png?width=980" id="17556" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="62e2bb2642ac5ed6921afa9f11210d6c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1000" data-height="697" />
Blackpoll warbler abundance in breeding, non-breeding and migration seasons. Cornell Lab of Ornithology / CC BY-ND
<p>For many species, these journeys take place at night, when skies typically are calmer and predators are less active. Scientists do not have a good understanding yet of how birds navigate effectively at night over long distances.</p><p><span></span>We study bird migration and how it is being affected by factors ranging from <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=S04C3UMAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">climate change</a> to <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pPk38-8AAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">artificial light at night</a>. In a recent study, we used millions of bird observations by citizen scientists to document the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116085" target="_blank">occurrence of migratory bird species in 333 U.S. cities</a> during the winter, spring, summer and autumn.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ1OTYxMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzk5NjQ2OX0.wgZKuxg3PNrZY0fvQEfZwX6kKXWapi0OEegDeQOL0ZI/img.jpg?width=980" id="d5433" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0c08ac2b38d68da1788b356a5841f0f9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1000" data-height="604" />
Blackpoll warbler. PJTurgeon / Wikipedia
<p>We used this information to determine how the number of migratory bird species varies based on each city's level of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/light-pollution" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">light pollution</a> – brightening of the night sky caused by artificial light sources, such as buildings and streetlights. We also explored how species numbers vary based on the quantity of tree canopy cover and impervious surface, such as concrete and asphalt, within each city. Our findings show that cities can help migrating birds by planting more trees and reducing light pollution, especially during spring and autumn migration.</p>Declining Bird Populations
<p>Urban areas contain numerous dangers for migratory birds. The biggest threat is the risk of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1650/CONDOR-13-090.1" target="_blank">colliding with buildings or communication towers</a>. Many migratory bird populations have <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw1313" target="_blank">declined over the past 50 years</a>, and it is possible that light pollution from cities is contributing to these losses.</p><p>Scientists widely agree that light pollution can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1708574114" target="_blank">severely disorient migratory birds</a> and make it hard for them to navigate. Studies have shown that birds will cluster around brightly lit structures, much like insects flying around a porch light at night. Cities are the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2029" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">primary source of light pollution for migratory birds</a>, and these species tend to be more abundant within cities <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcb.13792" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">during migration</a>, especially in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103892" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">city parks</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ1OTYyNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0Nzk5NTUwOH0.h8aA9ZJUJvLbHP82CVZAOkYcY54eljqMy4rrMaunO9M/img.jpg?width=980" id="608a8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3da85b14a1c03abfd4f95c00439fb36e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1000" data-height="640" />
Composite image of the continental U.S. at night from satellite photos. NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Román, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
The Power of Citizen Science
<p>It's not easy to observe and document bird migration, especially for species that migrate at night. The main challenge is that many of these species are very small, which limits scientists' ability to use electronic tracking devices.</p><p>With the growth of the internet and other information technologies, new data resources are becoming available that are making it possible to overcome some of these challenges. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-07106-5" target="_blank">Citizen science initiatives</a> in which volunteers use online portals to enter their observations of the natural world have become an important resource for researchers.</p><p>One such initiative, <a href="https://ebird.org/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eBird</a>, allows bird-watchers around the globe to share their observations from any location and time. This has produced one of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.04632" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">largest ecological citizen-science databases in the world</a>. To date, eBird contains over 922 million bird observations compiled by over 617,000 participants.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="59e33da8efe0bf60f7bda00b06e1f4e2"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/StF19Qdgqn0?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p><em>Large clusters of birds (blue and green splotches) captured by weather radar during spring migration, April-May 2019.</em></p>
Light Pollution Both Attracts and Repels Migratory Birds
<p>Migratory bird species have evolved to use certain migration routes and types of habitat, such as forests, grasslands or marshes. While humans may enjoy seeing migratory birds appear in urban areas, it's generally not good for bird populations. In addition to the many hazards that exist in urban areas, cities typically lack the food resources and cover that birds need during migration or when raising their young. As scientists, we're concerned when we see evidence that migratory birds are being drawn away from their traditional migration routes and natural habitats.</p><p>Through our analysis of eBird data, we found that cities contained the greatest numbers of migratory bird species during spring and autumn migration. Higher levels of light pollution were associated with more species during migration – evidence that light pollution attracts migratory birds to cities across the U.S. This is cause for concern, as it shows that the influence of light pollution on migratory behavior is strong enough to increase the number of species that would normally be found in urban areas.</p><p>In contrast, we found that higher levels of light pollution were associated with fewer migratory bird species during the summer and winter. This is likely due to the scarcity of suitable habitat in cities, such as large forest patches, in combination with the adverse affects of light pollution on bird behavior and health. In addition, during these seasons, migratory birds are active only during the day and their populations are largely stationary, creating few opportunities for light pollution to attract them to urban areas.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="19d2d2bc77cd31e4374fd12cdadbe4bf"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/08ET47-b13o?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p><em><strong></strong>Darkening skies at night during migration season makes it easier for birds to navigate.</em></p>
Trees and Pavement
<p>We found that tree canopy cover was associated with more migratory bird species during spring migration and the summer. Trees provide important habitat for migratory birds during migration and the breeding season, so the presence of trees can have a strong effect on the number of migratory bird species that occur in cities.</p><p>Finally, we found that higher levels of impervious surface were associated with more migratory bird species during the winter. This result is somewhat surprising. It could be a product of the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/heatislands" target="_blank">urban heat island effect</a> – the fact that structures and paved surfaces in cities absorb and reemit more of the sun's heat than natural surfaces. Replacing vegetation with buildings, roads and parking lots can therefore make cities significantly warmer than surrounding lands. This effect could reduce cold stress on birds and increase food resources, such as insect populations, during the winter.</p><p>Our research adds to our understanding of how conditions in cities can both help and hurt migratory bird populations. We hope that our findings will inform urban planning initiatives and strategies to reduce the harmful effects of cities on migratory birds through such measures as <a href="https://www.arborday.org/programs/treecityusa/index.cfm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">planting more trees</a> and initiating <a href="https://aeroecolab.com/uslights" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lights-out programs</a>. Efforts to make it easier for migratory birds to complete their incredible journeys will help maintain their populations into the future.</p><p><em><span style="background-color: initial;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frank-la-sorte-1191494" target="_blank">Frank La Sorte</a> is a r</span>esearch associate at the </em><em>Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kyle-horton-1191498" target="_blank">Kyle Horton</a> is an assistant professor of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at the Colorado State University.</em></p><p><em></em><em>Disclosure statement: Frank La Sorte receives funding from The Wolf Creek Charitable Foundation and the National Science Foundation (DBI-1939187). K</em><em>yle Horton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/cities-can-help-migrating-birds-on-their-way-by-planting-more-trees-and-turning-lights-off-at-night-152573" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>
Read More
Show Less
Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
From Your Site Articles
- Best CBD Oils of 2020: Reviews & Buying Guide - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Oil for Pain Management - Top 10 CBD Oil Review 2020 ... ›
- Best CBD for Dogs 2020 - Organic CBD Oil for Pets - EcoWatch ›
- Full Spectrum CBD Oil: What To Know - EcoWatch ›
- Charlotte's Web: A Review of the Certified B Corp CBD Brand ›
- Best CBD Waters: Plus All You Need to Know - EcoWatch ›
- The Best Water Soluble CBD Available Online - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD for Sleep (Lab-Tested, Person-Tested Oils) - EcoWatch ›
- CBD Oil for Dogs: 7 Benefits & Treatment Guide - EcoWatch ›
- NuLeaf Naturals CBD Review | Are They Worth The Cost? - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Capsules & Pills - Buyer's Guide (Update for 2021) - EcoWatch ›
- Because Price Matters: Most Affordable CBD Oils of 2021 - EcoWatch ›
- Strongest CBD Oils to Buy in 2021? - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Oils For Pain: Top 3 Brands of 2021 - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Vape Pen: Top Brands of 2020 - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will no longer penalize or prosecute companies when their actions cause the inadvertent death of birds. Jeff R Clow / Getty Images
By Julia Conley
Just over two weeks before President Donald Trump is set to leave the White House, his U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday finalized a rollback of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act—a law that's been in place since 1918 and which conservation groups credit with holding corporate polluters accountable for harming bird species.
<p>In what the Western Values Project called a "parting gift to Big Oil by corrupt former oil lobbyist Interior Secretary David Bernhardt," the USFWS <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/climate/trump-migratory-bird-protections.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced </a>a new rule under which the federal government will no longer penalize or prosecute companies when their actions cause the inadvertent death of birds. </p><p>In the case of oil spills like the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which killed more than one million birds in 2010; electrocutions by power lines; ducks and other species<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2009/03/31/syncrude-triples-number-dead-ducks-oil-sands" target="_blank"> stuck in fossil fuel tailings ponds;</a> and illegal actions like the spraying of banned pesticides, companies will no longer be held to account as long as they don't intentionally kill birds.</p>
<div id="f0f81" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e84637ab4594c5bbe67da8bb21bc0c57"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1346517062726930433" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Antithetical to its purpose, US Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a rule rolling back protections for migratory b… https://t.co/sC7gB0SX7R</div> — Aric Caplan (@Aric Caplan)<a href="https://twitter.com/CaplanComms/statuses/1346517062726930433">1609869659.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>When it was passed into law more than 100 years ago, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) made it illegal to hunt, take, capture, or kill birds from endangered species "by any means or in any manner."</p><p>Bernhardt said Tuesday the new rule "reaffirms the original meaning and intent of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act," while the Center for Western Priorities called it a "radical interpretation of the law."</p><p>"The Trump administration wants to make sure extractive industries can continue to kill birds after they leave office," said Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the group. "Secretary Bernhardt's former oil industry clients have explicitly asked for this policy change, and now he is delivering, just days before returning to the private sector. By finalizing this proposal, the Trump administration is signing the death warrants of millions of birds across the country."</p><p>Conservation groups pointed to data showing that three billion birds have been lost in North America since 1970, while six million fewer birds were counted by the Audubon Society in 2019 than previous tallies showed.</p><p>As <em>Common Dreams</em> <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/16/ecological-disaster-massive-scale-hundreds-thousands-dead-migratory-birds-southwest" target="_blank">reported</a> in September, the wildfires that overwhelmed the West Coast last year were thought to be behind the deaths of thousands of migratory birds in the southwest.</p>
<p>"This brutal blow hits America's birds when many populations are already plummeting, so it's really the last thing they need," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Trump officials are giving oil companies and other polluters a license to kill birds. Vast numbers of birds will be electrocuted by power lines, drowned in oil waste pits and killed in other easily preventable ways."<br></p><p>Advocates say the MBTA has worked in recent years to show the oil and gas industry that it will be held accountable if its activities kills birds. The federal government <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/climate/trump-migratory-bird-protections.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank">reached </a>a $100 million settlement with BP after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.</p><p>Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), who was named as President-elect Biden's nominee for Interior Secretary last month, is expected to repeal the USFWS's rule, but that process could take time. Meanwhile, Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) introduced the Migratory Bird Protection Act last year as the administration was considering the rollback, with the aim of reaffirming the original law's intent of protecting vulnerable birds—not corporations.</p><p>Advocates also expressed hope that the federal courts will strike down what Greenwald called the Trump administration's "reckless attack on one of America's oldest and most important conservation laws," as Judge Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/12/major-victory-court-tosses-out-trump-interiors-gutting-century-old-protections" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">did in August.</a></p><p>"There is nothing in the text of the MBTA that suggests that in order to fall within its prohibition, activity must be directed specifically at birds," Caproni <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/12/major-victory-court-tosses-out-trump-interiors-gutting-century-old-protections" target="_blank">said</a> in her ruling at the time. "Nor does the statute prohibit only intentionally killing migratory birds." </p>
<div id="b6b56" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="95790fd24d47e8369de4bd6a06d03868"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1346503503238205442" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The Trump administration is kicking off the new year and its remaining weeks—and, to add insult to injury,… https://t.co/uydTahSeao</div> — Audubon Society (@Audubon Society)<a href="https://twitter.com/audubonsociety/statuses/1346503503238205442">1609866426.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Jamie Rappoport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife said the group would call on the Biden administration "to restore protections for birds immediately and affirm that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits incidental take."</p><p>"Even though a federal court already ruled that the Trump administration cannot eliminate protections for migratory birds, the administration continues its relentless campaign to undermine environmental protections and harm wildlife," said Clark. </p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/05/brutal-blow-wildlife-and-gift-big-oil-trump-finalizes-rollback-migratory-bird-treaty" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Trump Administration Pushes To Relax Rules Protecting Birds ... ›
- Federal Judge Strikes Down Trump Admin Rollback of Law ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
A painted bunting in Florida, one of its common habitats, on Jan. 14, 2014. Andrew Morffew / CC BY 2.0
The news that a rare, bright bird had touched down in a Maryland park drew more than 1,000 visitors over the weekend, as birders flocked to catch a glimpse of the unusual event.
<p>The bird in question was a male painted bunting, a bird usually spotted in Florida and other parts of the U.S. South, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/03/painted-bunting-great-falls-bird-watchers/" target="_blank">The Washington Post pointed out</a>. It isn't known exactly why this one ventured so far north, but a <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/climate-change-pushing-bird-boundaries-community-scientists-confirm" target="_blank">National Audubon Society study</a> found that the painted bunting is one of the birds whose habitat is shifting because of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>.</p>
<p>"While it's not a good sign for climate change, a painted bunting – one of my favorite birds – being in our nearby park brings me joy!" University of Baltimore School of Law professor Margaret E. Johnson <a href="https://twitter.com/ProfMEJohnson1/status/1346075820868120578" target="_blank">tweeted</a> Monday.</p><p>Adult male painted buntings have a bright blue head, red underpants and a green back, while females are green, according to <a href="https://ebird.org/species/paibun/L214293" target="_blank">eBird</a>. </p><p>"They look like a splash of tempera paints splashed all over a canvas," Carla Morris of Potomac, Maryland told The Washington Post.</p><p>Morris was one of more than 1,100 people who visited Maryland's Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park Saturday after a sighting of the bird in that park was initially announced on eBird the week before. Saturday was sunny, and the park saw around double its number of visitors for a nice winter day. At 3 p.m., more than 80 cars were still waiting to enter the park. On Sunday, which brought rain and cold temperatures, more than 100 people still visited the park, mostly to see the bird.</p>
<div id="6c8c7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7b228922cd1600a9b7707eeb0fd86741"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1345533650868334598" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Saw this handsome fellow at Great Falls NP today!
Passerina ciris - Painted Bunting https://t.co/vfEMng7BbA</div> — MuSuBi (@MuSuBi)<a href="https://twitter.com/MuSuBi19/statuses/1345533650868334598">1609635195.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Morris, who saw her first painted bunting in Florida, said the surprise sighting was especially important to her after she lost her father to COVID-19 in 2020.</p><p>"It's just magical," she told The Washington Post. "It's a magical way to start the new year."</p><p>While painted bunting sightings are rare in Maryland, they are not unheard of, especially in winter. The Maryland Biodiversity Project <a href="https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/viewSpecies.php?species=1317" target="_blank">reports</a> 47 total sightings of the bird, mostly at feeders during the colder months.</p>
<p>The painted bunting's numbers have declined in recent decades, according to the <a href="https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/painted-bunting" target="_blank">National Audubon Society</a>. Threats include cowbirds, who parasite their nests. They are also frequently captured in the tropics for use as pets.</p><p>Their range is projected to expand north due to the climate crisis, but should not extend as far north as Maryland with even more than three degrees Celsius of warming. The main climate related threats facing the bird are spring heat waves at more than 1.5 degrees of warming and urbanization at more than three degrees, since they will need now developed areas as part of their new range.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Planting Projects, Backyard Habitats Can Re-Create Livable Natural ... ›
- The Unsettling Reason Why We're Seeing More Snowy Owls ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Black vultures like these are settling en masse on roofs and trees in a Pennsylvania town. cuatrok77 / Flickr
A town in southeastern Pennsylvania is facing an unusual infestation. Black vultures are settling on roofs and trees, defecating profusely and causing thousands of dollars in property damage.
<p>The vultures have been seen in Marietta, Pennsylvania before, but this year the problem has become more extreme, local resident John Enterline told the <a href="https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/destructive-black-vultures-damage-roofs-bedevil-homeowners-in-marietta/article_70d9d4f8-34cb-11eb-93de-73185ee01c24.html" target="_blank">LNP Dec. 3</a>.</p><p>"This is the worst year," Enterline told the paper. "There are many more of them."</p><p>The vultures are a problem for residents for two reasons. First, they poop everywhere, turning the trees they roost on white. Second, they like to tear at roof shingles and rubber roofing. Enterline said he had paid several thousand dollars to repair his roof after the vultures settled there.</p><p>"They have a fetish with rubber," Bob Schutsky of the Lancaster County Bird Club told LNP, "but it's not well understood."</p>
<p>Yet while black vultures are a menace to Marietta homeowners, they are also a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> success story. A federal law passed in 1918 protected them from being shot for feathers, and the banning of DDT and other pesticides protected them from the ill-effects of these chemicals. Between 1966 and 2014, their population increased, according to <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Vulture/lifehistory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Cornell Lab of Ornithology</a>. Their range has also expanded, most likely because of an increase in roadkill and temperature changes caused by the climate crisis.</p><p>They also were not always perceived negatively. In the 1800s, they were seen as helpful scavengers and allowed to feast on the outskirts of meat markets in the southeastern U.S.</p>
<p>Now, black vultures retain their protection, which means they can only be killed with a federal permit, the <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-vultures-damaging-pennsylvania-homes-harassing-20201205-3gb32mydr5gxhhikoruu5zp66q-story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New York Daily News explained</a>. Marietta has not sought a lethal solution yet. Instead, residents try to harass the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/birds" target="_self">birds</a> by banging pots and pans or lighting fireworks. Pennsylvania director with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services department Harris Glass told the LNP that these measures were more than 90 percent effective.</p><p>Homeowners can also apply for permission to display a taxidermied black vulture, which tends to scare away live birds, but they can cost hundreds of dollars.</p><p>Black vultures live between the eastern and southern U.S. and South America, according to Cornell. They have shorter wings and tails than turkey vultures, but their bodies are about the same size, and they have been known to scare turkey vultures away from food, according to the <a href="https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/black-vultur" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Audubon Society</a>.</p><p>The vultures tend to prefer warmer roosting sites in winter that keep them safe from predators and close to food, which is likely why they settle on Marietta's roofs.</p><p>"They are attracted to these roofs, especially during this time of year ... attracted to the warmth of artificial structures, especially black covered roofs," Millersville University conservation biologist Aaron Haines told LNP.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- 52 Percent of World's Birds of Prey Populations in Decline - EcoWatch ›
- Vulture Poisoning in South Africa Raises Alarm ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
A new study demonstrates the link between birds and happiness. TorriPhoto / Getty Images
A new study reveals that greater bird biodiversity brings greater joy to people, according to recent findings from the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research. In fact, scientists concluded that conservation is just as important for human well-being as financial security.
<p>The study, published in <em>Ecological Economics</em>, focused on European residents, and determined that happiness correlated with a specific number of bird species. </p><p>"According to our findings, the happiest Europeans are those who can experience numerous different bird species in their daily life, or who live in near-natural surroundings that are home to many species," says lead author Joel Methorst, a doctoral researcher at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center, the iDiv and the Goethe University in Frankfurt.</p><p>The authors calculated that being around fourteen additional bird species provided as much satisfaction as earning an additional $150 a month.</p><p><span></span>For the study, researchers used data from the 2012 "European Quality of Life Survey" to explore the connection between species diversity around homes, towns and cites, and how it relates to satisfaction. More than 26,000 adults from 26 European countries were surveyed.</p>
<p>According to the study authors, birds are some of the best indicators of biological diversity in any given area because they are usually seen or heard in their environments, especially in urban areas. However, more bird species were found near natural green spaces, forested areas and bodies of water. </p><p>In the U.S., <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/According%20to%20the%20study%20authors,%20birds%20are%20some%20of%20the%20best%20indicators%20of%20biological%20diversity%20in%20a%20given%20area%20because%20they%20are%20usually%20seen%20or%20heard%20in%20their%20environments,%20especially%20in%20urban%20areas.%20However,%20more%20bird%20species%20were%20found%20near%20natural%20green%20spaces,%20forested%20areas%20and%20bodies%20of%20water." target="_self">birding </a>has become a more common and accessible hobby during the pandemic.</p><p>Although not new, thousands of amateurs and expert birders participate in Audubon's long-running annual <a href="https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count" target="_blank">Christmas Bird Count</a>, a three-week activity to count birds in a specific area for the group's data compilation.</p><p>"Nature conservation therefore not only ensures our material basis of life, but it also constitutes an investment in the well-being of us all," says Methorst. </p>
<p><br/></p><p><br/></p>
Read More
Show Less
Pexels
By Brett Wilkins
Despite acknowledging that the move would lead to an increase in the 500 million to one billion birds that die each year in the United States due to human activity, the Trump administration on Friday published a proposed industry-friendly relaxation of a century-old treaty that protects more than 1,000 avian species.
<p>As part of the administration's race to rush through as many <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/17/critics-say-deregulatory-rush-shows-even-if-defeated-trump-white-house-willing" target="_blank">regulatory rollbacks</a> as possible before President-elect Joe Biden enters office on January 20, the U.S. Department of the Interior released an <a href="https://cdxnodengn.epa.gov/cdx-enepa-II/public/action/eis/details?eisId=314796" target="_blank">analysis</a> that sets the stage for modification of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's interpretation of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).</p><p>One of the nation's oldest <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife">wildlife</a> protection laws, the MBTA saves the lives of millions of birds each year and, <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/protect-migratory-bird-treaty-act" target="_blank">according to</a> the Natural Resources Defense Council, "is credited with rescuing the snowy egret, wood duck, and sandhill crane from extinction."</p><p>The proposed rule shift would let energy, construction, and land development companies off the hook for "incidentally" killing birds, even though the Interior Department's analysis concludes that "increased bird mortality" will "likely result" from the change. </p>
<div id="9a9a2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7590e6f05b37dd0a4b9418801291fd87"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1332369258869895168" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Breaking news! 🚨 “This is another step by the #USFWS to jam through a rule to cement an interpretation of the… https://t.co/NDzj3q6vmb</div> — Defenders of Wildlife (@Defenders of Wildlife)<a href="https://twitter.com/Defenders/statuses/1332369258869895168">1606496560.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Under the MBTA, ExxonMobil was compelled to pay <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2006/June/06_enrd_341.html" target="_blank">$125 million</a> in criminal penalties after the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska and BP was <a href="https://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ID=FC61EB52-BF8A-45AA-C04D802711C4EF55" target="_blank">fined $100 million</a> following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill that leaked over 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, killing an estimated 100,000 sea birds.</p><p>It is precisely such penalties that corporate bird-killers are seeking to dodge in the future through the proposed rule change, which Trump administration officials including Daniel Jorjani, a former <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/koch-brothers">Koch brothers</a> adviser who is now the head lawyer at the Interior Department, have pushed for years.</p><p>During his 2019 Senate confirmation hearing, Jorjani <a href="https://www.hcn.org/articles/climate-desk-interior-attorney-gave-false-information-to-congress-about-contact-with-koch-foundation" target="_blank">lied</a> to Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) about whether he had been in recent contact with the Koch brothers or any of their business interests. Before joining the government, Jorjani was formerly a highly paid <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/senate-confirms-former-koch-crony-as-interior-departments-top-lawyer-2019-09-24/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">operative</a> at several organizations linked to the brothers and their fossil fuel empire. </p><p>Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/senate-confirms-former-koch-crony-as-interior-departments-top-lawyer-2019-09-24/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> last year that Jorjani "opened the floodgates to bird killing by the oil and gas industry and other campaign contributors of the Trump administration," and accused him of being "part of a pattern in which Interior is basically run by the Koch Foundation for the benefit of the Koch Foundation."</p><p>Earlier this year, a federal court <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/12/major-victory-court-tosses-out-trump-interiors-gutting-century-old-protections" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rejected</a> a 2017 Interior Department opinion authored by Jorjani seeking to loosen MBTA protections. Judge Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York wrote that Jorjani's interpretation of the law "runs counter to the purpose of the MBTA to protect migratory bird populations" and "is simply an unpersuasive interpretation of the MBTA's unambiguous prohibition on killing protected birds."</p><p>Environmentalists condemned the Trump administration's latest attempt to protect polluters and wildlife-killers from prosecution at the expense of avian lives. </p><p>"This is another step by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to jam through a rule to cement an interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that a federal court has already declared illegal," Defenders of Wildlife president and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/27/migratory-bird-treaty-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> in a statement. "At a time when North America has already lost three billion birds, the rule will further undercut our nation's ability to conserve birds so many people care about deeply."</p><p>Rappaport Clark was referring to a 2019 <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/120" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study</a> published in the peer-reviewed journal <em>Science</em> that found since 1970 the continent has lost over 2.9 billion birds, or nearly 30% of its avian population.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="85647ea176c7aee6efa734714a5874eb"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cdzU84AyCdI?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>According to a 2005 <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr191/psw_gtr191_1029-1042_erickson.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study</a> published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture:</p><blockquote>From 500 million to possibly over 1 billion birds are killed annually in the United States due to anthropogenic sources including collisions with human-made structures such as vehicles, buildings and windows, power lines, communication towers, and wind turbines; electrocutions; oil spills and other contaminants; pesticides; cat predation; and commercial fishing by-catch.<br></blockquote><p>"Many of the deaths from these sources would be considered unlawful under federal laws such as the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act," the study stated. </p><p>A <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/16/ecological-disaster-massive-scale-hundreds-thousands-dead-migratory-birds-southwest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recent surge</a> in bird deaths in the U.S. Southwest has been attributed to a combination of human-caused climate factors including heatwaves and wildfires. </p><p>If there is a silver lining for bird lovers, it is that the incoming Biden administration will be able to reverse any Trump-era rule changes, although doing so could take years.</p><p>Eric Glitzenstein, litigation director at the Center for Biological Diversity, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/27/migratory-bird-treaty-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> the Washington Post that the new rule "will inevitably meet the same fate as the illegal opinion on which it is based."</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/27/under-cover-thanksgiving-trump-administration-pushes-relax-rules-protecting-birds" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>. </em></p>
From Your Site Articles
- Hundreds of Thousands of Migratory Birds 'Falling Out of the Sky' in ... ›
- Scientists at Work: Sloshing Through Marshes To See How Birds ... ›
- Trump Finalizes Rollback of Migratory Bird Treaty Act ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Scientists at Work: Sloshing Through Marshes To See How Birds Survive Hurricanes
10 November 2020
Science
A clapper rail with a fiddler crab in its bill. Michael Gray / CC BY-ND
By Scott Rush and Mark Woodrey
When storms like Huricane Zeta menace the Gulf Coast, residents know the drill: Board up windows, clear storm drains, gas up the car and stock up on water, batteries and canned goods.
But how does wildlife ride out a hurricane? Animals that live along coastlines have evolved to deal with a world where conditions can change radically. This year, however, the places they inhabit have borne the brunt of 10 named storms, some just a few weeks apart.
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jJytBnoAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">wildlife</a> <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark_Woodrey" target="_blank">ecologists</a>, we are interested in how species respond to stresses in their environment. We are currently studying how marsh birds such as <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clapper_Rail/overview" target="_blank">clapper rails</a> (<em>Rallus crepitans</em>) have adapted to tropical storms along the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf coast. Understanding how they do this entails wading into marshes and thinking like a small, secretive bird.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc2Nzk0Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTUxNjcwNn0.g8m9gc2ifd5GeO_6pY-l9KUiJIag_SO5-8F2bGAHFmw/img.jpg?width=980" id="4866c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3a63608ba4a16c0f0557063c227490d9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1000" data-height="1021" />
A least bittern, one of the smallest species of heron. Michael Gray / CC BY-ND
<h2>Mucky and Full of Life</h2><p>Coastal wetlands are <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/coastal-wetlands-too-valuable-lose" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">critically important ecosystems</a>. They harbor fish, shellfish and wading birds, filter water as it flows through and buffer coastlines against flooding.</p><p>You wouldn't choose a Gulf Coast salt marsh for a casual stroll. There are sharp-pointed plants, such as <a href="https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_juro.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">black needlerush</a>, and sucking mud. In summer and early fall the marshes are oppressively hot and humid. Bacteria and fungi in the mud break down dead material, generating sulfurous-smelling gases. But once you get used to the conditions, you realize how productive these places are, with a myriad of organisms moving about.</p><p>Marsh birds are adept at hiding in dense grasses, so it's more common to hear them than to see them. That's why we use a process known as a callback survey to monitor for them.</p><p>First we play a prerecorded set of calls to elicit responses from birds in the marsh. Then we determine where we think the birds are calling from and visually estimate the distance from the observer to that spot, often using tools such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_rangefinder" target="_blank">laser range finders</a>. We also note the type of ecosystem where we detect the birds – for example, whether they're in a tidal marsh with emergent vegetation or out in the open on mud flats.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5c78b1d2edf432fbf43e2f4fdbfb2f66"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y3b9fOUrdzQ?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>Through this process we've been able to estimate the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1672/08-174.1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">distributions of several species</a> in tidal marshes, including clapper rails, <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Least_Bittern/overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">least bitterns</a> (<em>Ixobrychus exilis</em>) and <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/seaside_sparrow" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">seaside sparrows</a> (<em>Ammospiza maritima</em>). We've also plotted trends in their abundance and identified how their numbers can change with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-018-1082-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">characteristics of the marsh</a>.</p><p>We've walked hundreds of miles through marshes to locate nests and to record data such as nest height, density of surrounding vegetation and proximity to standing water, which provides increased foraging opportunities for rails. Then we revisit the nests to document whether they produce young that hatch and eventually leave. Success isn't guaranteed: Predators may eat the eggs, or flooding could wash them out of the nest and kill the developing embryos inside.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="48bc79484ea49608647588b732898f51"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3E32JHYSdSU?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<h2>Rails in the Grass</h2><p>Our research currently focuses on clapper rails, which look like slender chickens with grayish-brown feathers and short tails. Like many other marsh birds, they have longish legs and toes for walking across soft mud, and long bills for probing the marsh surface in search of food. They are found year-round along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.</p><p>Clapper rails typically live in tidal marshes where there is vegetation to hide in and plenty of fiddler crabs, among <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-010-9281-6" target="_blank">their frequent foods</a>. Because they are generally common and rely on coastal marshes, they are a good indicator of the health of these coastal areas.</p>
<p>Water levels in tidal marshes change daily, and clapper rails have some adaptations that help them thrive there. They often build nests in areas with particularly tall vegetation to hide them from predators. And they can raise the height of the nest bowl to protect it against flooding during <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/cond.2010.090078" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">extra-high or "king" tides and storms</a>. The embryos inside their eggs can survive even if the eggs are submerged for several hours.</p><p>When a tropical storm strikes, many factors – including wind speed, flooding and the storm's position – influence how severely it will affect marsh birds. Typically birds ride out storms by moving to higher areas of the marsh. However, if a storm generates extensive flooding, birds in affected areas may swim or be blown to other locations. We saw this in early June when Hurricane Cristobal <a href="https://www.wlox.com/2020/06/09/marsh-birds-blown-by-cristobal-out-place-beach/" target="_blank">blew hundreds of clapper rails onto beaches</a> in parts of coastal Mississippi.</p>
<p>In coastal areas immediately to the east of the eye of a tropical cyclone we typically see a drop in clapper rail populations in the following spring and summer. This happens because the counterclockwise rotation of the storms results in the highest winds and storm surge to the north and east of the eye of the storm.</p><p>But typically there's a strong bout of breeding and a population rebound within a year or so – evidence that these birds are quick to adapt. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2005, however, depending on the type of marsh, it took several years for rail populations to return to their pre-Katrina levels.</p><p>Now we're radio-tagging clapper rails and collecting data that allow us to determine the birds' life spans. This information helps us estimate when large numbers of birds have died – information that we can correlate with events like coastal hurricanes.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc2Nzk2NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTA2MjE1OX0.WBEB0vWEKzJxNnRzhxRULCW_ctDBDuvUWUjtf4R-C9A/img.png?width=980" id="9e588" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dda243a614981e79dccf845c20dd6a8b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="742" />
Summary map of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, updated Oct. 27. Master0Garfield / Wikipedia
<h2>Losing Parts</h2><p>Tropical storms have shaped coastal ecosystems since long before recorded history. But over the past 150 years humans have complicated the picture. Coastal development – draining marshes, building roads and reinforcing shorelines – is altering natural places that support marsh birds.</p><p>Clapper rails and other species have evolved traits that help them offset population losses due to natural disasters. But they can do so only if the ecosystems where they live keep providing them with food, breeding habitat and protection from predators. Coastal development, in combination with <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rising sea levels</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920849117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">larger tropical storms</a>, can act like a one-two punch, making it increasingly hard for marshes and the species that live in them to recover.</p><p>Biologist Paul Ehrlich has compared species at risk to <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1313377" target="_blank">rivets on an airplane</a>. You might not need every rivet in place for the airplane to fly, but would you fly it through a cyclone if you knew that 10% of its rivets were missing? What about 20%, or 30%? At some point, Ehrlich asserts, nature could lose so many species that it becomes unable to provide valuable services that humans take for granted.<br></p><p>We see coastal marshes as an airplane that humans are piloting through storms. As species and ecosystem services are pummeled, rivets are failing. No one knows where or how the aircraft will land. But we believe that preserving marshes instead of weakening them can improve the chance of a smooth landing.</p>
<p>
<em>Scott Rush is an assistant professor of wildlife ecology and management at Mississippi State University.<br/>
</em><em>Mark Woodrey is an assistant research professor at Mississippi State University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statements: Scott Rush receives funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Mark Woodrey receives funding from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-at-work-sloshing-through-marshes-to-see-how-birds-survive-hurricanes-146067" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146067/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script>From Your Site Articles
- Study: Climate Change Linked to More Rain in Hurricanes - EcoWatch ›
- Climate Change Threatens Two-Thirds of North American Bird ... ›
- Trump Administration Pushes to Relax Rules Protecting Birds - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Fossil remains indicate these birds had a wingspan of over 20 feet. Brian Choo, CC BY-NC-SA
By Peter A. Kloess
Picture Antarctica today and what comes to mind? Large ice floes bobbing in the Southern Ocean? Maybe a remote outpost populated with scientists from around the world? Or perhaps colonies of penguins puttering amid vast open tracts of snow?
<p>
<br/>
</p>
<p>Fossils from Seymour Island, just off the Antarctic Peninsula, are painting a very different picture of what Antarctica looked like 40 to 50 million years ago – a time when the ecosystem was lusher and more diverse. Fossils of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61973-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">frogs</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2011.565214" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plants</a> such as ferns and conifers indicate Seymour Island was much warmer and less icy, while fossil remains from <a href="https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8268" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">marsupials and distant relatives of armadillos and anteaters</a> hint at the previous connections between Antarctica and other continents in the Southern Hemisphere.</p><p>There were also birds. Penguins were present then, as they are now, but fossil relatives of <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.13679/j.advps.2019.0014" target="_blank">ducks, falcons and albatrosses</a> have also been found in Antarctica. My <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5CGShQUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao" target="_blank">colleagues</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XlyfD9QAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao" target="_blank">I</a> have recently published an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75248-6" target="_blank">article</a> revealing new information about the fossil group that would have dwarfed all the other birds on Seymour Island: the pelagornithids, or "bony-toothed" birds.</p>
Giants of the Sky
<p>As their name suggests, these ancient birds had sharp, bony spikes protruding from sawlike jaws. Resembling teeth, these spikes would have helped them catch squid or fish. We also studied another remarkable feature of the pelagornithids – their imposing size.</p><p>The largest flying bird alive today is the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/group/albatrosses/" target="_blank">wandering albatross</a>, which has a wingspan that reaches 11 ½ feet. The Antarctic pelagornithids fossils we studied have a wingspan nearly double that – about 21 feet across. If you tipped a two-story building on its side, that's about 20 feet.</p><p>Across Earth's history, very few groups of vertebrates have achieved powered flight – and only two reached truly giant sizes: birds and a group of <a href="https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/pterosaurs-flight-in-the-age-of-dinosaurs/what-is-a-pterosaur" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reptiles called pterosaurs</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDYyNTM1MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MzU3NzQ4MX0.YS7_KnVR9sjypuvU4e42zccxgYW-_WgV6iVafkDsOMM/img.jpg?width=980" id="78970" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="95d21d5a82c7b1826385df45bc05cc65" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="4288" data-height="2848" />
Full-size model of a Quetzalcoatlus on display at JuraPark in Baltow, Poland. Aneta Leszkiewicz / Wikimedia
<p>Pterosaurs ruled the skies during the Mesozoic Era (252 million to 66 million years ago), the same period that dinosaurs roamed the planet, and they reached hard-to-believe dimensions. <a href="https://www.wired.com/2013/11/absurd-creature-of-the-week-quetz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quetzalcoatlus</a> stood 16 feet tall and had a colossal 33-foot wingspan.</p>Birds Get Their Opportunity
<p>Birds originated while dinosaurs and pterosaurs were still roaming the planet. But when an <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaur-killing-asteroid-impact-chicxulub-crater-timeline-destruction-180973075/" target="_blank">asteroid struck the Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago</a>, dinosaurs and pterosaurs both perished. Some <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/how-birds-survived-asteroid-impact-wiped-out-dinosaurs" target="_blank">select birds survived</a>, though. These survivors diversified into the thousands of bird species alive today. Pelagornithids evolved in the period right after dinosaur and pterosaur extinction, when competition for food was lessened.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1284" target="_blank">The earliest pelagornithid remains</a>, recovered from 62-million-year-old sediments in New Zealand, were about the size of modern gulls. The first giant pelagornithids, the ones in our study, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75248-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">took flight over Antarctica about 10 million years later</a>, in a period called the Eocene Epoch (56 million to 33.9 million years ago). In addition to these specimens, fossilized remains from other pelagornithids have been found on every continent.</p><p>Pelagornithids lasted for about 60 million years before going extinct just before the Pleistocene Epoch (2.5 million to 11,700 years ago). No one knows exactly why, though, because few fossil records have been recovered from the period at the end of their reign. Some paleontologists cite <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2011.562268" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate change as a possible factor</a>.</p>Piecing it Together
<p>The fossils we studied are fragments of whole bones collected by paleontologists from the University of California at Riverside in the 1980s. In 2003, the specimens were transferred to Berkeley, where they now reside in the <a href="https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of California Museum of Paleontology</a>.</p><p>There isn't enough material from Antarctica to rebuild an entire skeleton, but by comparing the fossil fragments with similar elements from more complete individuals, we were able to assess their size.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDYyNTM2MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDg2NTgzMn0.nouTygP-aON3I5a1RKEG9q1vB7_yJ30rTTd_Brc0CrA/img.jpg?width=980" id="cc47d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8ac77d6b9034f166e00fabac14d36f98" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="600" data-height="573" />
In life, the pelagornithid would have had numerous 'teeth,' making it a formidable predator. Peter Kloess, CC BY-NC-SA
<p>We estimate the pelagornithid's skull would have been about 2 feet long. A fragment of one bird's lower jaw preserves some of the "pseudoteeth" that would have each measured up to an inch tall. The spacing of those "teeth" and other measurements of the jaw show this fragment came from an individual as big as, if not bigger than, the largest known pelagornithids.</p><p>Further evidence of the size of these Antarctic birds comes from a second pelagornithid fossil, from a different location on Seymour Island. A section of a foot bone, called a tarsometatarsus, is the largest specimen known for the entire extinct group.<br></p><p>These pelagornithid fossil findings emphasize the importance of natural history collections. Successful field expeditions result in a wealth of material brought back to a museum or repository – but the time required to prepare, study and publish on fossils means these institutions typically <a href="https://theconversation.com/digitizing-the-vast-dark-data-in-museum-fossil-collections-102833" target="_blank">hold many more specimens than they can display</a>. Important discoveries can be made by collecting specimens on expeditions in remote locations, no doubt. But equally important discoveries can be made by simply processing the backlog of specimens already on hand.</p>
<p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-a-kloess-1164526" target="_blank">Peter A. Kloess</a> is a </em><em>Doctoral Candidate, Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em><em>Peter A. Kloess does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em></em>
</p><p>
<em><em></em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/giant-toothed-birds-flew-over-antarctica-40-million-to-50-million-years-ago-148772" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><iframe height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148772/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1"></iframe>From Your Site Articles
- Climate Change Threatens Two-Thirds of North American Bird ... ›
- 37% of North American Birds Face Extinction - EcoWatch ›
- Meet Five 'Extinct' Species That Have Returned to Life - EcoWatch ›
- New Dinosaur Fossils Could Belong to Largest Creature to Walk on Earth - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Coast Guard members work to clean an oil spill impacting Delaware beaches. U.S. Coast Guard District 5
Environmental officials and members of the U.S. Coast Guard are racing to clean up a mysterious oil spill that has spread to 11 miles of Delaware coastline.
<p>When the spill was first discovered Monday, it covered only three-fourths of a mile along Broadkill Beach, <a href="https://eu.delmarvanow.com/story/news/2020/10/21/delaware-bay-oil-spill-affects-wider-area-day-three/6004537002/" target="_blank">Delaware Now reported</a>. However, the tides have extended the reach of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil" target="_self">oil</a> every day, spreading it along seven miles of Delaware Bay coastline by Tuesday and 11 by Wednesday.</p><p>"We are focused on cleanup operations and getting the oil off our beaches and out of our coastal communities as quickly as possible," Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Shawn Garvin said in a <a href="https://news.delaware.gov/2020/10/21/unified-command-incident-command-post-established-for-oil-cleanup-efforts-on-delaware-shore/" target="_blank">Wednesday press release</a>. "Expediency is key. We want to capture as much of the oil as we can before it disperses further and causes more environmental harm."</p>
<p>DNREC is working under unified command with the U.S. Coast Guard to clean the spill, which now extends from Fowler Beach, which borders the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, to Cape Henlopen State Park. It was estimated initially that more than 215 gallons of oil had spilled, but the actual amount may be larger, <a href="https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2020/10/22/oil-spill-off-delaware-beach-appears-to-be-spreading/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CBS Philly reported</a>.</p>
<div id="d251e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7e03c3596cb3f2b3cf90bb8da0df1a82"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1318672504018317314" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The oil line from the spill now extends approximately 11 miles from Fowler Beach bordering Prime Hook National Wild… https://t.co/c4TfENSvGw</div> — DNREC (@DNREC)<a href="https://twitter.com/YourDNREC/statuses/1318672504018317314">1603230999.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>As of Tuesday, recovery efforts had removed around two tons of oily sand and debris, according to DNREC. There are currently more than 75 contractors, DNREC workers and Coast Guard members responding to the spill.</p>
<div id="2bfe2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="96675d12f78afda6e8606f0fb7d1fe93"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1319010494993358849" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Approximately two tons of oily sand and debris was removed from the affected areas as of 7 p.m., Tuesday. https://t.co/bdCxr8ZNda</div> — DNREC (@DNREC)<a href="https://twitter.com/YourDNREC/statuses/1319010494993358849">1603311582.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The oil has already impacted some <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a>. <a href="https://tristatebird.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research</a> had responded to reports of 24 seagulls covered in oil as of Wednesday.<br></p><p>The spill has mostly taken the form of oil patties that range in size from a quarter to a manhole cover, the <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/2a6cad4?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=01335c08-da44-4982-a064-9551c1d7e263&utm_content=&utm_campaign=" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Coast Guard said Tuesday</a>.</p><p>Cape Henlopen park watch volunteer Julie McCall got a first-hand view of the strange black blobs when she was conducting a bird count on Beach Plum Island Monday.</p><p>"On the way back, after the tide had gone out quite a bit, I started seeing these bigger patches, and I thought, 'That looks like oil,'" McCall <a href="https://whyy.org/articles/seven-mile-oil-spill-fouls-delaware-coastline/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told WHYY</a>. "Some were bigger than my foot."</p><p>The Coast Guard said it would use the blobs to try and determine the source of the spill.</p><p>"Working with our partners at DNREC and state agencies, we will continue to monitor the future potential to the Broadkill Beach area, continue cleanup operations and conduct an investigation to try and determine the source," Capt. Jonathan Theel, the commanding officer of Sector Delaware Bay, said in a press release.</p><p>However, officials think the oil is probably heavy fuel oil that leaked from a vessel, WHYY reported.</p><p>McCall said she was worried about how the oil would impact people and animals.</p><p>"It's very scary," she told WHYY. "Of course, we're always concerned about the marine animals, and any kind of toxic material in the water. I'm also concerned about <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/birds" target="_self">birds</a>, any kind of wildlife. A lot of people fish at Beach Plum Island and people walk their dogs and there are kids on the beach. So I'm concerned about exposure to people and animals."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Trans Mountain Pipeline Spills up to 50,000 Gallons of Oil on ... ›
- Citgo Must Pay $143M for a Delaware River Oil Spill, Supreme ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
This turtle dove is part of Operation Turtle Dove; the European Commission estimates there may be fewer than 5,000 pairs left in the UK. Ian / Flickr / CC by 2.0
By Naomi Larsson
For centuries, the delicate silver dove has been a symbol of love and fidelity.
<p>In Greek mythology, a pair of turtle doves pulled the goddess of love Aphrodite's chariot. For Shakespeare, they signified devotion, while Elvis promised to call his lover "sweet things like turtle dove." In the Twelve Days of Christmas, a pair of them are gifted on the second day, pointing to their strong bond. </p><p>Despite such cultural references, many among Britain's younger generations would not recognize the "turr turring" sound that enraptured people for centuries when the doves arrived to feed and roost during the summer. </p><p>That's because the turtle dove, of which there are four main species, is the fastest declining bird in the UK. Just 50 years ago, there were an estimated <a href="https://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife-in-norfolk/species-explorer/birds/turtle-dove" target="_blank">125,000 pairs</a>, but between 1967-2016 their numbers fell by 98%. Now, there may be fewer than <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zDg9DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=rewilding+book&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiA25m0ldnqAhVLa8AKHdbeAdwQ6AEwAHoECAcQAg#v=onepage&q=turtle%20dove&f=false" target="_blank">5,000 pairs</a> left, according to European Commission estimates. Across Europe <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/germany-endangered-turtle-dove-is-2020-bird-of-the-year/a-50789572" target="_blank">numbers have dropped by over a third</a> and the bird now features on the IUCN red list of <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22690419/154373407#population" target="_blank">threatened species as "vulnerable"</a> and declining.</p><p><span></span>"The sound of the dove is nostalgic," said Isabella Tree, who co-runs the pioneering Knapp Estate rewilding project in south-east England. "It's long summers ahead of you at the end of school. It's freedom and being carefree... and I guess that decline [in the UK and Europe] symbolizes so much as well." </p>
Biodiversity and Habitat Loss
<p>Their near extinction is a symbol of the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/global-biodiversity-outlook-targets-extinction-summit-new-york-pledge/a-54932895" target="_blank">biodiversity crisis</a> in the UK, largely driven by habitat destruction. Britain is now one of the countries with the most <a href="https://www.wwf.org.uk/future-of-UK-nature#:~:text=The%20UK%20is%20one%20of,than%20half%20are%20in%20decline" target="_blank">depleted nature</a> in the world according to the World Wildlife Fund. Half its plant and animal species are in decline and more than <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/let-nature-sing-wales/#:~:text=a%20natural%20tragedy.-,Over%2040%20million%20birds%20have%20vanished%20from%20UK%20skies%20in,unaware%20of%20the%20impending%20danger" target="_blank">40 million birds</a> have vanished in just half a century.</p><p>"[Turtle doves] are the canary in the [coal] mine because there are all these other species before it and after it," said Tree. "It's an umbrella for all the other species that are heading that way."</p><p>Turtle doves migrate south through Europe to sub-Saharan Africa between July and September, ending up in dry woodland and farmland areas of countries like Mali and Senegal for winter. </p><p>Droughts in West Africa and the Sahel region are believed to have contributed to the fall in turtle dove species recorded in northern Europe, with low rainfall reducing supplies of the seeds and insects the birds rely on for energy for the long journey home.</p><p>On that journey, they face more threats. As many as <a href="https://www.operationturtledove.org/turtle-doves/ecology-habitat-and-food/#:~:text=Of%20the%20estimated%20population%20of,Management%20Plan%20published%20in%202007" target="_blank">2-3 million birds</a> are hunted as they pass through Europe. EU authorities say hunting is being allowed at unsustainable levels, and conservation organizations across Europe are lobbying governments for better regulation.</p><p>Yet by far the biggest cause of their decline is the damage to the UK and northern European habitats that have long served as their homes during the spring and summer.</p><p>Turtle doves require access to fresh water, bare patches of land to feed on natural weed and wildflower seeds, and thorny scrub in which to nest. Runoff from agricultural nitrates makes fresh water often difficult to find in the British landscape and grasslands and <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/green-spaces-flora-fauna-wild-native-wildflowers-insects-dublin-dessau-wilderness/a-53955388" target="_blank">wildflower meadows</a> are being depleted by farming and urban expansion. </p><p>"I remember as a child it got called wasteland, but scrub habitat is far from waste habitat," said Marc Outten, a landscape conservation area manager at Essex Wildlife Trust in south-eastern England. Its ecological properties include thorny scrub, bare open areas, wildflowers — everything a turtle dove needs. </p>
Conservation and Farming
<p><a href="https://www.operationturtledove.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Operation Turtle Dove,</a> a partnership project of charities including the Essex Wildlife trust, works with landowners and farmers to actively build turtle dove habitat.</p><p>Outten works with <a href="https://www.ebws.org.uk/birdsites/blue-house-farm-ewt-north-fambridge" target="_blank">Blue House Farm</a>, a 660-acre nature reserve in the UK county of Essex, where they have replicated weedy fallow plots. </p><p>"We work on it every year to make sure it's in the condition it needs to be with plants such as clovers and black medic," Outten said. "These plants are native to the landscape and produce the seed the birds feed on." </p><p>The birds eat a wide range of seeds from various plants that would have been abundant 50 or 100 years ago, added Guy Anderson, program manager for species recovery with The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). </p><p>"But it's simply true that with the gradual process of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/farming-without-pesticides-how-can-we-make-agriculture-greener/a-52216796" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">intensifying our agricultural production</a>, the availability of those seeds has dropped and dropped," said Anderson.</p><p>Part of the project includes supplementary feeding — providing sources of food in the form of seed or grain. Under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme in England, farmers can receive financial support to create a turtle dove habitat. </p><p>Though they haven't recorded an increase in doves across the sites in the four years of working on the project, Outten said they are seeing improvements in how landowners and farmers manage habitat for the birds. </p>A Turtle Dove Haven
<p>The 3,500-acre Knepp Estate in West Sussex is another project taking a different approach and one of the few places where turtle dove numbers are increasing.</p><p>Isabella Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell converted their intensively farmed land into a rewilding project almost 20 years ago. They have let the land return to nature.</p><p>Just one year after they'd finished <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/uks-most-talented-architects-are-not-human/a-35952128" target="_blank">rewilding</a> the southern part of their property, they heard turtle doves for the first time. It's now a breeding hotspot for the birds with an estimated 19 pairs. Knepp is also home to <a href="https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/rewilding/rewilding-projects/knepp-estate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2% of the UK's population</a> of nightingales. </p><p>Tree is critical of supplementary feeding schemes that, in her view, are short term. She questions the chances of turtle doves getting to feed on scattered seeds before other mammals eat them first.</p><p>"Restoring habitat is going to be the fix," she said. "[The turtle dove] needs those natural wildflower seeds and other things it would be finding as soon as it arrives in the spring."</p><p>She calls for building wildlife corridors to bring back biodiversity: this could be hedgerows that are left to grow much larger than normal, or the rewilding of an entire river system.</p><p>"Until we can actually have a strategy that allows areas of nature to connect together, we're going to have no resilience in the system at all," said Tree. </p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/britain-diodiversity-speciesloss-birds-farming-pollution/a-55121323?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>.</em><br/></p><p><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
- 41% of UK Species Have Declined Since 1970, Major Report Finds ... ›
- One in Eight Bird Species Threatened With Extinction, Study Finds ... ›
- Pesticides to Blame for UK's Declining Turtle Dove Population ... ›
- Study: Birds Are Linked to Happiness Levels - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Hundreds of Thousands of Migratory Birds 'Falling Out of the Sky' in the Southwest
16 September 2020
Animals
A MacGillivray's Warbler found dead in Fairplay, Colorado on Sept. 1, 2020. Southwest Avian Mortality Project
The American Southwest is witnessing a horrific and inexplicable phenomenon, likely due to the climate crisis: hundreds of thousands of migratory birds are dying off. The birds seem to be just "falling out of the sky," as The Guardian reported.
<p>An eerie scene was captured on video and posted to the <a href="https://www.lcsun-news.com/videos/news/2020/09/14/dead-migratory-birds-found-new-mexicos-rio-arriba-county/5794183002/" target="_blank">Las Cruces-Sun News</a> in New Mexico. Journalist Austin Fisher was out on a hike on Sunday when he encountered a trail of dead birds. The New Mexico Game & Fish department has been inundated with calls from residents concerned about all the dead birds they are seeing.</p><p>"We started receiving calls a week ago on Tuesday the eighth and they haven't really stopped since then from all across the state," said Game & Fish Department spokeswoman Tristanna Bickford, as The <a href="https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/cause-of-new-mexico-bird-deaths-sought/article_65c57752-f69b-11ea-957e-c711f53ea4d4.html" target="_blank">Santa Fe New Mexican</a> reported. "We can't say any official cause at this time. That would be pure speculation."</p>
<p>The die-off isn't just happening in New Mexico. According to The Guardian, clusters of various dead birds, including flycatchers, swallows, bluebirds, blackbirds, sparrows and warblers have been spotted in Colorado, Texas, Arizona and Nebraska.</p><p>"It's just terrible," said Martha Desmond, a professor at the New Mexico State University's department of fish, wildlife and conservation ecology, to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/14/us/new-mexico-birds-died-migration-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. "The number is in the six figures. Just by looking at the scope of what we're seeing, we know this is a very large event, hundreds of thousands and maybe even millions of dead birds, and we're looking at the higher end of that."</p><p>"I collected over a dozen in just a two-mile stretch in front of my house," said Desmond, as The Guardian reported. "To see this and to be picking up these carcasses and realizing how widespread this is, is personally devastating. To see this many individuals and species dying is a national tragedy."</p>
<p>While the New Mexico Game & Fish Department started receiving calls on Sept. 8, Desmond's timeline goes back to Aug. 20 when a large number of dead birds were spotted at the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range and White Sands National Monument.</p><p>"On the missile range we might in a week find, get a report of, less than half a dozen birds," Trish Butler, a biologist at the range, told KOB, the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/birds-are-dropping-dead-new-mexico-potentially-hundreds-thousands-n1240116" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NBC News</a> affiliate in Albuquerque.</p><p>"This last week we've had a couple hundred, so that really got our attention."</p>
<p>According to NBC News, why exactly the mass die-off is happening is a mystery. Desmond suggested that a cold front that hit New Mexico or a recent drought might play a part. She added that the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires">wildfires</a> burning across the west may be a factor.</p><p>"There may have been some damage to these birds in their lungs. It may have pushed them out early when they weren't ready to migrate," she said to NBC News.</p><p>The birds migrate from Alaska and Canada to reach their winter homes in Central and South America. Besides the smoke damaging their lungs, it is possible that the wildfires forced the birds to change their pattern away from resource-rich coastal areas to a desert where the food and water they need to refuel are much more difficult to find, according to The Guardian. In other words, they may be starving, dehydrated and exhausted.</p>
<p>"The birds seem to be in relatively good condition, except that they are extremely emaciated," wrote Allison Salas, a graduate student at New Mexico State University, on <a href="https://twitter.com/salasphorus/status/1304973085833981952" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. "They have no fat reserves and barely any muscle mass. Almost as if they have been flying until they just couldn't fly anymore."</p><p>The collected carcasses are being logged and sent to two facilities for testing, the National Wildlife Health Centre in Wisconsin and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forensics laboratory in Oregon. It's expected that testing will take a couple of weeks before officials can state a cause of death, according to The Guardian.</p><p>In the meantime, scientists are crowdsourcing research and asking citizens to log any dead bird sightings on the website of the <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/southwest-avian-mortality-project" target="_blank">Southwest Avian Mortality Project</a>.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Climate Change Threatens Two-Thirds of North American Bird ... ›
- Climate Crisis Likely Caused Mass Die-Off of Tufted Puffins ... ›
- Thousands of Migrating Birds Found Dead or Injured in Greece ... ›
- Which U.S. Cities Are the Most Dangerous for Migratory Birds ... ›
- Bald Eagle Takes Out Government Drone - EcoWatch ›
- American Skyscrapers Kill an Estimated 600 Million Migratory Birds ... ›
- Trump Administration Pushes to Relax Rules Protecting Birds - EcoWatch ›
Read More
Show Less