Tern nesting successful off NH coast Oct 21, 2009
Officials say 2,377 pairs of state-threatened common terns, 40 pairs of state and federally endangered Roseate terns and seven pairs of Arctic terns nested on the group of small islands. For several days a snowy owl was spotted preying on the terns, causing them to abandon their nests at night. (Concord Monitor)
Swan found with arrow piercing its side Aug 29, 2009
" The largest North American waterfowl with a wing span up to 9 feet, trumpeter swans were near extinction in the early 20th century but rebounded and are fairly common today. Senner estimated there are 18,000 in the Pacific Region, while lead poisoning in the Lower 48 has posed a problem. They're regularly seen at Potter Marsh. "There are hundreds of breeding pairs across the Kenai and north of here," said Thede Tobish, a local birding enthusiast. "They're a big draw for visiting birders... (Anchorage Daily News)
Your brain is weirder than you think Aug 26, 2009
Other animals, such as whales and Arctic terns, are born with more advanced directional skills than humans, he said. The German study, which Uttal found "elegant and creative," illustrates how humans evolved to be good at keeping track of their orientation for short distances, but in trying to go long distances, they fail in the absence of cues such as the sun, he said. (CNN)
Bird sightings Jul 8, 2009
A two-hour sea watch from Race Point in Provincetown on June 27 produced the following: three Cory s shearwaters, 250 greater shearwaters, 25 sooty shearwaters, 200 Wilson s storm-petrels, 75 Northern gannets, 1 killdeer, 75 laughing gulls, 150 herring gulls, four lesser black-backed gulls, 40 least terns, 200 common terns, two Arctic terns, 12 parasitic jaegers, and four long-tailed jaegers. We have been spoiled with number and variety of species, but these numbers are still very impressive. (Boston Globe)
How to tag a pecking puffin Jul 1, 2009
Dr Richard Bevan from Newcastle University, who is leading the study, shows her that attacks from swooping Arctic terns and pecks from an angry puffin as it is plucked from its underground nest are all part of a day's work for puffin taggers. SEE ALSO. (BBC News -- Science)
