bird conservation

Breeding Spoon-billed Sandpiper found in Chukotka

Thumbnail image for Breeding Spoon-billed Sandpiper found in Chukotka by Gunnar 10 July 2011

Breeding Spoon-billed Sandpiper has been found by a unique conservation collaboration between BirdLife International and Heritage Expeditions – a BirdLife Species Champion in far eastern Russia at the Chukotka coast.

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Bird Ringing – how safe are mist nets?

Thumbnail image for Bird Ringing – how safe are mist nets? by Rebecca Nason 30 June 2011

How safe are mist nets? Photo: Sand Martins in mist net by © Rebecca Nason The following article has been forwarded to me and I thought I’d share in with my fellow birding bloggers, many of whom may be bird ringers/banders or have a general interest in the use of mist nets in bird research [...]

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Journal Club: Gouldian Finches’ fascinating mating system

Thumbnail image for Journal Club: Gouldian Finches’ fascinating mating system by Grrlscientist 29 June 2011

Gouldian Finches occur in two morphs. Red heads or Black heads. Red-headed females prefer red-headed males – and black prefer blacks. In the small populations it is not always possible for the finches to chose their own type. When they cross the results are not good. However, a “hybrid” female will always have less viability than “hybrid” male. The stress of mating the “wrong”kind makes the Gouldian Finch able to regulate the outcome producing more male “hybrid” offspring which has better viability. Read Grrl Scientist fascinating account how the females do this.

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Bustard and Bastard are not the same words

Thumbnail image for Bustard and Bastard are not the same words by Gunnar 15 June 2011

In 1960, the International Council for Bird Preservation met in Tokyo to encourage governments around the world to designate a national bird, particularly among species in the greatest need of protection in each country. Great Indian Bustard was one of the most threatened species on the Indian Sub-continent. An obvious choice to any conservationist. However, in the end, the Indian government decided to place the title to the peacock. The bustard was passed over because its name was similar to a pejorative term for an illegitimate child. Now the species is Critically Endangered.

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Women for Conservation – in ProAves reserves in Colombia

Thumbnail image for Women for Conservation – in ProAves reserves in Colombia by Gunnar 28 April 2011

In last week’s post, Colombian bird conservation NGO – ProAves – did not come out in good light, and even if that critique was justified, one should not forget some of the very impressive work that is being done at the ProAves reserves. One of my favorite projects is that called Women for Conservation. It [...]

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Aegean Rainbow Continued . . .

Thumbnail image for Aegean Rainbow Continued . . . by Rebecca Nason 26 April 2011

Every year produces new and exciting bird and wildlife highlights in Lesvos, no tours are ever the same and there are always exceptional and often unexpected bird encounters which make each trip special. Heading out to Lesvos in April and early May lands you straight in the middle of spring migration, and whether you find [...]

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Naked Bittern Exposed

Thumbnail image for Naked Bittern Exposed by Rebecca Nason 19 March 2011

Minsmere is the RSPB’s premier nature reserve on the Suffolk coast, East Anglia, UK, and luckily for me, just a stones throw away from where I live half an hours drive further down the coast. I do not visit as much as i’d like to or should, but when I do, I am always pleased [...]

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Devastating tsunami claims lives of humans and birds

Thumbnail image for Devastating tsunami claims lives of humans and birds by Gyorgy Szimuly 11 March 2011

A few days ago every major news source published the fantastic news about the world’s oldest bird which returned to its Midway home to raise chicks. Wisdom, the name of the more 60 years old Laysan Albatross, returned safe to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific Islands. Soon after the chicks of the [...]

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Featured Bird Blogger of the Week

Thumbnail image for Featured Bird Blogger of the Week by dAwN FiNe 4 February 2011

Dawn Fine presents this weeks birdblogger: Laura Kammermeier – writer for ABA blog and birding magazines, freelance writer and new media consultant, she specializes in nature, travel, and birding, and is an accomplished online content strategist and web producer.

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Short-tailed Albatross breeds on US soil

Thumbnail image for Short-tailed Albatross breeds on US soil by Gunnar 24 January 2011

Short-tailed Albatross back from the dead Although it is far too soon to say danger is over, the Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastria albatrus has made a remarkable recovery. In 1949 it was believed to be extinct. It was rediscovered in 1951 and in 1954 only 25 pairs were counted on Torishima, Japan. Today there are 426 [...]

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Featured Bird Blogger of the week

Thumbnail image for Featured Bird Blogger of the week by dAwN FiNe 24 December 2010

Howdee all, Hope you are all enjoying this holiday season…are you ready for week 8 of Featured Bird Blogger?  This week I am very happy to introduce you to….. ~Larry Jordan~ Larry and his wife Brigitte have been living in Northern California for over 30 years. They live on 40 acres of rolling hills with [...]

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African vultures also in Danger

Thumbnail image for African vultures also in Danger by Gunnar 22 December 2010

Kenya Vultures declining! Most birders have heard of the critical state of the vultures of the Indean Subcontinent because the use of Dichlophenac to treat sick livestock, and in the dead animals is highly. The discovery of the cause of the decline of the Indean Vultures was quite a sensation (see link) and it was [...]

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Gull-ty Pleasure

Thumbnail image for Gull-ty Pleasure by Rebecca Nason 4 December 2010

UK Winter Wonderland - The weather in the UK has been more reminiscent of Siberia over the past 10 days of so, with thick snow in many parts and near constant minus temperatures. Now back in Suffolk after our Autumn on Fair Isle, we have been quite literally in the thick of it with over a [...]

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Featured Bird Blogger of the Week

Thumbnail image for Featured Bird Blogger of the Week by dAwN FiNe 26 November 2010

Howdee all, Week 4 of Featured Bird Blogger of the Week. Hope you have enjoyed the past featured Bird bloggers..Links to all the previous posts here Today I would like to introduce you to ~Vickie ~from Vickie Henderson Art. When you go to her blog site you can tell right away that Vickie is an [...]

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Great News- Sociable Lapwing eastern flyway found!

Thumbnail image for Great News- Sociable Lapwing eastern flyway found! by DaleForbes 20 November 2010

One of the most incredible results and successes of the Amazing Journey project was having one of the Sociable Lapwings (Vanellus gregarius) satellite tagged on the Steppes of central Kazakhstan move down the unknown eastern flyway to the Indian subcontinent. Dinara – as our star was dubbed – was tagged in June 2010 and stuck [...]

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Young White-tailed Eagle numbers increasing in Scotland

Thumbnail image for Young White-tailed Eagle numbers increasing in Scotland by Gunnar 6 November 2010

White-tailed Sea Egle come-back! In a BBC News report published a few days ago, we learn that the White-tailed Eagle is coming back strongly a great success for the 25 years since the re-introduction of the species. Pairs of white-tailed sea eagles in Scotland produced more young during 2010 than in any other year since [...]

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Addicted to birdwatching

Thumbnail image for Addicted to birdwatching by Gyorgy Szimuly 22 October 2010

Szimi Style birding Shorebirds, bird conservation, travelling for birds and bird photography and recently a blogger… these are the keywords which could describe me and my birding interest. I thought I share a few details about me before starting to post regularly to birdingblogs.com. I live in Hungary, in a small town, called Tata, which [...]

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