A reserve that is home to the world’s largest population of the critically endangered blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis) has been more than doubled in size, reports the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), a group that helped fund the expansion. Barba Azul Nature Reserve now protects 11,000 hectares (27,180 acres) of savanna in Bolivia’s Beni wetlands after […]
POLL: Should the fox-hunting laws in the UK be relaxed?
A senior Liberal Democrat has called on the coalition to reconsider the fox-hunting law as it is being flouted with impunity and encourages young people in the countryside to think it is normal to break the law. Sir Nick Harvey, a former defence minister, described the fox-hunting law as “an ass” since it is routinely […]
Light buzzards’ colorations and migration – 03
Buteo buteo – Accipitriformes – Accipitriadae – This is the lightest buzzard I saw so far this winter. Easily recognizing individuals thanks to the plumage coloration of their breast and comparing them from one season to another has proven me that I have not seen again the birds from previous years, which implies that they […]
Japanese whale hunt stopped, for now
“After a 360-mile chase, The Sea Shepherd Fleet drove the Japanese whaling fleet’s factory ship, the Nisshin Maru, out of the Antarctic Treaty Zone,” said the group in an emailed statement. “Sea Shepherd has all ships in the Japanese whaling fleet accounted for, and can confirm that the whale poaching fleet is scattered and currently […]
Snowy Owl in Florida
My father and I drove up to see the Snowy Owl at Little Talbot Island State Park that was seen yesterday. It’s a beautiful bird! Apparently I saw one in Eureka, CA when I was a kid, but I don’t remember seeing it, so it’s not on my list. This is a lifer for me. […]
China crushes six tons of ivory
China has destroyed several tons of confiscated ivory tusks and carvings, just months after the US crushed six tons of seized ivory. Officials in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, pulverised 6.1 tons of confiscated tusks and carvings in an event on Monday attended by representatives from 10 countries including the UK, and elephant states including Kenya, Gabon, […]
POLL: Should Humpback Whales Be Removed From the Endangered Species List in 2014?
After being almost hunted to extinction, Humpback whales were added to the U.S. list of endangered species in 1988. Adults can be 40-50 feet long and weigh around 80,000lbs! They are a baleen whale, which means that they filter their food with baleen plates rather than eat it with teeth. North Pacific humpback whales came […]
Review of the Canon EOS 70D camera body
With temperatures around freezing point, blue skies and frost on the ground, I got down to the Rhine Delta in Austria just as the sun was rising this morning. A perfect opportunity to try out my new Canon EOS 70D camera body. All of the above shots were taken hand-held using a Canon EF 400mm […]