The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has banned the importation and interstate transportation of four nonnative constrictor snakes. Release of snakes into the wild is threatening birds and other animals in the Everglades and other sensitive ecosystems across the United States. “In recent years, the release of nonnative snakes into sensitive bird habitats such […]
Suriname Team Find 46 New Species In Tropical Forests
An expedition to a tiny South American country has revealed more than 40 species that scientists believe to be new to science. The expedition to the pristine tropical forests of Suriname was led by the charity Conservation International. The collaboration between scientists, indigenous people and students recorded 1,300 species in total. The team is now […]
Great Blue Heron at Sunrise
Just a single image today but an image that I like for its simplicity, morning light, composition, fine detail and watery background. Another one of the reasons I enjoy this photo is that the eye of the Great Blue Heron has a colored catchlight that is from the sun glowing yellow on the eastern horizon. […]
All-White Blackbird Photographed
This unusual blackbird is attracting bird watchers to a Nottinghamshire country park. The bird is leucistic, which is a genetic mutation that prevents pigments from being deposited normally in its feathers. It has been residing for the last four years in the woodland of Rufford Abbey Country Park. Each year, observers say, it has steadily […]
Hunters Pay £10,000 To Shoot Giraffes
Tourist trophy hunters are paying thousands of pounds to go and shoot giraffes with high-powered guns and bows. The gentle giants are loved around the world for their comical appearance and gentle nature. Just like character ‘Melman’ played by Friend’s-star David Schwimmer in Disney’s Madagascar, they are a hit with kids who love their long […]
New Stronghold For Japanese Murrelet Found
A recent study led by the Wild Bird Society of Japan (BirdLife Partner) has found that the Izu Islands, on the Pacific side of Japan, hold the second largest concentration of the threatened Japanese Murrelet Synthliboramphus wumizusume (Vulnerable). Extensive surveys have been conducted since 2009. Around 500 Japanese Murrelets were recorded on the islands each […]
Coast Guard Plane Survives Albatross Strike
Bird strikes are a chronic problem for pilots, but an incident Wednesday over the East China Sea involving a Japan Coast Guard patrol plane was particularly serious. After hitting an albatross at around 5:10 p.m. at an altitude of 300 meters, the Bombardier DHC8-315 sustained a big hole in its nose, and the dead bird […]
Recent UAE Vagrants and Migrants
This is my first post in ‘Focusing on Wildlife’. I thought I’d post about some of the vagrants migrants seen in the UAE recently. I start on 23rd December with a trip to Zakher Lakes near Al Ain, the water levels here are increasing at an alarming rate. There used to be many reed beds […]