A 63 year old man has today (12th January 2012) been convicted of possessing a highly toxic banned pesticide. At Lanark Sheriff Court this afternoon, Cyril McLachlan was fined £635 after admitting to the possession of Carbofuran, a toxic pesticide banned in 2001. The gamekeeper, with 40 years experience, was arrested during an operation by […]
Slavonian Grebe Chicks Taken By Pike
Stopping the introduction of pike into Scottish lochs could help ensure the future of one of Scotland’s rarest birds, according to research by RSPB Scotland. The study, led by RSPB and part funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, looked at what factors influence breeding Slavonian grebes to choose certain lochs to raise young. It found that […]
Drought Threatens Flock of Whooping Cranes
Raising its slim, white neck out of the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, one of the world’s last surviving whooping cranes hungrily searches a Texas marsh for the blue crabs and berries it devours during its annual migration to the Gulf Coast. The high-protein diet is supposed to sustain North America’s tallest bird through […]
Land Shark Eats Migrating Birds
Researchers at Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama, who have been conducting a two year study focusing on the diets of Tiger Sharks in the Gulf of Mexico, have made a surprising discovery: not only are the sharks feeding on fish and other marine organisms, they are also feeding on land-based birds, such as woodpeckers, […]
Legal Problem Grounds a Bird Migration
Birds and planes don’t mix, as was demonstrated strikingly three years ago when Canada geese were sucked into both engines of a USAir flight from LaGuardia, forcing the plane into the Hudson River. But it turns out that a more benign interaction, using ultralight planes to teach endangered whooping cranes their migration route, has its […]
Birding in Saudi Arabia – Challenges
Birding in Saudi Arabia is a relatively challenging task for a number of reasons but the main one is probably not the one you are expecting. Saudi Arabia has a relatively poor press in Western countries as well as elsewhere in the world and this press makes the country out to be a dangerous place […]
Some who welcome the drought in Oklahoma
Mornings dawn bright in Oklahoma, and one of my favorite places to revel in the awakening landscape is Lake Carl Blackwell, west of Stillwater. In addition to the reservoir itself, the park’s mix of forest, shrub woodlands, and native prairie provides great opportunities for birding and other wildlife viewing. I took advantage of all of […]
Responding to a Proposed Eagle Take Permit
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering an application from West Butte Wind Power LLC for a permit under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The permit would allow for the incidental take of a limited number of Golden Eagles at their proposed facility in central Oregon. This application is the first […]