On top of all the other problems people associate with the oil and gas drilling (spills, air pollution, habitat reduction, etc.) there’s another one that goes underreported: it’s just plain noisy! Now we’re starting to get a sense of what that noise can do to the animals whose land has been invaded by drilling operations. […]
Tag: breeding
POLL: Should the inter-breeding of lions and tigers be banned?
A coalition of US conservation groups has launched an attempt to outlaw the breeding of so-called frankencats, where big cats such as tigers and lions are crossed with each other to create unusual and often unhealthy specimens. A petition filed with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday calls for an end to the […]
Why Crested Penguins always lay doomed eggs
With their elaborate yellow eyebrows, crested penguins are both unmistakable and slightly clownish. But to see the strangest part of these birds, such as the macaroni and rockhopper penguins, you shouldn’t look to their comical plumes. Instead, you need to watch what happens when they lay their eggs. They produce two in any given breeding […]
POLL: Should there be a worldwide ban on captive orca shows?
California Governor Jerry Brown signed the Orca Protection and Safety Act into law on Tuesday, banning the breeding of killer whales in captivity, as well as the circus-like shows that have them performing for crowds. Facing increasing criticism since the 2013 documentary Blackfish exposed concerns about orca welfare, SeaWorld had already agreed to discontinue breeding […]
Rare Philippine eagle chick born in captivity; boosts hope for the species
On December 7, a tiny Philippine eagle hatchling was born at the Philippine Eagle Foundation’s (PEF) conservation center in thePhilippines. This is the twenty sixth eaglet born at the center in 23 years, and the first offspring of a female named Go Phoenix and a male named MVP Eagle. “This hatching is a big breakthrough […]
Storm-petrel breeding in the Atacama desert
Seabirds, especially pelagic species, are more threatened than most other bird groups with similar numbers of species. Among them,Storm-petrels (family Hydrobatidae) are diverse and widespread in the Pacific Ocean.Markham’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma markhami) is common in the Humboldt Current, including pelagic and coastal waters of Ecuador, Peru, and Chile between 18°N and 30°S. Only a couple […]
Early Autumn Migration in Kuwait
Early August is the anticipated start of the annual Autumn migration when birds have completed their breeding season in Europe and both adult and juvenile birds start moving south to various parts of Africa for the second part of their endless summer. Kuwait is fortunate to be situated on two of the key migration flyways; […]
Jahra Pools Reserve, Kuwait
Summer in Kuwait is searing hot and is traditionally a quiet birding month, however in late Spring we do have some species breeding at the Pools and mid-summer we have many Tern species breeding on the off-shore islands. Little Ringed Plovers (Charadrius dubius) have remained through the Spring and Summer and are suspected to be […]
Free-tailed funnel cloud (reprint from June 2011)
When Doppler radar first arrived in the area known affectionately to Texans as the Hill Country, the local television station meteorologists were understandably eager to show off the weather forecasting capabilities of their newest toy. Unfortunately, they got off to a less than impressive start. Night after night that summer, evening thunderstorms were forecast but […]
