Today we celebrate this amazing bird Which makes birdie noises Like you’ve never heard One of the oldest bird species and endangered, too Their future uncertain… It is up to you!
Tag: Hooping Crane
Those Poor Whooping Cranes May Never Be the Same Again
To some observers, the noise sounds like fireworks, to others the noise mimics gunshots. With a few visitors fortunate or not so fortunate to observe the USDA’s Wildlife Services shooting the explosive cartridges out of a blank 22 handgun inside the park. The Safety Data Sheet lists the cartridge as an “exploding bomb”. The explosive […]
Some birds that fly together in big colonies have evolved brightly-coloured feathers under their wings to avoid mid-air collisions, study suggests
Birds with brightly-coloured feathers under their wings may have developed them to avoid mid-air collisions, experts believe. Researchers compared the underwing colours of 1,780 species and found that larger birds, as well as those that flocked together in big colonies, were most likely to have colourful, contrasting feathers. The researchers think this is because larger […]
How Many Birds Are Killed By Wind Turbines?
Renewable energy development is a critically important part of the fight against climate change. Unfortunately, we also know that wind energy development has a substantial negative impact on birds. But just how many birds are killed by wind turbines? A Google search can turn up a wide array of answers to this question, with a […]
A Whooping Crane’s Killer Got Off Easy, Frustrating Conservationists
Last month, a Louisiana man was sentenced in a federal district court to 120 hours of community service and two years on probation for shooting and killing a Whooping Crane, one of the most endangered birds in the world. The decision was far lighter than conservationists had hoped and advocated for. According to court documents […]
Endangered Species Act: A Big Success!
One of the most frustrating elements for me of the toxic political climate today is how little facts seem to matter anymore in public discourse. It’s become a common belief that the Endangered Species Act hasn’t worked because, since its passage in 1973, only a handful of species have recovered enough to be de-listed. Just […]
We’ve got a Whooper
Hey lookit! It’s a whooping crane! This was a pleasant surprise, definitely wasn’t expecting to come across any whooping cranes any time soon. She (yes she – her name is Latka and she was hatched on June 13, 2013) was hanging out with a pretty big sandhill flock (about 8oish). She was banded and luckily, […]
Greater Prairie Chicken – Nebraska Spring Ritual
It’s April 15th. Not only is it tax day but it is also my first opportunity to shoot greater prairie chickens. It’s spring in Nebraska (I use that term loosely as at sunrise it was 27 degrees F with a 25 mph wind out of the north and very overcast). The main event is the […]