Name Barnsley beer to help rare bird

Beer-lovers in Barnsley are invited to name a new ale to help a threatened bird.

The town’s Acorn Brewery is working with the RSPB on the competition to help the bittern, one of the UK’s most at risk birds and a rare type of small heron.

For every pint sold, Acorn will donate five pence to the RSPB to create homes for bitterns at its nature reserves across the north.

Mike Harris from the RSPB said: “We are challenging people to come up with an unforgettable name drinkers will associate with the beer and the bittern. “

Winners will get to help brew the beer and pull the first pint.

Email acornbrewery@rspb.org.uk by March 14

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/name-barnsley-beer-to-help-rare-bird-1-6439562

Chhattisgarh's state bird Bastar Hill Mynah back from the brink

Rashmi Drolia, TNN | Feb 16, 2014, 12.32PM IST

RAIPUR: There is some good news for bird enthusiasts. Chhattisgarh's state bird, Bastar Hill Mynah, was on the verge of extinction — now, its flock is increasing. A group of 150 whistling birds were spotted at Netanar, on fringes of Kanger Valley National Park, about 27km from Jagdalpur in Bastar, claim wild enthusiasts.

Chhattisgarh wildlife society president AMK Bharos told TOI, "Earlier, frequent sightings of Hill Mynah couldn't be done as they were on the brink of extinction. Now, there is a possibility of increase in their numbers."

He said like other winged creatures, Mynahs also move from one place to another in search of food. With climatic changes, they migrate to parts of neighbouring Odisha. "One can't capture them or restrain them at a place for conservation. State wildlife society has written to the forest department to locate trees on which mimic birds feed like those of ficus trees. Earmarking these trees would certainly help in Mynah's conservation."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Chhattisgarhs-state-bird-Bastar-Hill-Mynah-back-from-the-brink/articleshow/30509249.cms

RARE BIRD SIGHTINGS USA: This week's Rare Bird Alert

This is New Hampshire Audubon’s Rare Bird Alert for Monday, Feb. 10.

A spotted towhee was spotted in Rye on Jan. 25, and has been seen many times since then. It was last reported on Feb. 9. It has been seen foraging on the ground in the scrub on the corner nearest the traffic island at the intersection of Central Road and Route 1A. An eastern towhee was seen in North Hampton on the 1st.

At least four snowy owls continued to be reported in New Hampshire during the past week including one along the coast in Rye, two in the Hampton and Seabrook marsh areas, and unconfirmed sightings in Bow and Lancaster.

Ten razorbills and two black guillemots were seen along the coast on Feb. 9.

A northern shrike was seen on Airport Road in Laconia, and one was seen in Ashland, both on Feb. 9.

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Record numbers of puffins have perished because of the recent storms in the Bay of Biscay

February 2014: Puffins have suffered in the recent storms in the Bay of Biscay. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has received a record number of reports of the birds, wearing uniquely numbered metal rings that identify them as puffins that would have been heading for breeding colonies in the UK, being found dead on the coasts of France and Spain. 

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State senator calls for a hold on DEC’s swan plan

17 February 2014, 11:55 am by Mike Risinit 

State Sen. Tony Avella wants to establish a two-year moratorium on New York’s plan to eliminate all mute swans in the wild by 2025 and limit a few to captive situations like parks and zoos.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation proposed such a plan last month, explaining the long-necked white birds are an invasive species that are destroying natural habitats and harming native waterfowl. The measure has garnered petitions and public opposition, although it is supported by the National Audubon Society and other conservation organizations.

About 2,200 mute swans live in New York, according to the state, up from fewer than 700 in the 1970s. They are descended from birds brought from Europe in the 1800s to grace estates, wildlife experts say.

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ENDANGERED BIRDS: USU to host sage grouse summit in Salt Lake City Tuesday

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah State University will host a summit Tuesday and Wednesday to enhance conservation efforts among federal, state and private natural resource agencies for the greater sage grouse, a candidate for the Endangered Species list.

The summit will help wildlife managers collaborate in preventing the bird from becoming listed as endangered, according to Terry Messmer, professor and extension wildlife specialist at USU's S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources.

"Through this discussion, we'll hopefully be able to demonstrate the resolve of these partners in doing the right thing, not only to protect this species and its habitat, but also the communities and working landscapes which drive Utah's economy," Messmer said.

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CONSERVATION: ‘Bird habitat lost with Canal Road trees’

By Hassan Naqvi

Published: February 18, 2014

LAHORE: 

“We laud the Supreme Court of Pakistan for steering a direction for green and sustainable urbanization in Lahore through its judgement on September 11, 2013.

I am confident that this will revitalise cities and push them towards managed and balanced development”, conservation activist Imrana Tiwana told a press conference called by the Lahore Bachao Tehreek and Lahore Conservation Society in collaboration with WWF-Pakistan to protest what they called violation of the Supreme Court judgement passed by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani.

“The judgement preserves and protects the canal and its green belts for future generations of Lahore”, said Tiwana. She added that the judgment had been used as a case study at MIT and Harvard to show the power of a citizens’ movements.

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