Snake capable of wiping out bird populations found on Pacific Island

A snake that can wipe out bird populations and short out electrical grids by climbing power poles has been found in Rota on the Northern Mariana Islands.

Biologists and government officials there tell the Pacific Daily News they're on high alert.

The 40-inch male brown tree snake was found in a trap earlier this month.

It doesn't just wipe out birds. It also allows the insect population to grow and limits the diversity of plants.

The snake's corpse was moved to Guam where researchers can determine how long it was in the trap.

Scientists are setting 200 more traps around the island. They don't know if the snake was alone or if there's an established population.

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Fined £50 by litter warden for throwing birds crumbs

A bird lover was fined for littering because she dropped breadcrumbs out of her window to feed the pigeons.

Melania Cestari threw crusts on to the street below her second floor flat and was seen by an eagle-eyed litter warden – who ordered her to pay a £50 on-the-spot fine.

Ballet dancer Ms Cestari insists she was doing nothing wrong. ‘There are no signs saying: “Do not feed the birds” and the bread was gone in a few seconds,’ she said.

‘I looked out the window and there was nobody around, so I put out a few pieces of bread. Then a warden appeared and called up at me. He said I was littering and, without warning, gave me a fine.’

The 32-year-old Italian-born student, who is studying at Swansea University, added: ‘I was only trying to do good. The birds need to eat too. I was very upset.

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Diversified farming practices might preserve evolutionary diversity of wildlife

Date:

September 11, 2014

Source:

Stanford University

The great tinamou is an evolutionary-distinct

bird that declines in farmland but

thrives in tropical rainforest.

Summary:

Habitat destruction significantly reduces the incidence of evolutionarily distinct species, a long-term study in Costa Rica has revealed. The research suggests alternative land-use practices that sustain farming and biodiversity.

As humans transform the planet to meet our needs, all sorts of wildlife continue to be pushed aside, including many species that play key roles in Earth's life-support systems. In particular, the transformation of forests into agricultural lands has dramatically reduced biodiversity around the world.

A new study by scientists at Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley, in this week's issue of Science shows that evolutionarily distinct species suffer most heavily in intensively farmed areas. They also found, however, that an extraordinary amount of evolutionary history is sustained in diversified farming systems, which outlines a strategy for balancing agricultural activity and conservation efforts.

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Global warming: Could Idaho lose its mountain bluebird?

Idaho Statesman

September 10, 2014 

The Legislature adopted Sialia arctcia as the state bird in 1931. The bird is 6 to 7 inches long and is a member of the thrush family.

JOE JASZEWSKI — jjaszewski@idahostatesman.com

What's the problem? Global warming threatens survival of more than half of all bird species in the U.S. and Canada, National Audubon Society scientists claim. Among them is the mountain bluebird, Idaho's state bird.

Why? Increased dryness caused by warming temperatures will alter the habitat ranges of birds in nearly every state, forcing them to migrate to unfamiliar areas, where they will have to adapt or possibly perish.

How credible is the threat? The report has a blind spot: It cannot reliably say that many of the species will not simply adapt in their current habitat or thrive elsewhere. Still, "it's a wake-up call," said John Fitzpatrick, executive director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Here's the entire story from The Washington Post's Darryl Fears:

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/09/10/3367271/global-warming-could-idaho-lose.html#storylink=cpy

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Unusual birds found in Pitmedden Forest

by News Desk

heraldnews@fifetoday.co.uk

Published on the 12 September 2014 

12:22

The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after a group of ornamental pigeons were discovered in a forest near Auchtermuchty.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted when a member of the public spotted the unusual birds venturing around Pitmedden Forest last Saturday (September 6).

The three birds are now being cared for at the Scottish SPCA’s National Wildlife Centre in Fishcross, Clackmannanshire.

Scottish SPCA senior inspector John Chisholm said: “We managed to capture the first pigeon on Saturday and then I returned on Sunday and rescued the remaining pair. The lady who called believed there may have been more of them but so far we haven’t been able to find any.

“The pigeons were fairly easy to capture as they couldn’t fly very well, which would have made them easy prey for other animals.

“Although it’s possible the group may have escaped from their home, we have to consider the possibility that the birds were deliberately abandoned and are appealing to anyone who recognises them to get in touch.

“If no one comes forward we’ll find them a caring new home.”

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Man arrested in Colombo for smuggling US$50,000 of birds' nests

A Chinese man was arrested in Sri Lanka while trying to smuggle birds' nests worth US$50,000.

COLOMBO: A Chinese man was arrested in Colombo while trying to smuggle out swallows' nests with a street value of US$50,000 on Tuesday (Sep 16), hours before the country's president was due to arrive.

The man was carrying nearly 5kg of the rare birds' nests, a delicacy in China, customs spokesman Leslie Gamini told AFP.

The arrest came on the same day that Chinese President Xi Jinping was making his first official visit to the island, which enjoys close ties with Beijing.

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Where have all the birds disappeared?

14th September 2014

Rapid urbanisation taking a toll on resident and migratory bird population.

Rapid urbanisation of Mysore and the expansion of the city is taking a toll on the resident and the migratory bird population, some of which are no longer sighted in the region.

Coupled with encroachment of lakes and tanks and their gradual destruction, the bird population threatens to plummet further. Mysore plays host to nearly 180 to 200 species of birds – both resident and migratory – and some of the lakes like Lingambudi, Kukkarahalli and Karanji are recognised as important bird areas (IBA) which are significant from the conservation point of view.

However, there has been a systematic destruction of bird habitats with a human-centric approach to the development of lakes. “Lingambudhi Lake was one of the best habitats for both resident and migratory birds more than 10 years ago. But over the years, the habitat is losing its sheen for the birds,” C.S. Kulashekara, an amateur ornithologist with a passion for photographing birds.

“The lake is filled with sewage and though there are good rains and inflow into the water body this year, the relief will be temporary. In addition, civil work at Lingambudhi and Kukkarahalli disturbs the birds,” he added.

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