Montana “officials are offering a reward for information in the deaths of more than 50 baby bluebirds and Tree Swallows, and the vandalism of 15 nesting boxes. The vandalism occurred sometime around July 21 along a county road in the Highwood Mountains near Belt.” For more details, read the full story State offers reward in bird deaths in the Billings Gazette.
“The closure of two sugar factories could have a devastating impact on one of England’s most rapidly declining farmland birds. Lapwings are attracted to farms growing sugar beet, nesting and foraging on the bare earth between plants in the spring and summer and feeding on the winter stubble. But their habitat is under threat following recent reforms to the heavily subsidized EU sugar regime, intended to reduce its high cost and its negative impact on developing countries.” Read the full story Sugar factory closures leave bitter taste on the RSPB website.
A homing pigeon named Judy got lost during a race from Bourges in France back to her home in Northumberland, Great Britain. The race course was about 1000KM long, but Judy was found on St. Eustatius in the Dutch West Indies. Read the full story The homing pigeon that lost it – badly.
“The first global audit of threatened species has revealed that 16 species of bird that were on the brink of extinction in the mid-1990s have been saved by determined conservation efforts. In a stunning illustration of what can be achieved when concerted action is taken by governments and environmental groups, some of the most beautiful and rare types of birdlife have even seen their numbers increase tenfold in a decade.” Read the full story Saved from extinction: conservationists hail recovery of 16 threatened bird species in the Independent.
“Grey jay birds that store frozen food to help survive icy winters are dying out in parts of North America because global warming is rotting their hoards, a scientist said. The jay’s dependence on natural refrigeration — of food ranging from berries to insects — make it an odd exception to a general rule that animals and plants survive better during less harsh winters.” Read the full story INTERVIEW-Grey jays hit by warming as birds’ freezer fails on Alertnet.
Last week MFB reported that H5N1 was found in two dead owls at the Rotterdam zoo. On Monday this week an agriculture ministry spokesperson indicated that initial tests show the birds did not in fact die from H5N1. Definitive results will be made public on Friday. Read the full story Two dead owls at Dutch zoo probably not infected with bird flu.
“Britain’s one million birdwatchers contributed £20m in man-hours last year to bird research – making the country a world-leader. The nation is obsessed with birdwatching, according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), with Norfolk the hot spot for twitching.” Read the full story Britain tops the twitching charts at EDP24.
Racing pigeons, blown off course by storms, have been rescued from remote Scottish islands by National Trust staff. The birds faced starvation due to lack of suitable vegetation, or becoming prey to other birds, if they remained on the island. Some of the lost birds are believed to have started their journey from as far away as France. Read the full story Lost pigeons saved from islands on the BBC.
Last week five villagers in Jhalabordi village, in the Indian state of Gujarat, died while trying to save a pigeon that had fallen into a dry well. It was not clear if the pigeon survived the ordeal. Read the full story Five die trying to save pigeon in the Australian News.
“Although the British Ornithologists Union has classed the Scottish crossbill as a distinct species since 1980 many ornithologists, including those in the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, have hesitated to follow suit, as they believed there was not enough scientific research to prove it was different from other crossbills. But after undertaking years of study into the habits and characteristics of the bird, which thrives in Scotland’s conifer woodland, the RSPB has at last accepted that the Scottish crossbill is unique to Britain.” Read the full story A Scottish accent gives away Britain’s only indigenous bird in The Independent.
