Bird spotters in Juneau, Alaska have noticed that local pigeons are acting lethargic. Salt on the roads and sideswalks may be affecting the birds, making them suseptible to attacks by ravens. Read the whole story in The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.
“BirdLife is hopeful that the drug blamed for the deaths of millions of south Asian vultures will soon be banned in India and elsewhere.” Read the story BirdLife hopeful of dicolefenac ban at BirdLife International.
Crime turns to comedy as three racing pigeons stolen from their home worth GBP 30 each had flown back just three days after being stolen.
read more | digg story
Twenty pigeons will be fitted with high-tech backpacks and set free over San Jose, California this August in order to monitor air quality. The data they collect on air pollution, including photos taken from miniature cameras, will be posted on a special “pigeon blog”.
read more | digg story
Female ovenbirds are attracted to males of the species who have strong, high-quality mating songs. Biologists say that noise created by industrial oil and gas machinery in Alberta, Canada may be hampering the mating success of the birds. Read the full story Bird songs muted by oil and gas machinery on CBC News.
Science News Online has an article about a study conducted on birds and their singing patterns. Often, birds sing so well together that they sound as one. They even preform different parts and movements.
read more | digg story
At least seven sixty people were killed Saturday in Katowice, Poland when the roof of an exhibition hall collapsed. Hundreds of people were inside the building at the time of the collapse, attending the Pigeon 2006 fair organized by the Polish Association of Racing Pigeons Breeders. Read more about the roof collapse at ABC News. An updated story can be found here on CNN.
“The result of preliminary testing of a dead Oriental Magpie Robin found in Sha Tau Kok, Hong Kong, indicated a suspected case of H5N1 avian influenza, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said.” Read the story Wild Bird Suspected to Carry H5N1 Virus in KH on Redorbit.
The Sun City Million Dollar is an international pigeon race which concludes 4 February in Sun City, South Africa. This year more than 4,000 pigeons will participate in the final leg. The pigeons have competed in training and practice races since October. The final race will be 632 kilometers. Participants come from all over the world; this year there are 74 birds from the Netherlands enrolled. Birds from Namibia, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Sweden participate, along with birds from 22 other countries.
Sources:
Thousands of pigeons to fly over Sun City
Official site of The Sun City Million Dollar
Three young Bald Eagles, rehabilitated by the organization Wings of Wonder, are to be released into the wild this Sunday, 29 January. The public is invited to view the release. Visit the Wings of Wonder website for more details.
