Monthly Archives: November 2006

Birds Don’t Migrate From Record Dutch Heat

by Amy Posted on 30 November 2006

Holland is experiencing the warmest fall season in three hundred years and the migratory birds that normally leave the area around this time aren’t going anywhere. Many migratory birds leave for the south of Europe at first frost. Lapwings, geese and song birds which should have migrated already have remained in Holland.

The mild weather has insured that the birds that have remained in the Netherlands have plenty to eat. Acorns and chestnuts are available in abundance. The warm temperatures also mean that birds don’t have to use extra energy to keep themselves warm.

Insect-eating birds have also had enough to eat in the mild autumn. The good fortunes of the birds remaining in northern Europe can change quickly once the first frost arrives.

Source: Vogels blijven langer door warm najaar

Share the birds, share the love!
Posted in Europe, Migration, Netherlands | Leave a comment

Dry Rajasthan Means More Birds For Delhi

by Amy Posted on 29 November 2006

Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India received very little rain during the monsoon season this year. With the popular bird area virtually dry, migratory birds are expected to visit areas around India’s capital in larger numbers than usual. Read more in the New Kerala article More migratory birds to frequent Delhi this year.

Share the birds, share the love!
Posted in Aside, India | Leave a comment

Rare Bird Sighting Boosts Small Town Economy

by Amy Posted on 28 November 2006

The sighting of a Western Reef Heron in Kitttery Point Maine this summer proved to be a boost to the small town’s economy in the last days of the summer tourist season. During the 10 days the bird was known to have been in the area, it is estimated that 300 to 400 birders visited in hopes of catching sight of the heron, whose normal habitat is in Africa. Results of an internet survey showed that the average visiting birder spent 1.38 days in Kittery and spent about $26. Read more about the heron’s impact. Thirty survey respondents said they had no plans to visit Maine before hearing about the rare bird. Read more about the bird’s economical impact.

Share the birds, share the love!
Posted in Aside, North America, Rare / Vagrant | Leave a comment

Duck Thought To Be Extinct Rediscovered

by Amy Posted on 25 November 2006

Researchers recently rediscovered the Madagascar Pochard, a duck that was previously considered extinct. The biologists were working for the Peregrine Fund and conducting a survey in the northern part of Madagascar when they found nine adult and four juvenile pochards. The last known sighting of the duck was in 1991. Read the full article.

Share the birds, share the love!
Posted in Africa, Aside, Endangered, Extinct | Leave a comment

Duck Hunting Disallowed In Friesland

by Amy Posted on 23 November 2006

A judge in the Frisian town of Leeuwarden placed a ban on duck hunting last Friday. Frisian government officials had previously granted hunters the right to shoot wild ducks in case the birds might cause damage (to property). The Dutch wildlife protection group Faunabescherming found this allowance too vague and took it up with the courts.

The province must now draft a new law if it wishes to allow duck hunting. The law must be more clearly written.

Source: Streep door afschieten wilde eenden in Friesland

Share the birds, share the love!
Posted in Aside, Law, Netherlands | Leave a comment

Proposed Airport Expansion Threatens Barn Swallows

by Amy Posted on 22 November 2006

More than 1% of the global population of Barn Swallows winters in the Mount Moreland Reedbed, an Important Bird Area in South Africa. The site is close to Durban, where an airport expansion threatens to clear the area to make way for landing aircraft. BirdLife South Africa opposes the proposal. The swallows breed in Europe and then migrate down to South Africa to spend the winter there. Read more about the proposed expansion.

Juv Barn Swallows
Juv Barn Swallows by chapmankj75, Creative Commons on Flickr

Share the birds, share the love!
Posted in Africa, Aside | Leave a comment

Unprotected Dutch Natural Monument Is Deadly For Red Knots

by Amy Posted on 19 November 2006

The migratory path of the European Red Knot brings it to the Wadden Sea flats in the northern part of the Netherlands each year. There, the birds feed on cockles before continuing their migration, which can be up to 16,000 kilometers in distance. The flats are protected by two different acts, yet suction dredging was sanctioned by the Dutch authorities until 2004. As a result, the cockles’ meat has diminished significantly, causing a quarter of the Red Knot population to have died out. Read more about the Red Knots at New Scientist.

Share the birds, share the love!
Posted in Aside, Endangered, Migration, Netherlands | Leave a comment

Birder Disturbs Osprey Nest, Fined £300

by Amy Posted on 18 November 2006

A birdwatcher in Scotland has been fined £300 for pitching a tent 60 feet from the base of tree housing a nest used by a pair of ospreys. When he was discovered by RSPB officials, the adult ospreys were seen circling around the nest, one with a fish in its mouth, apparently afraid to return to the nest because of the tent. Read more about the incident in The Scotsman.

Fledgling Ospreys in Nest
Fledgling Ospreys in Nest by Mr. T in DC, on Flickr

Share the birds, share the love!
Posted in Aside, Europe, Law | Leave a comment

Twin Tower Replacement To Keep The Birds In Mind

by Amy Posted on 17 November 2006

Up to one billion birds are killed annually in the U.S. when they crash into glass buildings. The spring and fall migrations are especially treacherous times. Developers of New York’s planned 1,776 foot Freedom Tower, to be built on the former site of the World Trade Center, have enlisted an industrial ornithologist to advise them on making the new building bird-friendly. Recommendations include using less reflective glass and dimming the lights at dusk to avoid nighttime collisions by migrating birds. Read more about the Freedom Tower plans in the article Freedom Tower May Be Lifesaver for Birds.

Share the birds, share the love!
Posted in Aside, North America | Leave a comment