According to ornithologist P.K. Uthaman, “Many migratory birds are on the fringe of extinction in Kerala due to factors like pollution, habitat destruction and poaching.” Read the full article Migratory birds disappearing in Kerala in the New Kerala.
A Sumatran Ground-cuckoo has been photographed by a camera set up to survey tigers in northern Sumatra. The camera was set up by a joint British-Indonesian team in order to survey the tiger population close to the Kerinci Seblat National Park. A sighting of the cuckoo had only been recorded once in the last 90 years. Read the full story Tiger trap goes cuckoo on BirdLife International.
The largest breeding colony of terns in Western Europe can be seen by everyone thanks to a new webcam installed by BirdLife Belgium. The colony in the port of Zeebrugge hosted over 7,000 pairs of terns in 2004, including Common Terns, Sandwich Terns and Little Terns. The terns reside in an area of the port where public access is restricted, so the webcam at www.natuurpunt.be/terns is the only way to view the birds. Read the full story Belgian terns go online! on BirdLife International.
Last week Spain confirmed its first case of the H5N1 virus. The virus was discovered in a dead Great Crested Grebe found near the city of Vitoria in the Basque country in nothern Spain seven weeks ago. Experts will confirm the age and species of the bird and try to determine the sub-species, to find out if the bird likely migrated to Spain from Africa or was a permanenet resident of Spain. Read the full story Spanish H5N1 grebe unlikely to be from Africa on BirdLife International.
Organic farmers in Perthshire were named “Operation Lapwing Champions” last week by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The farm is profitable without compromising the natural resources of the land. Read the full story Lapwing champion tunes into nature on the RSPB website.
Last week the European Commission, the governing body of the EU, asked the Netherlands and twelve other member states to adopt bird preservation legislation. According to the commission, the Netherlands does not do enough to limit hunting on certain bird species, and more must be done to prevent egg-stealing.
If member states do not adopt the new legislation, the commission can take further legal steps to impel compliance.
Last weekend thieves stole thirteen pigeons from Handzame resident Georges Bolle. Among the missing birds were some of the most prized birds in the collection.
The weekend crime was the third pigeon robbery in the area in the last few weeks. Birds were also stolen from keepers in Ingelmunster and Wervik. Mr. Bolle lost 13 male pigeons; thirteen female birds were taken in the Wervik incident. The birds were all banded so using them for racing is not possible. The thieves may try to use the birds to raise a new generation of racing pigeons.
Source: “Mijn duiven zijn mijn leven”
Several species of birds inhabiting Scotland have seen their populations decrease in the past decade, including the Northern Lapwing (down 48%) and Eurasian Oystercatcher (-22%). A few birds did see their populations increase, including the Starling (+33%) and Goldcrest (+155%). Read the full story Will these birds vanish from Scotland? in the Scotsman.
NASA’s rocket scientists have a new appreciation for the out-of-this-world power of bird droppings. The orbiting space shuttle Discovery sported some whitish splotches on its black right wing edge that NASA officials said appeared to be bird droppings. A photo can be found here.
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“A naturally reared English osprey chick has returned home for the first time in 150 years, boosting hopes of reintroducing the bird across Britain. The two-year-old male, identified as R5, left his nest in Rutland Water, Leics, in September 2004 to migrate to western Africa. He recently returned to his birth place.” Read the full story Hopes for osprey colony raised as bird flies home from Africa.
