Category Archives: Aside

British Soldiers Follow The Birds In Afghanistan

“The RSPB’s online video footage of osprey chicks has been entertaining the troops in Afghanistan. The RSPB has received emails from soldiers serving in war torn Afghanistan, thanking them for the web-based coverage, which allows them to keep in touch with the wildlife of home.” Read the full story RSPB webcams keeping spirits up in Afghanistan at the RSPB.

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Research Shows Homing Pigeons Use Smell As Guide

An Italian researcher has shown that pigeons rely on their sense of smell to navigate. It was previously thought that they used variations in the Earth’s magnetic field why flying home. The research involved denying some birds use of their olfactory nerves, while others had nerves linked to magnetic detection severed. The birds without ability to smell became lost while most of the other pigeons returned home from a distance of 30 miles. Read the full story Pigeons’ homing instinct is all down to smell in the Observer.

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Posted in Aside, Pigeons!, Science & Tech | 2 Comments

Longest Migration On Record: 46,000 Miles

A diminutive sea bird has completed the longest migration on record. The Sooty Shearwater travels the Pacific Ocean in a figure-of-eight pattern each year, flying up to 46,000 miles on its migration route. These extraordinary migration routes represent the longest recorded of any animal tracked to date.
read more | digg story

Sooty Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater by Hilary Chambers, Creative Commons on Flickr

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Illegal Bird Trading Problem In Holland

A study by the Dutch bird protection agency Vogelbescherming has revealed that there is a big problem with illegally caught wild birds in the Netherlands. Nests are robbed and the hatchlings are sold at bird shows and markets and over the internet.

The illegal trade of wild birds has been investigated more thoroughly since the subject was brought before the European Court in 1996. Since that time legally traded birds must be ringed. According to Vogelbescherming, the ringing process has been circumvented with illegal and forged rings.

Source: Wilde vogels zijn vogelvrij

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White-Tailed Eagle Fledgling A Quick Learner

Holland’s recently fledged White-Tailed Eagle is proving to be a quick learner. The bird made its first flight last Thursday and this week has already been seen soaring gracefully above the treetops.

The parents birds have been seen giving the youth lessons in flight and hunting. The young bird is picking up on flying skills very quickly.

Source: Zeearend is snelle leerling

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Posted in Aside, Netherlands | Leave a comment