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Everything you always wanted to know about birds
"The genomes of modern birds tell a story of how they emerged and evolved after the mass extinction that wiped out dinosaurs 66 million years ago. But the family tree of modern birds has confused biologists for centuries and the molecular details of how they arrived at more than 10,000 species is barely known. Now that story is coming to light (…)." Read more at Smithsonian Science http://smithsonianscience.org/2014/12/t ... evolution/
See also Science Magazine, 12 December 2014 http://www.sciencemag.org/content/346/6215/1308.full
Compilation of the first depictions of dodos (Raphus cucullatus) on the island Mauritius. By Joris Joostensz Laerle, 1602. Public domain
"The genomes of modern birds tell a story of how they emerged and evolved after the mass extinction that wiped out dinosaurs 66 million years ago. But the family tree of modern birds has confused biologists for centuries and the molecular details of how they arrived at more than 10,000 species is barely known. Now that story is coming to light (…)." Read more at Smithsonian Science http://smithsonianscience.org/2014/12/t ... evolution/
See also Science Magazine, 12 December 2014 http://www.sciencemag.org/content/346/6215/1308.full
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Update, 12 December: The Adventures of Young Aoibheall
Golden Eagle Trust, Irish White-tailed Eagle Project http://www.goldeneagletrust.org/index.p ... Itemid=132
Golden Eagle Trust, Irish White-tailed Eagle Project http://www.goldeneagletrust.org/index.p ... Itemid=132
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Update, Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N8
Italy, 15 December http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/public/wahid ... rtid=16768
Germany, 16 December: H5N8 confirmed in Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Lower Saxony is Germany´s center of poultry production. http://www.fli.bund.de/de/startseite/ak ... lpest.html
USA, 16 December: H5N2, H5N8 avian flu viruses surface in US, Washington state http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspect ... surface-us
Waterfowl are considered to be the natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses.
I wonder whether White-tailed Eagles, who prey on several species of water birds, could be affected by a virus like H5N8.
Zero Prevalence of Influenza A Virus in Two Raptor Species by Standard Screening
“If highly pathogenic avian influenza strikes rare birds of prey, this may have crucial impact on the predator species itself, but also on the food web in which it interacts. Here we present the first large-scale screening of raptors that regularly consume birds belonging to the natural reservoir of influenza A viruses. Influenza A virus prevalence was studied in two rare raptors, the white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). (…) Neither high- nor low-pathogenic influenza infections were found in our sample, but this does not rule out that the former may have major impact on rare raptors and their food webs.”
Gunnar Gunnarsson, Elsa Jourdain, Jonas Waldenström, Björn Helander, Peter Lindberg, Johan Elmberg, Neus Latorre-Margalef, and Björn Olsen. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. May 2010, 10(4): 387-390 http://www.researchgate.net/publication ... _screening
Italy, 15 December http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/public/wahid ... rtid=16768
Germany, 16 December: H5N8 confirmed in Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Lower Saxony is Germany´s center of poultry production. http://www.fli.bund.de/de/startseite/ak ... lpest.html
USA, 16 December: H5N2, H5N8 avian flu viruses surface in US, Washington state http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspect ... surface-us
Waterfowl are considered to be the natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses.
I wonder whether White-tailed Eagles, who prey on several species of water birds, could be affected by a virus like H5N8.
Black and white drawing of the sea-eagle of Great Britain, Encyclopædia Britannica 1911, public domain
Zero Prevalence of Influenza A Virus in Two Raptor Species by Standard Screening
“If highly pathogenic avian influenza strikes rare birds of prey, this may have crucial impact on the predator species itself, but also on the food web in which it interacts. Here we present the first large-scale screening of raptors that regularly consume birds belonging to the natural reservoir of influenza A viruses. Influenza A virus prevalence was studied in two rare raptors, the white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). (…) Neither high- nor low-pathogenic influenza infections were found in our sample, but this does not rule out that the former may have major impact on rare raptors and their food webs.”
Gunnar Gunnarsson, Elsa Jourdain, Jonas Waldenström, Björn Helander, Peter Lindberg, Johan Elmberg, Neus Latorre-Margalef, and Björn Olsen. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. May 2010, 10(4): 387-390 http://www.researchgate.net/publication ... _screening
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H5N8 identified in bird of prey. 16 December, USA
“Following reports of recent outbreaks of HPAIV in poultry in British Columbia, Canada, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife together with the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) and the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Wildlife Services investigated a waterfowl mortality event on Wiser Lake in Whatcom County, Washington adjacent to the affected area in Canada. Mortality of a captive gyrfalcon that had recently been fed waterfowl meat from the area was also investigated. (…) Two separate virus strains were identified: HPAIV H5N2 in a wild northern pintail duck (Anas acuta) and HPAIV H5N8 in a captive gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) that was fed wild waterfowl from this site.”
PDF with detailed information available at the website of the National Wildlife Health Center, Wildlife Health. See Avian Influenza, Bulletin 2014-05, December 2014 http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/w ... /index.jsp
Update 19 December:
“Following reports of recent outbreaks of HPAIV in poultry in British Columbia, Canada, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife together with the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) and the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Wildlife Services investigated a waterfowl mortality event on Wiser Lake in Whatcom County, Washington adjacent to the affected area in Canada. Mortality of a captive gyrfalcon that had recently been fed waterfowl meat from the area was also investigated. (…) Two separate virus strains were identified: HPAIV H5N2 in a wild northern pintail duck (Anas acuta) and HPAIV H5N8 in a captive gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) that was fed wild waterfowl from this site.”
PDF with detailed information available at the website of the National Wildlife Health Center, Wildlife Health. See Avian Influenza, Bulletin 2014-05, December 2014 http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/w ... /index.jsp
Naumann, Natural history of the birds of central Europe, 1905. Public domain
Update 19 December:
- H5N8 Found in Backyard Poultry in Oregon http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts ... ins/e44982
- Routes of introduction into Europe http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArt ... leId=20996
- Canada: The Fraser Valley [British Columbia] avian flu outbreak has hit its 1st non-commercial site, infecting a small 85-bird operation. The new case is a small Aldergrove coop raising ducks, chickens, geese and turkeys, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed. http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2014/12/23/bi ... kyard-coop
- Russia: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 was identified in a sample (trachea) from hunted healthy Eurasian Wigeon through monitoring activities organized by Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor). Preliminary analysis suggests this H5N8 is similar to the HPAIVs identified in the Asian-Pacific region and Europe (…). Source: 25 Dec 2014 from Dr Evgeny Nepoklonov, deputy head, Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Ministry of Agriculture, Moscow, Russia via ProMed-mail http://www.promedmail.org/direct.php?id ... 26.3056459
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Nest cam results: Diet of a White-tailed Eagle pair in the Scottish Lorn area
“The study photographed over 6,860 images on one nest throughout the 2014 breeding season via motion sensitive cameras. The sea eagles brought a total of 117 prey items to the nest between January and July. Analysis confirmed that 67 items were unidentifiable, 21 were mammals, 14 were birds, 7 were fish, and either 8 or 9 were lambs.”
Scottish Natural Heritage, news release 11 December 2014
“The study photographed over 6,860 images on one nest throughout the 2014 breeding season via motion sensitive cameras. The sea eagles brought a total of 117 prey items to the nest between January and July. Analysis confirmed that 67 items were unidentifiable, 21 were mammals, 14 were birds, 7 were fish, and either 8 or 9 were lambs.”
Scottish Natural Heritage, news release 11 December 2014
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Fionn and the eagles
Let me introduce you to a young Irish man who is fascinated by animals and has a keen interest in ecology and conservation: Fionn Crombie Angus.
I came across his story at the website Mountshannon Eagles. Fionn ist 18 years old. Along with his father Jonathon he offers “workshops on a diverse range of Ireland's heritage. From the mammals of Ireland, to the return of the White Tailed Sea Eagle, Fionn's fascination with and passion for wildlife is infectious for the children.” (Source: Heritage in Schools)
Fionn Crombie Angus is one of Ireland's youngest heritage experts - and the only one with Down Syndrome.
Let me introduce you to a young Irish man who is fascinated by animals and has a keen interest in ecology and conservation: Fionn Crombie Angus.
I came across his story at the website Mountshannon Eagles. Fionn ist 18 years old. Along with his father Jonathon he offers “workshops on a diverse range of Ireland's heritage. From the mammals of Ireland, to the return of the White Tailed Sea Eagle, Fionn's fascination with and passion for wildlife is infectious for the children.” (Source: Heritage in Schools)
Fionn Crombie Angus is one of Ireland's youngest heritage experts - and the only one with Down Syndrome.
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The pagan roots of Christmas - carols for solstice
https://archive.org/details/carols
https://archive.org/details/carols
Sunrise between the stones at Stonehenge on the Winter Solstice in the 1980s. By Mark Grant (Own work)
[CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
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Bird Books for Winter Nights
- Best Bird Books of 2014, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen (The birdbooker report) http://birdbookerreport.blogspot.de/
- The best bird books of 2014, GrrlScientist list (The Guardian) http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrl ... ks-of-2014
- 12 Children´s books about birds, Amy Broadmoore (Delightful Children’s Books) http://delightfulchildrensbooks.com/2011/07/08/birds/
- Nick Lund´s favorite bird book (The Birdist) http://www.thebirdist.com/2012/02/my-fa ... -book.html
- "Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival"; "Ravens in Winter", both by Bernd Heinrich https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/3 ... d_Heinrich
- "Birds of prey of Estonia" ("Eesti röövlinnud") by Tarvo Valker http://www.looduskalender.ee/en/node/19999
- “Estonia—Latvia Stories”. The recently published book contains sixty-seven short stories (one of them: "How Eagles became Stars") about cooperation between partners in Estonia and Latvia. By eight writers from both countries; illustrated by six photographers. PDF available in Latvian, Estonian and English http://www.estlat.eu/summing-up-2007-20 ... a-stories/
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Eagle Books for Winter Nights I
- “The Eagle Watchers”. Edited by Ruth Tingay & Todd Katzner http://katznerlab.com/the-eagle-watchers
- “The Book of Eagles” by Helen Roney Sattler and Jean Day Zallinger
- "Ospreys in Wales" by Emyr Evans http://www.ospreysinwales.com/
- “Callanish” by William Horwood http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/581189.Callanish
- “Call of the Eagle” by Dave Walker http://www.whittlespublishing.com/Call_of_the_Eagle
- “The Eagle's Way” by Jim Crumley. http://jimcrumley.wordpress.com/
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Eagle Books for Winter Nights II
- “A Saga of Sea Eagles” by John A. Love http://www.whittlespublishing.com/A_Saga_of_Sea_Eagles
- "Ireland´s first White-tailed Sea Eagle for over hundred years" by Nigel Beers Smith http://mountshannonwhitetailedseaeagles ... m/my-book/
- “Spatial use and habitat selection of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in northern Germany” by Friederike Scholz http://www.logos-verlag.de/cgi-bin/buch/isbn/2700
- “Feeding ecology of and lead exposure in a top predator: the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)” by Mirjam Nadjafzadeh http://www.logos-verlag.de/cgi-bin/buch/isbn/2989
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2020VISION - Britain's most ambitious nature photography project
RSPB staff member holds a white tailed sea eagle chick. Source: The Telegraph, 28 December
Click here to see the chick: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/e ... me=2171741
Published by 2020Vision, July 2012
About the project: “2020VISION is committed to reframing the language of conservation using powerful visual imagery to motivate fresh thinking about our dependence upon wild nature.”
RSPB staff member holds a white tailed sea eagle chick. Source: The Telegraph, 28 December
Click here to see the chick: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/e ... me=2171741
Published by 2020Vision, July 2012
About the project: “2020VISION is committed to reframing the language of conservation using powerful visual imagery to motivate fresh thinking about our dependence upon wild nature.”
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Active Eagle Cameras (Europe)
- Imperial Eagle nest webcam, Hungary http://imperialeagle.hu/content/webcam
- Feeding place for Golden Eagles and White-tailed Eagles, Store Mosse National Park, Sweden. “About 100 kilo of pork meat a week is left out to the birds during high season. The eagles usually prefer early breakfast, which means that the best time for eagle spotting is in the morning.”
- Feeding place Webcam: http://www.webbkameror.se/djurkameror/s ... /index.php
Store Mosse National Park: http://www.sverigesnationalparker.se/storemosse
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Green New Year's Resolutions
- Birds. (RSPB) http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwild ... pingbirds/
- Bees. "Even if you can’t keep bees yourself, you can still garden for them" (Organic Gardening) http://www.organicgardening.com/tags/ho ... and-nectar
- Flowers. If you can't have a garden in the backyard, you can still become a Guerilla Gardener (Guerilla Gardening) http://www.guerrillagardening.org/ggtips.html
- More Ecosystem Actions (2020Vision) http://www.2020v.org/pledge.asp
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Happy New Year with the Red Hot Chili Pipers from Scotland – the most famous bagpipe band on the planet - ever!
Auld Lang Syne (Live). Published by smartotrams, April 2010
Auld Lang Syne (Live). Published by smartotrams, April 2010
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I'm looking forward to a new season.
Published by Richard Galas, May 2013
Published by Richard Galas, May 2013
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"Medical miracle" sea eagle Kellan has died
RSPB Mull Officer Dave Sexton says “I’m heartbroken to have had to go and gather Kellan’s remains; (…) my dream of finding him one day paired up with a female and breeding himself was over. But he had four good years in the wild, living life as an eagle should and that’s what matters most. He died in a beautiful wild area of Mull, on a rocky headland overlooking the sea. I’ll never forget him and will miss his indomitable presence on Mull.” Source: For Argyll http://forargyll.com/2015/01/rspb-mull- ... le-kellan/
Here the story of Kellan´s life, written by Dave Sexton http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildli ... -blue.aspx
And here the magnificent landscape where the young eagle grew up
Published by Ken Jack, 20 December 2010
RSPB Mull Officer Dave Sexton says “I’m heartbroken to have had to go and gather Kellan’s remains; (…) my dream of finding him one day paired up with a female and breeding himself was over. But he had four good years in the wild, living life as an eagle should and that’s what matters most. He died in a beautiful wild area of Mull, on a rocky headland overlooking the sea. I’ll never forget him and will miss his indomitable presence on Mull.” Source: For Argyll http://forargyll.com/2015/01/rspb-mull- ... le-kellan/
Here the story of Kellan´s life, written by Dave Sexton http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildli ... -blue.aspx
And here the magnificent landscape where the young eagle grew up
Published by Ken Jack, 20 December 2010
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9 January: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus H5N8 confirmed in White Storks at Rostock Zoo, Germany
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Protection Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the zoo is closed until Monday. So far 5 geese, 12 storks and 25 mallards have been killed. Rostock Zoo houses about 500 birds, among them 30 rare species and sea eagles. Further testing is under way to determine if more animals are carrying the virus.
H5N8 was recently also confirmed in two mallards, shot by hunters near the city of Stendal (east Germany) on New Year's Eve.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Protection Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the zoo is closed until Monday. So far 5 geese, 12 storks and 25 mallards have been killed. Rostock Zoo houses about 500 birds, among them 30 rare species and sea eagles. Further testing is under way to determine if more animals are carrying the virus.
H5N8 was recently also confirmed in two mallards, shot by hunters near the city of Stendal (east Germany) on New Year's Eve.
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Update Rostock Zoo, 10 January:
H5N8 caused the death of three storks in Rostock Zoo, a fourth one showed symptoms. All birds in this vivarium (geese, storks, mallards - see info above) have been culled as a precautionary measure against the spread of avian influenza. Source: online newspaper “Das ist Rostock.de”
On Saturday H5N8 was confirmed in a scarlet ibis. 18 ibises and herons have been culled since then. The zoo will remain closed until further notice. Source: Rostock Zoo/Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Protection
H5N8 caused the death of three storks in Rostock Zoo, a fourth one showed symptoms. All birds in this vivarium (geese, storks, mallards - see info above) have been culled as a precautionary measure against the spread of avian influenza. Source: online newspaper “Das ist Rostock.de”
On Saturday H5N8 was confirmed in a scarlet ibis. 18 ibises and herons have been culled since then. The zoo will remain closed until further notice. Source: Rostock Zoo/Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Protection
Jan van Kessel the Elder, Herons and Ducks by a Streamlet. 1679, public domain
- H5N8 has been identified in Taiwan for the first time. Source: World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
- Rostock Zoo partially reopens January 14