Author: sharonstjoan

This video from Britain says about itself:

Turnstones – Turnstone Birds at St Ives Harbour in Cornwall

Filmed in January 2016

Video Produced by Paul Dinning – Wildlife in Cornwall

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“Two new studies reveal how altering the composition of trees in forests is influencing not only the carbon cycle, but air surface temperatures to a significant degree as well. The results highlight how human-made changes to forests hold more severe consequences than previously believed. Worldwide, reforested areas are increasingly prominent; for example, in Europe, 85% of forests were managed by humans as of 2010. Strong favoritism of foresters to plant more commercially valuable trees — such as Scot pines, Norway spruce and beech — has resulted in reforestation of 633,000 square kilometers of conifers at the expense of broadleaved forests, which decreased by 436,000 square kilometers since 1850.”  www.sciencedaily.com

GR:  Another look at this story.

This video, recorded in Hawaii, says about itself:

[New born albatross] Kialoa gets fed, KauaiLaysan Albatross Cam, 28 January, 2016

A clip showing the first feeding on cam, in daylight!

It takes some maneuvering, but [father] Ikaika and Kialoa eventually figure it out. The gooey substance Ikaika coughs up is dense, nutritious stomach oil that will help Kialoa grow rapidly.

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This time last year there was a flock of 40 Egyptian geese gracing the fields off Market Lane which stayed for several weeks. I went out this week to check if any had returned this year. The tail end of Hurricane Henry was doing a good job of keeping all the bird life very quiet even the usual crows and gulls that seem to revel in the strong winds were missing. Having failed to find a single goose I took part of the West Hethersett Loop down towards the Great Melton Reservoir all I heard or saw were a moorhen a couple of mallards and a blue tit. Fair to say not a productive patch walk. I stopped to scan some of the fields and was rewarded first by a small group of pheasants and then what looked like 3 grey geese. As I watched they launched from the…

This video is about a singing song thrush in Cornwall. It says about itself:

Filmed on January 28th 2016

Video Produced by Paul Dinning – Wildlife in Cornwall.

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This video shows a great reed warbler singing.

From The American Naturalist in the USA:

Why do migratory birds sing on their tropical wintering grounds?

Migratory songbirds may sing during the winter months to improve their song quality ahead of the springtime mating season

Marjorie C. Sorensen, Claire N. Spottiswoode, and Susanne Jenni-Eiermann

The first notes of bird song signal the arrival of spring as well as the beginning of mate attraction season, and for many songbird species males with the most elaborate songs do best when it comes to attracting females. But why do many migratory songbirds sing during the winter, when they are thousands of kilometers away from their breeding grounds and the prospect of attracting a mate? This was the long-unanswered question tackled by Marjorie Sorensen, Susanne Jenni-Eiermann, and Claire Spottiswoode.

To answer this question, the researchers test three hypotheses to explain why winter singing might benefit

“Standing at a podium before the World Economic Forum, Leonardo DiCaprio briefly smiled as he received an award for his leadership in tackling climate change. Once settled under the spotlight, he quickly moved away from his grateful statements, and began railing on corporate avarice.

“We simply cannot allow the corporate greed of the coal, oil, and gas industries to determine the future of humanity,” said DiCaprio last week while at Davos, Switzerland, where some 2,500 top global business leaders, politicians, and intellectuals gathered to discuss politics, economics, and social issues.

“Fossil fuels must be kept in the ground to avoid catastrophic climate change, he continued. “Enough is enough. You know better. The world knows better.”

“But while DiCaprio was cheered Wednesday as he stepped off the stage with his Crystal award, the international business community appears interested in venturing into new areas despite potential ecological costs. In fact, a day…

In this video, a female tawny owl in a nestbox replies to her male partner calling outside the box.

Gerard Mijnhout in the Netherlands made this video.

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This 20 January 2016 BBC video on African wild dogs is called Partners In Crime – Animals In Love.

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This video is about an Amur falcon. One of the raptor species migrating through India.

From BirdLife:

Indian Government signs raptor conservation agreement

By Ed Parnell, Thu, 21/01/2016 – 11:28

India has become the 54th country to sign the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MOU), an important international agreement to protect migratory birds of prey.

Approval to sign the Raptors MOU was given by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a Cabinet meeting held on 30 December 2015. Although legally non-binding, the Raptors MOU –which was concluded under the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) – is an important instrument for the conservation of birds of prey.

“It gives us immense pleasure to congratulate the Prime Minister and Government for making India the 54th signatory to the Raptors MOU. This agreement is a…