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My good friend Keith Scott, also known as the "Bear Man" because he has devoted his life to the better understanding of bears and the education of the public in the value of these great scavenger-predators, he has again hit the jackpot with his time in the field.
| Forum | Topic | Last Post |
| Garden Fence Chat | Wavelit Chat | 02/09/10 03:26 AM |
| Sidney BC - Bald Eagle Nests | Sidney Nest Discussion/Obs/Pics/Videos | 02/09/10 03:00 AM |
| Delta O.W.L., BC Bald Eagle Nest | Delta OWL Eagle Nest Discussion/Obs/Pics... | 02/09/10 02:59 AM |
| Chehalis - Harrison Estuary and Hatchery cams | Chehalis-Harrison River Estuary Cams Dis... | 02/09/10 02:57 AM |
| Other North American Eagle Cams | Hornby Island, BC - Bald Eagle Cam - 201... | 02/09/10 02:55 AM |
| Other North American Eagle Cams | Norfolk Botanical Garden, Virginia - BE ... | 02/09/10 02:42 AM |
| Garden Fence Chat | Screech Hollow Chat | 02/09/10 02:27 AM |
| Garden Fence Chat | The Singing Bird Lane | 02/09/10 02:00 AM |
| Games Room | A to Z Categories | 02/09/10 01:58 AM |
| Wildlife on the Trails, in Parks & Natural Areas | Pacific Northwest Trails and Wildlife | 02/09/10 01:55 AM |
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. — Two Vancouver Island eagles that died last spring were killed by ingesting lead — possibly from eating fishing jigs or discarded lead shot, toxicology reports show.
The North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre recently received toxicology reports on two eagles submitted for testing in March 2009. The two eagles from the Parksville and Qualicum Beach were severely emaciated and had no fractures or visible hemorrhaging.
By Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
WIARTON, Ont. - A mix of cheers and groans arose from a crowd gathered in Wiarton, Ont., as Canada's best-known weather prognosticating groundhog solidified a unanimous prediction among three famous furry forecasters - six more weeks of winter.
Source: Science Daily
ScienceDaily (Jan. 23, 2010) — Recent observations show that Beaufort Sea ice was not as it appeared in the summer of 2009. Sea ice cover serves as an indication of climate and has implications for marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
In early September 2009, satellite measurements implied that most of the ice in the Beaufort Sea either was thick ice that had been there for multiple years or was thick, first-year ice.
However, in situ observations made in September 2009 by Barber et al. show that much of the ice was in fact "rotten" ice -- ice that is thinner, heavily decayed, and structurally weak due to a uniform temperature throughout.
The authors suggest that satellite measurements were confused because both types of ice exhibit similar temperature and salinity profiles near their surfaces and a similar amount of open water between flows. The authors note that while an increase in summer minimum ice extent in the past 2 years could give the impression that Arctic ice is recovering, these new results show that multiyear ice in fact is still declining.
The results have implications for climate science and marine vessel transport in the Arctic.
The research appears in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Authors include David G. Barber, Ryan Galley, Matthew G. Asplin, Kerri-Ann Warner and Mukesh Gupta, Centre for Earth Observation Science, Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources, University of Manitoba; Roger De Abreu, Canadian Ice Service, Environment Canada; Monika Pućko, Centre for Earth Observation Science, Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources, University of Manitoba, and Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans; Simon Prinsenberg, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans; Stéphane Julien, Laurentian Region, Canadian Coast Guard.
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by American Geophysical Union.
Journal Reference:
Today BC Supreme Court ruled in our favor once again. Justice Hinkson granted the federal government a suspension order until December 18, 2010 so that Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) can further prepare to assume control of regulating salmon farms.On the matter pursued by Marine Harvest at the Court of Appeal and sent back to Justice Hinkson to reconsider (that is whether the fish in the farms are privately owned by the companies and whether the Farm Practices Protection Act (FPPA) is still in force), Hinkson confirmed that the FPPA, will no longer apply to finfish aquaculture and thus no longer protect farms from nuisance claims.
On the question, does Marine Harvest own the fish in their pens? Justice Hinkson found that this was not the place for this decision. Marine Harvest will have to bring this before the courts themselves. For now, we know that the aquaculture fish are now part of the fisheries of Canada.
Today’s decision is met by the unrelated announcement by US box store chain “Target” that they have eliminated all farmed salmon from its fresh, frozen, and smoked seafood offerings in its stores across the United States, because of farm salmon environmental impact on native salmon.
There is an enormous amount of work ahead to translate any of this into better survival of our wild salmon, but the courts seem consistently interested in bringing reason, the constitution and the law to bear on the Norwegian fish farm industry in British Columbia.
While I am truly sorry that jobs will be lost in ocean fish farming, bear in mind the industry is in deep trouble with mother nature herself in the fish farming strongholds of Chile and Norway. Trying to hold this nomadic fish in pens is never going to work, because it causes epidemics, unnatural sea lice infestations and drug resistance.
Now available online: Proceedings from conference, “Ingestion of Lead from Spent Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans”
The world's last remaining natural flock of endangered whooping cranes, which suffered a record number of deaths last year, will probably see another die-off because of scarce food supplies at its Texas nesting grounds this winter, wildlife managers said.
More than seven hectares of critical fish and wildlife habitat known as the Squamish Mamquam Blind Channel and encompassing the shared flood plain of the Squamish and Mamquam rivers have been protected under a multi-party agreement.
Rare warbler found in Afghanistan
By Matt McGrath
BBC News
The breeding area of the Large Billed Reed Warbler, one of the world's rarest birds, has been discovered in the remote and rugged Pamir Mountains in war torn Afghanistan, a New York based conservation group announced!
Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are an adaptable species that have become a common sight around the Lower Mainland in the last few decades. These eagles, which were once declining in population, have rebounded and learned to live in the urban environment. Commonly thought of as a primarily fish-eating species, our local eagles seem to have specialized in hunting birds. Gulls , crows, ducks and other species are all commonly eaten by Vancouver eagles, as well as fish and scavenged items usually found along the seashore. Vancouver eagles nest in large trees in parks, backyards, parking lots and even in one industrial site. These often public and noisy sites have been chosen by these large predators as a home base for most of the year, and as nurseries to raise their chicks through the spring and summer.
The Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES) has been monitoring bald eagles nesting in Vancouver since 2004 in partnership with the Lower Mainland Wildlife Tree Stewardship program (WiTS). Standardized protocols and mapping techniques are used to track these birds throughout the breeding season with the help of our dedicated team of volunteers. The information we gather is shared with government wildlife staff, the public and the media through our website and regular printed updates. In 2009 there were 19 bald eagle nests monitored in Vancouver by SPES staff and volunteers.
The records for the nesting pairs of eagles in Vancouver are dependent on the information we obtain from members of the public and from the hard work of volunteers who check the nest sites regularly through the breeding season.
To read the report Nesting Bald Eagles in the city of Vancouver 2009 please use the link below:
http://www.hancockwildlife.org/mediagallery/download.php?mid=20100116200950311
