Posts Tagged ‘birds’
The Wildlife Professional: Protecting Mexico’s Feathered Treasures
Bird vs. Machine: How Wildlife Forensic Science Prevents Crashes
From JeffCorwinConnect.com: Laurel NemeJune 27, 2011 When US Airways Flight 1549 went down in New York’s Hudson River on that 20-degree day in January 2009, just six minutes after take-off, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles suspected the cause: a bird strike. “Hit birds,” they reported. “We lost thrust in both engines. Turning…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Common terns, Chris Boget
Chris Boget, Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Land Trust, talks about the common tern and land conservation. He tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how protection of the breeding habitat of Vermont’s (uncommon) common tern has made it one of the state’s greatest conservation success stories. Common terns are the most widespread tern in North America…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Lead Toxicity in Patagonia’s Waterfowl, Marcela Uhart
Marcela Uhart, Wildlife Conservation Society’s field veterinarian in Patagonia, Argentina, talks about the impact of lead ammunition on wildlife. She reveals to “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how spent ammunition remains in the environment where it can then be ingested by animals, especially waterfowl. Because they have no teeth, these birds swallow stones and seeds whole to help…
Read MoreNational Wildlife Health Center Investigates Mass Bird Deaths
Exams at the National Wildlife Health Center showed the mass die-offs in Arkansas were a result of impact trauma. No blunt force object but rather collisions. They found no evidence of poisonings or pesticides. Scientists are thinking the culprit was commercial-grade fireworks that went off. The Louisiana bird die-offs are still being investigated, but initial information…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Determining which birds cause airplanes to crash: an interview with a feather expert
By Laurel Neme, special to mongabay.comSeptember 19, 2010 Marcy Heacker, a wildlife forensic scientist at the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab in Washington, DC, spoke with Laurel Neme on her “The WildLife” radio show and podcast about wildlife forensics, bird strikes and feather identification, and how her analyses help airports manage wildlife to enhance airline safety. She also…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Geoduck Trade, Craig Welch
Craig Welch, Seattle Times environmental reporter and author of Shell Games: Rogues, Smugglers, and The Hunt for Nature’s Bounty, talks about wildlife trafficking in Puget Sound and the massive illegal trade in geoducks (pronounced “gooey-duck”) clams. He tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how geoducks are more than fashionable seafood by providing an entrée into the…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Bird Strikes & Feather Identification, Marcy Heacker
Marcy Heacker, a wildlife forensic scientist at the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab in Washington, DC, discusses wildlife forensics, bird strikes and feather identification. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how her analysis helps airports manage wildlife to enhance airline safety and also talks about how she and the other forensic scientists at the lab helped analyze the…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Brazil’s Illegal Bird Trade, Juliana Machado Ferreira
Brazilian biologist Juliana Machado Ferreira discusses the illegal wildlife trade in Brazil. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about the domestic market for pet birds and what role wildlife forensic research can play in helping to expose and stop this trade. She also discusses her genetic research into the DNA of four songbird species and how…
Read MoreThe WildLife: Whooping Cranes, Matt Mendenhall
Matt Mendenhall uncovers the silly antics of whooping cranes, from their strange “whooping” call to their captivating mating dance. He tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how, as “goats” of the wetlands, whooping cranes will munch on whatever food is available. He also reveals how their large size, about 5 feet tall, lets them bully other creatures…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Mexico has big role in the illegal parrot trade
By Laurel Neme, special to mongabay.com May 30, 2010 Juan Carlos Cantu, Director of Defenders of Wildlife’s Mexico office, spoke with Laurel Neme on her “The WildLife” radio show and podcast about the illegal parrot trade in Mexico and how his innovative research into the trade was used by the Mexican Congress to reform that country’s Wildlife Law to…
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