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I find it very disappointing with all the citizen science data that is regularly collected concerning birds in the US and Britain that there has not been a more detailed investigation into bird death due to window collisions. I have found enough dead birds by windows even before I started doing rehab with birds to know the numbers are significant, but it would be beneficial to have hard data to be able to convince members of the public and architects to take action.
It disappoints me that even in conservation settings designers often choose beautiful, large windows without consideration of bird strikes. The new visitor centre and cafe at the Cairns Botanical Gardens is a perfect example of a new building, in a natural setting meant to conserve wildlife and is regularly killing birds instead. There are ways to design windows where they are more visible to birds so why wouldn’t you?
Maybe these deaths are not significant compared to other challenges birds face like cats and habitat destruction, but it is because the other challenges are so dire that I think birds need all the help they can get, and thinking a bit more about how we place and coat windows would not be that challenging or costly.
Source: BBC
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(Phys.org) âJust as the power of the open-source design has driven down the cost of software to the point that it is accessible to most people, open-source hardware makes it possible to drive down the cost of doing experimental science and expand access to everyone. As part of this movement, a Michigan …
3D printing is a game changer that is going to cause a LOT of pain to a wide variety of established businesses. However, it will benefit science and research and probably many others (inventors, mechanics, engineers) by offering custom parts quickly and cheaply. It is an interesting industry to watch though and it is going to get interesting when the copyright fights begin.
Source: phys.org
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I don’t know if drinking less wine is a bad thing, but what I find interesting is how young many cultural “traditions” really are. I don’t think I or most people really appreciate how many of the things we perceive as old cultural traditions really stem from one of the World Wars. I don’t think I have any idea what the world really looked like before it was torn asunder twice in 20 years.
Source: BBC
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This kind of explains some of the modern complexities of taxonomy and why species keep getting clumped and split depending on if the clumpers or the splitters are in control. Right now for birds in Australia, I think the splitters have it, but that could change.
Source: Boing Boing
Awkward! Just a funny photo for your amusement, and yes, there is a bird.
Source: Boing Boing
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Every time a girl sees a shelf of science-related toys under a sign that says “boys”, she is being told that the world thinks science is not for her.
I don’t know if I would have paid much attention to whether toys were marketed for boys or girls when I was little. I often played with toys that were considered more boy toys: legos, matchbox cars, etc. I don’t think they were firmly labeled Boy or Girl though. I am not sure why you would do that. I am pretty stubborn and dance to the beat of my own drum, but a lot of kids are influenced by society and expectations. Girls don’t need that kind of bias against science and discovery toys.
Source: newstatesman.com
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EU member states vote ushers in continent-wide suspension of neonicotinoid pesticides
I can’t say that I have followed the bee decline closely enough to know for sure if these pesticides are causing a problem, but it seems a lot of people think they are. We rely on bees for most of the grown food that we eat and much of the food that we feed the animals we eat. Everyone should be concerned about the bee decline, and I am glad that Europe is willing to ban popular pesticides for the bees.
Overall we need to reduce our dependancy on these harmful chemicals. People farmed for thousands of years without soaking the ground with chemicals. Yes, yields are now higher than they ever were, but for how long and at what cost?
Source: Guardian
And now for a little good endangered bird news after that horrible Middle East hunting story.
Source: birdlife.org
I have been planning to write something enthusiastic for the readers of the WorldWaders News Blog as there would be a reason for celebration. Today WorldWaders celebrates its 3rd birthday. I set th…
This is upsetting. I am not opposed to hunting for food purposes. In my mind there is really no other reason to hunt, but apparently not everyone feels the way I do. I also don’t think there is any excuse for uninformed hunting or hunting endangered animals. However, it seems that hunting for sport is alive and well in the Middle East and it is killing thousands of endangered migratory waders. How can you protect animals half a world away traveling through countries that do not value their existence on the planet?
Source: worldwaders.wordpress.com
In The Wall Street, Judith Grossman writes that unsubstantiated accusations against her son by a former girlfriend landed him in front of a nightmarish college tribunal.
I think that it is important to not let domestic crimes go unpunished, but I think any time one person can ruin a person’s reputation and possible career by accusing another person, there is a great potential for abuse. I think this comes up most often in cases of sexual violence and child abuse as these are crimes we feel very passionately about and it is easy to vilify the accused. However, all accusers are not the victims we want them to be. Some are angry, jealous and seeking revenge and it is important to have systems in place that can try to determine the difference. A presumption of innocence is the key to justice in America’s legal system and it should be maintained in other organizations. The accused should have the right to know exactly what he is accused of and he should be able to build a defense around those accusations. How have we devolved into a system on college campuses that does not allow these basic rights. I agree with the mom writing the article that this is scary. I am also happy to see that it is effecting some of the feminists that pushed for these unreasonable policies to be put into place.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
THE Cawdor community has a new friend in the skies a tough baby wedge-tailed eagle.
Your feel good wildlife story for the day :)
Source: dailytelegraph.com.au
One of the country’s last remaining tuition-free colleges will charge undergraduates deemed able to pay about $20,000 starting in 2014.
This is sad, but not surprising. I suspect that America’s university landscape is going to change quite a bit as formal education costs sky rocket while the cost to get an education via extremely good online resources (Khan Academy) plummets. However, it is sad to see the end of a dream of free university education even if its highly competitive admission process means it hasn’t been for “everyone” in a long, long time. It makes me sad that it appears this is largely due to them taking out a loan so that “it could invest money in the stock market.” WTF? Investing an endowment is one thing, but taking a loan to invest money is pretty much not a good idea.
Source: The New York Times
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And one man’s quest to bring hundreds more back.
I think it is sad that mass produced food are limiting the varieties of food that we have available to us. I also dislike the copyrighting of seeds or varieties. I hope more people start promoting and growing heritage fruits and vegetables. I would love to see some new apples at my local store.
Source: Mother Jones
It’s well-established that Down syndrome results when a person is born with an extra 21st chromosome, but so far, scientists haven’t pinned down what causes the condition’s symptoms. New research, however, brings us one step closer to understanding Down Syndrome’s molecular biology.
This is good news for the better understanding of Down Syndrome.
Source: The Huffington Post
Images of Nordic Nature. - BY 15 SWEDISH PHOTOGRAPHERS
Stunning bird pictures from the Nordic region! For fun and enjoyment.
Source: imagesofnordicnature.com
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