October 3, 2008

TOP STORIES

Turbines 'no risk to farm birds'
BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
01 Oct 2008
Area: European Union

Wind turbines pose less of a risk to farmland birds than previously thought, a study has concluded. A team of UK scientists said their research showed that building new wind farms on European farmland would not adversely affect bird populations. Previous studies highlighted how turbine blades were hazardous for waterbird and bird of prey species. The findings have been published in the British Ecological Society's (BES) Journal of Applied Ecology.





Migratory birds pre-entry alerts Myanmar against bird flu
Xinhua News - news.xinhuanet.com
02 Oct 2008
Area: Myanmar

The pre-entry of migratory wild birds into Myanmar territory two months ahead of winter has alerted the country to take preventive measures against probable recurrence of bird flu, according to Thursday's local Biweekly Eleven journal. It was noticed that migratory birds have started to fly in the Inlay Lake region, southern part of Shan state, over the past week and by December when the cold season fully sets in, there would be large gathering of such birds in Myanmar territory that constitutes threat of spreading the disease, the report said. Migratory birds are scientifically considered as the carrier of deadly H5N1 virus from one place to another. Inlay lake is a place where about 250 species of various birds rest.




Ocean Dead Zones May Be Worse Than Thought
Wired Science - blog.wired.com
30 Sep 2008
B Keim
Image courtesy of NASA

Oxygen-starved ocean dead zones may be more widespread than thought. Spanish researchers found that many species die off at oxygen levels well above what is now considered uninhabitable. The new study suggests that the extent of dead zones in coastal areas that support fishing industries is greater than previously known. Since the mid-20th century, more than 400 dead zones have formed along continental coastlines, where fertilizer pollution causes algal blooms whose decomposition feeds oxygen-gobbling bacteria.





West Nile found in Winnebago County
The Northwestern - www.thenorthwestern.com
01 Oct 2008
Area: Winnebago County, Wisconsin, USA - Map It

A dead blue jay found in the Town of Vinland has tested positive for the West Nile virus, according to the Winnebago County Health Department. The department issued a press release saying this was the positive testing of a bird found in Winnebago County for the year and that resident need to take some extra precautions. "The positive bird means that residents of Winnebago County need to be more vigilant in their personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites," Health Officer Doug Gieryn said in the release. The virus is spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, according to the release.




Beaked whales: Sounding off
BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
30 Sep 2008
R Black
Image courtesy of Antonio Fernandez/ULPGC
Area: Canary Islands

As a scientist, you know your world is about to change when your boss, the government and the international media are all suddenly on the phone asking for answers. That was the lot of whale biologists and veterinary scientists in the Canary Islands on 24 September 2002 - a date that may go down as one of the most significant in humankind's long history of interactions with whales. "There was already some news that many animals were stranding along the beaches of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote," recalls Antonella Servidio. "Most of them were still alive and people on the beach were taking care of them with towels, trying to make them comfortable; but they were already in a very bad condition.




Nabbing bats' nemesis
TheScientist.com - www.the-scientist.com
01 Oct 2008
K Campbell
Image courtesy of K Campbell
Area: Pennsylvania, United States

Turner, an endangered mammal biologist, is at the start of a two-year study on White Nose Syndrome for the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Natural Resources Defense Council. Early signs of the disease have aroused suspicions in other parts of Pennsylvania. "It's knocking on our doorstep," says Turner. "We know that for sure." So far, the state likely remains WNS-free, giving researchers an important window into a still-mysterious disease. "If the disease spreads to [unaffected regions] next year, we will be able to track what happens when WNS first enters an area and gain a better understanding of how the disease progresses within individual animals and within the populations," says Elizabeth Buckles, an assistant professor and bat researcher at Cornell University.



OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Image Courtesy of National Geographic News - Animal Photos Weekly

at Friday, October 03, 2008

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)