Warning as seabird breeding fails Oct 30, 2008
Kittiwakes, Arctic terns and Arctic skuas have had a terrible breeding season which could see them wiped out in the UK, according to RSPB Scotland ... SEABIRD BREEDING PROBLEMS Kittiwake: Declines in breeding pairs of 50% in Mull of Galloway and up to 89% on Orkney on previous years Arctic skua: Reserves on Shetland and Orkney saw a 30% decline in nesting pairs, with only three chicks fledged Arctic Tern: Reports suggest virtually no young Arctic terns were fledged this year from Orkney or... (BBC News -- UK)
Alaska bird population has unique strategies Sep 8, 2008
Arctic terns, those of the 25,000-mile annual migration from Antarctica to the Arctic and back, can live 35 years. Northern wheatears spend their summers with musk oxen and their winters with zebras. (Anchorage Daily News)
NH biologist worried endangered birds down Aug 26, 2008
However, Hayward says the Isle of Shoals overall tern population, including state-endangered common terns and state-threatened Arctic terns, continued to do well this year. He says biologists aren't too concerned with the decrease in common terns because populations fluctuate from year to year. (Concord Monitor)
Maine's rugged Bold Coast a hidden jewel Aug 21, 2008
Visitors who want to add even more species to their life lists of sightings can take boat tours of Machias Seal Island, the 15-acre outcrop of rock 10 miles from shore that serves as a summer nesting site for puffins, Arctic terns, razorback auks and other migratory seabirds. The boats leave from Jonesport and Cutler, small fishing villages where lobster boats still outnumber pleasure craft. (CNN -- Travel)
Make way for puffins, terns, and laughing gulls Jul 22, 2008
Its darkness and rapid wing beat evoked a bat, weaving desperately through white and slate squadrons of common and Arctic terns. Audubon Society researcher Steve Kress and interns Juliet Lamb, Merra Howe, and Lauren Scopel were transfixed by the flight. (Boston Globe)
Potter Marsh boardwalk gets a face-lift Jul 14, 2008
Raptors, waterfowl and shorebirds congregate, and birders sometimes see such rare species as Pacific loons, horned grebes, canvasbacks, red-necked phalaropes, red-winged blackbirds, swans and arctic terns. It's a popular eagle-viewing area too, and in mid-summer, visitors can watch spawning salmon. (Anchorage Daily News)
JUDY JESSOP: Banding Project Represents an Old Tradition Nov 23, 2007
When this device was attached to a sooty shearwater, we learned that this species of seabird travels twice as far in a year's migration than Arctic terns -- the new shearwater's record is 40,000 miles. The birds are captured in their wintering grounds, the tag is placed on the leg, and then one year later they are recaptured, at which time the data is analyzed. (The Pilot Newspaper)
Uncertain future for Potter Marsh Sep 17, 2007
Raptors, waterfowl and shorebirds congregate, and birders sometimes see such specialty species as Pacific loons, horned grebes, canvasbacks, red-necked phalaropes, red-winged blackbirds, swans and arctic terns. Standing on a new portion of boardwalk, added last winter and unveiled over the summer, Meehan is enthusiastic about the marsh's future. (Anchorage Daily News)
Russian Coal Firm Aims to Reopen Arctic Mine Aug 24, 2007
Grumantbyen is in the middle of valuable bird cliffs and the Norwegian administration in Svalbard wants to ensure mining does not disrupt the pristine nature, home to puffins, Arctic terns and other birds and wildlife such as seals and wildflowers. Svalbard is run by Norway but Russia and all other parties to the 1920 Svalbard Treaty have rights to exploit the natural resources of the archipelago, Europe's biggest wilderness. (Planet Ark, United States)
Seal Island and Seabirds Jul 24, 2007
large nesting colonies of Atlantic Puffins, Common Terns and Arctic terns, and smaller numbers of burrowing Leach s Storm Petrels, nesting Roseate Terns, Great Cormorants, razorbills and other seabirds. particularly during spring and fall migration, songbirds, shorebirds, and raptors. (Suite101.com)
Kittiwake-up call in Prince William Sound Jun 18, 2007
There are also about 3,000 glaucous-winged gulls, as well as eagles, arctic terns and several species of waterfowl. And the birds seem busy all the time. (Anchorage Daily News)
Volusia hits beach top 10 for first time Jun 9, 2007
The bird-watching is abundant -- from masked boobies and Arctic terns to migratory warblers and thrushes to egrets, herons, and gulls. By picking beaches that balance nature and human needs, Leatherman hopes his list will encourage other areas to take better care of their coasts. (Orlando Sentinel -- News)
Back to nature Jun 5, 2007
Overprotective parents, too much TV and not enough time to mooch around mean most children now know more about the Amazonian rainforest than their nearest riverbank. It's time to fight this 'nature-deficit disorder', says Stephen Moss. (Guardian Unlimited)
Searching for trout can help soothe a fishing itch Jun 1, 2007
Only the cries of arctic terns broke the silence in a pastoral landscape of birch, alder trees. "This time of year, you're just fishing to get the itch out," the 27-year-old said. (Anchorage Daily News)
The mystery of Inis Mein May 12, 2007
It was July and the Arctic terns governed the white beach like sentinels, swooping low and angrily over anyone who walked there, anyone who might pose a threat to their eggs which were laid in the sand. Once more the weather changed drastically, from the first afternoon when planes could not fly to the days afterwards, which were soft and warm. (Guardian Unlimited)
A bird's life out of whack in warming world Apr 23, 2007
Unlike arctic terns, which commute over an even longer distance (more than 17,000 kilometers) between Antarctica and the Arctic each year, the godwits are shorebirds that cannot land on the ocean and feed during their migration. Last year, a number of the godwits from Alaska were tracked to within several thousand kilometers of their destination before the batteries in their transmitters failed. (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- Editorial)
Quirky Winter Harbor a secluded Maine gem Apr 22, 2007
Here the diverse habitat includes a coastal forest of spruce and jack pine, a cedar swamp, several beaches, and offshore islands that are nesting grounds for more than 100 species of birds, including puffins and arctic terns. Deer, fox, snow hare, and black bear also inhabit the refuge. (Boston Globe)
Why do birds migrate? Mar 2, 2007
"For example, some really long-distance migrants like arctic terns are not fruit-eaters.". Boyle, an adjunct lecturer in UA's department of ecology and evolutionary biology and co-author Courtney J. Conway, a UA assistant professor of natural resources and a research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, report their findings in the March 2007 issue of American Naturalist. (EurekAlert!)
Why migrate? It's not for the fruit Feb 28, 2007
"For example, some really long-distance migrants like Arctic Terns are not fruit-eaters.". The new research indicates that one strategy for dealing with seasonal changes in food availability is migration. (EurekAlert!)
Climate food threat to porpoises Jan 11, 2007
The sandeel decline has caused major problems for sea birds such as kittiwakes, arctic terns, guillemots and puffins, and fishing quotas have been cut drastically in an attempt to stem the tide. The researchers observe that if water temperatures continue to rise and plankton decline accordingly, then a further reduction in the availability of sandeels can be expected. (BBC News -- Science)
