Earth Changes

The canary in the coal mine? Nesting wading bird population crashes by 28% in a year, Florida Everglades

Luis Hernandez
wlrn.org
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 18:09 UTC

It's not a canary or a coal mine in Florida, but the idea from Audubon of Florida is the same. Wading birds hold the same function as the canary, and in this case the coal mine is the Everglades. Tabitha Cale with the society says things are dire.

The 20th anniversary of the Wading Bird Report is out and there's some bad news. Everglades restoration is not going well. The report shows that in 2014 there were 34,714 wading bird nests in the Greater Everglades. That's 28 percent fewer than in 2013.

The biggest drops included little blue herons, 83 percent, tricolored herons, 42 percent, and snowy egrets, 47 percent.

Counting wading bird nests is an indicator of where water flows are improving. The report shows the area with great progress is the Kissimmee River Basin. Meanwhile, Everglades National Park still needs improvement.

Moose went "out of its way" to trample woman in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Daniel Xu
outdoorhub.com
Wed, 25 Feb 2015 16:43 UTC

The popular ski resort town of Steamboat Springs is well-known for its hot springs, skiing festivals, and abundant moose population. Visitors are often warned to give the area's resident moose a wide berth, but sometimes the animals have ideas of their own. According to CBS4, a dog walker was injured on Sunday when she was trampled by a spooked moose.

The victim, who has been identified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) as Katharine Hash, sustained serious injuries during the encounter and was later airlifted to a Denver hospital. Witnesses told investigators that the bull moose had struck Hash from behind, despite having ample space to run around her, and some even said that the animal deliberately crossed the road to trample the dog walker.

"At this point, our best guess is something else happened on an adjacent property and caused the moose to run (into Storm Mountain Ranch), and for whatever reason it came across the woman and ran over her," CPW wildlife manager Jim Haskins told the Steamboat Pilot. "Whatever happened probably didn't have anything to do with the dogs."

An hour of rainfall floods Sao Paulo, Brazil

Richard Davies
floodlist.com
Thu, 26 Feb 2015 16:13 UTC

Just 1 hour of heavy rain was enough to flood the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, yesterday 25 February 2015. One man is reported to have died as a result of the severe weather seen across the city.

Brazil's biggest city is currently suffering one of its worst droughts in 80 years.

Yesterday's downpour won't be enough to replenish the city's water supplies. However, it was enough to bring the city's traffic to a standstill, as vehicles were trapped in deep flood water. Some reports claim the flood water was so deep in some areas that vehicles were either submerged or swept away.

The heavy rain was part of a severe thunderstorm and strong winds. A man died after he was electrocuted by falling power cables.

Sao Paulo's authorities have declared a state of alert for some areas of the city.

Thousands displaced by extreme flooding in northern Bolivia

Richard Davies
floodlist.com
Thu, 26 Feb 2015 15:16 UTC

Flooding has forced more thousands from their homes in the department of Pando in the far north of Bolivia. Authorities say that 1,069 families have been affected.

Heavy rainfall over the last few days has forced the river Acre to overflow. In some areas it is 14 metres above normal levels. Some residents living close to the river Acre have been evacuated. Levels of the river Tahuamanu are also said to be extremely high.

Further heavy rainfall has been forecast for the next 24 hours and the situation is expected to worsen. Heavy rain is also expected in southern areas of the country.

So far the worst affected area are thought to be the department capital, Cobija, and the small town of San Pedro de Bolpebra, which sits of the banks of the river Acre, on the border with Peru and Brazil.

The Latin Post reports that the mayor of San Pedro de Bolpebra said that his town had been almost completely swept away by flood waters. Quoted in The Latin Post, Mayor Romulo Terrazas said.

"The river waters rose to 14m [46ft] above their normal level, so between the community and the authorities we have decided to rebuild a new town to avoid more damage"

The video clip below shows an aerial view of the flooding from the River Acre around San Pedro de Bolpebra.

New York City waterways covered in ice floes

YouTube
Thu, 26 Feb 2015 14:42 UTC

A tugboat tries to negotiate ice floes

The freezing temperatures that have plagued much of the eastern U.S. haven't spared New York City. The waterways around the island of Manhattan are filled with ice.

Aggressive eagle owl terrorises residents in Wotton-under-Edge, UK

itv.com
Wed, 25 Feb 2015 14:04 UTC

This eagle owl could be one of the biggest in the world

An eagle owl has been terrorising residents in Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire.

It's thought the owl has been hand reared, and so is attracted to people.

The bird, which may have escaped from a private collector, is one of the biggest owls it the world - and expert Jemima Parry-Jones says that during the breeding season people do need to take care.

One woman broke her arm as she tried to run away from him.

Rare earthquake shakes Kalimantan, Indonesia

The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network
Thu, 26 Feb 2015 03:41 UTC

Kalimantan is among the regions in the archipelago known to be free of earthquakes, but a recent series of light to strong quakes recorded in North Kalimantan have shaken that belief.

The latest quake was one recorded measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale that hit Tarakan on Tarakan Island in North Kalimantan at 9.31 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) Balikpapan station head Mudjianto said the earthquake's epicenter was located in the Sulu Sea, which was closer to cities in the Malaysian state of Sabah, such as Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu, Lahat Datu, Tawau and Beaufort.

Cities in Indonesia that were close to the quake's epicenter were Tarakan on Tarakan Island and Tideng Pale in the Tana Tidung regency, located 432 kilometers away, and Nunukan in the Nunukan regency, located at the border with Sabah and across from Tawau, located 416 km from the epicenter.

"We did not calculate the quake's duration given the distance," said Mudjianto. He added that the duration could only have been recorded had the tremor reached human settlements or human structures. The magnitude of this quake was recorded by sensors owned by BMKG and was not felt on the sea, or on land in Kalimantan, or on the surrounding islands.

Rogue owl terrorizing Dutch town

Discovery News
Wed, 25 Feb 2015 16:15 UTC

© Wikimedia Commons/Alvesgaspar
A European eagle owl in Portugal is shown in captivity. One of its breed has been wreaking havoc in the Dutch town of Purmerend.

The northern Dutch town of Purmerend has advised residents to arm themselves with an umbrella when going out at night after a mysterious spate of bloody rogue owl attacks.

Over the last three weeks, the European eagle owl has silently swooped on dozens of residents of the usually peaceful town, with many victims requiring hospital treatment.

The latest aerial assault on Tuesday evening saw two members of a local athletics club attacked, with one runner requiring stitches for six head wounds caused by the nocturnal bird of prey's talons.

The club has cancelled all training until further notice.

Comment: US: Maine skiers warned about late-night owl attacks

Canadian rabbit trapper says owl attack left his head bleeding

Multiple owl attacks reported in Springfield, Missouri

Arctic Gyrfalcon seen in the Chicago area

John Cody
chicago.cbslocal.com
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 23:01 UTC

Chicago's hosting an extremely rare visitor which is good for bird watchers but tough on other birds, reports WBBM's John Cody.

Wildlife biologist Chris Anchor with Cook County Forest Preserve District says the same conditions that brought snowy owls to Chicago have also brought Chicago the biggest falcon in the world.

The Gyrfalcon has a wing span up to 4 and 1/2 feet and weighs three or four pounds. Anchor says they can kill other birds as large as ducks and geese.

He says the Gyrfalcon, spotted at Navy Pier and also in Barrington northwest of Chicago, has a maximum air speed of 120 miles an hour.

Anchor says this is only the fourth one he's seen in his 30-year career as a wildlife biologist.

Record-breaking cold temperatures threaten harvests in U.S.

Robert Felix
iceagenow.info
Tue, 24 Feb 2015 22:02 UTC

Ice and oranges.

Winter's grasp doesn't seem to be letting up, as there are wind chill and freeze warnings throughout the state, says this video.

Freezing temperatures in Florida are threatening orange crops while apples from Washington state are left to rot as dock workers are on strike.

Thanks to Taavi Peterson for this video

JP Sears - Why two classes of citizens is a GREAT idea: [Link]

Animanarchy

Is this not a case of, The pot calling the kettle black.

Winternights3

Here's a Mandela Effect for you. I swear I read more than one article saying she died about 4 months ago. 4 Months later I read this - at least I...

scrutinizer

Wait!.. WHAT?! Agents de Surete Ferroviaire with Service Weapon?!? I know I left france a while back, but back then even cops were not allowed...

tof

US politics is as complex as the money supply issue One big scam hidden under layers of deception Tbh..I could care less if she drops down dead...

LMAO

Earth Changes

The canary in the coal mine? Nesting wading bird population crashes by 28% in a year, Florida Everglades

Moose went "out of its way" to trample woman in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

An hour of rainfall floods Sao Paulo, Brazil

Thousands displaced by extreme flooding in northern Bolivia

New York City waterways covered in ice floes

Aggressive eagle owl terrorises residents in Wotton-under-Edge, UK

Rare earthquake shakes Kalimantan, Indonesia

Rogue owl terrorizing Dutch town

Arctic Gyrfalcon seen in the Chicago area

Record-breaking cold temperatures threaten harvests in U.S.

Latest News

Picture of the Day

Quote of the Day

Recent Comments

Quantum Quirk

Contact Us