Earth ChangesS


Binoculars

Belted kingfisher from North America turns up in the Isles of Scilly, UK

Aidan Radnedge
Metro (UK)
Fri, 20 Apr 2018 19:11 UTC
belted kingfisher on St Mary’s
The belted kingfisher on St Mary’s
An unusual visitor from the US is getting bird watchers in a flap — because it is only the fourth time it has been seen in the UK.

The arrival of a belted kingfisher on St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly is a bit of a mystery, said ornithologist Will Wagstaff.

'We've had the wrong wind for it. We expect American birds with westerlies but we've had southerlies and southeasterlies,' he said.

The mild autumn may have seen the bird 'hang around in Europe' before heading north. Another US bird — a laughing gull — was recently seen on the nearby island of St Martin's. 'That's not as rare by any stretch but still a good rarity,' he said.
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Attention

Shark attack in Keoneloa Bay, Hawaii

John Steinhorst
The Garden Island
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 18:55 UTC
shark attack
Dylan McWilliams, a visitor from Colorado was attacked by a small shark at Shipwreck's Beach early Thursday.

McWilliams, a 29-year-old bodyboarder, was surfing in Keoneloa Bay about 7:30 a.m. when he was attacked by an estimated six-foot shark. Spectators say the man was bitten on the right leg while floating north of Shipwreck's and close to the jumping cliff favored by area fishermen.

Beach-goers said the surfer suffered three small puncture wounds. Emergency responders stopped the initial bleeding. The man sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported by a private vehicle to seek medical care.
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Attention

Old woman killed by bison in Maharashtra, India


The Times of India
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 18:44 UTC
Wild gaur
Wild gaur
A senior citizen was mauled to death in a bison attack on Thursday morning at the forest officials' colony at Radhanagari.

According to the forest officials, Rakhamabai Shelke (65), mother of the forest guard (wildlife) Ranjana Shelke, was sweeping the front yard of their home at around 6.15am when the lone bison attacked her. She died on the spot.

Shelke was a resident of the colony for past one-and-a-half year. Range forest officer (wildlife) Ajit Sajane saw the attack while he was on his way for the morning walk.

Comment: Other such attacks in recent years include: Gaur (Indian bison) gores farmer to death in Goa, India

Wild gaur attacks two children in Tamil Nadu, India; second recent incident for the area

Woman dies following attack by wild gaur in Tamil Nadu, India; 3rd such incident for the locality in 2 years

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Ice Cube

Arctic snow and ice blanketing the north in a visual you have never seen before

Anthony Watts
Watts App With That
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 12:00 UTC
antarctic ice 2018
This came to me via a tip, but to be honest I get so many daily emails and comments I've lost the original source of the tip.

This is via the Canadian Ice Service, and it's a view I have not seen before. It shows a polar view looking down at the North pole which is a composite of several days worth of MODIS views via NASA Goddard to create a Composite of the Arctic image. The actual image is very high resolution and I can't show it fully here, but the detail is quite good. To help orient you, I've annotated some landmarks on this preview image.

Comment: We're well into Spring and the US has been relentlessly battered by cold storms since winter. But it's not just the US seeing unusual cold blasts, it's happening all over the globe. The visual above confirms all the data that has been collected over recent years, which is that snow and ice are increasing because the planet is clearly cooling: But global warming fanatics will be relieved to hear there is some heating occurring: Antarctic ice shelves revealed to be rapidly melting...from below

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Attention

Volcano erupts for first time in 250 years in Japan


Breitbart
Fri, 20 Apr 2018 12:44 UTC
PICTURES
A volcano in southern Japan erupted for the first time in 250 years on Thursday, spewing steam and ash hundreds of metres into the air, as authorities warned locals not to approach the mountain.

"There is a possibility that (Mount Io) will become more active," said Makoto Saito, an official from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), confirming the eruption.

In a televised press conference, he warned residents in the area to stay away from the mountain, part of the Mount Kirishima group of volcanoes, as major ash deposits spread from the crater.

It was the first eruption of the mountain since 1768, the JMA said.


Comment: A different report adds that one person was killed and that authorities have banned access to the peak.

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Seismograph

Shallow 6.0 magnitude earthquake hits Prince Edward Islands region off South Africa


Earthquake Track
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 08:39 UTC
quake
UTC time: Thursday, April 19, 2018 21:09 PM

USGS page: M 6.0 - Prince Edward Islands region

USGS status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Reports from the public: 0 people

10 km depth
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Seismograph

M5.5 quake strikes near nuclear power plant in Iran, footage shows dust rising from salt mines


Independent
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 09:39 UTC
iran quake april 2018
© USGS
An earthquake has hit southern Iran just 60 miles from the country's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

It hit on Thursday morning and was also felt in Bahrain and other areas around the Persian Gulf.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck at 6.34am GMT, some 60 miles east of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the only operating nuclear power station in the Islamic Republic.

The USGS put the earthquake's magnitude at 5.5, while Iranian state television, citing officials, described the quake as a magnitude 5.9. Varying magnitudes are common immediately after a temblor.

Government-run TV did not report any damage at the Bushehr plant, which has seen other earthquakes in the past and was built to resist damage from the tremors.

Comment: The area may be prone to tremors and earthquakes, but when we look at the wider picture, there's clearly an uptick in activity on the planet, manifesting itself in a variety of ways:

Also check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?

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X

15-foot deep sinkhole closes road in western North Carolina


WSOC-TV
Tue, 17 Apr 2018 12:51 UTC
W NC sinkhole
© WSOC
A large sinkhole has forced crews to close a busy street in Lenoir.

Neighbors said the 15-foot deep hole first opened up beneath Westview Street late Sunday after heavy rain over the weekend.

The city has placed barricades across the road to block traffic but there is no word from the city yet on when repairs to the road will begin, or how much it will cost.
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Igloo

It snowed so much in France this winter, ski resorts closed and couldn't break attendance records


20minutes.fr
Mon, 16 Apr 2018 19:10 UTC
Auron
© Stations du Mercantour
Some years, the professionals of altitude compete with incantations to hope to see it arrive. This season, the snow has (almost) fallen too much on the Southern Alps.

"We could have done better if the weather had been better. There were even several days of closures due to the storm" summarizes Pascal Lequenne, director of the Auron tourist office, where the turnover of ski lifts, the second highest ever recorded, still climbed 15%.

Comment: 'Forget global warming, prepare for Ice Age'

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Ice Cube

Restaurant with visitors inside swept away down the Volga River by giant ice sheets in Samara, Russia


RT
Wed, 18 Apr 2018 19:47 UTC
ice cafe
A restaurant in Samara, Russia, took an unplanned trip down the Volga River after ice streams untethered the eatery from the shoreline and pushed it downstream. It was filmed being towed back to shore, with no injuries reported.

Videos posted to YouTube and social media by eyewitnesses show the 'Old Wharf' restaurant, in Samara's historic city center, being carried down the Volga River by a giant sheet of ice. The restaurant was occupied at the time of the accident, according to local media reports.

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