An exhausted tropical bird that landed unexpectedly in eastern Canada recently has wildlife experts amazed and climatologists predicting more will show up in the north in the coming decades.
The red-billed tropicbird, or phaethon aethereus, was discovered in a driveway in Three Fathom Harbour in eastern Nova Scotia province last week, said Hope Swinimer, director of the Hope for Wildlife Society.
Earth Changes
An alarming number of dead birds are being discovered floating along the shores of the northern Bahamas causing concern among some residents in the Grand Bahama community. A week after the first incident was reported, accounts of dead birds floating in Bahamian waters are still filing in.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND --State and federal wildlife officials are investigating the deaths of hundreds of seabirds turning up on the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Wildlife biologists say more than 1,000 shearwaters - large, gull-like water birds that spend most of their lives far offshore until they nest - have been found dead over the past two weeks on Southeastern beaches. Since last week, more than 160 of the dead birds have been found in South Carolina, including at least 22 on Hilton Head Island.
Wildlife biologists say more than 1,000 shearwaters - large, gull-like water birds that spend most of their lives far offshore until they nest - have been found dead over the past two weeks on Southeastern beaches. Since last week, more than 160 of the dead birds have been found in South Carolina, including at least 22 on Hilton Head Island.
An extremely rare albatross has been seen for the first time ever in Britain after it lost its way in bad weather.
The young yellow-nosed albatross, which has only been seen once in Europe, was found at a holiday camp exhausted.
Camp owner Hugh Harris, 76, said: "It was most unusual. It was just squatted down - I think it was absolutely worn out."
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The young yellow-nosed albatross, which has only been seen once in Europe, was found at a holiday camp exhausted.
Camp owner Hugh Harris, 76, said: "It was most unusual. It was just squatted down - I think it was absolutely worn out."
A tropical seabird has appeared in the UK for the first time after being blown thousands of miles off course from its home in the Caribbean.
Experts believe the male magnificent frigatebird was pushed towards Britain by disorientating hurricane activity.
Experts believe the male magnificent frigatebird was pushed towards Britain by disorientating hurricane activity.
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| The rare bird is now recovering at Chester Zoo. |
Big Island families who have seen Kilauea's destructive power firsthand are keeping a close eye on the latest flow that began this weekend. The flow is about two miles away from the remote Royal Gardens subdivision. Property owners estimate only about five people live in the community off and on. Roads in the area are buried under lava so people have to hike just to get to the neighborhood.
A mini-tornado tore through the southern suburb of Waikiki last night, ripping off roofs, smashing dozens of fences and car ports and tearing up trees.
Gusts blowing more than 110km/h damaged about 60 houses, even ripping off air conditioning units, when the storm hit streets east of the Waikiki shopping centre.
A Weather Bureau spokesman said the actual tornado lasted about 60 seconds but the storm dropped about 40mm of rain.
Gusts blowing more than 110km/h damaged about 60 houses, even ripping off air conditioning units, when the storm hit streets east of the Waikiki shopping centre.
A Weather Bureau spokesman said the actual tornado lasted about 60 seconds but the storm dropped about 40mm of rain.
Heavy rainfall and floods have brought normal life to a standstill in eastern and western Nepal for the third day running.
One person was swept away when a river burst its banks in Dang while many in eastern Nepal were rendered homeless due to rising water levels.
One person was swept away when a river burst its banks in Dang while many in eastern Nepal were rendered homeless due to rising water levels.
Southeastern Europe was a tinderbox Wednesday in the grip of an unrelenting heatwave that has claimed hundreds of lives as wildfires swept Italy and bit into a national park in Slovakia.
A new University of Georgia study finds that sewage-contaminated groundwater is reaching the offshore reefs of the Upper Florida Keys, possibly threatening corals and human health.
"The widespread use of in-ground waste disposal through septic tanks and injection wells appears to be leading to the contamination of submarine groundwater even up to six miles offshore," said study author Erin Lipp, associate professor at the UGA College of Public Health. "When the contaminated groundwater mixes with surface water and reaches the reef, the corals as well as human health might be harmed."
The findings were presented Tuesday at a meeting of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Water Quality Protection Program Steering Committee in Marathon, Fla.
Lipp and doctoral student Carrie Futch, along with Dale Griffin of the U.S. Geological Survey in Tallahassee, sampled surface water, groundwater and corals from five sites from nearshore to offshore beginning outside of Port Largo Canal and ending near Molasses Reef. Their three-year study revealed common fecal indicator bacteria and human viruses.
"The widespread use of in-ground waste disposal through septic tanks and injection wells appears to be leading to the contamination of submarine groundwater even up to six miles offshore," said study author Erin Lipp, associate professor at the UGA College of Public Health. "When the contaminated groundwater mixes with surface water and reaches the reef, the corals as well as human health might be harmed."
The findings were presented Tuesday at a meeting of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Water Quality Protection Program Steering Committee in Marathon, Fla.
Lipp and doctoral student Carrie Futch, along with Dale Griffin of the U.S. Geological Survey in Tallahassee, sampled surface water, groundwater and corals from five sites from nearshore to offshore beginning outside of Port Largo Canal and ending near Molasses Reef. Their three-year study revealed common fecal indicator bacteria and human viruses.
Comment: The original title of this story was 'Experts amazed as storms propel tropical birds to Canada'. This Hurricane season has been quiet in the Atlantic, so what drove this bird to Canada?