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BIRD MIGRATION
In 1880, teacher Wells Cooke began writing down when migrating birds arrived; 90 years later, the project had left millions of records scientists still use todayWells W. Cooke began recording bird migration dates in 1880 using index cards and a network of volunteers. This initiative expanded into a ...
Rosita Corey was a Massachusetts schoolteacher who recorded spring bird arrivals for decades; her old notes now help show that some birds are arriving about 7 days earlierRosita Corey’s birdwatching records reveal significant changes in spring migration timing for various species. Migratory birds in Concord, ...
DNA reveals four gentoo penguin species instead of one after more than 100 years. Scientists now fear some island populations could lose their homes to global warmingNew genomic research has resolved a century-old debate over gentoo penguins, revealing four distinct species rather than one with several s...
Tiny Bluetooth tags now track monarch butterflies' incredible journey from Canada to Mexico, revealing new migration routesNature NB has introduced innovative Bluetooth tags to monitor monarch butterflies more effectively. These solar-powered BluMorpho tags gath...
Lauren Sanchez and Amazon's Jeff Bezos are pouring $25 million into a massive Pacific Ocean conservation project covering an area larger than AlaskaLauren Sanchez is backing a new Bezos Earth Fund ocean conservation push as Jeff Bezos' philanthropic organization commits more than $25 mi...
French researchers tested zebra stripes and checkerboards on wind turbines. The surprising result may change how blades are painted to protect birdsIn an effort to reduce bird collisions with wind turbines, researchers are investigating how to enhance the visibility of turbine blades. V...
Since 1960s, Britain’s European turtle doves have suffered an almost 99% population decline. In 2026, 30 birds were released to restore the speciesBritain’s European turtle dove population has fallen by 98% since the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 2026, conservationists released 30 bir...
Jack Miner banding a duck in Ontario in 1909; news from South Carolina the following year revealed where it had travelledJack Miner began bird banding in Ontario in 1909 with his first mallard, Katie. Katie's recovery in South Carolina provided the first compl...
Microsoft is funding a bet on mud: Inside the race to rewet 23 square miles of North Carolina peat before it dries out and burnsNorth Carolina's peatlands, vital carbon stores, are being restored by Pantheon Regeneration. These ancient ecosystems hold twice the carbo...
In the early Holocene, West Siberian peatlands started storing carbon. Today, 11,700 years later, the lowland holds 70 billion tonnes, but thawing puts the store at riskThe West Siberian Lowland holds a vast carbon store dating back to the early Holocene. This immense peatland, the world's largest, contains...
Since 2014, US farmers have been deliberately flooding their fields to create habitat for migratory birds; a decade later, 180,000 acres of farmland have become temporary wetlands serving as vital habitat for millions of birdsBirdReturns pays farmers to flood fields, creating vital temporary wetlands for migrating birds. This initiative helps birds and also reple...
In 2024, Naturskyddsföreningen Skåne launched a wetland revival when white storks vanished locally in the 1950s. 6 years later, it aims to support 100 pairs in Southern SwedenExtensive agricultural drainage drove Sweden’s white storks to local extinction in 1954. To bring them back, Naturskyddsföreningen Skåne la...
For centuries, nobody knew where disappearing birds went; then in 1822, one wounded stork returned to Germany carrying a bizarre clue from AfricaA stork found in Germany in 1822 carried an African arrow through its neck. This discovery provided crucial early evidence for bird migrati...
In 1987, Denmark launched restoration of 2,200 hectares around the Skjern River. 19 years later, SPA status arrived in 2006 as wildlife returned to the restored wetlandsDenmark restored the Skjern River wetlands after agricultural decline and pollution. The project re-meandered over twenty kilometers of riv...
Science says birds can navigate using Earth’s magnetic field, here’s how their invisible compass may workWhat scientists increasingly understand is that bird navigation is far more complex than simply following familiar landmarks. Through an in...
In 2002, Shattuck Chemical agreed to pay $1.25 million for restoration of South Platte River following years of chemical release. 10 years later, the river was restored for migratory birds and native speciesHazardous substances near Shattuck Chemical Company prompted a settlement for restoration projects. Funds supported habitat improvements al...
In 1901, a Stanford graduate accidentally found mysterious bones in California. His discovery helped reveal a lost world of 600 ancient speciesIn a fascinating turn of events, geologist William Warren Orcutt uncovered ancient animal bones within asphalt deposits, revealing a captiv...
In 2022, a four-month-old bar-tailed godwit left Alaska on its first migration; it flew 13,560 km nonstop and reached Tasmania 11 days laterA remarkable bar-tailed godwit embarked on a breathtaking journey, soaring 8,425 miles from Alaska to Tasmania in a single, relentless stre...
In 1965, a mountaineer climbed 6,000 feet and found a seabird's last two colonies; he spent the next 50 years keeping it from extinctionA New Zealand salesman made a notable discovery in 1965 by locating nesting sites for the Hutton's shearwater, a unique alpine seabird. Sad...
In 1964, an Australian couple camped on a North Queensland island; their decades-long campaign helped a pigeon colony recover from under 2,000 birds to more than 40,000In 1965, Margaret and Arthur Thorsborne initiated a bird count that has become one of the most enduring wildlife studies globally. Their un...