May 23rd, 1922
The Northern Shrike: Songbird Like No Other
Not long ago, John Wright of Fairbanks heard a thump against a window above his deck. He pulled on his coat and walked out to investigate. He was surprised to see a lovely pine grosbeak down on the deck. Standing above it was a northern shrike — a predatory songbird with a black eye-mask that […]
Under Cover of Thanksgiving, Trump Administration Pushes to Relax Rules Protecting Birds
The proposal—which the administration admits would likely lead to more avian deaths—would let energy and other companies off the hook for “incidentally” killing birds. Despite acknowledging that the move would lead to an increase in the 500 million to one billion birds that die each year in the United States due to human activity, the […]
World traveler visits South Fairbanks
SOUTH FAIRBANKS — Just after 3 a.m., over this city built near the confluence of two rivers, the sun rose with the color of an orange Creamsicle. I watched this sunrise with my wife, who is a bird biologist. She needed to do point counts along the route of a proposed new road through […]
Kirby Corp Fined $2.9 Million for British Columbia Oil Spill
The Nathan E. Stewart is seen surrounded by booms after sinking near Bella Bella. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Canadian Coast Guard A fine of $2.9 million was levied against Texas-based Kirby Corp for the October 2016 spill of 110,000 liters of diesel and other heavy oils on the fishing grounds of the Heiltsuk Nation when it […]
Alaskan Taxidermist Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Exotic Birds into the U.S.
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Heinrich “Henry” Springer, of Anchorage, Alaska, has pled guilty to conspiracy to smuggle wildlife and other protected species, transporting wildlife in violation of foreign law, and concealing illegally imported merchandise. The guilty plea was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Between May 2010 and […]
Researcher: Turkeys a Major Part of Ancestral Pueblo Life
PULLMAN, Wash. – While the popular notion of the American Thanksgiving is less than 400 years old, the turkey has been part of American lives for more than 2,000 years. But for much of that time, the bird was more revered than eaten. Washington State University archaeologists over the years have repeatedly seen evidence, from […]
Analysis of Fossilized Antarctic Bird’s ‘Voice Box’ Suggests Dinosaurs Couldn’t Sing
The oldest-known vocal organ of a bird has been found in an Antarctic fossil that is related to ducks and geese and lived during the age of the dinosaurs, more than 66 million years ago. The discovery of the Mesozoic Era vocal organ — called a syrinx — and its apparent absence in non-avian dinosaur […]