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Mystery shrub
Do you recognize these colorful leaves?
(The answer is at the end of this newsletter.)
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Update on White-nose Syndrome
From Bat Conservation International:
New research by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center and its partners confirms that the fungus, Geomyces destructions, is the cause of White-nose Syndrome (WNS).
WNS has devastated bat populations across the eastern US during the past four years, causing "the most precipitous wildlife decline in the past century in North America," according to biologists.
It has killed more than a million bats since it was discovered in a single New York cave in 2006.
WNS causes bats to awaken more often during hibernation and use up the stored fat reserves needed to get them through the winter. Infected bats often emerge too soon from hibernation and are often seen flying around in midwinter. These bats usually freeze or starve to death.
It has been spreading into other parts of the US and among other species of bats. Ultimately, bats across North America are at imminent risk.
Read more about:
* White Nose Syndrome
* Bats in general and how important they are ...
* Support bat conservation by joining Bat Conservation International |
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Bigger flocks are smarter flocks
 | Flock of goldfinches
(Not the feeder in the experiment) |
Just as groups of people include individuals with a varied set of skills and experiences, so do flocks of birds researchers are discovering.
And just as groups of people can often solve problems better than can individuals, flocks of birds may do so as well.
When researchers offered a novel feeder, birds in large flocks were more often successful in extracting seeds than were birds in smaller flocks. Besides a larger "pool of competence," birds in larger flocks may be benefiting from having more eyes on the lookout for predators. Read more from Project FeederWatch ... |
 | | Red-bellied woodpecker |
Human causes of bird fatalities
The world is a dangerous place for birds!
Unfortunately, humans are the cause of many fatalities.
Here are the 13 top killers from FLAP.org (statistics are per year).
Glass windows: 100 to 900+ million
House cats: 100 million
Cars/trucks: 50 to 100 million
Electric transmission lines: up to 174 million
Agriculture pesticides: 67 million
Land development: unknown but a great threat
Communication towers: 4 to 10 million
Stock tank drowning: unknown
Oil and gas extraction: 1 to 2 million
Logging and strip mining: unknown
Commercial fishing: unknown
Electrocution (raptors): more than 1,000
Hunting: 100+ million
For more information on many of these issues, go to FLAP.org and click on Urban Threats to Birds in the left hand menu.
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The mystery shrub
 | Oakleaf hydrangea (about 6 ft)
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It's the Eastern US native oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia).
It not only has beautiful flowers in the summer, but also has these beautiful leaves in the fall.
It grows in sun to light shade, and (in my experience) the parts of the shrub in the sun have more colorful leaves.
Interestingly, as its fertile flowers are pollinated, its sterile flowers turn pinkish.  It even has beautiful exfoliating bark. All in all, a very handsome plant! |
