Albatross

Wisdom: 

Oldest Living Banded Bird Returns to Wildlife Refuge

Published by the US Department of the Interior,  November 30, 2015

Meet Wisdom, the oldest living, banded, wild bird.

This 64-year-old bird returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge on November 19, 2015, after a year at sea. A few days later, she was observed with her mate. Wisdom departed soon after mating but refuge workers expect her back any day to lay her egg.

Wisdom was first banded in 1956. And because Laysan albatross do not return to breed until they are at least five years old, it is estimated Wisdom is at least 64 years old, but she could be older.

Although Laysan albatrosses typically mate for life, Wisdom has likely had more than one mate and has raised as many as 36 chicks. Laying only one egg per year, a breeding albatross will spend a tiring 130 days (approximately) incubating and raising a chick. When not tending to their chicks, albatross forage hundreds of miles out at sea periodically returning with meals of squid or flying fish eggs. Wisdom has likely clocked over six million ocean miles of flight time.

Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is home to the largest albatross colony in the world and 70 percent of the world’s Laysan albatross population. Midway Atoll is one of more than 560 wildlife refuges that make up the National Wildlife Refuge System. National wildlife refuges provide habitat for more than 700 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species and more than 1,000 species of fish.

Learn more about Wisdom at: http://usfwspacific.tumblr.com.

Photos by Kiah Walker, USFWS.

I hope you enjoyed this amazing story!

Til next time,

Meggi

Shell Oil and the Arctic

How People like You Save the Arctic!

For 3.5 years, people like All of Us campaigned to stop oil giant Shell from drilling in Arctic waters. 

 Mother and cub [Copyright M. Raeder-Photography]

Finally, this year, after relentless work by many environmental organizations, Shell announced that it is ending its Arctic drilling plans!

It's been an amazing year in the fight to save the Arctic — and it's because of your action. From kayaktivist flotillas in Seattle to bridge climbers in Portland to the millions of people who signed petitions, wrote letters and called the White House, this was a victory fueled by people power. Watch the story unfold in the video below!






Peter Capaldi narrates the story of how All of Us won this monumental victory for the Arctic.



[Ref: Video by GreenPeace]


Til next time,
Meggi

                                           Mother and 2 cubs [Copyright M. Raeder-Photography]

Birds-ClimateChange

Hyacinth Macaw

Birds tell us!

Thoughts by Lynsy Smithson-Stanley is the Deputy Director of Climate & Strategic Initiatives.

Over time and across cultures, birds have sent us warning signals about the health of our environment. Never has their message been more urgent: Birds are telling us climate change is here, and it threatens birds worldwide.

Macaw [M.Raeder-Photography]

Research shows that climate change poses grave risks to birds around the globe, and those impacts will intensify as warming continues. For instance:

·  Disappearing sea ice is already making it harder for Emperor Penguins to find food and raise their chicks.

·  For mountain-dwelling birds like the Resplendent Quetzal, rising temperatures are driving birds to higher altitudes, which can create more competition for food and suitable habitat - and there are limitation how high the birds can go, what then?

·  Changes in temperature and rainfall could make it harder for the Hyacinth Macaw and other rainforest birds.

Similar trends hold true for other wildlife that is threatened in their natural habitat by changes occurring all around the globe.

As world leaders come together next week in Paris for the Global Climate Talks to take collective action on climate change, it’s important to recognize what nature is telling us and to become aware of our collective actions, to act responsibly, and to protect our blue planet.

Macaw Feathers [M.Raeder-Photography]

Til next time,

Meggi