Latest news with #migratorybirds
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Big question remains over wind farm 'risk' as major projects begin in Australia
As Australia prepares to massively expand offshore wind farms across six priority zones, a group of researchers is racing to unlock the mystery of how much of a risk their blades pose to migratory seabirds. During high winds, 100 to 200-metre-long wind farm blades can rotate at 290km/h, theoretically making mincemeat out of anything that collides with them. While this sounds alarming, it's not known whether seabirds are actually flying at the height they operate at. Monash University's Dr Mark Miller and his team studied how high, fast and at what time of day iconic migratory species like albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters and storm-petrels tend to fly. And while there's still more work to be done, their newly published study indicates the risk could be low. 'These offshore wind turbines are huge, and the distance between the bottom of the blade and the sea surface is around 35 metres. So if you could say all the birds fly under 35 metres, then that's mitigating a lot of the collision risk,' he told Yahoo News. 'What the evidence is telling us is that seabirds fly quite low to the water, but the point is that the evidence is very limited.' If it's confirmed that all birds in their path fly low to the water, then raising the height of turbines could provide a simple solution that reduces collision risk. But more research would be required to better understand the flight paths of other birds, like the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot and swift parrot, which migrate from Tasmania to the mainland. The impact of turbines is likely to be lower than other threats like plastic ingestion, commercial fishing, habitat destruction and climate change, which are thought to be contributing to the deaths of over a million seabirds a year. But migratory seabirds cannot afford to face any new dangers. Around a third are threatened with extinction, and populations have reduced by 70 per cent in just 50 years. Not only is seabird flight data limited, but so is information about how many birds offshore wind farms kill. 'Onshore, if something gets hit, you have people doing surveys. But at the moment, if a bird collides with an offshore turbine, it falls in the sea, and you have no evidence of that mortality,' Miller said. While there are plans to install cameras on offshore turbines, once the farms are installed it will be too late to modify them. And they'll sit in place for 20 to 40 years. 🏡 Ominous sign for Australia's cities after deadly discovery in New Zealand ⛏️ Reason tradies faced 'absolute challenge' fixing deceptively simple old hut 📸 Rare colour footage of extinct Australian animal seen again after 90 years The Monash team is hoping their study, which was published in the Journal of Applied Ecology will help guide policymakers and the wind farm industry before construction begins. Study co-author Associate Professor Rohan Clarke said it's possible to ensure that new renewable energy projects are good for both humans and wildlife. 'One of the key challenges we face is what's known as the 'green-green dilemma', where initiatives designed to reduce environmental impact, such as renewable energy development, can unintentionally harm other ecological values,' he said. 'But we must identify evidence-based solutions to these competing priorities, because climate change remains the single greatest threat to biodiversity. The energy transition isn't optional, it's essential, and finding solutions that support both climate goals and nature is critical.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Sustainability Times
30-06-2025
- General
- Sustainability Times
'Wall of Death for Birds': Saudi Arabia's 105-Mile Mirror Megastructure Will Obliterate Wildlife Along Vital Migration Routes
IN A NUTSHELL 🌍 The Line project in Saudi Arabia is a transformative urban initiative spanning 105 miles, aiming to redefine city living with sustainability. project in Saudi Arabia is a transformative urban initiative spanning 105 miles, aiming to redefine city living with sustainability. 🦅 Environmental concerns arise due to the project's impact on migratory bird routes, as the mirrored exterior poses a collision risk for birds. 🚧 Construction delays are anticipated, with only 300,000 residents expected by 2030, far fewer than the planned nine million. ⚖️ The project highlights the challenge of balancing innovation with ecological preservation, sparking global discussions on sustainable urban development. The ambitious Line project in Saudi Arabia is stirring a significant dialogue across the globe. As part of the Vision 2030 initiative, this 105-mile long urban endeavor promises to redefine city living through cutting-edge design and eco-friendly technology. Yet, amidst its futuristic allure, the project is shadowed by environmental concerns, particularly the threat it poses to migratory birds. This article explores the immense ambition driving The Line, the potential ecological repercussions, and the broader implications for urban development in harmony with nature. The Scale and Ambition of The Line Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 has set the stage for groundbreaking transformations, with The Line being a centerpiece of this initiative. Spanning 105 miles and soaring 1,640 feet, this linear city aims to accommodate nine million residents. Its mirrored facade is designed to seamlessly integrate with the desert landscape, embodying a commitment to advanced sustainability. The city promises to be a beacon of eco-conscious innovation, showcasing how urban living can evolve in tandem with technological progress. However, this impressive ambition is not without its challenges. The project has drawn significant scrutiny from environmentalists who fear its impact on the surrounding ecosystems. The towering walls of glass, integral to the city's aesthetic, could pose lethal threats to bird populations migrating along this critical corridor. The reflective surfaces, while visually striking, risk becoming deadly obstacles for avian species mistaking them for open sky or water. Thus, while the project aims to lead in urban innovation, it also faces the daunting task of addressing these environmental concerns. 'America's First Nuclear Reactor in 50 Years': This Ultra-Compact Power Source Will Deliver Electricity Where No Grid Can Reach Environmental Implications and Avian Threats The environmental implications of The Line are profound, particularly concerning the region's migratory bird routes. Each year, billions of birds traverse this area, relying on it as a key passage between their seasonal habitats. The mirrored exterior of The Line stands as a potential hazard, as birds often collide with reflective surfaces that they mistake for natural elements. Environmental assessments have underscored the dangers posed by such a design. Experts emphasize that the project must reconcile its urban ambitions with the preservation of natural habitats. The threat to birdlife is not just a matter of individual species loss; it represents a broader challenge to maintaining ecological balance. As The Line advances, the question looms: can urban development and environmental preservation coexist without detrimental consequences? 'Deepest Hole on Earth': Quaise Energy Unveils Revolutionary Wave Drilling Tech to Pierce the Planet's Crust Like Never Before Construction Hurdles and Project Delays In addition to ecological concerns, The Line is grappling with substantial construction delays. Initially slated to house nine million residents by 2030, projections now suggest that only 300,000 individuals will reside there by the deadline. These delays stem from the complex task of developing such a vast project in an environmentally sensitive region. Beyond logistical challenges, the project is a flashpoint for debates on urban growth versus environmental stewardship. The ambitious scope of The Line prompts critical questions: Can large-scale urbanization coexist with nature conservation? What ecological costs are we prepared to bear for the promise of futuristic cities? As construction moves forward, these questions remain at the forefront of discussions on the project's feasibility and impact. Japan Stuns the World with 310,000-Ton Oil Behemoth That Shatters Records and Reinvents the Future of Energy Transport Balancing Innovation and Ecological Preservation The Line project embodies the intricate balance between human innovation and environmental care. While poised to usher in a new era of urban living, its ecological footprint and impact on local wildlife cannot be ignored. The massive construction endeavors threaten to overshadow its potential benefits, especially concerning migratory birds. As we look toward the future, the challenge lies in innovating without compromising the natural world. Can sustainable cities emerge without sacrificing the ecosystems that sustain our planet's biodiversity? The Line may serve as both a symbol of progress and a cautionary tale, illustrating the environmental consequences of unchecked development. As Saudi Arabia strives to bring this visionary project to life, the world watches closely, pondering the potential outcomes of such a daring venture. In examining The Line, we confront a critical question: how can we pursue technological dreams while ensuring the protection of our natural environment? The unfolding story of this urban experiment invites reflection on the balance between progress and preservation, urging us to consider the future we wish to build. What lessons will we learn from Saudi Arabia's ambitious endeavor, and how will they shape our approach to sustainable development? Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article. Did you like it? 4.6/5 (22)
Forbes
28-06-2025
- Forbes
Meet The ‘Transcontinental' Bird That Can Fly For 80+ Hours Without Taking A Rest. Hint: It Spends Its Summers In Sweden
Migratory birds are some of nature's most efficient travelers, able to cross oceans and continents ... More in a matter of days or even hours. Here's one migratory bird whose record-setting endurance will surprise you. getty The great snipe ( Gallinago media ) is a master of stamina and endurance. It is a migratory bird who spends its winters in sub-Saharan Africa and its summers in northern Europe or northwestern Russia. And it wastes no time travelling from one pied-à-terre to the other – sometimes completing the trek in as little as 60 hours. That's a statistic so impressive it deserves additional context. Imagine you're a human in central Africa and your goal is to get to north-central Sweden as quickly as possible. One way to do it would be to travel by bus or car to Bangui M'Poko International Airport in the Central African Republic. From there, you could hop on an Ethiopian Airlines plane that would fly to Addis Ababa for a layover, then up to Stockholm. That would take you about a day with some luck. Then, you'd need to grab another flight to the northern part of Sweden, followed by a car or bus ride to your final destination. Realistically, we're talking about two days of travel, minimum. And how about for the great snipe? It flies a direct route, traveling day and night, at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour – and makes no stops, not even for a water break. Depending on conditions, it does the trip in 60 to 90 hours. In other words, it probably beats humans, with modern transportation means at their disposal, 10 or 20% of the time (cancellations, delays, etc.). That's incredible. Not surprisingly, scientists have spent considerable time studying the migratory efficiency of the great snipe. Here are three scientific reasons why the bird is able to travel so far so fast. A great snipe displays on its summer breeding grounds in northern Europe. getty Before diving into how the great snipe migrates so efficiently, it's worth meeting the bird itself. The great snipe ( Gallinago media ) is a medium-sized, stocky shorebird with intricately patterned brown, black, and white plumage that provides camouflage in grasslands and wetlands. Males are slightly smaller than females and are known for dramatic courtship displays involving rapid wing beats and vocal trills. Despite their relatively compact bodies, roughly the size of a pigeon, they're among the most extreme endurance athletes in the animal kingdom. One of their most remarkable flight adaptations is their ability to ascend to high altitudes during daytime migration. Tracked birds regularly fly at heights above 20,000 feet, with one individual reaching 28,000 feet, one of the highest altitudes ever documented for a flapping migratory bird. Why such extreme heights? The answer lies in managing body temperature. At lower daytime altitudes, direct sunlight can cause overheating. Birds can't sweat, so they rely on evaporative cooling, which risks dehydration during nonstop flights. By climbing to colder air, where temperatures can drop well below freezing, great snipes naturally cool their bodies through convection, conserving water and maintaining optimal function. ( Sidebar: The great snipe is among the highest flyers in the bird world – but not the highest. That record goes to a bird that once collided with a commercial jet at 37,000 feet. Read about it here . ) 2. The Great Snipe Flies Higher During the Day to Avoid Predators One great snipe was recorded migrating at an altitude of 28,000 feet, enduring extreme cold, low ... More oxygen, and intense UV radiation without prior acclimatization. getty Another reason behind the great snipe's impressive migratory performance is its ability to avoid aerial predators by adjusting its flight altitude depending on the time of day. During daylight hours, raptors like Eleonora's falcon and peregrine falcon actively hunt small to medium-sized birds. These predators typically patrol altitudes below 10,000 feet, especially around dawn when their prey begins flying again after nighttime rest. By climbing well above these altitudes, the great snipe puts itself out of reach of most of these hunters. Interestingly, the snipe's daily altitude cycle reflects this risk management strategy. After flying at lower altitudes during the relative safety of night, it ascends at dawn, reaching altitudes that make predation much less likely. Then, as the sun sets and predator activity drops, the birds descend again to more oxygen-rich, energy-efficient air layers for night flight. This up-and-down flight pattern isn't just about staying cool; it's about staying alive. 3. Altitude Changes May Help Great Snipes Navigate Using Landmarks The great snipe forages in wet meadows and marshes, probing soft soil for invertebrates such as ... More earthworms, insects, and larvae. getty Efficiency in migration is as much about accurate navigation as it is about endurance. Here, a third factor comes into play: the great snipe's need to orient itself using Earth's surface features. During daylight, flying at higher altitudes provides the great snipe with a broader, more detailed view of the landscape below. This enhanced perspective can be crucial for maintaining direction, identifying key ecological landmarks, or adjusting course over long stretches of terrain such as the Sahara or the Mediterranean. Though many birds navigate using the stars, the sun, Earth's magnetic field, or even olfactory cues, visual landmarks are still important. By climbing higher during the day, great snipes may be able to detect distant rivers, coastlines, or other familiar features, aiding in precise navigation over thousands of kilometers. At night, when visibility drops, these landmarks are harder to see, so there's less reason to remain at higher, less oxygen-rich elevations. As a result, the birds descend into more comfortable altitudes to conserve energy. Are you an animal lover who owns a pet, perhaps even a pet bird? Take the science-backed Pet Personality Test to know how well you know your little friend.
ABC News
27-06-2025
- Science
- ABC News
The 'enduring' mystery of how birds know when Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is filling with water
The most arid corner of Australia is about to burst with life, as Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre braces to reach capacity for just the fourth time in the past 160 years. While the usually-barren salt flats rapidly fill with floodwater from south western Queensland, migratory waterbirds like seagulls, swans, ducks and pelicans will begin descending to the inland oasis in the hundreds of thousands. So — with the lake expected to become entirely full in the coming months — how do birds know that this once-in-a-generation event is happening? The question is one University of New South Wales Professor Richard Kingsford has been striving to answer for the majority of his career. He's spent the past four decades monitoring water birds through aerial surveys. "Birds can go incredible distances," Professor Kingsford said. "Unlike water birds in other parts of the world, that sort of regularly migrate between spring and winter — we don't see any of that. Professor Kingsford said while the majority of the waterbirds found at Kati Thunda-Lake Eyre are native to Australia, some species will travel from as far as China, Russia and Antarctica. He said the birds will capitalise on the opportunities to breed at varying times based on the availability of vegetation, invertebrates and fish. "There's that huge smorgasbord of food," Professor Kingsford said. "It sort of triggers that cascade of different types of species coming in at different points. "You get these wonderful sort of pulses of productivity depending on which waterbird you're talking about." Professor Kingsford said — while still complex — tracking waterbirds had become somewhat easier in recent years with the arrival of satellite tracking technology. "And it it is one of the great mysteries for Australia is how do these birds know where the water is and head off? "We are starting to get some ideas of how they probably do it though." Ecologist Reece Pedler became fascinated by the movements of waterbirds while living in the remote South Australian town of Roxby Downs for a decade. "I now live up in the Strzelecki Desert … so I see this stuff first-hand in my life in the outback that birds are flying around and doing these amazing things," Mr Pedler said. "Birds can arrive really rapidly and their ecology is geared to these unpredictable events. "But we don't know exactly how they know." Mr Pedler, who is the coordinator of the Wild Deserts Project in Sturt National Park, previously studied the breeding behaviour of the banded stilt using solar-powered trackers as part of his PhD. The threatened bird species is most commonly found in Australia's saline coastal wetlands, such as the Coroong or at St Kilda Beach, north of Adelaide. "Those banded stilts might be there for months and months on end or live there year round, " Mr Pedler said. "Then suddenly they disappear when places like Lake Eyre or other lakes in the Western Australian desert fill. Mr Pedler said the abundance of brine shrimp at Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre creates a rare breeding-ground for the threatened species. "They don't breed anywhere else around the coast … so they have to wait years or decades for those opportunities," he said. "And when they breed, they breed in real style, they have thousands of pairs. Mr Pedler said while it was once thought the birds only flew after significant wet events, minimal rainfall was enough to trigger the stilts to leave the coast and head inland. "There's some really complex triggers too because this water that's flowing into Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre now fell in western Queensland in the last week of March," he said. "So the stilts and other water birds that would be turning up at Lake Eyre now are not responding to rainfall or atmospheric queues that have happened in the days prior. "There's potentially lots of different mechanisms occurring and it may be that some different groups of birds have different ways of sensing these things." Several theories of how birds know when Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is filling exist, including them having the ability to detect infrasound, barometric pressure or smell the flooded salt flats on the breeze. "There's been theories like scouts … if pelicans send up observers to go and recce inland sites and come back and tell their mates that there's food on offer," Mr Pedler said. "I guess there's some rationale for that because pelicans can fairly easily fly long distances, they get up to high altitude on thermals and then they can cruise and go for a look. "It's still an open case and there's a lot more work to understand this really fascinating behaviour." Professor Kingsford said as more technology emerges and becomes cheaper, the more scientists like himself will be able to shed light on how birds are able to do what they do. "What's most important about that is working out when are the critical times that we need to protect particular habitats in their life cycle," he said. "I'd love to try and work out what's going on and others are too.
CTV News
21-06-2025
- CTV News
Two people from Ayr and one person from Paris fined a combined $10K for illegal hunting
An Ontario Conservation Office truck is seen in this undated file image. (Submitted: Government of Ontario) Three people are facing hefty fines for illegal hunting. In a news release, the provincial government said two people from Ayr and one person from Paris pleaded guilty to hunting migratory birds within 400 metres of where bait had been deposited. One of the Ayr residents also pleaded guilty to killing more than the daily bag limit of ducks. In total, the trio was fined $10,500 and they are now prohibited from applying for a migratory game bird hunting permit for one year. The penalties stem from an investigation on Sept. 19, 2024. Conservation officers were conducting inspections in the Wrigley Road area in the Region of Waterloo. The officers said they found submerged oats in a pond. When officers went back to the area on Sept. 28, they found the three people at a nearby pond. Investigators said they were hunting ducks where the oats had been submerged, and one person had harvested more ducks than allowed by his daily bag limit. The ducks were seized and forfeited.
