September 27 is National Public Lands Day and the largest volunteer effort in the US to clean up national parks. (With budget cuts, parks need our help!) Admission is free to everyone. The Bureau of Land Management supplies everything you need to beautify our parks.

A huge wind project by Revolution Wind in RI and CT was blocked by Trump when it was 80% complete. A judge determined that Revolution Wind (RW) will be allowed to resume work immediately, while the Interior Dept continues its investigation into the project's impacts (i.e., Trump hates wind power).

Who can turn their heads all the way around? Although it appears that #owls can, they can "only" turn their heads about 270 degrees. Find out how owls do it and how owls' and humans' necks differ (2-min. video by @cornellbirds.bsky.social): academy.allaboutbirds.org/can-owls-tur...? #birds

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the nation’s leading scientific advisory body, has issued a major report detailing the strongest evidence to date that carbon dioxide, methane, and other planet-warming greenhouse gases threaten human health.

Adorable Puffins are adept in 2 worlds: flying through the air and diving deep underwater for fish. How do they do it? This 7-min. video from @cornellbirds.bsky.social uses super slow motion and still photos to capture these birds’ astonishing skills: www.allaboutbirds.org/news/atlanti.... #birds

In 2009, the EPA determined that greenhouse gases are air pollutants that endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change. Known as the Endangerment Finding, it is the foundation of Clean Air Act protections that limit climate pollution from power plants, vehicles, etc.

Since ~2020, spontaneous underground explosions have been leaving holes >150 ft deep in Siberia (BBC video): www.bbc.com/future/artic.... Since then, scientists have linked the explosions to climate change and rising temperatures: as the permafrost thaws, pockets of methane form below the surface.

The Roadless Rule was created to protect #forests for people, #birds, and all #wildlife -- and to end roads and logging in our wildest lands. Trump now wants to repeal it. Look at some of the millions of acres this landmark conservation policy has protected (left, Tongass National Forest) and...

Hellgate Osprey Chronicles (Sep. 17): Iris hasn't been seen since Sep. 14. In the days prior, she was seen eating a lot of fish, likely packing on fat reserves for fall migration's long journey. New Guy left earlier. Mated pairs don’t migrate together but will return to their nest in spring.

On Sep. 24, 9 am - 5 pm EDT, @nytimes.com is hosting "Climate Forward," a live event with a great lineup of speakers investigating what comes next for our rapidly warming planet. Tickets are sold out, but you can register for the livestream: nyt.swoogo.com/climateforwa...? 🌎

In 2009, the EPA determined that greenhouse gases are air pollutants that endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change. Known as the Endangerment Finding, it is the foundation of Clean Air Act protections that limit climate pollution from power plants, vehicles, etc.

I think I'm having a remote mind meld with the person who creates the daily #Wordle . . . September 16, 2025 Wordle 1,550 2/6* ⬜🟨⬜🟩🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 September 15, 2025 Wordle 1,549 2/6* ⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 September 14, 2025 Wordle 1,548 2/6* 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

In a love letter to #butterflies, @margaretrenkl.bsky.social notes the steep declines of US butterflies and the urgent need to protect them from further losses. Our gov't is not going to do anything; it's up to us to care. Renkl offers tips for ID'ing butterflies and what we can do to help them:

Good news for birds! Thanks to public concern (yes we can make a difference!) and action by @abcbirds.bsky.social and partners, the US Air Force has withdrawn plans to build 2 rocket landing pads on Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. The atoll is essential habitat for at least 1.5 million...

Fall bird migration runs from ~Aug. 1 to Nov. 30 in the contiguous US. Migration is now active on Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways, with activity picking up on the Central Flyway. When will migration peak in your city? Peak periods are windows during which 50% of total nocturnal bird migration...

Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, describes this moment in America as a battle between “family and nature” and those who celebrate “everything that is warped, twisted and depraved” (www.nytimes.com/2025/09/13/u...).

Founded in 2021, the Search for Lost Birds supports efforts to search for birds with no recent documented observations. There have been a number of exciting rediscoveries of these ‘lost’ species recently, but there are still >100 species on the list waiting to be found or proven extinct.

Researchers have found that >80% of birds-of-paradise species convert the sun’s invisible UV light into vivid yellows and greens. Specialized structures in the birds’ feathers, beaks, and skin make that biofluorescence possible. And there's more: www.allaboutbirds.org/news/ultravi...? #birds

The Roadless Rule was created because we wanted #forests protected for people, #birds, and all #wildlife--and an end to roadbuilding and logging. Trump now wants to repeal it. Look at some of the millions of acres this landmark conservation policy has protected (left, Tongass National Forest) and...

The BirdCast forecast map shows migration is very active tonight along the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways. How? BirdCast analyzes data from weather radars to separate bird migration from other activity: non-biological (rain, hurricanes, etc.) and other biological (bats, insects).

Sydney White-bellied Sea Eagles: Lady became a "mumbrella" during a spring storm as she kept her two 4-week-old chicks warm and dry. Wet and cold conditions are very dangerous for eaglets: they haven't developed their waterproof feathers and are vulnerable to hypothermia.

Climate scientists are declaring victory after Trump dissolved a working group of 5 climate contrarians who authored a DoE report questioning the severity of climate change. The group’s end was a lawsuit filed by @envdefensefund.bsky.social and @ucs.org: www.cnn.com/2025/09/10/c.... 🌎

Beautiful blue-and-white Tree Swallows speed, swoop, & turn to expertly grab insects out of thin air. How do they do it? This video from @cornellbirds.bsky.social uses super slow motion & still photos to capture these birds’ astonishing flight skills: www.allaboutbirds.org/news/tree-sw.... #birds

The US is now a welfare state . . . for billionaires. Current US subsidies for the fossil-fuel industry amount to ~$31bn per year, according to analysis by Oil Change Int'l. Likely an understatement, that figure has more than doubled since 2017 and gives the sector 30,000% returns on investments.

The Roadless Rule has protected 58 million acres of our wildest national forests from road building and logging since 2001. Trump now wants to repeal those protections, enabling the timber industry to build roads and haul forests to sawmills. Those forests belong to their wild inhabitants and to us.

Another attack on public lands by Congress: House Republicans have voted to use Congressional Review Act to invalidate land mgmt plans protecting the use of 15 million acres of public lands--and to open them to oil drilling and coal mining. @wessiler explains: wessiler.substack.com/p/congress-j....

Essential to functioning ecosystems, insects are declining at alarming rates--even in remote areas. A 20-year study in CO found an average annual decline of 6.6% in insect abundance, amounting to a 72.4% drop over the 20-year period. The steep decline was associated with rising summer temperatures.

Ember research group reports that China’s surge in renewables is rapidly reshaping energy choices, creating the conditions for a worldwide decline in global fossil fuel use: ember-energy.org/latest-insig.... Data points: Scale of Chinese production since 2010 has driven the price down by 60-90%.

In 2009, the EPA determined that greenhouse gases are air pollutants that endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change. Known as the Endangerment Finding, it is the foundation of Clean Air Act protections that limit climate pollution from power plants, vehicles, etc.

New research maps the ways humans are profoundly reshaping worldwide oceans and coastlines. Not surprisingly, many of Earth’s marine ecosystems could be fundamentally and forever altered if pressures like climate change, overfishing, ocean acidification, and coastal development continue unabated.

Ospreys eat only 1 thing: fish. And they hunt fish better than any other bird. How? This video from @cornellbirds.bsky.social captures the Osprey’s hunting technique in super slow motion and still photos to understand nature's ultimate "fisherbird": www.allaboutbirds.org/news/the-slo...? #birds

Another attack on public lands by Congress: House Republicans have voted to use Congressional Review Act to invalidate land mgmt plans protecting the use of 15 million acres of public lands--and to open them to oil drilling and coal mining. @wessiler explains: wessiler.substack.com/p/congress-j....

For decades, the dry season in the Amazon rainforest has been getting drier. A new study found that about 75% of the decrease in rainfall is directly linked to deforestation. The study also found that tree loss was 16% responsible for a 2°C increase in heat across the Amazon since 1985.

Over the first 7 months of 2025, electric vehicle sales are up 27% globally compared to 2024. Breaking it down: China, 6.5 million EVS sold, +29%; Europe, 2.3 million, +30%; North America, 1.0 million, +2%; and the rest of the world, 0.9 million, +42%.

Too often, dead trees (snags) are seen as no longer useful, as an eyesore in need of removal. But nature has another plan: when trees die, they also give life. As trees decline, they shelter insects, feed birds and other wildlife their sap and those insects, and...

Sept. 6 is International Vulture Awareness Day! By consuming carcasses, #vultures prevent the spread of deadly diseases. Their bald heads, super-strong stomach acid, and ability to process pathogens--even anthrax--make them perfectly adapted for that essential role.

Fall migration is heating up, notably along the Mississippi Flyway. A major danger for the feathered warriors in their heroic journeys is bright lights, which disorient and cause collisions with buildings, etc. Please turn off unnecessary outdoor lights and close curtains between 11 pm and 6 am.

The Roadless Rule has protected 58 million acres of our wildest national forests from road building and logging since 2001. Trump now wants to repeal those protections, enabling the timber industry to build roads and haul our forests to sawmills. Those forests belong to wildlife and to us.

Is this every gardener's dream: a #garden that takes care of itself? If so, you can make your dream come true: grouping plants the way they grow in the wild creates a garden that requires little to no weeding, fertilizing, or pesticides. Called "guild" planting, it mimics wild plant ecosystems...

Hellgate Ospreys Chronicles (Sep 4): Iris and New Guy showed up briefly together on the nest--seeming to sense some danger--then left quickly. Iris typically leaves for fall migration between Sep 4 and 8. Also typically, the male leaves before the female. They don't migrate together...

Urgent: Republicans are making another attack on #publiclands. For the first time, House Republicans voted to use the Congressional Review Act to invalidate Resource Management Plans governing permitting on public lands. @wessiler.bsky.social explains: wessiler.substack.com/p/congress-j....

Can conservation be a defensive weapon--the ultimate win-win? Finland and Poland are considering restoring peat bogs to form defense barriers against a potential Russian ground invasion. Wetlands that accumulate peat are made up of spongy, waterlogged ground that is impenetrable for tanks.

It's been 2 years since bird flu (H5N1) began burning through global wildlife, causing the deaths of tens of millions of wild birds. It's now spring--bird migration--in Oceania, which has so far kept the virus out. Consider New Zealand: it's home to ~100 bird species found nowhere else in the world.

Every animal has a role in a healthy ecosystem. We humans meddle at our peril. Bison were nearly driven to extinction in the 1800s. A study in Yellowstone Park of the last migratory herd offers a glimpse into the crucial role they once played in their ecosystem--and perhaps still could.

Hellgate Ospreys Chronicles (Sep 3): Iris and New Guy share a love of nest architecture. Compare the nest today (left) and the nest on May 16 (right), shortly after New Guy arrived. The perch (right side of nest) used to look down into the nest. Watch: www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/hellgat.... #birds

Are you ready for some fall foliage? Smoky Mountains National Park has published its 2025 Fall Foliage Prediction Map. The interactive map shows peak fall projections in contiguous U.S. counties: minimal colors, patchy changes, full force foliage, and past-peak conditions. This year's predictions?

Hellgate Ospreys: New Guy would like you to know that "reports of my departure are greatly exaggerated." He and Iris have spent most of the summer in the nearby forest, especially during these very hot days. Nest cam: www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/hellgat.... #birds

More than half of N. American bird species are migratory. Their epic journeys have always been perilous but are now even riskier. Climate change means more extreme weather as well as disappearing habitats and water for stopovers along the way. Humans put up collision hazards like glass windows...

Hellgate Ospreys: How did Iris get her name? And how do we know that it's Iris who has returned to Hellgate since 1999? The answer to both: her eyes. Iris can be identified by the unique black spots on her iris, below the pupil. Watch the nest: www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/hellgat.... #birds

Hellgate Ospreys Chronicles (Aug. 30): New Guy hasn't been seen in a few days and may have started migration. (He's young and apparently didn't know that he's supposed to leave after Iris.) Before migrating, Ospreys often do nest maintenance as they usually return to the same nest every spring...