Big Bear Bald Eagles: Eagle nests grow to enormous sizes over years of annual repairs and additions. Bald eagles in St. Petersburg, FL, built the largest eagle nest ever recorded: 9.5 ft wide, 20 ft deep, >4,400 lb (2 tons). Jackie and her "co-branch manager" Shadow are building up their nest...

Studies have found that wolves in the Midwest and Canada not only keep deer populations in check, but they also alter deer behavior in ways that help prevent car crashes and save human lives. wapo.st/4peEOoI (gift). Lots of pictures and videos in article; a few include dead deer. 🌎

Trump presided over a historic year of dismantling climate policies, aggressively pulling the US away from its global role in climate & environmental research, diplomacy, regulation, & investment. He dismantled many climate & pollution regulations, cut back the federal govt's role in disasters,...

Small actions can lead to big results: In 1980, Devaki Amma of Kerala, India, was in a life-threatening car accident. It was 3 years before she could even walk again. To escape the pain and boredom, she started growing plants and trees on 5 acres of barren land next to the farmlands.

“A program that provides roughly $50 an acre will not save the thousands of family farms that will go bankrupt.” The USDA's $12B aid package for farmers is not enough to address financial issues compounded by Trump's agenda: tariffs, trade war with China, rising input costs, lower prices,...

Trump puts lumps of coal in Americans' Christmas stockings. Trump gave 2 gifts to coal: 2 coal-burning power plants in Indiana to stay open, and hundreds of coal plants given an additional 5 years before they need to prevent toxic chemicals from leaching into sources of drinking water.

Prior to the 1900s, on Christmas day, hunters competed to shoot the most birds, decimating some bird species. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) replaced that event, drawing thousands of birders who support conservation. Volunteers count birds they see or hear within a 15-mile circle on 1 day...

Wildlife heroes: In 2020, Chris Allieri "couldn't believe" he was seeing tiny Piping Plovers and chicks competing for space with people and dogs on a NYC beach. His response? He created the NYC Piping Plover Project (@nycploverproject.bsky.social). Today, 100s of volunteers watch over the Plovers...

Wildlife heroes: Harsh Maine winters cause many wild creatures to die of starvation. For 4 decades, Richard and Randy McMahon--father and son--have put out food for deer from Dec-Apr. Feeding troughs filled with oats, apples, and acorns feed 200-250 deer each winter. Each deer eats 2-5 lb food/day.

Trump’s EPA wants to gut the Clean Water Act by stripping federal protections from millions of acres of wetlands and streams. Waterways that support drinking water supplies, wildlife habitat, and flood protection would be exposed to toxic pollution, industrial buildout, and long-term damage.

Orange, NSW, Falcons: Girri fledged just 5 days ago and has already made it to the top of the water tower (the nest is in one side of the tower). Watch as she chases her parents and buzzes the tower (video by @skh4birdies.bsky.social): www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yvn.... #birds

After halting leasing of federal lands/waters for new wind farms in January, Trump is now going after Biden-era projects. Trump just froze leases for 5 wind farms citing "national security concerns." The projects, worth $25B, were expected to power >2.5M homes/businesses across the Eastern US, ...

Orange, NSW, Falcons: On Dec. 21, 3 days after fledging, Girri was spotted in an area 3-400 meters from the water tower where her nest is located. She was in fine form—heard more often than seen—and her parents were keeping watch. Later that day, she experienced her first thunderstorm.

Growl... Today the U.S. House passed H.R. 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act. This bill removes gray wolves in the lower 48 US states from Endangered Species Act protections, leaving them open to mass kills in the states. In Feb. 2021, for example, 216 wolves were killed in WI in <60 hours.

Climate change, pollution, habitat loss, & exploitation are threatening countless animals & plants with extinction. It's critical that we commit to protecting those species. Instead, Trump has launched another attack on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) so industries can mine/drill/log/destroy...

Orange, NSW, Falcons: Girri fledged today @8:46 am AEDT, flying into the trees in front of the nest. The "ground crew" spotted her safe/uninjured in a tree and being mobbed by magpies (likely unhappy about yet another Peregrine in the 'hood). Diamond (mum) is keeping an eye on her. She & her mate...

#Science is a foundational source of US wealth. Consider the National Center for Atmospheric Research in CO: It's responsible for many of the largest scientific advances in our understanding of weather & climate. Its resources are used in forecasting weather events & disasters. Its scientists...

Orange, NSW, Falcons: Just 11 days ago, Girri was a round ball of fluff with juvenile feathers just starting to come in. Today, at 42 days, she has her juvenile flight feathers with bits of down charmingly poking out. She's also slimmed down (mum feeds her less to get her flight ready).

Big Bear Bald Eagles: While Jackie and Shadow were busy with nestorations (28 new sticks in a day's work!), they spotted one then later a second juvenile enter their territory. Hackles raised, they vocalized but did not chase: could they be Sunny and Gizmo, their 2025 chicks?

The Covid-19 pandemic showed how wildlife responds when humans disappear. The dark-eyed juncos that colonized UCLA 20 years ago displayed urban traits like shorter wings and stubbier beaks. When campus closed, juncos born there reverted to wildland beaks; after reopening, urban beaks returned.

Human-caused climate change, pollution, habitat loss, and exploitation are threatening countless animals and plants with extinction. It's critical that we strengthen our commitment to protect those species. Instead, Trump has launched another attack on the Endangered Species Act (ESA)...

Orange, NSW, Falcons: Males usually feed females during courtship, incubation, and pair bonding. I’ve never seen a female feed her mate an entire meal. Captured in this video, Diamond (mum) was feeding her very hungry chick, Girri. When her mate, Gimbir, showed up, she abruptly switched...

A federal court has ruled that Trump’s attempt to freeze wind energy development nationwide was unlawful. That decision vacates his Day One directive that ordered federal agencies to halt all approvals for onshore and offshore wind projects indefinitely. A judge called his order “capricious.”

Orange, NSW, Falcons: Prior to fledging, chicks will spend hours exercising their wings (aka wingercising). Unsurprisingly, Girri takes it to the next level in the wind…and rain…and hail. She also takes a bath in the rain…and is still adorable, if soggy.

Introduced in the Senate by Republicans, the Border Lands Conservation Act would amend the Wilderness Act to allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct otherwise prohibited activities in designated wilderness areas and would remove the authority of federal agencies...

Keeping the best company: Trump sided with Saudi Arabia, Russia, & Iran to block part of a UN report calling to phase out fossil fuels, switch to clean energy, and reduce plastics. The targeted section was a summary of the Global Environment Outlook 7, a report used by governments to guide...

Beavers can be a nuisance for ranchers, leaving pastures muddy and unusable. They also do much good: their dams reduce runoff, recharge groundwater, build habitat for wildlife, help streams recover sediment, and create watering holes. Beavers are also critical to keeping water on dry landscapes...

Chinook salmon are a favorite food for Pacific white-sided dolphins, but they’re too large for them to capture and swallow whole (they can’t break up prey before ingestion). #Orcas, on the other hand, are not as efficient as #dolphins at finding salmon. Video has captured them working together....

>620,000 miles of barbed-wire fences divide the American West. They keep cattle contained. But they also carve up ecosystems unnaturally, block wildlife migration paths, and cause injury/death to ensnared animals. Wyoming ranchers are experimenting with GPS collars on cattle that enable them...

Data from birders informs wildlife conservation: A groundbreaking study used >31M eBird checklists to reveal how wildfire impacts vary for 6 US bird species of concern. The research found that fire mgmt needs to be customized, as species showed different responses to fire depending on location.

NEW BIRD discovered in the remote Serra do Divisor mountains of Brazil: the slaty-masked tinamou. The bird's appearance and behavior are strikingly different from any known relative, and its long, haunting, and diffused vocalizations confound a listener’s sense of distance and direction.

You can be a bird (and other wildlife) hero. It's as simple as having * The Animal Help Now website or app on your phone * A box w/air holes, pet carrier, or a paper bag with a clip in your car trunk (you can also get help picking up the animal; don't handle large or potentially dangerous animals)

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology (@cornellbirds.bsky.social) offers free scientific seminars featuring expert guest panelists. Watch this year's Birds of the World Discovery Webinars and sign up for upcoming events: birdsoftheworld.org/bow/news/bow.... #birds

Northern Royal Albatross, one of the world’s largest seabirds, have returned from the sea to New Zealand’s Taiaroa Head to breed. This year, the nest cam is focused on 12-year-old female BOK (Blue, Orange, blacK leg bands) and 11-year-old male WYL (White, Yellow, Lime leg bands).

Between 2004-2012, >60,000 penguins in 2 South African colonies starved to death because of climate change & overfishing sardines. The new research reports that the penguins likely died during their annual 21-day moult. Without feathers, penguins must stay on land. If they can’t find food before...

This year, the hole in the ozone layer (OL) over the Antarctic was the smallest & shortest-lived since 2019. A stratospheric shield that protects life on Earth from UV rays, the OL has been worn down by human pollution. Since ozone-depleting chemicals were phased out by the 1987 Montreal protocol...

Orange, NSW, Falcons: A Peregrine brood is typically 3-4 chicks that spend chickhood cuddling and playing together. Mum steps in, indulging her very big girl with some time together (video by @skh4birdies.bsky.social): www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRrn.... #birds

Fuel efficiency standards have compelled automakers to increase MPG to reduce fuel consumption, encourage electric cars, and cut CO2 emissions. Calling EVs "the green new scam" and giving oil/gas another boost, Trump has lowered fuel efficiency standards to an avg of 34.5 MPG in model year 2031...

It comes as no surprise that Trump's nominee to head the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Steve Pearce, has regularly championed selling off public lands, opposed protections for special places, and worked to make it easier for oil and gas companies to operate on public lands.

Orange, NSW, Falcons: If watching the antics of an astonishingly large, very fluffy, and really adorable Peregrine chick is the break you need right now, @skh4birdies.bsky.social has a video for you: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC31.... #birds

Just as humans pass houses down through generations, so do some birds pass down nests, even through centuries. For example, Bearded Vultures nest in caves on cliffs in Europe, returning every year to the same caves to raise broods. The birds build the nest up with new nesting material each year....

Many birds delay incubation until the clutch is complete for synchronized hatching. Others, such as these Western Barn Owls, start incubating with the 1st egg, so the owls hatch asynchronously. Despite obvious age differences (1 adult is in back), these chicks are all from the same clutch. #birds

New analysis by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable of outdoor recreation on federal public lands: * Generates $128B/year in economic activity * Supports >900,000 jobs * Pours ~$6B/year in tax revenue into the Treasury * Contributes to physical and mental health of Americans (priceless)

The culprit broke into the #liquor store through the roof. And left a trail of destruction through the store: broken bottles of rum, moonshine, peanut butter whiskey, vodka, even some holiday eggnog scattered on the floor and partially consumed. . . .

3 cyclones with devastating flooding occurred in South and Southeast Asia this week: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/w.... What happened? Climate change has heated oceans, and warmer water forms and strengthens cyclones more rapidly. Heat also weakens vertical wind shear, which helps break up storms....

Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross (Mōlī), is at least 75 years old and the world's oldest known wild bird. She and her mate of last year have returned to the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge for the 2026 nesting season. Wisdom was first seen and banded in 1956, after she had already laid an egg...

Trump has slashed environmental regulations to expand oil & gas drilling. Is it working? His energy strategy IS projected to generate more pollution. But fossil fuel production ISN'T much higher than record levels during the Biden era (ouch). Prices at the pump dipped briefly, but nowhere near...

Deforestation, agriculture, and overhunting in the US brought Wild Turkeys to the brink of extinction in the '30s. In the '40s, conservation efforts began restoring them to their former range. Today, there are >6M Wild Turkeys, up from a low of ~30K. Although they are thriving in some areas...

Big Bear Valley Eagles: Jackie & Shadow have begun nestorations, preparing for eggs typically laid in late Jan. A mated pair since 2018, they're a joy to watch as they carefully position--and reposition--each other's sticks. Another aspect of nesting season is defending the nest from juveniles...

Orange, NSW, Falcons: 3.5-week-old Girri has been patiently coaching her first-time dad in the care and feeding of his big girl ever since she emerged from the eggshell loudly demanding food (video by @skh4birdies.bsky.social): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z62Q....