Earlier this year, a small roadside fire in Oregon was detected by a newly launched satellite. It was proof of concept for FireSat, a wildfire detection system that can identify fires as small as 5-by-5 meters long before they grow into disasters. Developed by the Earth Fire Alliance (EFA),...

What inspires a invention? In some cases it's a plant or an animal--called "bioinspiration." Peregrine falcons, the fastest animal on earth, inspired among other things the aerodynamic design of the B-2 stealth bomber. Knobs on the edges of flippers help whales swim in tight circles...

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in MN is one of our most treasured landscapes. Each year, 150,000 people visit its vast network of pristine forests and >1,000 lakes. Trump now plans to revoke a 20-year mining ban and to site a sulfide-ore copper mine at Boundary Waters' headwaters.

The misleadingly titled Fix Our Forests Act was passed by the House and is now in the Senate. Although it sounds like a bill to protect communities from wildfires, it actually allows increased logging in our public lands, reduces our ability to hold federal agencies accountable in the courts,...

Need a break from the news? @audubon.org obliges with their favorite baby bird pics from the 2024 Audubon Photography Awards: www.audubon.org/magazine/get.... Need more? Pics from the 2023 awards: www.audubon.org/magazine/cud.... And 2022: www.audubon.org/magazine/tak.... #birds

Good news for bears: An isolated population of grizzlies struggling to survive in Montana's Yaak Valley got a welcome reprieve last week. In response to a 2022 lawsuit filed by @biologicaldiversity.org and allies, a federal court ruled that the US government had broken multiple laws...

Fall migration is coming to an end, and BirdCast will post its last maps on Nov 15. It was quite a season, with BirdCast spotting 1.25 billion birds in flight on the night of Oct 8, the biggest night of migration yet recorded by BirdCast.

Cornell Lab's All About Birds has introduced a new video series: "Bird in the Spotlight." Each short, ~2-minute video features a North American bird and provides tips on how to ID the bird (bird calls, appearance of males and females, habitat, nest, etc.): www.youtube.com/playlist?lis.... #birds

Every year, the world’s taxonomic authorities propose a newly restructured avian taxonomy. Join the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for a webinar to find out what's new. The 1.5 hour event is on Nov 13 @ 9 am ET.

"Like a bunch of gangsters": 100+ nations were set to approve a historic plan to slash pollution from cargo ships. Then the US stepped in. Diplomats were stunned by “nasty” and “very personal” threats, including blacklisting, financial penalties, tariffs, sanctions, and the revocation of US visas.

Sydney's White-bellied Sea Eagles: Eaglet SE36 fledged today, 12 days after SE35. As usual among eaglet siblings, older SE35 behaved aggressively toward SE36 in the nest, especially at feedings. When both have fledged, though, their relationship changes...

If you have bird feeders, you know that with #birds come #squirrels. They're both delightful in different ways. A case in point: Squirrel demonstrates in video below.

Fall bird migration is winding down. The birds remind you to please turn off non-essential lights from 11 pm to 6 am and to close blinds. They explain: lights attract and disorient us, making us vulnerable to building collisions and other threats such as outdoor cats. And they thank you! #birds 🌎

In Aug-Sep 2020, thousands of migrating birds were found dead in the SW US. Cause? “Compound climate extremes” had pounded the birds until they expired. Climate change increases the threats migrating birds face: heatwaves, storms, droughts, wildfires, etc.: therevelator.org/weather-whip... #birds 🌎

Known as the “3 billion birds paper,” a 2019 study found that the total number of breeding birds in North America (NA) had dropped by ~30% since 1970. Habitat loss and degradation were thought to be the biggest cause, along with factors such as pesticides, building collisions, and domestic cats.

The misleadingly titled Fix Our Forests Act was passed by the House and is now in the Senate. Although it sounds like a bill to protect communities from wildfires, it actually allows increased logging in our public lands, reduces our ability to hold federal agencies accountable in the courts,...

Over the past year, countries have made very slight progress in addressing global warming by tightening policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions. But some of that modest progress will be canceled in the years ahead as the US dismantles climate policies under Trump, according to new UN report.

Climate change is supercharging extreme rainfall. Rising global temperatures have made the atmosphere more waterlogged, resulting in wetter and more dangerous storms. In the past 85 years, the amount of water vapor moving through Earth’s atmosphere has increased 12%, equivalent to...

Coal-fired power plants not only pollute the air but also release toxins such as arsenic and mercury into our waters. In 2024, the EPA finalized stringent wastewater treatment standards for those plants. This year, to support Trump's revival of coal, the EPA is "delaying" those standards.

This Halloween, what is truly scary is the destruction the Trump regime is unleashing on our public lands, on the environment, and on wildlife. Will Pattiz of @morethanjustparks.bsky.social felt the dark, melancholy, and ominous tone of Poe’s “The Raven” captures the times we’re in today.

A gorgeous, unforgettable film, "The American Southwest" takes you on a journey down the Colorado River, along the way exploring the region’s wildlife and plants, cultural history, and uncertain future. The story travels through legendary landscapes from the viewpoints of bugling bull elk, ...

The barrier islands in Florida's Biscayne Bay contain mangrove wetlands that provide habitat for numerous plants and animals. They’re also full of trash—and that has become one man’s mission. In addition to running his PR firm, Andrew Otazo has hauled out >17 tons of trash from those islands.

For 15 years, the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program has reported climate pollution data from the US’s largest sources. The Trump EPA wants to get rid of the program, so we simply don't know who is polluting, what toxins are going into our communities, and the vital information needed to act...

It’s vital to protect diverse species, Chief Justice Warren Burger noted, because “they are keys to puzzles which we cannot solve, and may provide answers to questions which we have not yet learned to ask.” Consider bowhead whales, which can live as long as 268 years.

@cornellbirds.bsky.social has posted its top 9 "mysterious" birds for the #Halloween season. Take a look: www.birds.cornell.edu/k12/top-9-my...? Do you agree? Any you'd add? #birds

Coal-fired power plants not only pollute the air but also release toxins such as arsenic and mercury into our waters. In 2024, the EPA finalized stringent wastewater treatment standards for those plants. This year, to support Trump's revival of coal, the EPA is "delaying" those standards.

Take a minute to imagine you're walking in PA's Cook Forest State Park, an old-growth forest and one of the last stands of eastern hemlock. Feel the calm; smell the earth, the trees. Will & Jim Pattiz of @morethanjustparks.bsky.social are your guides: morethanjustparks.substack.com/p/the-calm-b...?

Claiming that the harm to industries of cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is worse than a warming planet (!), Trump's EPA wants to repeal the “endangerment finding,” the conclusion that GHGs endanger public health and must be regulated. Carmakers, electric utilities, and the oil/gas industry...

~1 of every 4 birds migrating through the US in the fall passes through TX. The majority of NA birds travel at night to avoid predators, take advantage of cooler/calmer air, and use the stars/moon to navigate. City lights can disorient birds, however, making them vulnerable to building collisions.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in MN is one of our most treasured landscapes. Each year, 150,000 people visit its vast network of pristine forests and >1,000 lakes. Trump now plans to revoke a 20-year mining ban and to site a sulfide-ore copper mine at Boundary Waters' headwaters.

With all of Trump's attacks on nature, how can we make a difference? State conservation groups such as the Grassland Groupies (GG) in KS are finding success acting locally. A nonprofit group that promotes native grasslands and pollinators, GG have planted 40,000 sq. ft. of pollinator habitat,...

Trump ended tracking the cost of extreme weather. The nonprofit group Climate Central has revived the program. In the first half of 2025, US climate disasters caused >$100 billion in damage, the most expensive start to any year on record, and 14 disasters each caused at least $1 billion in damage.

Trump announced a plan to allow oil & gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (one of our largest remaining tracts of pristine wilderness and critical wildlife habitat) and for a gravel road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (to reach a copper & zinc mine).

Grand theft otter? 2 years ago, Otter 841 became famous in Santa Cruz, CA, for “stealing” surfboards—and evading capture. It’s happening again. Why? The number of sea otters and surfers have been rising. Research shows otters are disturbed by humans an average of 6 times a day, costing otters...

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) Wilderness in MN is one of our most treasured landscapes. Each year, 150,000 people visit its vast network of pristine forests and >1,000 lakes. Now, Trump plans to revoke a 20-year mining ban and to site a sulfide-ore copper mine at Boundary Waters' headwaters.

Is music a universal language? #birds

This week, a judge threw out a lawsuit brought by Our Children’s Trust, a public-interest law firm, on behalf of a group of young people accusing President Trump of violating the Constitution by not addressing climate change. But...the judge also said the plaintiffs had successfully argued...

Bird migration tonight will be heavy along the Central + Mississippi Flyways. Note how birds are able to sense and avoid the storms (gray areas). Most birds migrate at night, employing an incredible sensory system to navigate and orient in darkness. Light pollution attracts and disorients birds...

The average level of CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere climbed by the largest amount on record between 2023 and 2024, according to the UN's World Meteorological Organization. Human-caused emissions--mainly the burning of coal, oil, and gas--remained the major driver of the recent jump in CO2.

The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO), which regulates global shipping, had agreed on plan to zero out the sector’s emissions. The World Shipping Council, a major industry group, affirmed its support. Then Trump threatened countries supporting the plan with "retaliation"...

Keep Wildlife Safe During the Holidays: Birds (such as this Western Screech Owl), other small animals, and insects can become trapped/injured/even die in Halloween spider webs. Please check any decorations twice a day. If you find a trapped animal, pull on the webbing--not the animal--to free it.

15 years after BP’s Deepwater Horizon--the most destructive oil spill in US history--the same company is asking the U.S. government to approve a new, larger, deeper, and riskier offshore drilling operation in the Gulf. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is considering BP’s proposal now.

Bird migration is still heavy along the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways. Those 2 flyways have the abundant resources that birds need to rest and refuel: insects, seeds, wetlands, forests, rivers, etc. Birds can sense and avoid storms, as you can see along the Central Flyway.

On an island in the Arctic Ocean, in a region warming ~7 times as fast as the rest of the planet, the food chain is being turned upside down. In once-frozen waters, kelp forests dominate other native species. Reindeer now graze on seaweed when they cannot reach inland grasses and lichen.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Update: Of 11,185 bird species worldwide, 61% have declining populations, largely driven by forest loss. 3 species of Arctic seals are slipping closer to extinction because of climate change. And green sea turtles have moved from endangered to least concern.

Following Oct. 6, 2023, and Sep. 25, 2025, BirdCast had it's 3rd billion-birds night on Oct. 8, 2025. 1.25 billion birds flew that night, making it the biggest night of migration yet recorded. How to read the live bird migration map: birdcast.info/migration-to.... (More in alt text.) #birds

Do raptor decals on windows decrease bird collisions? Unfortunately, #birds avoid decals and still hit windows. Watch as researchers use a flight tunnel to test which decal patterns reduce deadly bird strikes. No birds harmed (video by @cornellbirds.bsky.social): www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Qz.... 🌎

Today is World Migratory Bird Day, celebrated in May, when migratory birds travel to nesting sites, and in October, when they return to wintering grounds. This year’s theme is creating bird-friendly cities and communities, emphasizing 7 important steps to keep birds safe on their long journeys...

Take a break and listen to the calming sound of birdsongs. Cornell's Macaulay Library chose its favorites among last year's >470,000 recordings. Play a few at once, don't miss the pika, and imagine you're walking in the mountains: www.allaboutbirds.org/news/best-bi...? #birds

Update on the California Condor release at Vermilion Cliffs, AZ: 4 of the 5 stayed put on Sep. 27, likely sensing looming thunderstorms. The 4 took off on Sep. 29 and have been observed by @theperegrinefund.bsky.social ground team, who report the birds are becoming more experienced at...