News
- Requiem for a Moth:: This half-hour radio program from BBC Radio 4 is a delightful blend of science and music, all focused on moths.
- What’s the buzz – the conservation and ecology of urban pollinators:: “Some ecologists see urbanisation as one of the major causes of insect decline, through its effects on the availability of things like food and nesting sites. But, surprising though it may seem, flower-rich oases in otherwise uninviting city habitats can provide just the right conditions to support large numbers of pollinators.”
- Migratory Birds Drawn to NYC’s Green Spots:: This interesting article from the Epoch Times illustrates the importance of even the small patches of green in the city for birds.
- Bees are buzzing back into the heart of Newcastle:: An article from ChronicleLive that discusses efforts in Newcastle to bring back bees to the city with a program that has been working.
- Portland’s Ecosystem Supports Array of Urban Wildlife:: This older article from Neighborhood Notes describes the variety of urban wildlife in Portland and some specific wetlands in the city.
- Adaptable urban birds have bigger brains:: This is a fascinating article from BBC Earth News featuring a study that looked at why some families of urban birds are more successful than others.
- Spotting Birds at a Record Pace, with a Camera and a Bike:: From SF Weekly, this article features a group of people set on finding urban birds in San Francisco by bike.
- Photo Gallery! Goslings of Canada Goose Hatch in Cemetery Urn:: This photo album from WKBW News in Buffalo features a family of Canada Geese nesting in a cemetery with an interesting story; the goose family had been protected by the resident deer while nesting in a large urn.
- Bird Week:: The New York Times featured a number of interesting posts as part of their Bird Week including fantastic photos of nesting birds in New York City, a story about the High Line’s bird trouble spot, resources for birders and a great video featuring the ‘Birdman’ of Inwood.
- ‘This wildlife corridor will be the envy of every city in America’:: The city of Portland acquired a new parcel of land along the Willamette River, “With this purchase today, we’re creating a string of pearls running from Forest Park to the north all the way to Tryon Creek at the southern end of our city.”
- Bird Watch: Bird nature in cities:: This is a great piece by the Local ecologist blog about urban birds and their songs.
- 20 Ways to Observe National Wildflower Week:: Last week was National Wildflower Week and the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center has great tips on how to observe the occasion that are great tips for any time.
- Critters of the night shift:: A new exhibit in Melbourne illustrates the wide variety of urban wildlife that can be found in the city.
Resources
- Urban Ants of the Midwestern United States:: This informative post from the MYRMECOS blog is a great feature with beautiful photos.
- Flower Fly Survey of LA County:: This fascinating website documents and describes many of the flower flies, or hoverflies, that occur in Los Angeles County.
- Bee mimic flies in to a garden near you:: The Natural History Museum in London has provided a fascinating profile of the wonderful bee-fly.
- Swarm-like behavior of red mason solitary bees:: Also from the Natural History Museum is a really interesting article on red mason bees, their nesting behavior, nest types, how to create a nest, their benefit to fruit trees and their interesting aggregating behavior when nesting.
- Bird-Safe Building Guidelines (PDF):: This new document for Minnesota is an updated and revised version of the New York Audubon document.
- What is a SeedBomb?:: The Ecologist reviews an interesting new book all about seedbombs.
Design
- Interview with Joyce Hwang:: Animal Architecture features an excellent interview with Joyce Hwang, designer of Bat Tower, which was featured on The Metropolitan Field Guide in the post Sculptural Bat Structures.
- Alley Art:: This is a really interesting project in Seattle that could be used as a case study for addressing underused or neglected spaces in creative ways, such as for habitat.
- Davidson development earns wildlife-friendly certification:: “The Woodlands at Davidson, a 50-acre residential neighborhood located near the town of Davidson, recently earned the first Wildlife Friendly Development Certification in North Carolina through a voluntary new program that encourages wildlife habitat conservation and the use of environmentally sound construction practices for new and existing residential developments.”
- NYU Garden Shop brings a bit of nature to an urban jungle:: Here is an interesting article from Washington Square News about the design of green spaces on the NYU campus and their impact on passerbys.
- Rail-to-park plan gaining speed:: An article and video story from 6abc news features a new project in Philadelphia similar to the High Line project in New York City.
- Dynamite Wildflower Guerrillas:: This blog features the results of seedbombing, the technique of the author is putting wildflower seeds in ice cubes and throwing them out of a car to patches of bare soil.
- London’s Approach to Green Roofs:: This section on the Livingroofs website details London’s plan of adding green roofs to the city.
- Runway transformed into wetlands:: Here is a Seattle Times article about a runway previously part of a naval air station, now turned into a successful wetlands with frogs, dragonflies, birds and plants only one year later.
