a week in Gr Smoky Mts NP

 

My family spent a week hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

 

 

Along with my search for birds, we all were in awe of many "old-growth" trees in the forests of the park. One particularly-noteworthy area was the Cosby Creek trail, with many small streams, and many large trees,

 At high elevations in the national park, Dark-eyed Juncos, Common Ravens, and Black-capped Chickadees are found (in the range where Carolina Chickadees are espected, but at lower elevations).

 

These Bluets were seen there: 

 

Here, along the Oconaluftee River, we saw 3 elk. 

 

 

Because I live in southeastern WI, many songbirds encountered in GSMNP are very uncommon to slightly "rare" where I live:

Blue Grosbeak

Summer Tanager

Worm-eating Warbler 

Black Vulture,

and most uncommon of all,

Swainson's Warbler. 

 

 

 

Biodiversity resilience in a tropical rainforest

 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10365-2

Abstract

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to stop biodiversity losses¹. Approximately 60% of tropical forests have already been lost or severely degraded², making restoration essential to achieve conservation goals. Recovery trajectories of trees have been studied intensively^3,4, but a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity recovery is lacking. Here we analyse recovery trajectories across trophic levels including 16 taxonomic groups from three kingdoms in a lowland tropical forest by investigating resistance to perturbation, recovery times and return rates to old-growth forest conditions. Abundance and diversity regained more than 90% and composition approximately 75% similarity to old-growth forests within 30 years, but full recovery takes several decades. Mobile animal communities acting as seed dispersers or pollinators had high resistance levels and recovered faster than trees or tree seedlings. Return rates contributed 1–2.5 times more than resistance to the recovery times of species composition. Taxon-specific recovery times could not be explained by simple mechanisms (life-history strategies, trophic level or mobility). We show the enormous potential of protecting naturally recovering secondary forests to stop and reverse biodiversity losses.

New Frontiers in Avian Physiology: What’s Migration got to do with it?

 A new special issue in the Journal of Avian Biology: 

https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)1600-048X.new-frontiers-avian-physiology

Effects of Migration Distance on Shifting Migratory and Breeding Phenology in Waders

 

See: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.73080?prg140729=edddcac6-4255-45a8-89a9-f4f1223b0642

scientists' warning: Journal Articles Related to Scientists' Warning

 Read the collected papers related to global scientists' warning:😊https://scientistswarning.forestry.oregonstate.edu/journal-articles-related-scientists-warning

"The Alliance of World Scientists (AWS) provides the collective international voice of thousands of scientists regarding the global climate crisis and environmental trends with the intent to turn accumulated knowledge into action." 

Follow me on Bluesky!

 A year+ ago, I left Facebook for good. (No need to go into the reasons why.)

To see my daily writings and posting, go to BlueSky and find me at  @wpmueller.bsky.social.

I have found a worldwide ornithological and environmental community there. 

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors Simultaneously Modulated the Use of Roadways by Golden Eagles During Winter

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.71955