Airports, technology and birds
Last week Twan showed me this link which contains a New York Times Op-Ed. “Those Hazardous Flying Birds” discusses airplanes and bird strikes while citing Federal Aviation Administration statistics which say more than 9,000 birds are hit by airplanes each year and in the last 23 years about one plane each day is forced to land because of such impacts. Apparently since the “Miracle on the Hudson” when US Airways Flight 1549 was steered to safety on the river after a Canada Geese strike by Captain “Sully” the federal government has slaughtered about 25,000...
Read MoreSavannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) by Scott Kruitbosch
This Savannah Sparrow was one of many found at the Jamestown Airport this summer.
Read MoreRTPI’s Elyse Johnson at the Jamestown Airport
Elyse was conducting vegetation and avian surveys at the Jamestown Airport to better understand the habitat requirements and conditions of the endangered Henslow’s Sparrow and special concern Grasshopper Sparrow, both of which were recorded as nesting there this summer.
Read MoreRare Henslow’s Sparrows Recently Discovered at Chautauqua County Airport
Area birdwatchers recently made a discovery that has regional conservationists very excited: a small population of the endangered Henslow’s Sparrow exists at the Chautauqua County Airport near Jamestown. These small, elusive birds inhabit grasslands and prairies and, like many other grassland birds, their numbers have declined precipitously in the eastern U.S. over the past 100 years. This is happening for a variety of reasons but the transitioning of old farm fields into forest over time and the increased production of row crops and intense harvesting of hay in areas where grassland...
Read More
