Author: sharonstjoan

This July 2018 video says about itself:

252 million years ago 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species vanished, this was the Permian extinction.

From the University of Washington in the USA:

Biggest mass extinction caused by global warming leaving ocean animals gasping for breath

December 6, 2018

Summary: By combining ocean models, animal metabolism and fossil records, researchers show that the Permian mass extinction in the oceans was caused by global warming that left animals unable to breathe. As temperatures rose and the metabolism of marine animals sped up, the warmer waters could not hold enough oxygen for their survival.

The largest extinction in Earth’s history marked the end of the Permian period, some 252 million years ago. Long before dinosaurs, our planet was populated with plants and animals that were mostly obliterated after a series of massive volcanic eruptions in Siberia.

Fossils…

This video from the USA says about itself:

Eastern Meadowlarks singing two different flute like songs and foraging for food on the vast St John’s Marshland in Florida. These birds are just gorgeous and their song a winter delight – note the blooming mass of swamp sunflowers – filmed on December 4th, 2018 with: Canon SX60 HS.

This 27 February 2018 video says about itself:

Galápagos Tortoise Movement Ecology Programme

The film captures the hidden mystery of the lives of giant tortoises, among the longest lived vertebrates on earth. It illustrates the diverse ecological roles played by Galápagos tortoises and how the environment has shaped complex yet predictable patterns on movement, morphology and ecological relationships among tortoises across the Galápagos Archipelago.

It demonstrates how a team of conservation biologists developed and implemented a research programme that revealed the hitherto unknown secret lives of Galápagos tortoises – one of the earth’s most iconic wildlife species. It documents the movement ecology of tortoises, their feeding ecology, their role as ecosystem engineers, and their pivotal role in ecosystems.

Touching on their conservation history from the time humans discovered the islands, and how humans will determine the fate of tortoises and their habitats. It demonstrates how scientific research can inform…

https://youtu.be/mjTbBDkEYGM

This video is about short-toed tree creepers singing.

This April 2015 video is about birds in Belarus: black grouse, northern lapwing and Eurasian sparrowhawk.

This 20 November 2018 video says about itself:

Kenya is full of amazing wildlife—giraffes and elephants, ostriches and hornbills. Cornell senior Sarah Toner visited last spring to film and record the abundant wildlife, and to witness field research in progress. Sarah first came to Cornell as part of our Young Birders Event in 2013.

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/climate/?fbclid=IwAR0IVSbh5phNB7dFjcypdp-dA8Y7D_KtQWYFYyrZRZu5xpsWwhCb4Vattec

The largest single threat to the ecology and biodiversity of the planet in the decades to come will be global climate disruption due to the buildup of human-generated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. People around the world are beginning to address the problem by reducing their carbon footprint through less consumption and better technology. But unsustainable human population growth can overwhelm those efforts, leading us to conclude that we not only need smaller footprints, but fewer feet.

Portland, Oregon, for example, decreased its combined per-capita residential energy and car driving carbon footprint by 5 percent between 2000 and 2005. During this same period, however, its population grew by 8 percent.

A 2009 study of the relationship between population growth and global warming determined that the “carbon legacy” of just one child can produce 20 times more greenhouse gas than a person will save by driving a high-mileage car, recycling…

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

And just look at the magnificence one acorn produces!

I can’t even tell you how absolutely amazing this oak tree was, I wish so much that I could have captured a better quality photo of it.   Even so, a camera image will never match the real thing.  This tree was HUGE, and its rich, vibrant, reddish-orange color just screamed for attention, it stood out so much from all the rest!  I don’t usually think much of an oak tree’s autumn colors, but this year they all really seemed to catch my attention, especially this one!  Maybe the weather we’ve had affected them, but I swear their colors were much more vivid this year.

My daughter and I were out together the day I came across it, and I snapped this photo of her sitting in…

This video from Britain says about itself:

17 August 2016

Godwits are large, elegant waders and relatively common in the right habitats at certain times of year. The two commonly encountered species, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit, should be reasonably straightforward to separate, although their eponymous tail markings may not always be the easiest feature to use! Some birds such as juveniles or out of context lone birds can prove more problematic, however, and this workshop will help you to confidently identify both species.

Translated from Dutch NPO radio today:

Conservationists angry with France about shooting of shorebirds

Nature organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium are angry about the decision of the French government to extend the hunting ban on the godwit with only one year, until 2020. This means that from then on it will be possible again to shoot godwits. “And to think that a lot…