National Wildlife articles from October 1998

National Wildlife archives from October 1998

Looking at Landscapes From a Bird's Perspective.
October 1, 1998... California's silicon valley seems like an unlikely location to highlight in an article about wildlife. But in fact the booming region is home to a population of burrowing owls, a species that is remarkably tolerant of people. In this area, the...

Despite Its Benefits, Natural Landscaping Is Still Under Attack in Some Places.(some cities still have old-fashioned weed ordinances)
October 1, 1998... I ran into somebody who was kind of the neighborhood bully" is how Mary Cour Burrows explains her battle last year to grow wildflowers in her yard. The Germantown, Tennessee, homeowner describes her property, which is certified as a Backyard...

How Birds Perceive Landscapes.(birds selecting nesting places)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1998... A new study examines how certain species select sites from the air Imagine a Carolina wren and a red-tailed hawk flying over your neighborhood. Now consider the resources the two differently sized species may perceive in the landscape...

When This Water Bird Is Hungry, It Simply Summons Food to the Surface.(phalaropes)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1998... Watch a dancer pirouetting on stage, and you have a sense of how phalaropes pass their time on lakes and at sea. Other than people, the small shorebirds are the only spinning vertebrates. They not only gyrate as gracefully as ballet dancers,...

Eating Themselves Out of House and Home.(white-tailed deer of eastern US)
October 1, 1998... In some areas, exploding populations of white-tailed deer are obliterating layers of woodland habitat; is there a solution? A cattered clumps are all that remains of the first snowfall in northern Ohio, diminutive pockets of white dotting...

The Value of Autumn Leaves.(psychological and ecological benefits)
October 1, 1998... Scientists know how leaves change color, but they don't know why Like the painters, poets and leaf peepers, photographers have long been inspired by fall color. Take, for instance, Whit Bronaugh, whose images of leaves brighten these...

NWF Seeks Protection for Prairie Dogs To Help Save Western Grasslands.(includes other National Wildlife Federation news)
October 1, 1998... One of the most enduring images of the Great Plains is the ubiquitous prairie dog popping out of its burrow. But the sad truth is that the most widespread of the country's four prairie dog species, the black-tailed prairie dog, is in deep...

With Help From Her Sons, This Mother Discovered a Whole New World.(mother eases fear of creatures)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1998... I was the kind of young woman who would shriek "Eeeek!" and jump on a chair when a mouse ran across the floor or a spider skittered across a wall. I never understood why people would be interested in wildlife. Like my mother, I didn't care...

Another Reason Not to Cut the Grass.
October 1, 1998... When you consider the potential for pollution from power lawn mowers, it makes sense that mowing can be bad for air quality. But pollution from us- ing a push mower? Or even a scythe? A recent study in Australia has found that grass releases a...

Doing the Twist.
October 1, 1998... Something strange happens to conifers in the Northern Hemisphere as they age: Their grain gradually spirals to the right, up the tree. In the Southern Hemisphere, however, tree spirals tend to be aimed to the left. Research has indicated these...

Why Some Birds Eat Dirt And Other Avian News.
October 1, 1998... Out for a Bite to Eat Laysan albatrosses nesting in Hawaii astonished scientists last spring by flying as far away as California to find food for their young. "At this point, it's a mystery why a bird nests that far away from a continent...

GOOD NEWS FROM MAYFLIES.
October 1, 1998... For the last three years, a species of mayfly called Hexagenia has plagued towns along the western basin of Lake Erie in springtime. Swarms of the winged creatures have made roads slick after being squashed by cars and have flown into peoples'...

CITY FOR OWLS.(burrowing owls of Silicon Valley)
October 1, 1998... As development spreads in California's Silicon Valley, an effort is taking shape to leave enough real estate for burrowing owls The nine-inch owl stands at attention in the sunlight, its dusty brown feathers blending with the fringe of dirt...

Wildlife Scientists Are Having a Field Day On Ted Turner's Western Ranchlands.(land provides place for melanism research)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1998... Joe Truett knew there was a unusual variety of western diamondback rattlesnake in the Pedro Armendaris Lava Field where he was conducting his research; other people had previously reported seeing some of the reptiles there. But on this scalding...

This University Goes to Bat For Thousands of Winged Residents.(bat condo on University of Florida campus)
October 1, 1998... With its legendary football team, the Gators, the University of Florida draws hundreds of thousands of fans every year. But lately another spectator sport has been attracting people to the university's Gainesville campus. Wildlife watchers...

Fast Decline of Slow SPECIES.(freshwater turtles)(Abstract)
October 1, 1998... There's a quiet crisis in America's rivers, lakes and freshwater wetlands Muddy brook lives up to its name. The water, which is the color and consistency of last week's coffee, flows sluggishly through a swampy bottom where red maples...

Learning From Our Successes.(National Wildlife Federation)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1998... The National Wildlife Federation prides itself on practicing "common-sense conservation." NWF believes we can and must find solutions to environmental problems that benefit both wildlife and people. We also understand the power in using our...