A man was attacked by a female grizzly bear on Sunday morning near the Sun River. The attack left the man with non-life-threatening injuries.

The man was part of a group who were floating and camping on the Sun River, west of Augusta. The group was packing up their campsite when the attack occurred at about 8:30 a.m. After stepping into some brush, the man found himself between the female grizzly and her 2-year-old cub.

The group was able to call 911, and the man was carried out by helicopter and taken to a hospital. Read more

In May 2020, the Florida grasshopper sparrow captive breeding and release program achieved an important milestone: researchers have detected captive-reared sparrows breeding in the wild and some of these birds have already successfully fledged young.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and partners released captive-reared sparrows into the wild in an effort to boost the existing population. In the past few years, the population of Florida grasshopper sparrows has declined sharply; without intervention, extinction is a real possibility. Surveys in 2019 indicated that only 30 breeding pairs remained in the wild. The multipartner recovery program’s captive breeding and release efforts are part of a broader strategy to avoid extinction of these birds. Read more

Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Eichinger approved the addition of marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) to Michigan’s list of prohibited species at yesterday’s meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission. Invasive Species Order Amendment No. 1 of 2020 was presented to the NRC at its April 16 meeting.

What is prohibited status?

Species that are prohibited in Michigan cannot be possessed, introduced, imported, sold or offered for sale as a live organism, except under certain circumstances. Michigan’s Natural Resources Environmental Protection Act (Part 413 of Act 451) established the list of prohibited and restricted species, which can be amended by invasive species orders from the DNR or the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The term “prohibited” is used for species that are not widely distributed in the state. Read more

Bodies of water are a big attraction for many birds, and many birders. Geese are among the most obvious waterfowl you may find, such as this pair of Brant.

BIRDING is many things to many people – including many tens of millions of Americans! For some of us birding is a lifestyle, an ever-present part of our lives. For some, it’s the action at feeders outside their window, the birds along the golf course, or the diversity of birds found at an area park or a national wildlife refuge. But for all of us, birds provide an interest that draws our attention and inspires a lively connection to nature that we enjoy sharing with family, friends, and fellow birders.

Birding includes all kinds of outdoor activities, including identifying, listing, and censusing the species we see, photographing birds; birding while hiking, cycling, auto touring, canoeing, kayaking, backpacking and camping. We also enjoy birding through drawing and painting birds, participating in big days and birding festivals, assisting with citizen science field studies, traveling to wildlife havens in other states or even other countries to explore new locations with distinctive birds – birding is many things to many people!

Birding also includes aspects of our home life, such as attracting birds by providing food and water, and landscaping our yards with flowering plants, shrubs, and trees to provide food, shelter, escape cover, and nesting sites. We also install bird houses for cavity nesting birds to utilize in our yards and in the field. Read more

Officials will use long-term data to predict spring 2020 waterfowl abundance

MEMPHIS, TN – For the first time in its 65-year history, the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey has been cancelled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and state partners due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The USFWS and CWS also cancelled participation in the American Woodcock Singing-ground Survey, Mid-continent Population Sandhill Crane Survey, and Arctic Goose Banding Program. The U.S. Geological Survey cancelled the North American Breeding Bird Survey, data from which is also important in monitoring bird abundance and regulating harvest of some species.

The May survey has been successfully completed every year since 1955 and its data used to estimate breeding population size and inform harvest management decisions for many waterfowl species.

Cancellation of these surveys will create a one-year gap in the record of waterfowl population estimates. The USFWS, in consultation with the Flyway Councils, will use long-term data from spring/summer monitoring for these species to make regulatory harvest management decisions. Read more