Were I to stop blogging today I could at least retire knowing I gave the term ‘manky mallard‘ to a grateful/uninterested world. Which is my way of saying I’ve just added more images, made some text corrections, and deleted some comments to the most important page of wildfowl ID in the whole of - er, 10,000 Birds. Enjoy.

Melting glaciers, more humid air and eight other key indicators show that global warming is undeniable, scientists said this week citing a comprehensive review of the last decade of climate data. The report draws on the work of 303 scientists from 48 countries. Climate-deniers won’t be convinced even when the rising sea is over their heads, but you fence-sitters can we at least agree that warming is happening even if you still want to dispute the reasons?

Rand Paul, the Republican candidate for United States Senate from the state of Kentucky, is either dumber than a doorknob or completely in the bag for big coal.  Check this out from the forthcoming issue of Details:

Paul believes mountaintop removal just needs a little rebranding. “I think they should name it something better,” he says. “The top ends up flatter, but we’re not talking about Mount Everest. We’re talking about these little knobby hills that are everywhere out here. And I’ve seen the reclaimed lands. One of them is 800 acres, with a sports complex on it, elk roaming, covered in grass.” Most people, he continues, “would say the land is of enhanced value, because now you can build on it.”

Remember, this is what mountaintop removal mining looks like.  Link to Details via TPMDC.

We’re here to help, so here’s a para from a press-release from North Carolina Audubon: “Featuring photos and videos of birds and other wildlife from around North Carolina, the new Audubon NC blog - www.ncaudubonblog.org - offers news dispatches from the front lines of bird conservation. Naturalists and biologists from the mountains to the coast contribute to the site with reports from the field, news about policy issues, and key information about the state’s Important Bird Areas.”