Exciting sightings in the avian world | CapeCodOnline.com

During the past week or so, all sorts of very rare birds have been discovered, mostly vagrants from the west and far north. Most excit­ing was the discovery of an adult ivory gull, walking along the beach all by itself, at Race Point in Provincetown on Jan. 14.This shockingly all white gull, a year-round resident of the farthest northern reaches of the planet and known to follow polar bears to scavenge their seal kills, has now appeared in Massachusetts two years in a row for the first time ever. Last year, two different adult ivory gulls thrilled birders from up and down the East Coast and beyond as they came to see the rarest of rare gulls on Cape Anne, north of Boston and in Plymouth Harbor.
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As if there isn’t enough excitement for January, weather conditions in Europe could lead to a significant incursion of vagrants over the Atlantic Ocean.

Mainland Europe is expe­riencing a severe cold snap – among the worst ever recorded. Many overwintering birds are fleeing the cold and heading west to the British Isles and beyond. Observers in Ireland have reported steady streams of several species of birds heading west.

Heavy snow knocks out power in Forest Falls, traps motorists and closes Highway 38 - California

Richard Boyle has grown used to harsh winter weather in the 15 years he's lived in Forest Falls.

But he was a little nervous when the last of four storms knocked out power to the town early Friday and forced Caltrans to close Highway 38, the only way in and out of the community.

"The whole town is trapped and we don't have power. It's kind of a desperate situation," said Boyle, 67.
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Nearly five feet of snow has fallen in the San Bernardino Mountains this week and several inches blanketed Yucaipa and Beaumont.

C3: Peer-Reviewed Journal, Science, Falls For Mann's 'Hide-The-Decline-Trick', Again. Are They Just Stuck On Stupid?

Honestly, the two well-known peer-reviewed journals that the Climategate-Team had twisted around their pinkies, are either seriously "in the bag" or incredibly inept. If you also consider the New Scientist journal with the Glaciergate revelations, it's amazing anyone can refrain from snickering about the concept of professionalism and seriousness for the peer-review process. Is it really that difficult for the peer-review gatekeepers to at least ask the "scientists" about the actual data that is plotted on a chart? Call it minimum due diligence the public should expect, instead of the gross negligence that is constantly exhibited.

Al's Journal : Green Pastors

The environmental and religious communities have long been allies in the fight to save our planet. This trend is increasing in the Northwest where churches are finding environmentalism can help fill their pews...

Melting Himalayan glaciers: no peaceful end to the scandal - Telegraph

So the curse of the Nobel Peace Prize strikes again. Following the recent Obama embarrassment, Rajendra Pachauri - who accepted it in 2007 on behalf of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - is, at best, one more blunder away from having to resign its chairmanship, after having to apologise for a claim in its latest report that the Himalayan glaciers were likely to disappear by 2035.

Sceptics are now poring over the report, searching for the new mistake that will oust him.