PENN HILLS, Pa. -- A wild turkey apparently flew into an Eat'n Park restaurant on -- of all days -- Thanksgiving.
The 15-pound turkey was found among a pile of shattered glass on the carpet near some booth tables around 3 p.m.
Nobody was inside the restaurant on Frankstown Road, which was closed for the holiday.
Penn Hills police Officer Bernard Sestili responded when the building's alarm went off. He said the turkey flew into the window and was not thrown.
"Probably was roosted in one of the trees in this wooded area back here, got up this morning and went for his morning flight and flew into the window," Sestili said. "Fighting back, on Thanksgiving -- how ironic."
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/24/9005261-wild-turkey-crashes-into-restaurant-on-thanksgiving
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Friday, December 2, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Time Running Out For Many Bird Species in Turkey
 |
| The white-headed duck, seen here in a breeding program in England, is among the species of birds at risk in Turkey. Photo: Gidzy / Creative Commons. |
Travel & Nature
Dozens of starlings in the Karacabey district of Turkey's Bursa province were among the victims of a recent spate of mass animal deaths around the world that initially provoked much international alarm. But though scientists have emphasized such incidents are not a sign of broader dangers, plenty of real threats face many of the hundreds of bird species in Turkey.
According to a biology professor at Hacettepe University in the capital city of Ankara, more than half of the 437 bird species that are regularly found in Turkey are at serious risk.
"Ninety-five species will see significant decreases in their numbers, while 101 species face possible extinction," Professor İlhami Kiziroğlu, the head of the university's Environmental Education and Bird Research Center, told the state-run Anatolia news agency recently.
Bird Populations In Turkey Have Decreased By Half
"The other 65 species [out of the 502 identified in Turkey] are seen only at certain times. They do not reproduce in Turkey and they cannot be observed very often. However, of the 437 species, the Oriental darter and bald ibis have already disappeared from the natural habitat in Turkey," Kiziroğlu said, adding that total bird populations in the country have decreased by half over the past two decades.
Both migratory and endemic species that rely on Turkey's wetlands face the most immediate threats, the Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported:
The Oriental darter is a species that once nested around Lake Amik in Hatay; however, they have not been observed in the region since the lake dried up in the 1960s. "This species has now disappeared in Turkey. It was seen for the last time in 1963," Kiziroğlu said. He said the last time [wild] bald ibises were observed in Turkey was when three were found in Şanlıurfa's Birecik district in 1988.Dams And Agriculture Pose Big Threat
Inefficient agricultural irrigation and draw-offs for the increasing number of hydroelectric dams in the country are among the factors drying up important wetlands in Turkey.
"One-seventh of the European population of the white-headed duck exists in Turkey, spending winters in Lake Burdur in the Mediterranean region. However, this species is threatened by the level of industrial waste and the decreasing water levels in the lake," Kiziroğlu said, adding that bird populations around the lake are also threatened by flights from the nearby airport in Isparta.
More On Threats To Birds Around The World
Buildings & Pets Kill Far More Birds Each Year than the Flockpocalypse Has
Birds Have 'Blind Spot' for Power Lines, Causing Fatal Collisions
Tar Sands: Harmful to Water, Deadly for Birds
17% of North American Birds Facing Rapid Decline
Climate Change Causing Bizarre Arctic Bird Deaths
9 Human Activities That Threaten Birds and Why We Need to Effect Change Now
Exxon Pleads Guilty to Killing Protected Birds
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/01/time-running-out-for-many-bird-species-in-turkey.php
Time Running Out For Many Bird Species in Turkey
|
| The white-headed duck, seen here in a breeding program in England, is among the species of birds at risk in Turkey. Photo: Gidzy / Creative Commons. |
Travel & Nature
Dozens of starlings in the Karacabey district of Turkey's Bursa province were among the victims of a recent spate of mass animal deaths around the world that initially provoked much international alarm. But though scientists have emphasized such incidents are not a sign of broader dangers, plenty of real threats face many of the hundreds of bird species in Turkey.
According to a biology professor at Hacettepe University in the capital city of Ankara, more than half of the 437 bird species that are regularly found in Turkey are at serious risk.
"Ninety-five species will see significant decreases in their numbers, while 101 species face possible extinction," Professor İlhami Kiziroğlu, the head of the university's Environmental Education and Bird Research Center, told the state-run Anatolia news agency recently.
Bird Populations In Turkey Have Decreased By Half
"The other 65 species [out of the 502 identified in Turkey] are seen only at certain times. They do not reproduce in Turkey and they cannot be observed very often. However, of the 437 species, the Oriental darter and bald ibis have already disappeared from the natural habitat in Turkey," Kiziroğlu said, adding that total bird populations in the country have decreased by half over the past two decades.
Both migratory and endemic species that rely on Turkey's wetlands face the most immediate threats, the Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported:
The Oriental darter is a species that once nested around Lake Amik in Hatay; however, they have not been observed in the region since the lake dried up in the 1960s. "This species has now disappeared in Turkey. It was seen for the last time in 1963," Kiziroğlu said. He said the last time [wild] bald ibises were observed in Turkey was when three were found in Şanlıurfa's Birecik district in 1988.Dams And Agriculture Pose Big Threat
Inefficient agricultural irrigation and draw-offs for the increasing number of hydroelectric dams in the country are among the factors drying up important wetlands in Turkey.
"One-seventh of the European population of the white-headed duck exists in Turkey, spending winters in Lake Burdur in the Mediterranean region. However, this species is threatened by the level of industrial waste and the decreasing water levels in the lake," Kiziroğlu said, adding that bird populations around the lake are also threatened by flights from the nearby airport in Isparta.
More On Threats To Birds Around The World
Buildings & Pets Kill Far More Birds Each Year than the Flockpocalypse Has
Birds Have 'Blind Spot' for Power Lines, Causing Fatal Collisions
Tar Sands: Harmful to Water, Deadly for Birds
17% of North American Birds Facing Rapid Decline
Climate Change Causing Bizarre Arctic Bird Deaths
9 Human Activities That Threaten Birds and Why We Need to Effect Change Now
Exxon Pleads Guilty to Killing Protected Birds
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/01/time-running-out-for-many-bird-species-in-turkey.php
Saturday, June 5, 2010
25 new beetle species found in Turkish oaks
Turkish oak trees prove hugely rich in species
June 2010. Old hollow oak trees provide important habitat for a large number of insects, especially beetles. During a study of oak trees on grazing land in Turkey, 25 new species of beetle have been found.
"Most of them would disappear if the trees were to be cut down, and the risk is great", says project leader Nicklas Jansson, beetle ecologist at Linköping University (LiU) in Sweden.
18 species of oak tree in Turkey
In Turkey there are 18 species of the oak family, Quercus. Nicklas Jansson and his co-workers from two Turkish universities have spent five years collecting beetles from oak trees in four large pastures in the south of the country near the border with Syria. These areas, 1,200-1,500 metres above sea level, are important for sheep and goat farming, but are now threatened by felling to make way for productive forest management.
As with all felling there is a major risk that some species become extinct since the oak dwelling beetles are often purely dependent on individual oak trees.
"Some of the species seem to have a very low motivation to leave and find a new oak", says Nicklas Jansson.
New beetle species
That new species would be found among the fairly popular beetle families that were looked at was a surprise. Most of the newly discovered beetles belong to the Elateridae and Tenobrionidae families and have been identified by some 20 specialists across Europe. The results were presented at a conference on oak ecology at Linköping University, arranged with Suleyman Demirel University and Adiyaman University.
Turkish oaks very rich in species
Nicklas Jansson estimates that the oak biotopes in Turkey are 30-50 percent richer in species than in Sweden. He sees three reasons for the greater diversity: a climate that has allowed species to hibernate during the ice ages; the topography which creates many barriers in the form of mountain ranges and other obstacles to the mixing of species and the geographic location as a bridge between Asia and Europe.
Comparison between 7 countries
In a follow-up project the oak fauna of seven countries is to be compared, in Israel, Turkey, Italy, France, UK, Czech Republic and Sweden. The oaks in the Turkish pastures are pollarded; Shepherd people prune the trees in July and during the dry season and use the leaves as feed for sheep and goats while the branches become fuel. Thanks to pollarding, many of the oaks are hollow and contain wood mould, a very rich compost of decomposed wood, fungi, excrement and remains of dead animals.
The insects are collected by two types of traps, one which is mounted up in the trees to catch flying insects and one which is buried in the wood mould. The collection is done by students from the local universities.
"I hope that in finding new and unique species we will get the Turkish forestry authorities to open their eyes to their oak treasures and to begin conservation work in the most valuable areas," says Nicklas Jansson.
June 2010. Old hollow oak trees provide important habitat for a large number of insects, especially beetles. During a study of oak trees on grazing land in Turkey, 25 new species of beetle have been found.
"Most of them would disappear if the trees were to be cut down, and the risk is great", says project leader Nicklas Jansson, beetle ecologist at Linköping University (LiU) in Sweden.
18 species of oak tree in Turkey
In Turkey there are 18 species of the oak family, Quercus. Nicklas Jansson and his co-workers from two Turkish universities have spent five years collecting beetles from oak trees in four large pastures in the south of the country near the border with Syria. These areas, 1,200-1,500 metres above sea level, are important for sheep and goat farming, but are now threatened by felling to make way for productive forest management.
As with all felling there is a major risk that some species become extinct since the oak dwelling beetles are often purely dependent on individual oak trees.
"Some of the species seem to have a very low motivation to leave and find a new oak", says Nicklas Jansson.
New beetle species
That new species would be found among the fairly popular beetle families that were looked at was a surprise. Most of the newly discovered beetles belong to the Elateridae and Tenobrionidae families and have been identified by some 20 specialists across Europe. The results were presented at a conference on oak ecology at Linköping University, arranged with Suleyman Demirel University and Adiyaman University.
Turkish oaks very rich in species
Nicklas Jansson estimates that the oak biotopes in Turkey are 30-50 percent richer in species than in Sweden. He sees three reasons for the greater diversity: a climate that has allowed species to hibernate during the ice ages; the topography which creates many barriers in the form of mountain ranges and other obstacles to the mixing of species and the geographic location as a bridge between Asia and Europe.
Comparison between 7 countries
In a follow-up project the oak fauna of seven countries is to be compared, in Israel, Turkey, Italy, France, UK, Czech Republic and Sweden. The oaks in the Turkish pastures are pollarded; Shepherd people prune the trees in July and during the dry season and use the leaves as feed for sheep and goats while the branches become fuel. Thanks to pollarding, many of the oaks are hollow and contain wood mould, a very rich compost of decomposed wood, fungi, excrement and remains of dead animals.
The insects are collected by two types of traps, one which is mounted up in the trees to catch flying insects and one which is buried in the wood mould. The collection is done by students from the local universities.
"I hope that in finding new and unique species we will get the Turkish forestry authorities to open their eyes to their oak treasures and to begin conservation work in the most valuable areas," says Nicklas Jansson.
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