counted

In 1903, rabbits devastated Laysan Island’s habitat, leaving just 7 adult ducks; in 2026, Midway counted a record 1,239 Laysan ducks

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A record 1,239 adult Laysan ducks were counted at Midway Atoll in 2026, about 400 more than any previous annual total. The increase marks a major recovery at the refuge, but the endangered species remains vulnerable to habitat loss, rising seas, flooding and environmental disasters. (Wikimedia Commons)

A Hawaiian bird species has made a notable recovery in numbers at a location far from its native island. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicestaff and volunteers counted 1,239 adult Laysan ducks at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 2026, setting a record for the refuge. The total was about 400 birds higher … Read more

Britain sees second-best butterfly season in 16 years; people counted almost 1.4 million common butterflies and moths; painted ladies jumped by 335%, but scientists are worried

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Britain sees second-best butterfly season in 16 years; people counted almost 1.4 million common butterflies and moths; painted ladies jumped by 335%, but scientists are worried

The record heat of 2026 made this summer exceptional for butterfly-watching. More than 100,000 volunteers fanned across Britain with notebooks this summer, tallying nearly 1.4 million common butterflies and day-flying moths. This was the second-best butterfly season of the past 16 years, according to the Big Butterfly Count. Painted ladies surged by 335% compared with … Read more

Colorado had more than 80,000 lesser prairie-chickens in 1975 but counted only 89 breeding males in 2024; a land trust has now spent nearly $2 million on a 2,100-acre ranch to help bring them back

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Colorado had more than 80,000 lesser prairie-chickens in 1975 but counted only 89 breeding males in 2024; a land trust has now spent nearly $2 million on a 2,100-acre ranch to help bring them back

The birds live in the Sand Sagebrush Ecoregion, which stretches across southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas and a small part of western Oklahoma. (American Bird Conservancy photo) Colorado’s lesser prairie-chicken population has fallen from more than 80,000 birds in 1975 to just 89 breeding males, according to a 2024 data. To restore the population of the … Read more