Birdmuda

The Royal Gazette is reporting that this year's Christmas Bird Count on the island of Bermuda turned up more non-native birds than ever before. The Bermuda Audubon Society, which organized the count, notes that native species now make up less than half of the island's birds (based on total number of birds, not the number of species). The decline in native species is being attributed to habitat loss not just on Bermuda, but also in parts of America that are home to species that migrate south to Bermuda each year. You can actually go check out the raw data yourself on the Audubon Society's website...I count 931 house sparrows, 1359 starlings, and 1005 kiskadees.

Bermuda Short

The Royal Gazette is reporting that the island of Bermuda is considering instituting a banned species list to prevent further introductions of invasive plants and animals. The details can be found in the draft of the Sustainable Development Strategy and Implementation Plan, which you can read in its entirety here (.pdf)...or just skip to Option 3.5.A.3 :-).