Sunday, 1 May 2016

Wikipedia article of the day for May 2, 2016

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 2, 2016 is Noisy miner.
The noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala) is a bird native to eastern and south-eastern Australia in the honeyeater family. It is grey with a black head, orange-yellow beak and feet, a distinctive yellow patch behind the eye and white tips on the tail feathers. Its almost constant vocalizations, particularly from young birds, include a large range of calls, scoldings and alarms. Primarily inhabiting dry, open eucalypt forests without understory shrubs, noisy miners are gregarious and territorial; they forage, bathe, roost, breed and defend territory communally, forming colonies of up to several hundred birds. Birds that live close to each other form stable associations called coteries. Temporary flocks are formed for activities such as mobbing a predator. The noisy miner is an aggressive bird, chasing, pecking, fighting, scolding, and mobbing both intruders and colony members throughout the day. The bird's numbers have increased significantly in many locations across its range, particularly in human-dominated habitats in which avian diversity has decreased.

Hot: Malia Obama Is Taking a Gap Year. It’s an Increasingly Popular Move

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Malia Obama Is Taking a Gap Year. It’s an Increasingly Popular Move


Harvard is one of many elite schools that encourages students to take a year off

Published on May 1, 2016 at 07:15PM

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Instant Awesome Video: Leicester City supporters surprise Darren Rovell in the ESPN van in England, sing team chants (ESPN)

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Hot: Here’s the Full Transcript of President Obama’s Speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

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Here’s the Full Transcript of President Obama’s Speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner


"And with that, I just have two more words to say—Obama out"

Published on May 1, 2016 at 04:20PM

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Hot: Malia Obama Is Going to Harvard—After a Year Off

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Malia Obama Is Going to Harvard—After a Year Off


Her parents both got law degrees there

Published on May 1, 2016 at 04:20PM

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Hot: Check Out These Adorable New Photos of Princess Charlotte

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Check Out These Adorable New Photos of Princess Charlotte


Just in time for her first birthday

Published on May 1, 2016 at 02:15PM

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Saturday, 30 April 2016

Wikipedia article of the day for May 1, 2016

The Wikipedia article of the day for May 1, 2016 is Blakeney Point.
Blakeney Point is a National Nature Reserve near Blakeney on the north coast of Norfolk, England. It features a 6.4 km (4 mi) spit of shingle stones and sand dunes, as well as salt marshes and tidal mudflats. Land reclamation projects starting in the 17th century broadened the spit, but silted up nearby river channels. Ruins of a medieval dwelling called Blakeney Chapel and a monastery are buried in the marshes. The area has been studied for more than a century, following pioneering ecological studies by botanist Francis Wall Oliver and a bird ringing programme initiated by ornithologist Emma Turner. The reserve is important for breeding birds, especially terns, and for migrating birds in autumn. Up to 500 seals at a time gather at the end of the spit, and its sand and shingle hold a number of specialised invertebrates and plants, including the edible samphire. The spit is moving towards the mainland at about 1 m (1 yd) per year; several former islets have been covered by the advancing shingle and then lost to the sea. Managed by the National Trust since 1912, Blakeney Point lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a World Biosphere Reserve.