Page 28 - aruba-today-20190806

A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 6 augusT 2019

Puffins fill up nesting islands this year despite challenges

By PATRICK WHITTLE having a successful year,
Associated Press said Heather Major, associ-
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — ate professor in the biologi-
One of the most beloved cal sciences department
birds in Maine is having at the University of New
one of its most productive Brunswick in Canada.
seasons for mating pairs in The birds can suffer when
years on remote islands off waters warm and squid
the state’s coast. and butterfish, which aren’t
Atlantic puffins, with their good puffin food, domi-
colorful beaks and wad- nate local waters, Major
dling walks, are one of New said. But the Gulf of Maine
England’s best recognized is a little cooler than last
seabirds. Maine is the only year, and good prey has
state in the U.S. where the been abundant, she said.
birds breed, and they do The island is around its long-
so on hard-to-reach plac- term average of 56% of
es like Seal Island National eggs producing a success-
Wildlife Refuge in the Gulf ful chick, Major said.
of Maine, a body of water The puffins of Seal Island
that touches New England National Wildlife Refuge
and Canada. are the subject of a popu-
The birds are well on their lar “puffin cam” hosted by
way to setting a record for In this Saturday, July 20, 2019 photo, Atlantic puffins gather on Eastern Egg Rock, a small island off Explore.org, said Keenan
the number of breeding the coast of Maine. Yakola, Seal Island supervi-
pairs, said National Audu- Associated Press sor for Audubon, who helps
bon Society scientist Ste- fish were less available, might not be evidence of a vation of Nature, and they maintain the camera.
phen Kress, who has stud- replaced by fish that are long-term trend. number about 1,300 pairs Environmental groups have
ied the birds for years. Kress more difficult for them to “This is a good year. But I in Maine. The birds live on made the case recently
said nearly 750 pairs nested digest. The appearance of think the message really is both sides of the northern that Northeast Canyons
on Seal Island and Eastern the more ideal fish could this — in recent years, es- Atlantic Ocean, and face and Seamounts Marine Na-
Egg Rock in 2018, and this have to do with the Gulf of pecially since the big heat threats such as warming tional Monument, which
year’s number will likely be Maine running somewhat wave of ‘12 and ‘13, we’ve ocean temperatures, fluc- former President Barack
higher. The birds are thriv- cool recently. seen a pattern of good tuations in food availability Obama designated in
ing due to multiple factors, A lot of puffins also laid year alternating with not and predators. 2016, is important to the sur-
including an abundance eggs slightly early this year, so good year,” Kress said. The largest puffin colony vival of the puffins. Fisher-
of the type of fish they’re which suggests the parents “We’re very much in a sys- in the Gulf of Maine is on men have sued to overturn
best suited to eat, such as are in good condition, Kress tem of a roller coaster as Machias Seal Island, a dis- the creation of the monu-
young haddock and hake said. He cautioned that the far as the puffins go.” puted island on the U.S.- ment, which they believe
and herring. In some previ- birds’ breeding success Atlantic puffins are listed Canada water border that creates an unfair hardship
ous years, the birds have has fluctuated in the past, as vulnerable by the Inter- is home to 5,000 to 6,000 in the form of fishing restric-
suffered because those so this year’s good news national Union for Conser- pairs. Those birds are also tions. q

Japan’s NEC shows ‘flying car’ hovering steadily for minute

By YURI KAGEYAMA NEC facility in a Tokyo sub- ma in northeastern Japan.
AP Business Writer urb. The preparations such Mie, a prefecture in cen-
ABIKO, Japan (AP) — Jap- as the repeated checks on tral Japan that’s frequently
anese electronics maker the machine and warn- used as a resort area by
NEC Corp. on Monday ings to reporters to wear Hollywood celebrities, also
showed a “flying car,” a helmets took up more time hopes to use flying cars to
large drone-like machine than the two brief demon- connect its various islands.
with four propellers that strations. Among the gov- Similar projects are pop-
hovered steadily for about ernment-backed endeav- ping up around world,
a minute. ors is a huge test course for such as Uber Air of the U.S.
NEC Corp.’s machine with propellers hovers at the company’s The test flight reaching 3 flying cars that’s built in an A flying car by Japanese
facility in Abiko near Tokyo, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019.
Associated Press meters (10 feet) high was area devastated by the startup Cartivator crashed
held in a gigantic cage, as 2011 tsunami, quake and quickly in a 2017 demon-
a safety precaution, at an nuclear disasters in Fukushi- stration. Cartivator Chief
Executive Tomohiro Fuku-
zawa, who was at Mon-
day’s demonstration, said
their machines were also
flying longer lately.
NEC is among the more
than 80 sponsor compa-
nies for Cartivator’s flying
car, which also include
Toyota Motor Corp. group
companies and video
game company Bandai
Namco Holdings. q