U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

May Day is Lei Day. The very first Lei Day was celebrated in Honolulu on May 1, 1928. Over time, more and more people began to celebrate the lei on May 1st, and the tradition of May Day is Lei Day took off from there. USFWS employee Benton Pang, who is the conservation partnerships team manager for the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office (PIFWO), on the island of O’ahu, started a Lei Day tradition too. A while back, Pang and others got the idea to offer lei-making workshops to fellow federal employees in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. “We’ve been doing this for probably the past 10 or 15 years,” Pang says. “It started with my background being in botany and wanting to share a little bit of my culture with the office.” More about this story here: https://ow.ly/8vfB50Rt7xq Photos courtesy of Benton Pang and Heidi Bornhorst

We have a story about that fluffy chick that hangs out down at the beach. The piping plover is a small migratory shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The baby pipers are a perfect sandy color to help them hide from predators. Having really great camouflage and a nest that's on the ground, puts these chicks in danger of us humans accidentally disrupting them. The piping plover population is on the decline, but there are ways you can help while you visit the beach: 🐤Follow the guidance on posted signs and respect all areas that are fenced off 🐤Do not approach piping plover nests 🐤If pets are permitted on beaches, keep them leashed and away from birds. Keep cats indoors. 🐤Remove trash and food scraps, which attracts predators that might eat piping plovers and their eggs Photo taken at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Complex by USFWS

Protect insects, bugs, and spiders to help protect the birds. Insects, the most diverse group of organisms on the planet, are crucial to the food web and a major food source for birds around the world. For birds that depend primarily on insects and spiders as their main food source, the ebb and flow of their populations can greatly affect the timing, duration, and success of bird migration. All around the globe, insect populations appear to be declining at unprecedented rates, which can directly threaten birds and their ability to migrate, breed, and produce young. Check out the comments to discover ways YOU can directly help insects, bugs, spiders and other multiple legged friends, and in turn, help protect the birds. #WorldMigratoryBirdDay Photo of a mountain bluebird eating a spider by Colin Dunleavy (sharethexperience)

3 steps to a successful belted kingfisher hunt: -catch aquatic prey -smash against hard surface -swallow whole, headfirst In most instances the belted kingfisher will catch small fish, but any type of aquatic species is a potential meal, and even some small mammals. In this video from Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Washington, the common North American bird sends a message as it thrashes a bullfrog invasive to the Pacific Northwest before flying off. USFWS video: Mike Green Video description: Grayish-blue and white bird rests on log above water with large bullfrog in its beak, repeatedly whipping the amphibian against the hard surface before flying off with it.

“In years when spring arrives exceptionally early, shorebirds arrive late to the party, and a mismatch happens between peak insect emergence and shorebird nests hatching. Our research has shown that chicks hatching after peak insect emergence have lower growth and survival.” USFWS Migratory Bird Biologist, Dr. Sarah Saalfeld speaks about her work studying Arctic-breeding shorebirds and what she and her colleagues have discovered about species’ inability to adapt to a warming Arctic. Decades of field studies and countless hours behind the computer go into analyzing these critical, long-term datasets. Don’t sleep on shorebirds this #WorldMigratoryBirdDay! Read more at the link in the comments. 🔗⬇️ 📸 1) Semipalmated sandpiper and chick: Lisa Kennedy/USFWS 2-3) Courtesy of Dr. Sarah Saalfeld

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge’s barrier beaches, islets and shoals stretching out off of Cape Cod are a spectacular sight. But spend enough time here, and you’ll witness a landscape in motion. Rapid and intense coastal erosion – a natural process boosted by the effects of climate change – has forced Service staff to make difficult decisions, preemptively removing structures on the property before they’re claimed by the sea. This month, its final building, the headquarters and visitor center, was removed. Having carefully considered all options for a path forward, the Service decided not to try and stop Mother Nature, but to adapt. Even as the landscape changes under their feet, staff at the refuge remain steady and agile, ready to show up each day for wildlife. Read the story: https://ow.ly/yYmf50RzmpG

Greater prairie chickens are known for their elaborate mating displays. Males raise ear-like feathers above the head and inflate orange sacs on the sides of the throat while stutter-stepping around and making deep hooting sounds. Mating displays begin in early spring and often continue into June. 📷 Grayson Smith/USFWS

Do you like puppies? Everyone likes puppies. We’ve got Mexican wolf puppies! Recently, along with our partners, we placed the 100th captive-born Mexican wolf pup (and a few others) into a foster family in the wild in Arizona. Fostering is a successful method to boost the genetics of the wild population. You can learn more about fostering, like how and why we do it, here: https://lnkd.in/edhTHgng Images and video courtesy the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team For an audio described version: https://lnkd.in/eGUfYVQG

On May 3, 2024, Palisade High School in Colorado celebrated a "fish"tastic milestone! More than 350 razorback sucker were kissed goodbye and good luck on their journey home. This year marked the 4th annual Palisade High School Endangered Razorback Sucker Release, during which, students of Palisade High School released the milestone 1000th student-raised razorback sucker into the Colorado River. We were fortunate to have world-renowned wildlife biologist and conservationist Jeff Corwin there to support the students and the community on such an incredible achievement. This high school has an on-campus endangered fish hatchery where they raise razorback sucker throughout the year, tag them, and then finally release them into their native habitat - the Colorado River. The students and community are helping the razorback swim towards recovery, one release at a time. Remember - No matter who you are, you can make a difference in the world of conservation! Photos by Mikaela Oles/USFWS

How you feel when one eye migrates over your head to join your other eye. 👀 On our latest episode of "Fish of the Week," meet the Southern Flounder: a temperature-sensitive fish that's one-third of the "Texas Slam” with Redfish (Red Drum) and Speckled Trout. Learn about their transformation from regular fish with two matching sides to amazing flatfish, how they hunt tidal creeks and saltmarsh #wetlands, and how to safely and sustainably catch and eat them. Texas A&M Galveston Marine Biology PhD student Daniel Kemp and Mark Fisher from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department join as guests. New episodes every Monday at FWS.gov or wherever you get your podcasts! 🐟 📷 Tim Guida (CC by NC 4.0) #AllTheFish #Fishing