An observer reports unusual sightings of Sabine's gulls, including juveniles, outside their typical migration period, suggesting a potential new breeding colony near Nome.

RÚV received a video this week that shows a whale just off the beach at Reynisfjara; the second time in about a week. Guðjón Már Sigurðsson, marine biologist and cetacean expert at the Icelandic Marine Research Institute, says the whale swims shallow in a search for food.

Blue jays occur across southern Canada from Alberta east to Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

A rare phenomenon of gnat larvae forming snake-like processions has been observed again in Interior Alaska, raising questions about their behavior and species classification.

An extremely rare Spade-toothed Beaked Whale Mesoplodon traversii washed ashore in Otago, providing the first chance to dissect and study such a specimen, with DNA analysis underway to confirm its species.

Norway reports a record high of 175 Lyme disease cases from January to June 2024, with uncertain causes attributed to weather conditions and increased tick awareness.

Hurricane Ivan in 2004 was the last strong hurricane to hit the southeastern Caribbean, causing catastrophic damage in Grenada as a Category 3 storm. Hurricane Beryl lashed the southeastern Caribbean as a Category 4 storm — an unprecedented strength this early in the Atlantic season. Beryl amassed its strength from record-warm waters that are hotter now than they would be at the peak of hurricane season in September, he said.

This crab from the Pacific Ocean was once introduced into the Barents waters of the Soviet Union in Arctic Russia. Since then the invasive species has spread to Norway’s Barents Sea and a multi-million dollar industry has sprung up around it. In 2023 Norway exported 2,500 tons of king crab worth 1,2 billion kroner (€100 million).

A polar bear was drawn to the Hope Dog Sled Race in Chukotka, Russia, an unusual event for the area. It is the third recent visit of a bear to the village. In size and build, the polar predator is similar to the same bear thatdisturbedlocal residents on the night of March 28.

A gray whale, presumed extinct in the Atlantic for over 200 years, was spotted by the New England Aquarium team south of Nantucket, suggesting climate change effects.

A healthy Cuvier's beaked whale, typically a deep-sea dweller, was found dead on Kodiak Island with no clear cause of death.

The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said no fewer than 2,122 suspected human cases, 411 confirmed cases, and 72 deaths have been recorded from Lassa fever in Nigeria this year.

The unseasonably warm and wet conditions thought to be factor in amphibian sighting.

While Northwest Arctic residents encounter bears year-round, such sightings are not common in Kotzebue this time of year, Cantine said. Charlie Henry Jr., an Elder from Kotzebue, agreed: “That is so strange — brown bear in the middle part of the coldest months.”

Whales native to Mexico and Central America are spotted dozens of times from Long Beach to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Laguna Beach over the last three weeks.

A Lyme disease-carrying tick was found on a dog in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., with uncertainty about whether the tick originated locally or from a southern province.

An unusual visitor showed up in King Cove in late November. Shankell Mack was able to get a picture. The great egret is rare sighting anywhere in Alaska.

Darlene Cardinal slammed her brakes in order to stop herself from crashing into a wild muskox last month. It was a rare event for someone who lives in Fort Chipewyan, Alta.

Invasive Elodea has been observed since 2020.

Hunters in Central Southeast Alaska have reported a record harvest of 141 bulls during the month-long moose hunt, surpassing the previous record of 132 bulls set in 2021, with the majority of the harvest occurring on Kupreanof Island. A couple decades ago, there were very few of them in the region — and the hunt was almost entirely relegated to the mainland. But over the years, he said he’s seen more moose cropping up on remote islands.