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From: Paul J. Baicich [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007 9:20 PM
Subject: Birding Community E-bulletin - July 2007



THE BIRDING COMMUNITY E-BULLETIN
            July 2007
 
This Birding Community E-bulletin is being distributed through the
generous support of Steiner Binoculars as a service to active and
concerned birders, those dedicated to the joys of birding and the
protection of birds and their habitats. You can access an archive of
our past E-bulletins on the website of the National Wildlife Refuge
Association (NWRA):
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/birding5.html
            and on the birding pages for Steiner Binoculars
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin.html
 
                        
RARITY FOCUS
                                    
The E-bulletin rarity for June was a Plain-capped Starthroat found
at Roy P. Drachman Agua Caliente Park in Tucson on 5 June. (For
field-guide details on this species, see pp. 274-274 in the latest
National Geographic guide, or the "big" Sibley, p. 293).
 
This hummingbird, a species found in arid habitats and riparian
areas from southern Sonora, Mexico, to northwestern Costa Rica, has
been reported in southern Arizona over 20 times since the first
verified record in 1969. Although the species has occurred in U.S.
from May to November, most records have been in late summer.
 
The starthroat at Agua Caliente Park was frequently found feeding in
the park's salvia, or else perched on some nearby dead
tree-branches. (Hummingbird fans should note that there are no
feeders in the park; Pima County Parks has a rule against feeding
animals, including, apparently, hummingbirds.)
 
On many days, the Plain-capped Starthroat was very difficult to find
or else was missing entirely. It was reported, usually in the
mornings, at least until 20 June, to the delight of those birders
who were able to see it feeding at flowers or resting on bare
tree-branches. 
 
 
KIRTLAND'S WARBLER NESTS IN WISCONSIN
 
The first confirmed Wisconsin nesting of the Federally Endangered
Kirtland's Warbler occurred in central Wisconsin this year. This is
a species currently found breeding only in Michigan until the recent
Wisconsin breeding confirmation. Singing males (but no nests) have
been observed in appropriate Jack Pine habitat in the past, but no
positive breeding confirmation was obtained until this year. 
 
Due to the sensitive nature of this nesting discovery, on private
land, the exact site has not been disclosed. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service has been working with the landowner, the Plum Creek
Timber Company, about management and monitoring of the warblers in
Wisconsin. 
 
For further information on the Kirtland's Warbler, see the State of
Michigan web page:
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12202-32591--,0
0.html 
 
Also see this USFWS press release on the Wisconsin nesting record:
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/Release07-59.html
 
 
HAWAIIAN PTERADROMA ON THE REBOUND
 
A previously little-known population of a Federally Endangered
seabird, the Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis), has been
steadily increasing on the forested slopes of the island of Lanai,
Hawaii.
 
A team of researchers, headed by the University of Hawaii Pacific
Cooperative Studies Unit, recently reported that the population of
the burrow-nesting seabird is larger than anyone had previously
expected. 
 
"Absolutely everyone in this research community is amazed at how
many birds there are there. It's one of the remarkable discoveries
of this century," said Jay Penniman, an ornithologist with the
Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit who is coordinating research on the
Lanai birds. "Nobody dreamed in their wildest dreams that there was
this sort of thing," added state wildlife biologist, Fern Duvall.
 
One of the conclusions of the new findings relates to the importance
of the restoration of the habitat on Lanai, dating back to 1982 when
feral goats were eradicated. When the last goats were removed from
island, the uluhe fern (false staghorn) habitat began recovering,
and the birds responded. Another factor is Lanai's minimal level of
urbanization and the absence of light pollution.
 
There also are no mongooses, no pigs, and no goats on Lanai. There
are a lot of deer, but the deer do not range on the steep-sloped
cloud forests of Lanaihale where the nesting Hawaiian Petrels were
found.
 
Another major discovery is that Hawaiian Petrels will feed thousands
of miles north of Hawaii, in waters around the Aleutian Islands.
Using U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) tracking equipment on several
breeding birds on Lanai, researchers learned that the petrels are
flying all the way to the Aleutian Islands and back to feed their
chicks, 9,000 to 13,000 kilometers on a round-trip feeding run.
 
Researchers said that the Lanai population might be even larger than
the estimated 1,200 petrels that nest in Haleakala Crater on the
island of Maui (Haleakala National Park), the other major nesting
site for the birds. "We haven't figured a way yet to assess the size
of the [Lanai] population. There are more birds than we've seen
anywhere. It is a larger population than we have seen on the island
of Maui," Duvall said.
 
The research team acknowledged that support from landowner Castle &
Cooke was essential to the study, as well as to the revival of the
population. Castle & Cooke has led the effort to eradicate goats and
set up fencing to protect the habitat from browsing deer.
 
 
NEW FROM NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY: "COMMON BIRDS IN DECLINE"
 
Last month the National Audubon Society released "Common Birds in
Decline," a report which combines results of the 40 years of the
Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) and the USGS-backed Breeding Bird
Survey (BBS) to provide a snapshot of the state of some of North
America's "common" birds. The report was a collaborative effort,
with input from state NAS offices and a select group of Important
Bird Areas (IBA) coordinators.
 
"Common Birds in Decline" presents a distressing picture of what is
happening to some of our most familiar birds. The review and its
associated outreach activities are intended to build public
awareness over the fate of such common species as Northern Pintail,
Greater Scaup, Northern Bobwhite, Common Tern, Eastern Meadowlark,
and Evening Grosbeak - all species which were found to have
experienced nationwide population declines of greater than 70
percent over four decades.
 
The report does not suggest that these birds should become the focus
of any new or special conservation efforts, but simply that their
condition highlights important conservation concerns affecting a
wider environment. 
 
As such, the mantra of "keeping common species common" resonates
clearly in this report.
 
Details of "Common Birds in Decline" along with information on the
methodology used can be found online at:
http://stateofthebirds.audubon.org/cbid/
 
 
YELLOW-BILLED LOON: THREATENED OR ENDANGERED?
 
Early last month the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
announced a 90-day finding to consider listing the Yellow-billed
Loon as a Threatened or Endangered Species, under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) of 1973. The data suggests that the action may be
warranted. 
 
The loon breeds in wet tundra along the coast of Alaska, Canada, and
Russia. The USFWS estimates that there are only 16,500 loons in
existence, with less than 5,000 in the U.S. Three-quarters of all
Yellow-billed Loons in the U.S. may nest in areas within the Alaskan
National Petroleum Reserve.
 
USFWS and petition details can be found at:
http://alaska.fws.gov/mbsp/mbm/loons/species/Yellow-billed-loon.htm 
 
Comments and information must be submitted to the USFWS by 6 August
2007.
 
 
EAGLE AND ESA SUCCESS
 
Touted by the media at the end of last month was the announcement by
Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, that the Bald Eagle has
been removed from the list of Threatened and Endangered species
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  After nearly disappearing
from most of the U.S. decades ago, today the species flourishes
across most of the nation and is deemed to no longer need the
protection of the ESA.
 
For our March E-bulletin coverage on delisting see:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/marSBC07.html#TOC03
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/march07.html
 
This most recent move is evidence that the Endangered Species Act
works, and that the recovery and delisting of species is possible.
 
Moreover, it is fitting that the delisting takes place on the heels
of the May Centennial of the birth of Rachel Carson, the visionary
eco-witness whose seminal work on pesticides actually made the
salvation of the Bald Eagle possible.
 
The strictest remaining protection for the species continues under
the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940. Beside the
killing of eagles, that law also prohibits "disturbing" Bald Eagles
while they are nesting. Earlier in June, the USFWS clarified
regulations implementing the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
and published a set of National Bald Eagle Management Guidelines.
Under these clarifications, "disturbing" now includes any human
activity that would have the eagles move away from their nests.
Developers whose operations drive the birds away will now fit the
definition of "disturbing" and will be subject to legal sanctions.
 
 
BIRDING TRENDS
 
Last month, the preliminary findings of the USFWS survey, "2006
National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated
Recreation" were released.
 
In the category of Wildlife Watching (where birding is the lion's
share, by the way), the trends were all headed upward. From 2001 to
2006, the increase in both around home and away-from-home wildlife
watching rose, respectively, 8% and 5%. Of the 71 million people who
enjoyed wildlife watching in 2006, almost a third (32%) took trips
more than a mile away from home. Overall expenditures related to
wildlife watching for the period increased a modest 2%, with
trip-related spending up significantly, to an increase of 40%.
 
You can find the preliminary findings here:
http://library.fws.gov/nat_survey2006.pdf
 
Be aware that some minor findings may change slightly before the
final report is released (due in November). Also be aware that the
popular Forest-Service's National Survey on Recreation and the
Environment (NSRE) should also be released in the next few months.
Comparisons between the two national surveys should be instructive.
 
 
"SOCCER OWL" ON THE AIR
 
In early June, during a televised soccer match between Finland and
Belgium, and after about 15 minutes of the start of the game, a huge
Eagle Owl flew onto the field and landed on one of the goal posts.
The game was stopped for seven minutes because the owl was sitting
on the field and eventually on both goal posts. It also gently
cruised around the field, as you can see on the posted video-clip.
Apparently, the owl had a nest somewhere in the stadium. The video
is in Finnish, and the audience is heard shouting, "Huuhkaja!
Huuhkaja,"meaning "Eagle Owl, Eagle Owl," as the owl is sitting on
the crossbars goal. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dMBFOiYxT0
 
This remarkable sports-and-birds combination brought back at least
one memory. It reminded us of a Monday Night Football game in the
mid-1990s, when a migrant Sora landed on the edge of the field and
was eventually broadcast to a vast TV audience.
 
 
BOOK REVIEW: LARIDOMANIA
 
Modern birders have been treated to another new mega-treatise on
gulls and their identification. Prior to this, however, there was
Jonathan Dwight's pioneer work in 1925, followed in the 1980s by two
editions of Peter Grant's "modern" gull identification guide. Then
in 2004 gull aficionados were graced with a comprehensive European
guide by K.M. Olsen and H. Larsson. And now we have, a new first in
the Peterson Reference Guide series (Houghton Mifflin), GULLS OF THE
AMERICAS by S.N.G.Howell and J. Dunn (2007). 
 
Unlike Grant who used sketches and black-and-white photos to
illustrate his subjects, and Olsen and Larsson who used color plates
and color photographs, GULLS OF THE AMERICAS uses color photographs
throughout the book, in its attempt to cover every gull plumage
variation and molt, and even hybrids. This hefty new guide of
516-page guide also provides fully annotated species accounts. 
 
If you are someone who likes a high quality photo format with lots
of accompanying detail, you will unequivocally find this most recent
guide to the larid literature to be an extremely valuable
contribution.

 
SENATE POISED TO SHORTCHANGE BIRD CONSERVATION
 
In the June E-bulletin, we reported on the House Appropriations
Interior Subcommittee and its hopeful mark-up for natural resource
issues. Since then, the corresponding Senate Appropriations
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Subcommittee has met to make its funding recommendations.
 
Without going into minute detail, it is sufficient to say that the
initial Senate numbers don't match those from the House in regard to
bird-conservation issues.  Most of the announced Senate figures
(e.g., Neotrop Act, State Wildlife Grants, Refuge System Operations
& Maintenance) are below those from the House that we outlined last
month:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/junSBC07.html#TOC10
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/june07.html
 
Senators can still be reminded that they have time to match their
colleagues in the House when it comes to these important
bird-conservation funding issues.
 
 
BUY YOUR MIGRATORY BIRD STAMP NOW
 
Finally, a reminder: The 2007-2008 Migratory Bird Hunting and
Conservation Stamp, commonly known as the "Duck Stamp," is now on
sale across the country at a cost of $15.
 
The First Day of Sale was actually on 22 June, at a ceremony at Bass
Pro Shops in Columbia, Missouri, as well as at other stores
throughout the country.
 
Since the 1930s, more than $700 million has been raised from stamp
sales. The funding has been used to secure over 5.2 million acres of
valuable wetland and grassland habitat for the Refuge System.
Approximately $25 million a year is currently collected through
annual stamp sales.
 
In addition, the stamp is a conservation bargain, since
approximately 98 percent of the revenue from the stamp goes to the
Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase refuge wetlands and
grasslands. Importantly for frugal birders, the stamp can be used
from July 2007 through June 2008 to gain free admission to any
National Wildlife Refuge in the country that charges an entry fee.
 
You can buy a stamp at most large Post Offices, National Wildlife
Refuges with Visitor Centers, Bass Pro Shops, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and
various other sporting-goods stores. 
 
Our suggestion: Don't just buy a stamp, display it when you're in
the field! 
 
For information on some creative ways to display the stamp on
binoculars and field gear, see our coverage of the subject from
earlier this year:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/aprSBC07.html#TOC09
 and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/april07.html
 
For general information on the stamp program and on birders and the
stamp see:
http://duckstamps.fws.gov/Info/Stamps/stampinfo.htm
 and
http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps/Info/Constituents/birder.htm
 
- - - - - -
 
You can access an archive of past E-bulletins on the National
Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) website:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/birding5.html
 and on the birding pages for Steiner Binoculars
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin.html
                                    
If you wish to distribute all or parts of any of the monthly Birding
Community E-bulletins, we simply request that you mention the source
of any material used. (Include a URL for the E-bulletin archives, if
possible.) 
 
If you have any friends or co-workers who want to get onto the
monthly E-bulletin mailing list, have them contact either:
 
            Wayne R. Petersen, Director
            Massachusetts Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program
            Mass Audubon
            718/259-2178
            <>
 

                        OR
                                    
            Paul J. Baicich            
            410/992-9736
            <>