From: Paul J. Baicich [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 9:05 PM
Subject: Birding Community E-bulletin - January 2008
THE BIRDING COMMUNITY E-BULLETIN
January 2008
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
In Loveland, Colorado, on the morning of Saturday, 8 December, Connie
Kogler's husband told her that "something different" was at the backyard
birdfeeder. It turned out to be an oriole, and by the afternoon, Connie, was
considering the possibility that the bird was a Streak-backed Oriole from
western Mexico. Soon after its identity was confirmed, word of the rare
visitor spread quickly through birding circles in Colorado and elsewhere.
Once considered only a rare vagrant to Arizona and California, Streak-backed
Oriole has become a fairly regular Mexican visitor to the United States over
the last decade (for more information check the National Geo guide, page
452-453, the "big" Sibley guide, page 518, or the Kaufman "Focus" guide,
page 334-5). The species has previously been identified in New Mexico,
Oregon, Texas, and even Wisconsin, but this report is the first for
Colorado, and is thus a real prize.
In true Holiday spirit the Koglers literally opened their doors to help
visiting birders catch a glimpse of the rare visitor. By mid- December over
160 birders had visited their home, and by month's end, more than 400 people
had signed their visitor logbook. The Koglers graciously permitted entry to
their home through their garage most days (with some understandable
near-Christmas exceptions) from 7:15am to 3:00 pm, a strategy that
facilitated viewing from their kitchen and living room. Nicknamed, "Pedro,"
the oriole was originally thought to be a young male.
Visiting birders generously contributed to Connie Kogler's birdseed budget,
and their feeding station has grown considerably. Similarly, the available
bird feeder menu has been expanded to include grape jelly, oranges,
mealworms, and additional offerings of suet. By the weekend before
Christmas, however, the oriole had been spoiled rotten, accustomed to a diet
consisting almost exclusively of mealworms with grape jelly on the side. (By
the end of December, the oriole was consuming over 100 mealworms a day.)
Thanks to the generous spirit of the Koglers, hundreds of birders have been
delighted with the superb views of the oriole, along with the gracious
hospitality of its hosts.
Photos of the oriole, including the original photos by Connie Kogler, can be
viewed this site. (Type in "Streak-backed Oriole"):
http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery10
A story about the bird and the birders can also be seen in THE ROCKY
MOUNTAIN NEWS of 14 December:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/14/little-bird-draws-big-crow
d/
NARBA RARITIES
If you enjoy reading our Rarity Focus, another excellent way to keep track
of rare birds in North America in 2008 is to connect with the North American
Rare Bird Alert (NARBA). NARBA is a project of the Houston Audubon Society,
which has run the service since 1989. Only the rarest of North American
birds are reported through NARBA, whether they are very local breeders
(e.g., Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl or Yellow-green Vireo) or continent-wide
rarities, such as this month's Streaked-backed Oriole, a Black-tailed Gull
in Iowa, a Long-billed Murrelet in Pennsylvania, or an Arctic Loon in
Oregon.
For more general information on NARBA:
http://www.narba.org/
NARBA is a paid subscription service (the proceeds of which are used to
support the conservation programs of the Houston Audubon Society), but you
can try it out for free for 60 days:
http://www.narba.org/index.cfm/MenuItemID/103.htm
BOOK REVIEW: RARE BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA
Finally, while on the theme of rarities, it is appropriate to mention the
recent publication of RARE BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA (2007, Western Field
Ornithologists). This large book of almost 600 pages is stunning in its
thoroughness. The editors (Robert Hamilton, Michael Patten, and Richard
Erickson) have done a remarkable job of summarizing the documentation for
all the rare bird records in California through the end of 2003.The volume
is an historical outline of the work of the California Bird Records
Committee, beginning with its genesis in 1970. California was the first
state in the Americas to establish a committee for the purpose of vetting
records of rare and vagrant birds.
The treatment of each species in the book is preceded by a fine essay on
trends of that species in California, along with including a more general
overview of developments in California birding from 1960-2007, as well as
the process of documenting and reporting records. The species treatments
that constitute the very heart of the book are amazingly thorough, with maps
and sketches often supplementing photographs and the core summaries of
sightings.
The sheer thoroughness of the volume, however, begs the question: What is
the shelf life of such a book? With every new record that is accumulated,
the book will gradually show its age. While this digest of "old" records
will remain invaluable, every new record established will inevitably date
the volume. (As evidence, witness Appendix H, that serves to supplement the
species treatments of reports collected between 2004 and 2007.)
If this elegant volume serves as a standard for other state and provincial
bird record committees, it also provides an example of why similar future
efforts should seriously consider Web publication as an alternative for such
information, the obvious advantages being the ability to provide rolling
annual updates, a searchable database, broader access, and simple economy as
hardcopy publications continue to increase in price.
REPAIR ACT ON NWR INVASIVES STALLED IN SENATE?
On 22 October, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 767, the Refuge
Ecology Protection, Assistance, and Immediate Response (REPAIR) Act. This
piece of legislation addresses the important and often expensive issue of
confronting invasive (non-native) species on National Wildlife Refuges
(NWRs). The bill then moved to the Senate for action.
The REPAIR Act, championed by Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI), co-chair of the
House Wildlife Refuge Caucus, stated that "[R]efuges have faced an
unanswered march of invasive plants and animals that have literally taken
over, crowding out the very wildlife and habitat the refuges are charged
with protecting."
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, two million acres of refuge
lands are infested with invasive plants, and 4,471 invasive animal
populations have been recorded on refuge property. The Service also
estimates that over $300 million of invasive species projects exist on
wildlife refuges today, possibly the fastest growing portion of the Refuge
System's current budget.
By providing funding through two different grants, the REPAIR Act could
potentially help prevent new invasive species from taking hold and
disrupting refuge ecosystems.
If this bill was passed in the House in late October, why raise attention to
it now?
The answer is because it hasn't moved in the Senate. In fact, some animal
rights advocates, focusing on defending feral cats from potential
extermination on and near NWRs, are taking credit for stalling Senate
movement.
For more on the passage of the H.R. 767, see the statement by the American
Bird Conservancy:
http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/071023.html
For more background on some of the problems caused by invasive species on
NWRs, see the website of the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) :
http://www.refugenet.org/New-issues/invasives.html
CONGRESSIONAL MOVES ON FARM BILL, REFUGE BUDGET, AND CLIMATE
There was still some positive news pertaining to birds and bird habitat in
December, both in the Senate, and from Congress as a whole. Summarized below
are a few important bird-friendly developments.
First, on the Farm Bill, we saw the Senate pass a 2007 Farm Bill mid-month,
catching up to - and sometimes bettering - the House version already passed.
Standard and highly beneficial programs for grasslands (Conservation Reserve
Program and Grassland Reserve Program) and wetlands (Wetland Reserve
Program) were reauthorized. Two new programs were also proposed (now in both
Senate and House version): a "Sodsaver" provision that would protect the
last standing native prairie remaining in the U.S. (the stronger Senate
version removes landowner eligibility for federal disaster payments for an
indefinite period), and "Open Fields" which would back existing state
programs to reward farmers and ranchers who open their land to
outdoor-related access. This last move would expand successful walk-in
hunting and fishing programs in a number of states. A conference committee
is expected to begin reconciling the Senate and House versions of the Farm
Bill early this year.
Second, right before the Christmas Congressional recess, the Senate joined
with the House in passing an omnibus-spending package for FY08. Among a
number of funding issues worthy of mention to bird supporters was a Refuge
System Operations and Maintenance budget that dramatically reversed the
recent downward trend. (Over the past four years, NWRs have had flat or
declining budgets, floating below $400 million per year, and forcing each
FWS Region to implement downsizing plans calling for a 20 percent reduction
of the workforce, along with similar cuts for habitat management.) The
Refuge System budget would rise accordingly to $434 million for FY08, a
major increase of $39 million over last year. Although not as high as the
recommended $451 million suggested by the House, this is still a dramatic
and much-needed funding boost. (Readers should know that merely to stand
still, NWRs need an additional $15 million annually, and that to meet
fundamental wildlife conservation and public-use mandates, the NWRs would
require at least $765 million annually.)
Third, in early December the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
approved the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 2191) by a vote of
11-8. Eighteen percent of revenues from the carbon permit auction
established under this bill, perhaps as much as $9.3 billion per year in the
beginning, would be dedicated to natural resources adaptation. Some 35
percent of those revenues would go to state fish and wildlife agencies,
channeled through the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program, for
activities aimed at assisting fish and wildlife adaptation and habitat
resiliency in response to climate change. (Other funds would be available go
toward supporting additional programs, including cost-share landowner and
international wildlife efforts.)
The implications of this approach were covered in last month's E-bulletin:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/decSBC07.html#TOC05
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/dec07.html
Some observers assert that the Lieberman-Warner bill does not reach far
enough in setting limits for greenhouse gasses. Nonetheless, the bill has
been improved with every bill version and may continue to do so as the
Senate discusses it and as outside pressure continues. The good news is that
the Lieberman-Warner Bill has this unprecedented wildlife component, and
that S. 2191 will surely be the legislation that is adjusted and amended as
Congressional discussion continues.
In sum, 2008 may prove to be interesting, if not helpful, for birds and
other wildlife.
CHARLOTTE: BARRED OWLS ADAPTING TO CITY AND SUBURBAN LIFE?
Urban and near-urban wildlife numbers have been increasing in recent
decades, notably with populations of Gray Squirrels, Canada Geese, Raccoons,
and White-tailed Deer. However, the appearance of significant urban and
suburban populations of Barred Owls has been a surprise to many. Charlotte,
North Carolina, for example, has become home to a prospering population of
these owls.
The Barred Owl population in Charlotte is so robust that the city was chosen
to be the site for the most extensive Barred Owl research study ever
attempted, with fieldwork actually taking place in the manicured front lawns
and garden-filled back yards of urban and suburban neighborhoods.
The research study, an effort sponsored by the Carolina Raptor Center, began
in 2001. The study has been large in scale, with researchers monitoring
about 40 nesting sites each year, and annually radio-tracking many sets of
Barred Owl young as they mature.
Traditionally, Barred Owls were thought to need large stands of old-growth
or bottomland forests to survive. But University of North Carolina at
Charlotte ecologist and ornithologist, Rob Bierregaard, who has directed the
six-year-old research study, says "Either the Barred Owls in Charlotte
haven't read that book or the book is wrong, because they are really here
and apparently doing quite well." Bierregaard explains that the owls need an
open understory for optimal hunting, not a forest with thick undergrowth.
"When you look at suburban Charlotte, what do we have? We've got giant old
Willow Oak trees with plenty of holes in them and we've got mowed lawns and
azalea bushes, which is a very open understory, so they [the owls] can see a
long way." In addition to the open understory there are plenty of
birdfeeders to attract additional prey. (Cooper's Hawks are also attracted
to the birdfeeders, but the hawks in the Charlotte may not as successful
when it comes to nesting.)
For more information:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071016131337.htm
LOOKING UPSLOPE AT THE THREAT OF BIRD EXTINCTIONS
As certain bird habitats shift to higher elevations driven by rising
temperatures, birds depending on highland habitats and their associated
vegetation are being seriously squeezed, possibly squeezed out of existence.
Once a species retreats upslope far enough, as areas of once suitable
habitat at lower elevations become too warm for the species, the habitable
area for the bird could eventually be reduced to zero.
A Stanford University study on this subject has also asserted that many
resident birds may be much more threatened from climate change than
migratory birds (i.e., many sedentary mountain birds currently thought to be
relatively safe may actually be at great risk).
For a summary of this unsettling report, see:
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/january9/caganone-010908.html
MORE LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN HABITAT SECURED
Regular readers of the E-bulletin know that the Lesser Prairie-Chicken - a
non-migratory resident prairie grouse - is in serious trouble. Concern for
this species has been the subject of previous E-bulletin reports. For
example:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/decSBC06.html#TOC06
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/dec06.html
or
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/janSBC07.html#TOC04
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/jan07.html
Lesser Prairie-Chicken has also been a candidate for protection under the
Endangered Species Act, largely because it has experienced a decrease in its
population perhaps by more than 90 percent since the late 1800s. Reasons for
this decline are primarily due to the conversion of its former grassland and
rangeland habitat to cropland, unwise grazing-management practices, oil and
gas development, and overall habitat fragmentation. Currently an estimated
32,000 Lesser Prairie-Chickens may still remain in the southern Great
Plains, in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. Some estimates
place the population as low as 10,000 birds.
For a summary of the species natural history, a range map, and ongoing
conservation concerns, see the North American Grouse Partnership website:
http://www.grousepartners.org/birds.htm#lpc
Also see the article on fences and prairie-chicken losses:
http://www.grousepartners.org/images2/grousenews/2006/DontFenceThemIn.pdf
In mid-November 2007, the Nature Conservancy in Texas announced that it had
purchased the 6,000-acre Fitzgerald Ranch in the High Plains of West Texas,
specifically to protect habitat for Lesser Prairie-Chickens and other
wildlife. Located about 40 miles southwest of Lubbock in Yoakum and Terry
counties, the property represents the first land that TNC has purchased in
this area of Texas.
See the summary from the Playa Lakes Joint Venture:
http://www.pljv.org/cms/latest-news#Story2
And also from Texas TNC:
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/texas/press/press3211.
html
While protecting the Fitzgerald Ranch is a very good move, the ultimate
future of this species depends on cooperative management with operating
ranchers willing to restore, enhance, and maintain large blocks of suitable
Lesser Prairie-Chicken habitat. This would mean continued encouragement from
state and federal agencies, a model that is actually starting to be created.
DELAWARE: LATEST ADDITION TO BIRDING TRAILS
Birding trails, a concept pioneered in the early 1990s in Texas, continue to
spread. The latest addition is the Delaware Birding Trail, in a state
nicknamed "The Small Wonder." The latest trail certainly matches the state's
nickname.
With an inaugural ceremony at Bombay Hook NWR on 8 December, following a
week of cumulative bird-finding at sites along the trail, the new trail was
launched. Its development, accompanied by an excellent website, was made
possible by a creative group of state, federal, and local partners:
http://www.delawarebirdingtrail.org/
RICE AGRICULTURE AND BIRDS IN SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA
As regular readers of this E-bulletin know, when the rice production is
properly managed it can potentially provide benefits for ducks, long-legged
waders, shorebirds, and a number of other wetland birds. The significance of
rice management to bird conservation was reflected by a workshop held this
past fall in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Wetlands International organized the
workshop that was titled "Shorebird Conservation and Rice Cultivation in
Southern South America." Attending the meeting were about 40 conservation,
bird, and rice experts from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru,
Uruguay, and the U.S.
The intent of the workshop was to exchange information, promote
international cooperation, and identify the myriad challenges involved with
the promotion of "best practices" for rice cultivation.
For summary details of this important meeting, see:
http://www.whsrn.org/news/whsrnews.html#rice
TRACKING THE NORTHERN IRRUPTION
In October we drew attention to "winter finch" predictions rising from Ron
Pittaway's report for Ontario:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/octSBC07.html#TOC05
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/oct07.html
Christmas Bird Count participants and feeder-watchers in many areas have
already reported the presence of large numbers of these irruptive species -
including non-finch species such as Red-breasted Nuthatch and Bohemian
Waxwing.. A good way to track these unfolding irruptions is through the
Cornell Lab's eBird. To see a helpful summary report linked to eBird by Matt
Medler from the Boreal Songbird Initiative, readers are referred to:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/Irruption2007Nov.html
TIP OF THE MONTH: FEEDER FRENZY
Considering our reports on the Colorado Streak-backed Oriole, the possible
feeder-relationship between Barred Owls and feeders in North Carolina, and
the winter-finch watch across the northern parts of North America, this is a
good time to remind readers to re-supply your feeders at home, heap them
with new and enticing delicacies, and wait for the resulting parade of
hungry visitors to appear.
Indeed, the Christmas Bird Count season - just ending now - always
highlights special feeder visitors from coast to coast, and next month many
of our readers will be participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count:
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
PIGEON POOP? PIGEON CZAR!
Finally, for this month, we have a report from New York City. Simcha Felder,
a member of the City Council, claims that each of the city's pigeons can
live for 15 years and can produces an estimated 25 pounds of droppings a
year. (European settlers brought Rock Pigeons to North America as
domesticated birds; the birds that hold sway in New York City are their
semi-wild descendants.) In mid-November Felder released a report proposing
legislation that would curb the city's pigeon population. The Councilman
advocates a birth control strategy through OvoControl P, a system that
recently received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and that
has been used in several cities to control pigeon population.
But his top recommendation is directed at humans. He has proposed
legislation that would ban the feeding of pigeons on city streets. The law
proposes a $1,000 fine for feeding the urban birds. Says Felder, "If people
like pigeons, let them take them into their homes and let them crap all over
the place in their living rooms."
Another proposal is to create a city "Pigeon Czar" who would consolidate
oversight responsibility. Right now, this responsibility is spread over
several different state and city agencies overseeing public health,
transportation, and the environment. Despite their reputation as disease
carriers, the NYC Health Department does not consider pigeons a major danger
and says that the average New Yorker is not at risk of catching any disease
from the birds or their droppings.
Of 54 European cities recently surveyed, 29 have pigeon feeding bans. But
these are bans that are hard to enforce given public resistance. Likewise,
in Chicago there is an ordinance banning people from providing food that
would attract rats and other pests, which presumably includes pigeons.
Violators of these ordinances can be ticketed and fined up to $1,000, or
jailed for up to six months, or both. Currently, few tickets are issued.
Back in The Big Apple, an attempt to use Harris's Hawks against pigeons in
2003 at Manhattan's Bryant Park was discontinued after one of the hawks
attacked a pet Chihuahua. (According to the experiment's lead falconer, the
hawk probably mistook the little dog for a rat in the park shrubbery.)
Hearings on Councilman Felder's proposals may be held later this year.
- - - - - - - -
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
<>
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