From: Paul J. Baicich [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 3:42 PM
To: Paul J. Baicich
Cc: Wayne R. Petersen
Subject: Birding Community E-bulletin - February 2008
THE BIRDING COMMUNITY E-BULLETIN
February 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 a posting of our current and past E-bulletins on
the website of the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA):
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/NewestSBC.html
and
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/birding5.html
and on the birding pages for Steiner Binoculars
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin.html
RARITY FOCUS
This seems to have been a slow month for profiling a single rare bird
sighting, but that doesn't mean that a particular species was not worthy of
special notice. In fact, Slaty-backed Gull, a bird normally found in coastal
northeast Asia (and increasingly in western Alaska in summer) has been found
in relatively remarkable numbers and in extraordinary locations across the
northern tier of the lower48-states and in southern Canada this winter. (If
you are unfamiliar with this species, check the National Geo guide, page
212-213; the "big" Sibley guide, page 222; or the Kaufman "Focus" guide,
page 72-73.)
Over the past two or so months, there have been at least two dozen reports
of individuals of this essentially northeast Asian species in North America,
including (roughly from west to east) British Columbia, Washington, northern
California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Ontario, New York, Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts, and Newfoundland. Tom Johnson in New York has collected as
many reports and photos as he could locate and added them to a highly
instructive Google map here:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8
<http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=1101695293197499758
69.000442310e1bcdead2daa&ll=52.696361,113.730469&spn=51.330654,164.53125&z=3
&om=1>
&hl=en&msa=0&msid=110169529319749975869.000442310e1bcdead2daa&ll=52.696361,1
13.730469&spn=51.330654,164.53125&z=3&om=1
One particularly nice collection of photos (by Phil Brown and Rick Heil) and
descriptions of two birds at Gloschester, Massachusetts, can be found here:
http://www.nebirdsplus.org/Slaty_backed_Gull.htm
This is clearly an exceptional year for Slaty-backed Gulls, particularly in
the northeastern U.S.; seasoned observers are using terms like
"mini-invasion." And, it's probably not over yet!
This of courses raises the important question of what is happening to
Slaty-backed Gulls in northeast Asia. Information recently obtained from
Japanese ornithologist, Hiroyoshi Higuchi, suggests that this species is
indeed increasing, at least in Japan, where it now even nests on urban
rooftops, much the way Herring and Ring-billed Gulls do in certain urban
habitats in North America.
CRP LOSSES - A LOOK AT THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS
Increasingly, important elements of the Farm Bill, such as the Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP), are having a hard time competing for real space with
today's high commodity prices, especially with the increasing focus on
corn-based ethanol.
Specifically, more than 2 million acres of land previously enrolled in CRP
were converted to cropland in 2007, according to a recent analysis of
federal figures. The losses, which carry serious implications for wildlife
species dependent on that land, were most dramatic in Montana, North Dakota,
and South Dakota. Those three states combined lost about 800,000 acres of
CRP last year.
As a reminder to readers, CRP encourages farmers to convert highly erodible
cropland, or other environmentally sensitive acreage, to grass. The annual
rental payments are based on the agricultural rental value of the land, and
are paid to the landowner under 10-to-15 year contracts. We have previously
covered this issue in the E-bulletin, including last month when we reported
on Farm Bill passage in the Senate and expectations for a Senate-House
conference:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/janSBC08.html#TOC05
and at:
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/jan08.html
Some trends are particularly disturbing. For example, in North Dakota, new
federal figures have shown that about 420,000 acres of CRP were converted
back to cropland in 2007. That adds up to more than 12 percent of all CRP
acres in the state. As summarized by Ducks Unlimited (DU) staff in Bismarck,
"It's as if someone plowed up a three-mile swath of wildlife habitat across
North Dakota, from its southern border to Canada."
Extensive losses for 2007 were expected, but the released total is about
double the acreage that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service
Agency (FSA) had originally predicted.
With CRP unable to compete with what producers can get by farming the land
themselves or by renting the land for cropping, Jim Ringelman, DU's director
of conservation programs in the Prairie Pothole Region, said that the
country's new energy policy could wipe out billions of federal dollars
invested in natural resources: "Conservation is in for a long swim against a
strong current when trying to fight the tide of land rolling out of CRP."
The number of CRP acres going back into crop production is also a warning,
supporting a strong "Sodsaver" provision in the Farm Bill. The loss of CRP
acreage is an assault on waterfowl and grassland birds, and should be
resisted by all bird conservationists. In addition, the next line of
vulnerable land to lure exploitation is existing native prairie that simply
cannot be replaced. A strong "Sodsaver" would help to save some of what
10,000-year-old native prairies still exist.
For more details, see:
http://www.ducks.org/news/1456/DUsaysCRPlossesastou.html
CANADIAN LOONS FACE PROBLEMS
The carcasses of hundreds of dead Common Loons have been found on the shores
of the Great Lakes in recent months. The healthy-looking loons have
congested organs and half-digested fish in their stomachs, leading
biologists to believe that the loons succumbed to an epidemic that has
killed 75,000 birds, including 9,000 loons, in the Great Lakes since 1999.
The loons, iconic symbols of the Canadian wilderness, died from eating fish
contaminated by Type E botulism. The birds, which were actually found dead
on both sides of the border, are particularly poignant for Canadians.
"Rather than sporadic outbreaks, which have occurred for years and years,
now it is becoming much more generalized over the Great Lakes. It's becoming
more widespread," said Kate Welch, a diagnostician with the Canadian
Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC), who performed necropsies on the
birds. The CCWHC is an organization encompassing Canadian veterinary
colleges.
In recent years, observers have encountered shorelines littered with dead
loons, geese, ducks, gulls and cormorants. The biological source surfaced in
the western end of Lake Erie in 1999 and spread quickly to lakes Huron and
Ontario. The worst year was 2002, when 25,000 dead birds were counted in
Lake Erie alone.
"The loons, which are very emblematic for Canadians, are very long-lived
birds," Dr. Welch said. "They live up to 20 years or more, and if we're
losing a substantial number of those birds in their prime reproductive
years, it may be 10 to 15 years before we see what that is going to do to
the population as a whole."
There are an estimated 545,000 loons that nest each summer in Canada. While
researchers do not think that the Canadian birds are in any immediate danger
of being wiped out by Type E botulism, such potent outbreaks could quickly
reduce their numbers.
The deadly chain reaction started in the 1980s when two invasive species,
zebra mussels and small fish, called gobies, hitchhiked into the Great Lakes
in the ballast tanks of ocean freighters coming from the Caspian Sea. (The
bacteria are picked up by zebra mussels, which are consumed by fish, which
are ultimately consumed by loons.)
"It's a bit of a wake-up call that invasive species have long-term
repercussions," Dr. Welch said. "They have substantially altered the
ecosystem of the Great Lakes to the point where now we are seeing much more
botulism." Type E botulism results from a naturally occurring toxin, so
conservation officials can do little to prevent the deaths. Nonetheless,
scientists are working to somehow interrupt this pernicious link in the food
chain.
For more information, see:
http://newsdaily.com/Science/UPI-1-20071229-16340500-bc-canada-loons.xml
IBA NEWS: ALASKA EMPHASIS
An entry in the blog run by BIRDER'S WORLD magazine early last month
highlighted a recent announcement that petroleum leases in the Chukchi Sea
off Alaska's northwest coast will go on sale on 6 February.
This move has the potential to affect many Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in
that part of Alaska. This informative blog uses the Alaska IBA database to
spotlight which birds and which specific IBAs might be at risk (including
the Teshekpuk Latke area which we have previously discussed in this
E-bulletin). To read the summary, visit:
http://bwfov.typepad.com/birders_world_field_of_vi/2008/01/alaskas-importa.h
tml
For more information about National Audubon's Important Bird Area Program,
visit:
http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba/
BOOK REVIEW: PIGEONS?
Yes, PIGEONS (Grove Press) is our featured title this month. This thoughtful
and unusual book by Andrew Blechman is captured by the subtitle: "The
Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird." Although its
been in print since 2006, your E-bulletin editors can't read everything all
at once!
We wanted to give this book a brief recommendation, especially in light of
our last month's report on the call to ban pigeon-feeding in New York City
(which, by the way has gone nowhere):
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/janSBC08.html#TOC13
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/jan08.html
If you want to learn about the role of pigeons in war, pigeons on city
statues, pigeons in races, and pigeons on dinner plates, you can do no
better than this work. The book is not just about pigeons, but also about
the people involved with them, subcultures supported by concern and by
obsession. In either case, you will probably finish this book with an
appreciation for Rock Pigeons that you may not have had when you began
reading.
MORE COPIES OF NEOTROPICAL COMPANION AVAILABLE IN SPANISH
Yet another run of A NEOTROPICAL COMPANION (an "Introduction to the Animals,
Plants and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics" by John Kricher) in its
special Spanish-language version has just rolled off the presses. Thousands
of copies are available again, since the previous supply of 5,000 has
already been distributed throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. See the
past coverage of this effort here:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/novSBC06.html#TOC14
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/nov06.html
Birders' Exchange, a project of the American Birding Association, plans to
continue distributing these books at no cost to individuals and
organizations throughout the Neotropics. Volunteer couriers from the U.S.
can deliver copies of the book. If you or a colleague are traveling to Latin
America or the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and could serve as a hands-on
courier, please contact Betty Petersen () or Elissa LaVoie
().
INTER-AMERICAN SHOREBIRD RESEARCH SITE
The Shorebird Research Group of the Americas (SRGA), a consortium of
researchers from academia, government agencies, non-governmental
organizations, and the public interested in the biology and conservation of
shorebirds in the Americas, recently launched a new Website:
http://www.shorebirdresearch.org/
The purpose of the website is to encourage involved working groups, provide
communication, and be a clearing-house for emerging ideas and issues related
to shorebirds. (A Spanish-language SRGA "mirror site" is currently under
development.)
NAVY BACKS OFF FROM BASE PLANS NEAR NWR
For the past five years, the U.S. Navy has actively sought to build a
landing field to practice jet take-offs and landings at a location that is a
mere 3.5 miles from Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in eastern North
Carolina. The potentially harmful effects caused by Navy jets could have
been highly disruptive to local birds such as the 100,000 migrating and
wintering Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, and other waterfowl that regularly use
the refuge. (Bird disturbance was one issue, while the potential threats to
pilots, risking impact with such large waterfowl, was another.) Fortunately,
the Navy is now considering two alternative sites in North Carolina.
See more details from the National Wildlife Refuge Association:
http://www.refugenet.org/new-pdf-files/1.23.08%20Pocosin%20Lakes%20PR.pdf
FAVORITE BIRDING BLINDS IN THE EAST?
Do you have a favorite birding or photography blind on a refuge, preserve,
park, or forest east of the Mississippi?
To meet the growing demands for birding and nature photography services,
Deborah Richie Oberbillig is working with the Virginia Dept. of Game and
Inland Fisheries to expand, "A Guide To Wildlife Viewing and Photography
Blinds," a resource that primarily features blinds from the western United
States. The Colorado Division of Wildlife Information provides information
and support for this topic at:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/Viewing/PartnerResources/
The current guide emphasizes 20 viewing or photography blinds located in the
West, with an eye to assisting those in other areas that are interested in
the wildlife-viewing and interpretive fields who are seeking ideas and
guidance on the planning, construction, and placement of such viewing
enhancements. The new edition will add 20 examples from the East, plus two
blinds described in a special case-study section.
If you manage or regularly visit an area with a birding blind in the East,
especially one that could potentially offer lessons for others to copy,
please contact Deborah ().
MORE ON MARINE DEBRIS AND SEABIRDS
The issue of marine debris has been previously discussed in the E-bulletin:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/novSBC04.html#TOC05
The problem continues to be a major hazard for island, marine, and coastal
environments and species. (While there is more information on turtles and
marine mammals, it still has bird information.)
A web site (announced by Chris Woolaway of NOAA) is packed with information
about marine debris that can be highly instructive for conservation
organizations, coastal resource managers, educators (see, especially,
"Marine Debris 101"), and the general public needing information on this
subject, whether they are from the U.S. or beyond:
http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/
A DRAFT BIRD EDUCATION STRATEGY CIRCULATING
Exactly a year ago, there was a highly successful "National Gathering" of
bird educators in Austin, Texas, a conference called by the Council for
Environmental Education (CEE). We've previously reported on related
developments since the February 2007 meeting:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/augSBC07.html#TOC04
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/aug07.html
As an outgrowth of that conference, the Bird Education Network (BEN)
Committee of CEE crafted a draft "National Education Strategy." The strategy
identifies five priority bird conservation issues confronting the U.S. and
beyond: habitat loss, modern industrial life, insufficient public awareness,
insufficient funding, and inter-American concerns. According to the draft
strategy, these issues embrace biological and non-biological dimensions
alike, and addressing them is seen as essential to effective bird education
and conservation.
The draft national strategy can be accessed here:
http://www.birdeducation.org/strategy.htm
TIP OF THE MONTH: USE YOUR LITTLE DIGITAL CAMERA
With the spectacular advances in the digital image revolution have come
amazing opportunities to capture bird images with relatively "simple"
equipment. We are talking about taking documentation photos of birds in the
field, images that were often impossible to capture just a few short years
ago. Much of this has been possible by digiscoping - the capturing of images
with a digital point-&-shoot camera by shooting through the eyepiece of a
spotting scope. With practice, this can even be done through binoculars!
(Hints, equipment reviews, and techniques abound on the Internet, and many
optic and camera companies offer great details, so we will not make any
specific recommendations here.)
While many of the readers of this E-bulletin may be familiar with the
process of digiscoping, we wish only to emphasize the ease with which the
needed equipment can be carried into the field. After all, a small digital
camera may weigh a mere 9 ounces. (In comparison, even the "little" Sibley
guide will weigh over 18 ounces.) We know of at least two experienced
birders who recently found a Slaty-backed Gull (this month's focal rarity)
at a remote location. The bird was positively identified through scopes, but
no "quality camera" and lens was available to document the observation, a
potential "first" for the state. Had just a little lightweight point-&-shoot
digital camera been at hand, an image captured through a quality scope would
probably have sufficed to photo-document the sighting.
You might never know when you'll need a little point-&-shoot digital camera
in the field... until, of course, you realize that you've left yours at home
or back in the car!
- - - - - - -
You can access current and past E-bulletins on the National Wildlife Refuge
Association (NWRA) website:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/NewestSBC.html
and
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
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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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