THE BIRDING COMMUNITY E-BULLETIN
             August 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 
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

Our rarity of the month is a hummingbird, the Green Violet-Ear.

Over the 4th of July weekend, a Green Violet-Ear visited the hummingbird 
feeder of John and Cindy Hust in Michigans Upper Peninsula. This 
remarkable Neotropical hummingbird was Michigans third record for the 
species, and some lucky birders and bird-photographers arrived in time 
to see the bird before it disappeared.

Also, beginning 15 July, a Green Violet-Ear began coming to a 
hummingbird feeder at the home of Jane Tillman and Mark Lyon in Austin, 
Texas. It came to the feeder - off and on - at least until 21 July, 
entertaining a few lucky birding visitors during its stay. A photo of 
the bird, accompanied by a full story in the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN 
(for 22 July) can be seen at:
 
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/07/22/0722hummingbirds.html

Green Violet-Ear is a large hummingbird found from northeastern Mexico 
to South America. The species was first recorded in the U.S. at Santa 
Ana National Wildlife Refuge in mid-July 1961. Since then, there have 
been approximately 60 North American records, with about 40 in Texas 
alone.

Other North American locations where this wide-wandering hummer have 
appeared include Arkansas, New Mexico, Mississippi, Kentucky, North 
Carolina, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey, Iowa, Ontario, and Alberta. Not 
surprisingly most of these visitors have been seen at feeders. (To see 
an illustration, consult your National Geographic guide page 272-3, the 
"large" Sibley page 293, or the Kaufman "Focus" guide, page 218-19).

We previously highlighted a feeder-visiting Green Violet-Ear in Iowa in 
the October 2006 E-bulletin and it increasingly appears that this 
species may be developing into an annual visitor to locations north of 
Mexico.


PROOF THAT ALMOST ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

We now mention a bird that didn't quite rate monthly "Rarity Focus" 
status, mainly because it was a single-observer sighting of a bird that 
didn't stick around. Nonetheless, it deserves special attention. On 6 
July Helmut Grunberg in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, reported that he 
had seen and photographed an Oriental Turtle-Dove on 30 June. The bird 
only briefly appeared in his yard, but fortunately stayed long enough 
for him to obtain two quick photos through the window. The bird has not 
been seen since.

You can find Grunberg's photograph here:
https://docs.google.com/File?id=dczbk8bw_3fdrqbgc8_b

The species breeds across much of Siberia to southern Asia. There are 
about six previous reports for Alaska in the Bering Sea area (May-July), 
one report for British Columbia (1992), and two for California (1988 and 
2002).

See your National Geographic guide, page 244-5, for a description of 
this species.

An Oriental Turtle-Dove in the Yukon Territory is surprising, if not 
totally astounding. This report is proof that almost anything is 
possible in the bird world. After all, birds do have wings!


ANOTHER EVERGLADES STORY

Last month we reported on exciting news of the pending sale of about 300 
square miles of U.S. Sugar Corporation property located in the northern 
Everglades, to the state of Florida. This move is intended to help 
restore the natural flow of water into the Everglades:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/julSBC08.html#TOC02
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/july08.html

This month, however, we have to report some troublesome news about one 
of the Everglades' signature bird species - the Snail Kite.

Recent counts of this species in Florida are now estimated at 700 to 800 
birds, down from 1,200 present last year, and about a third of the 
population in 2000. This is the lowest number in decades. Some observers 
think the species is in "free fall," the victim of back-to-back droughts 
in the region, along with possible impacts created by high-water 
retention in parts of the Everglades to benefit management efforts on 
behalf of the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (an endangered race of the 
Seaside Sparrow) in areas south of the Tamiami Trail.

Today, the kites have largely abandoned their historic haunts in the 
Everglades and Lake Okeechobee area. Most Snail Kites now live in a 
chain of central Florida lakes 100 miles north of Lake Okeechobee, 
although this year a surprising four nests were found at Loxahatchee 
National Wildlife Refuge, west of Delray Beach.

A decade ago, the Snail Kite - a member of the federal endangered 
species class of 1967 - was one of the great endangered species success 
stories in this country. The species' population in the 1960s had 
dropped to a few dozen individuals as wetlands disappeared as a result 
of development pressure and an injurious cycle of flooding and draining. 
By 1999, however, nearly 3,600 were counted scattered from the St. Johns 
River south into Everglades National Park. After the 2000-2001 drought, 
however, this number dropped by about half. Today, these numbers 
continue to be impacted by drought and the population appears to have 
been further reduced by about half.

Apple snails, practically the sole food of the highly specialized Snail 
Kite, are apparently victims of changing water levels that are either 
too high or too low. The kite's future is apparently tied closely to 
that of the apple snail.

With federal agencies aiming to finally break ground on a project that 
would improve water flow through the Tamiami Trail - an essential 
long-delayed Everglades restoration project - hopefully conditions may 
improve for the kite, the sparrow, and the snail.


ONTARIO PROTECTION FOR BOREAL FORESTS

In mid-July, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced a remarkable 
commitment to protect 225,000 square kilometers of Boreal Forest in the 
northern area of the province, by means of a Far North Planning 
initiative. The area - about 55 million acres - is slightly larger than 
the entire state of Idaho.

The plan will prohibit mining and forestry across this vast area, which 
is roughly half of Ontario's Boreal Forest. The area will specifically 
be designated for tourism and traditional Native use.  The remaining 
half of Ontario's Boreal Forest will be subject to forthcoming changes 
in its antiquated Mining Act.

The Boreal Forest in northern Ontario represents 43 percent of the 
province's land mass, and is part of one of the world's largest intact 
ecosystems. The Boreal Forest is home to millions of nesting birds, 
including songbirds such as Gray Jays, Boreal Chickadees, Dark-eyed 
Juncos, Tennessee Warblers, Swainson's Thrushes, and White-throated 
Sparrows, along with a rich diversity of waterfowl, shorebirds, and 
raptors.

This action by the Ontario government is one of the most significant 
recent conservation commitments in the hemisphere, and it stands as an 
outstanding example of significant land protection, not just for Canada, 
but for the world! Marie-Eve Marchand, executive director of the Quebec 
chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wildlife Society, remarked that more 
needs to be done for the Boreal Forest across the country: "We are still 
way behind. We need to do way more, and the Ontario announcement shows 
us where we should go."

Birds are not the only beneficiaries of this legislation, of course. 
Permanently protecting these forests also addresses the issue of climate 
change, since the Boreal Forest is a globally significant carbon sink. 
One of the reasons for protecting this region is that it is part of the 
Ontario government's plan to challenge climate change.

For more information, see the Boreal Songbird Initiative:
http://www.borealbirds.org/


CRP:  ONE BULLET DODGED

The Farm Bills $1.8-billion-a-year Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) 
has evolved over the years into a major gain for conservation and a boon 
to birdlife. Much of the CRP-enrolled acreage has traditionally been 
planted  under 10- and 15-year contracts - with perennial grasses or 
been restored to wetlands.

Over the past month there was much speculation that the Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) would actually allow penalty-free, early-withdrawal 
of CRP lands from the conservation roster.

Both hunter-conservationists and "green-oriented" environmentalists 
resisted the concept. See, for example, organizational letters to 
Agriculture Secretary Ed Shafer from these two parallel communities:
 
http://www.pheasantsforever.org/page/1/PressReleaseViewer.jsp?pressReleaseId=10804
and
http://www.edf.org/pressrelease.cfm?contentID=8048

Toward the end of July, and despite several weeks of speculation to the 
contrary, the USDA announced that penalties would not be lifted for 
farmers who wish to pull their conservation lands from the CRP program.

This is good for the birds, wildlife, and water and soil conservation 
that has benefited from CRP. Its also good for the American taxpayers 
who have paid farmers for these conservation actions.

Still, agricultural interests point to the corn-based ethanol boom, 
record-high prices for many other agricultural commodities, 
international food shortages, widespread regional flooding, regional 
drought, and high prices for feed crops as having seriously altered the 
agricultural economic landscape. Farming interests are looking for 
assistance, and release from CRP presents just such an opportunity.

Currently 34.7 million acres across the country are enrolled in CRP; 
approximately 32 million acres will be the limit allowed under the new 
Farm Bill.  Moreover, about 2.2 million acres of farmland conservation 
"rentals" under CRP expire this year, to be followed by an estimated 4.5 
million in 2009, 4.7 million in 2010, 4.4 million in 2011, and 5.6 
million in 2012.

All astute conservationists expect CRP renewals to drop substantially 
over the next few years.

Thankfully, one bullet has been dodged (a penalty-free withdrawal 
incentive), but another awaits (a drop in CRP renewals). Birds and 
habitat will clearly suffer.


CALIFORNIA CONFLAGRATION AND CONDORS

California Condor researchers recently mourned the loss of a 2-month-old 
condor chick that was thought to have perished when a Big-Sur-based fire 
swept through a wilderness gorge, scorching a 1,000-year-old redwood 
where the condor was nesting, 200-feet up in the tree. The grieving may 
have been premature, since the parents of the young have been recorded 
revisiting the nesting site multiple times since the conflagration.

The lightening-induced fires started from at least four strikes on 21 
June, and eventually spread to encompass almost 163,000 acres in 
central-coastal California.

Fortunately, two other nestling chicks, both about 3 months old, were 
apparently spared. They were on nests in caves closer to the coast where 
they were partially protected by cool coastal fog.

Researchers, with help from the U.S. Coast Guard, were able to save 
seven captive one-year-old condors and an older mentor bird at the 
Condor Sanctuary run by the Ventana Wildlife Society. The facility 
itself was severely damaged; the large condor pens and a trailer were 
destroyed.  A nearby cabin used by staff was miraculously undamaged.

Almost half the California Condors in California have been reintroduced 
into the wild as a result of efforts on the part of the Ventana Wildlife 
Society. Fortunately, 41 of the 43 free-flying condors in Central 
California, each wearing a radio transmitter, have been accounted for 
since the fire.  The survivors apparently flew out of the smoky areas 
toward the coast. The two currently missing birds are a three-year-old 
female and a six-year-old male.

As the impact of the fire continues to be assessed, the condor 
conservation effort will also continue. For more information, see the 
site for the Ventana Wildlife Society:
http://www.ventanaws.org/
and the San Diego Zoo:
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/condor_fire_relief/


ANOTHER SWIFT NIGHT

For the eighth year, volunteers from coast to coast will be 
participating in "A Swift Night Out."

As summer draws to an end and North American swifts finish raising their 
young, the birds will begin congregating in communal roosts prior to 
initiating their fall migration. Some swift roosts may only consist of 
an extended family group of a half a dozen birds, but the larger sites 
can host hundreds or even thousands of swifts. We encourage you to join 
in recording this spectacle.

Here is how it works: Watch for areas at dusk where swifts are feeding. 
Look for a tall shaft, chimney, or similar structure in the vicinity to 
locate where Chimney Swifts (central to east coast) or Vaux's Swift 
(Pacific coast) go to roost for the night in your area.

On one evening between 8-9-10 August and/or 12-13-14 September, observe 
the roost starting about 30 minutes before dusk and estimate the number 
of swifts that enter. Once you have completed your count, contact the 
Driftwood Wildlife Association with your results:
http://www.chimneyswifts.org/


AUGUST 2008 - SMALL WETLANDS ANNIVERSARY

Fifty years ago, Congress amended the Migratory Bird Hunting and 
Conservation Stamp Act of 1934 (commonly called the Duck Stamp Act) to 
authorize the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire Waterfowl 
Production Areas, small and valuable wetland habitat. These properties 
were incorporated into the Refuge System in 1966, and by 1989 large 
swaths of grassland habitat were included on the "shopping list" of the 
Small Wetlands Program. Nearly 95 percent of Waterfowl Production Areas 
secured over a half century ago are today located in the prairie 
wetlands or "potholes" of the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Montana.

During the program's history, the Service has secured more than 36,000 
separate fee-title (standard ownership) and permanent easement tracts 
that make up these lands. They now include more than 29,000 permanent 
easements, covering 2.1 million acres, and approximately 7,000 fee-title 
tracts, totaling more than 677,000 acres.

The entire program, although a half-century old, is little known to the 
American public. This is unfortunate, since not only are breeding 
waterfowl the beneficiaries of the program, but so are many grassland 
birds of the northern Great Plains, such as Sprague's Pipit, 
Chestnut-collared Longspur, Baird's Sparrow, LeConte's Sparrow, and 
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow. Grassland bird species are in trouble 
generally, some in significant decline, threatened by habitat loss, 
predation pressure, changing farming and ranching practices, and fire 
suppression.

This month, the Small Wetlands Program is celebrating a half century of 
successfully conserving wetlands and grasslands, and nurturing and 
sustaining waterfowl and other migratory birds, wildlife, and natural 
resources.

Birders can help make this celebration a success by buying a Migratory 
Bird Hunting and Conservation [Duck] Stamp, since so much of the Stamp 
income goes to secure these vital bird habitats for the Refuge System.

For more information on the Small Wetlands Program see this site from 
the USFWS:
http://www.fws.gov/refuges/smallwetlands/
or this recent article on the program from BIRDER'S WORLD:
http://www.birdersworld.com/brd/default.aspx?c=a&id=1145


BOOK REVIEW: SMITHSONIAN GUIDE TO BIRDS

The new SMITHSONIAN FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA by Ted 
Floyd (Collins, 2008) is the latest entry in a seemingly endless parade 
of photographic bird guides. The photographic field guide genre began in 
earnest with the The National Audubon Society's Field Guide to North 
American Birds (Eastern and Western Region) and Master Guide to Birding 
(3 volumes), and continued with the Stokes Field Guide to Birds (Eastern 
and Western Region) the Kaufman Focus Guide to Birds of North America, 
and the recent National Wildlife Federation's Field Guide to Birds of 
North America. While the newest member of the parade has much to be 
admired, it is nonetheless fraught with some of the inevitable 
deficiencies that seem to shadow practically all photo field guides.

Although the quality and reproduction of the photo images in the new 
Smithsonian field guide are arguably the best we have seen in any North 
American photo guide, we remain personally unconvinced that any of the 
existing photo-guides are overall as useful in the field as those 
containing carefully drawn illustrations created by the likes of master 
field guide illustrators, such as Peterson, Sibley, and Alderfer, for 
example.

The range maps in the new guide are very good; and the specifics on molt 
strategies, plumage variations, and other additional details are truly 
masterful. Of appeal to a growing techno-generation of birders is an 
accompanying DVD with 587 MP3 audio files for 138 species that can be 
played in a variety of portable formats.

This new field guide has much to offer, and readers are encouraged to 
have a look for themselves.


RTP CENTENNIAL

And while we are on the subject of field guides, try to remember when 
you reach for your favorite guide to North American birds (whatever it 
is), whether it be a National Geographic Guide, a Sibley, a Kaufman, a 
Stokes, a Smithsonian/Floyd guide (reviewed above), a Brinkley/NWF, 
whatever, that none of them would have been possible without the 
singular vision of Roger Tory Peterson.

This 28 August will mark the centennial of RTP's birth.

In 1934 at the tender young age of 26, Petersons breakthrough book, A 
FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS, was first published. Birding, and for that 
matter nature study, has not been the same since. No American in the 
20th century did more to promote a popular interest in birds and other 
living creatures than Roger Tory Peterson. He was a prolific writer, 
photographer, artist, educator, and speaker for birds, if not for the 
natural world in general.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of his birth in Jamestown, New 
York, the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) has a number of events 
scheduled to highlight the centennial of his birth:
http://www.rtpi.org/?p=443