From: Paul J. Baicich [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 4:49 AM
To: Paul J. Baicich
Cc: Wayne R. Petersen
Subject: Birding Community E-bulletin - January 2010
THE BIRDING COMMUNITY E-BULLETIN
January 2010
This Birding Community E-bulletin is being distributed to active and
concerned birders, those dedicated to the joys of birding and the protection
of birds and their habitats. This issue is sponsored by the Wild Bird
Centers of America (WBCA - www.wildbird.com) and the National Bird-Feeding
Society (NBFS - www.nbfs.org). You can access an archive of past E-bulletins
on the website of the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA):
www.refugenet.org/birding/birding5.html
RARITY FOCUS
In the late afternoon of 21 December, birders Rick Snider and Rick Nirschl
discovered a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum), in the Lower
Rio Grande Valley near the levee at the entrance to Bentsen-Rio Grande
Valley State Park, not far from McAllen, Texas. The bird was studied for
nearly an hour, and was observed by about a dozen other birders.
If this report is accepted this would be a first occurrence for North
America. Ordinarily the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron ranges from southern
Tamaulipas and southern Sonora in Mexico, south through Central America into
northwestern Colombia. The species occurs in a variety of coastal and fresh
water situations, typically characterized as forest-edged aquatic habitats.
Usually a solitary species, this tiger-heron tends to forage alone,
primarily at dusk or after dark.
The Bare-throated Tiger-Heron is not pictured in any North American field
guide; however, it is depicted in a number of Mexican or Central American
guides. Snider and Nirschl actually got some fine photographs on the day
they discovered the tiger-heron which may be seen at:
http://marybirds.blogspot.com/2009/12/bare-throated-tiger-heron-hidalgo.html
For the rest of December, it was seen virtually every day from the levee,
but mostly in the late afternoon or early evening, sometimes in the early
morning, often flying over the site. Some birders had long and frustrating
waits.
For a local news report on the bird (from 27 December), see here:
www.spislandbreeze.com/articles/snider-8453-started-rick.htm
The many birders who came to the area seeking a glimpse of the bird
appreciated the thoughtfulness of the staff at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley
State Park (i.e., their World Birding Center) for making special
arrangements to accommodate them , including allowing visitor access to a
portion of the park not usually open to the public. The park staff even
provided guided walks during normal business hours to the pond area on the
south side of the levee where the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron was thought to
be spending some of its time.
ANOTHER GREAT RARITY
A bird which nearly made the December E-bulletin and this month's E-bulletin
"rarity of the month," but was trumped by Pink-footed Geese in the Northeast
for November and by the tiger-heron for December, was a spectacular and
cooperative Ivory Gull in Cape May harbor, New Jersey.
Discovered by Jim Dowdell the day after Thanksgiving, the immature Ivory
Gull delighted many visiting birders for days. It was at the Bree-Zee Lee
Marina, where the management was most tolerant of the hordes of visiting
birders who came to see the bird. This was the first Ivory Gull ever
recorded in Cape May County and the first of its kind to be seen in New
Jersey in almost a quarter century.
Like the two Ivory Gulls that entertained gleeful birders in Massachusetts
in January of 2009, the Cape May gull was exceedingly cooperative. See here
for our coverage of the Massachusetts experience:
www.refugenet.org/birding/febSBC09.html#TOC02
To see some photos from Cape May taken by Scott Whittle and Karl Lukens, see
the following:
www.scottwhittleevents.com/Nature/Ivory-Gull-Day-2/10473019_NRdGw/1/72661893
5_wRSoX#726619020_ZQ27V
http://home.comcast.net/~jklukens/GoodBirds2009/Pages/IvoryGull11-28-09.htm
And from the Press of Atlantic City (1 December), 19 great photos can be
seen at:
http://pressofac.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=26979019
<http://pressofac.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=26979019&event=9
00232&CategoryID=7628> &event=900232&CategoryID=7628
Ivory Gulls are birds of the High Arctic; however, as many as 50 or more
were found in Canada's Atlantic Provinces last winter, mostly in
Newfoundland and Labrador, and about evenly divided between adults and
first-year birds. Their presence in such large numbers last year was
attributed to a lack of sea ice and strong northeasterly winds last winter.
Perhaps those same actors will prove to exist this year.
The Cape May Ivory Gull was definitely seen daily from 27 November to 9
December, but not with certainty since then.
According to the folks at the Cape May Bird Observatory, "well over 1,000
people" came to see the bird. That's a lot of enthusiastic avitourists!
CAPE HATTERAS SEASHORE DECISION PENDING?
Cape Hatteras National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service) in North
Carolina is currently developing alternatives for the regulation of off-road
vehicle (ORV) use on the seashore's 67 miles of ocean beach. The ORV
regulations will determine how natural resources (e.g., shorebirds,
waterbirds, and sea turtles) will be protected. This could also set a
precedent for standards being developed for Cape Lookout National Seashore
(also in North Carolina), and possibly other National Seashores as well.
To see a letter being sent to the National Park Service by scientists and
wildlife professionals, along with other documents related to the issue
(e.g., USGS Protocols for Cape Hatteras National Seashore, population trends
for nesting birds and sea turtles, conservation and recovery plans,
literature review) check:
http://nc.audubon.org/birds-science-education/995786
One would hope that the National Seashore will be managed in a way that will
ensure the well-being of birds and other natural resources along with
measured seasonal and habitat restrictions on ORV access. Not only would
this be crucial for nesting birds, it would also be vital for migrating and
wintering birds, shorebirds and terns in particular. This is not a matter of
being "anti-ORV use," but rather "appropriate-ORV use."
COSEWIC: MORE BIRDS IN TROUBLE
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) met
in Ottawa in late November to assess risks facing Canadian wildlife species.
The Birds Specialist Subcommittee upgraded two species to a higher category
of risk.
The first, Chestnut-collared Longspur, was designated Threatened. Monitoring
has shown that serious population declines for this species since the 1960s
are still continuing, (albeit at a slower rate. This prairie grassland
specialist is particularly threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation
resulting from road development associated with the energy sector.
The second, Bicknell's Thrush, previously considered a species of Special
Concern, was raised to a designation of Threatened. Data from the Maritimes
Breeding Bird Atlas project and the High Elevation Landbird Program were
instrumental in this consideration, documenting declines in their respective
areas over the last three generations. While reasons for the decline are
unclear, habitat loss on the wintering grounds, management practices such as
pre-commercial forest thinning in regenerating forests, and climate change
are all suspected of reducing suitable high-elevation habitat.
More information on the meeting and these two species can be found on the
COSEWIC website:
www.cosewic.gc.ca/eng/sct5/index_e.cfm
PARTNERS IN FLIGHT: TWO DECADES OF BIRD CONSERVATION
In 2010, Partners in Flight (PIF) will be celebrating 20 years of bird
conservation activity. Launched in 1990, PIF arose in response to concerns
over disturbing declines among Neotropical migrant landbirds - those which
breed in North America and winter in Latin America and the Caribbean. PIF's
main message has been that the resources of public and private organizations
in this hemisphere have to be combined, coordinated, and increased in order
to conserve our shared bird population resource.
There will be events and products throughout the year to highlight the PIF
anniversary. For example, PIF will share the spotlight in the IMBD theme,
"The Power of Partnerships." For details see:
www.birdday.org
Another celebratory event already scheduled is a Special Session at the
North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Milwaukee on
22-27 March 2010:
www.wildlifemanagementinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content
<http://www.wildlifemanagementinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&vie
w=category&layout=blog&id=43&Itemid=120>
&view=category&layout=blog&id=43&Itemid=120
For more details on PIF and the 20th Anniversary, see:
www.partnersinflight.org/
NEW COFFEE REPORT FROM SMBC
Last month, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) released a report
on "The Global Market" for their certified "Bird Friendly" coffee.
The SMBC's stringent standards require that its "Bird Friendly" coffee be
both organically grown and meet specific shade-grown criteria. Its seal is
considered by many to be the "Gold Standard" in shade-coffee certification.
You can access the nine-page marketing report at:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Coffee/Bird_
Friendly/global_market.cfm
BOOK NOTES: INVASIVES?
Yes, this is another "non-bird" book. The title is BRINGING NATURE HOME by
Douglas Tallamy (2007, Timber Press).
We probably should have drawn attention to this volume months ago, but
somehow this book managed to fly under our radar. After all, a book about
the importance of native plants, hungry native insects, the biological
consequences of the historic American quest for suburban tranquility, and
the overuse of alien ornamentals couldn't be about birds, could it? Wrong.
Tallamy's main message about the plant/insect connection is intimately
related to the survival of birds, their reproductive success, their food,
and their ultimate future.
Tallamy graphically illustrates the mantra of how everything in nature is
connected to everything else, beginning in our very own backyards. The book
is well illustrated and accompanied by superb captions. Indeed, Tallamy
brings to the reader, in plain yet well-crafted American English, an
essential defense of native plants as crucial to our biological balance and
the future of "reconciliation ecology."
RED KNOT WORKING GROUP HAS FIRST MEETING
Almost three dozen participants from seven countries came together in
November in coastal Georgia for the first-ever meeting of the Red Knot
Working Group. Convened by Larry Niles (Conserve Wildlife Foundation) and
Charles Duncan (Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences/WHSRN), the group
focused on the development of a "business plan" for recovering the "rufa"
subspecies of the Red Knot. The recovery effort focused specifically on
strategies for stopover sites and Red Knot wintering grounds.
Hopefully, this Working Group will meet annually. You can find details on
the international meeting at:
www.whsrn.org/news/article/1st-meeting-red-knot-calidris-canutus-working-gro
up
L.A. COURT RULING AGAINST FERAL CAT COLONIES
Six bird and conservation groups won an important lawsuit in early December
against the City of Los Angeles and its Department of Animal Services to
stop the practice of encouraging feral cat colonies until the legally
required environmental impact reviews have been performed.
The Los Angeles Superior Court found that the City of Los Angeles had been
"secretly and unofficially" promoting "Trap-Neuter-Return" (TNR), a
controversial program allowing feral cats to run free, even while the
Department of Animal Services promised to conduct an environmental review of
the program.
In June 2005, the L.A. Board of Animal Services Commissioners adopted TNR as
the "preferred method of dealing with feral cat populations as its official
policy." The Department issued coupons for free or discounted spay/neuter
procedures for feral cats being returned to neighborhoods and open spaces
and encouraged and assisted in establishing new feral cat colonies at
city-owned properties, including parks and wildlife areas. The Department
also began refusing to accept trapped feral cats, or to issue permits to
city residents to trap feral cats.
The plaintiffs in this case wished to ensure that the controversial TNR
program along with the maintenance of feral cat colonies would not be
allowed until a complete public environmental analysis (under the California
Environmental Quality Act - CEQA) has been finished.
The City must now halt its TNR program. Further proposals to implement such
a program must undergo objective scientific review as part of the CEQA
process. This process has been designed to allow for public comment and for
an assessment of significant impacts on parks, wildlife, water quality, and
human health.
The American Bird Conservancy, one of the plaintiffs in the case, summarized
the court finding here:
www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/091208.html
IBA NEWS: FULL FUNDING FOR LWCF?
The importance of a meaningful Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has
appeared numerous times in this E-bulletin, most recently in August 2009
where a new assessment of LWCF was described:
www.refugenet.org/birding/augSBC09.html#TOC03
The LWCF, a "conservation royalty account" from offshore oil and gas lease
revenue going into the U.S. Treasury, has been critical in securing many
locations designated as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in the U.S. The LWCF is
a funding vehicle that has been responsible for the creation and development
of more than 40,000 national, state, and local parks, refuges, forests, and
recreation areas in all fifty states, and 98% of all U.S. counties. Many
birding hotspots have been preserved or enhanced through the LWCF.
Created in 1965, the LWCF reached its highest authorized level in 1977.At
that point, the conservation royalty account reached $900 million allowable
per year, half for federal acquisition and half for state and local
projects: $450 million federal and $450 million stateside. Adjusted for
inflation, that would translate to $3.2 billion per year in today's economy.
But just because the $900 million per year is made available, it doesn't
mean that it is ever appropriated by Congress. In fact, for a period
beginning in 2000, a portion of LWCF monies was also shamelessly diverted to
other programs. Only once in the history of LWCF has all the designated
money been used for the original intent. Even this year, when the LWCF
received over $300 million - its greatest allocation in many years - it is
still only a third of what it is supposed to be. In the meantime, there is a
backlog of more than $30 billion worth of lands that federal agencies would
like to protect and a list of state and local land-based projects that go
wanting.
There is some good news, however. U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Max
Baucus (D-MT) introduced the Land and Water Conservation Authorization and
Funding Act (S. 2747) two months ago that would permanently provide $900
million annually to the LWCF. In addition, a provision within the House
Resource Committee by Chairman Nick Rahall's (D-WV) Consolidated Land,
Energy, and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act (HR 3534) would also provide
dedicated LWCF funding.
If these proposals move, the LWCF could continue to expand land acquisition
at some of America's most famous and bird-filled federal locations,
including national wildlife refuges, national parks, national forests, as
well as increasing the size of various state and local parks.
LWCF expansion could be crucial to broadening a growing and vibrant IBA
effort.
For additional information about worldwide IBA programs, and those across
the U.S., check the National Audubon Society's Important Bird Area program
web site at:
www.audubon.org/bird/iba/
HOG ISLAND TO REOPEN
The natural history camp at Hog Island in Muscongus Bay, Maine, first opened
in 1936, at which time Roger Tory Peterson was its first bird instructor and
Allan D. Cruickshank was his assistant. Hog Island was acquired the year
before by the National Association of Audubon Societies, the predecessor of
today's National Audubon. Hog Island became well known within America's
conservation and birding communities as a distinguished and beautiful place
for learning and enjoyment. The 330-acre spruce-covered island retained its
respected status as a center for nature education for decades.
Known to thousands as the Audubon Camp in Maine, Hog Island was closed
during the summer of 2009 in order to plan for the future. Fortunately, this
summer legendary Hog Island will reopen. Directed by Steve Kress, National
Audubon's VP for Bird Conservation and "Father of Project Puffin," Steve
will be joined by some of the country's top bird instructors, including Greg
Budney, Pete Dunne, Lang Elliott, Kenn Kaufman, Kim Kaufman, and Scott
Weidensaul.
Five sessions are currently planned. More will surely follow. For details,
see:
www.projectpuffin.org/OrnithCamps.html
TIP OF THE MONTH: LAUNCH A BIRD-FILLED NEW YEAR
It's a new year - 2010. And it's time to resolve once again to make the most
of enjoying a year filled with birds and nature. But making that resolution
only for yourself is insufficient. That would be self-indulgent!
Sure, enjoy the year. Fill it with birds, with nature, with travel, and with
enjoyment. But also try to fill it with other kindred souls.
For example, re-read the previous note about Hog Island. Every one of Hog
Island's instructors will SHARE the joys and wonder of birds, bird ID, bird
sounds, and bird conservation with others. Yet they could probably just as
easily spend that time doing something for themselves.
No, you may not be a Lang, or a Pete, or a Kenn, or a Kim, but you can be
YOU, and you can just as easily share the excitement of birds and nature
with others, regardless of whether they are old non-birding friends, new
acquaintances, young children, or even your city councilman!
You'll feel better about your birding enjoyment in 2010, and so will they.
- - - - - - - - -
You can access past E-bulletins on the National Wildlife Refuge Association
(NWRA) website:
www.refugenet.org/birding/birding5.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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