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FW: Birding Community E-bulletin - February 2011 (PART 1 of 2)

From:

Norm Saunders

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Norm Saunders

Date:

Wed, 2 Feb 2011 10:30:41 -0500

Part 1 of 2

 

From: Paul J. Baicich [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 8:19 AM
To: Paul J. Baicich
Cc: Wayne R. Petersen
Subject: Birding Community E-bulletin - February 2011

 


THE BIRDING COMMUNITY E-BULLETIN
            February 2011
 
 
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. 
 
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
 
On 13 December, a Black-vented Oriole was observed during the regularly
scheduled morning bird walk at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in South
Texas. Javier de Leon reported that the oriole was found in close
association with other orioles in the revegetation area near the park
headquarters. Later that day, the oriole was seen crossing the canal that
borders the park headed into the park.
 
From 13 December until New Year’s Day, the bird was seen only a few times,
mostly near the headquarters. After that, the bird was relocated outside the
State Park and just up the road at the Bentsen Palms Village RV Resort. The
Black-vented Oriole was then observed almost every day throughout the month
at the RV Resort, most often in the morning when it came to a coral bean
tree near the club house. 
 
Black-vented Oriole is a resident species ranging from southern Nuevo León
and central Sonora in Mexico south to northern Nicaragua. It is accidental
in Texas, with only about three reports dating back to the late 1960s. The
species has also been recorded once in southeast Arizona in 1991.
 
Clearly, this Mexican oriole is a very rare bird in the U.S. If you are
unfamiliar with it, consult a Mexican field guide, or see page 452-453 of
the 5th edition of the National Geographic guide.
 
The management at Bentsen Palms Village was accommodating to birders, many
of whom traveled from far away to see the Black-vented Oriole. Access to the
RV resort was allowed whenever the office was open, from 8am for walk-in
birders checking in until closing at 5pm. The resort manager made maps
available to locations where birders were allowed (including the circle with
the club house) and printed instructions on proper behavior. The location
could have been completely shut down to birders; instead, guidelines were
established to make for better birder access.
 
Birders are encouraged to take note of these kinds of model arrangements,
since similar practices could be copied elsewhere.
 
To view photos of the oriole (taken in early January) by Erik Breden and
Bruce Sherman,see:
www.otterside.com/winter2011/oriole_black-vented-1014.jpg
and
www.pbase.com/image/131628440
 
 
SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS: BLESSED EVENT
 
Last month, we reported on the first U.S. Pacific nesting of Short-tailed
Albatross, with a nest of questionable viability on Kure Atoll, and another
more likely productive nest on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge:
www.refugenet.org/birding/JanSBC11.html#TOC02
 
The great news is that the Midway egg hatched in mid-January. You can read
the announcement here:
www.fws.gov/pacific/news/news.cfm?id=2144374679
 
There are also photos. The Midway chick is sometimes difficult to see, but
is visible directly under the male parent:
www.fws.gov/pacific/t/?id=320
 
Unfortunately, the Kure Atol eggs failed, but this was not a surprise, since
they were thought to be the product of a suspected female-female pair:
www.acap.aq/latest-news/the-short-tailed-albatross-nest-fails-on-kure-atoll-
hawaii 
 
 
OIL COMMISSION:  COMPANIES BLAMED, RECOMMENDATIONS MADE 
 
Last month, the 380-page "National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon
Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling" blamed the Gulf of Mexico blowout last
April on "missteps and oversights" by oil giant BP, rig owner Transocean,
and contractor Halliburton. 
 
The Commission concluded that the disaster, which resulted in putting over
170 million gallons of oil into Gulf of Mexico waters, was not inevitable,
but rather was "rooted in systemic failures" that could happen again.
William K. Reilly, co-chairman of the commission and former head of the EPA
under President George H.W. Bush, said the disaster reflected "a more
pervasive problem" within the oil industry. 
 
The Commission reviewed the circumstances of the disaster and presented ways
to guard against accidents associated with offshore drilling in the future,
including recommended improvements to federal laws, regulations, and
industry practices.
 
The regulation and inspection requirements run by the U.S. government,
specifically through the Minerals Management Service (MMS), appeared feeble
at best - our words, not theirs.
 
The recommendations were fine as far as they went, especially the creation
of an independent safety agency in the Department of the Interior, the
effort to enhance environmental protection and improve funding for key
regulatory agencies, the creation of regulatory fees on new and existing
leases, the implementation of better coordination between Interior, NOAA,
and the Coast Guard, and the increased liability cap and financial
responsibility under the Oil Pollution Act.
 
However, the elements pertaining to region-wide restoration and coastal
habitat protections were disappointing, to say the least. Insofar as the
Commission’s recommendations were mostly a “safety-and-regulation report,”
one could not expect much more. Nonetheless, the Commission recommended that
Congress should “dedicate 80 percent of any Clean Water Act penalties… to
region-wide restoration of the Gulf of Mexico.” Ideally the report could
have gone much further to secure bird and wildlife habitat at sea as well as
along the coast itself. 
 
The Commission could have even gone as far as the CLEAR Act – passed by the
House in July, but neglected by the Senate – that would have:
  …fully funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund (a real “conservation
royalty”) at $900 million a year without being subject to annual
appropriations, 
  …given National Wildlife Refuges the ability to collect and keep funds for
damages resulting from oil spills and other criminal acts, 
  …and provided $1.2 billion to fund a "Gulf Coast Restoration Program" and
a Task Force to create a regional restoration plan.
 
We have previously covered the impact and meaning of the “spill” in the
E-bulletin, especially in June, September, and December:
www.refugenet.org/birding/juneSBC10.html#TOC03
www.refugenet.org/birding/SepSBC10.html#TOC03
www.refugenet.org/birding/DecSBC10.html#TOC03
 
To access the complete National Commission report,see:
www.oilspillcommission.gov/
 
 
IBA NEWS: EVERGLADES HEADWATER NWR PLANNED 
 
Last month Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, announced that the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service would work with private landowners, conservation
groups, and state and local agencies to create a new National Wildlife
Refuge and a broader “Conservation Area” for the headwaters of the
Everglades. This would, according to Salazar, "preserve the community's
ranching heritage and conserve the headwaters and fish and wildlife of the
Everglades." 
 
The area would be located north and slightly west of Lake Okeechobee, itself
a designated Important Bird Area (IBA) in Florida. 
 
Under a $70- million proposal, the government would purchase about 50,000
acres for a new National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and protect another 100,000
acres through agreements with willing landowners.
 
In addition to improving water quality, the proposed Conservation Area and
NWR would protect habitat for 88 federal and Florida species listed as
threatened or endangered. Lake Okeechobee, a source of Everglades waters,
has historically been one of the most critical sites in Florida for Snail
Kites, and under conditions of changing water levels, is an area used
abundantly by wading birds, waterfowl, and shorebirds.
 
Just as significantly, the proposed Everglades Headwaters NWR and
Conservation Area would touch five counties, and abut or include a number of
already identified Florida IBAs beyond Lake Okeechobee itself. The final
product could be a showcase of buffers and corridors for valuable habitat,
birds, and wildlife. 
 
The associated IBAs include Highland Hammock State Park, Avon Park AF Range,
Lake Istokpoga, Lake Kissimmee, and the Lake Kissimmee Prairie Preserve
among others. It is estimated that the proposal may link to about 690,000
acres of partner-conserved lands. 
 
A final plan for the Everglades Headwaters proposal is expected by the end
of this year. More details here:
www.fws.gov/southeast/greatereverglades/
 
For additional information about worldwide IBA programs, including those
across the U.S., check the National Audubon Society's Important Bird Area
program web site at: 
www.audubon.org/bird/iba/