From: Paul J. Baicich [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 9:27 AM
Subject: Birding Community E-bulletin - November 2011
THE BIRDING COMMUNITY E-BULLETIN
November 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.
This issue is sponsored by NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, publishers of acclaimed
birding books and field guides, available wherever books are sold or visit:
www.shopng.com/birdbooks <http://www.shopng.com/birdbooks>
[]
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
Birders can find Northern Wheatear in most North American field guides, but
that doesn't mean they can find one close to home! Northern Wheatears are
primarily an Old-World species which, in North America, prefer open and
rock-strewn habitats in Alaska and the Yukon in the west and Nunavut and
northernmost Quebec and Labrador in the east. The Alaskan/Yukon and the
Greenland/Eastern-Canadian-Arctic wheatears represent two different
subspecies, both of which leave North America in the fall, each population
traveling an extraordinary distance to winter in sub-Saharan Africa. Because
of this, finding one south of the species' limited North American breeding
range is remarkable.
But this is exactly what happened in late September and October at a number
of places, both at coastal sites and even at a few inland locations.
Although Northern Wheatears are occasionally found along the Atlantic coast
in fall, the species is much rarer on the West Coast.
Here's what we already know about this fall:
The first sighting under consideration actually occurred on 28 September in
Newfoundland where a Northern Wheatear (probably a female) was found at Red
Cliff.
Then, on 6 October, a visiting South Carolina birder found a Northern
Wheatear at a dumpster behind a Days Inn in Lickdale, Pennsylvania. The bird
stayed until 10 October and was photographed on 8 October by Geoff Malosh,
whose photos and notes can be found here:
http://home.earthlink.net/~pomarine4/id23.html
Next, on 7 October, another Northern Wheatear was found at the Wallkill
Watershed Management Area in Orange County, New York, right across the way
from the viewing platform at Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge. This bird
remained until at least 9 October.
About the same time, another Northern Wheatear was found at the lagoon at
Abram's Village on Prince Edward Island on 8 October. This individual
continued through 10 October, the same day that another wheatear was seen
and photographed along Waite Road in Sherbrooke. This individual was
reported again on 20 October.
In addition to these and other East Coast reports of Northern Wheatears,
some were even found on the West Coast:
Starting on 23 September, Daniel Tinoco observed and photographed a Northern
Wheatear at Malibu Lagoon in California. To see pictures of this bird see:
www.whatbird.com/forums/forums/storage/10/259878/IMG_2647.JPG
Then, on the afternoon of 2 October, a birder found a Northern Wheatear on
private property north of Anchor Bay, Mendocino County, California, where it
was last seen on the morning of 4 October.
And most recently another Northern Wheatear was observed for several minutes
in Curry County, Oregon, just east of the Pistol River Bridge on 17 October.
And there may have been more Northern Wheatears found last month and this
fall, but this is certainly an impressive sample.
TRANSLOCATING NIHOA MILLERBIRDS
When the Nihoa Millerbird was first discovered on Nihoa Island in the
Pacific in 1923, the population was estimated to number about 100 birds.
Between 1967 and 2010, population estimates have fluctuated from as few as
31 birds to as many as 814 individuals, with the 2010 population estimated
at 507 birds.
In early September, an effort led by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
American Bird Conservancy (ABC) began, to establish a second population of
the Nihoa Millerbird on Laysan Island. Both islands are part of the Hawaiian
Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Millerbirds have been absent from Laysan Island in the Pacific for nearly a
century since a closely related subspecies went extinct there in the early
20th Century. Now the first steps toward translocating Nihoa Millerbirds
from Nihoa Island to Laysan Island have begun. This has involved relocating
24 birds to Laysan. Already appropriate feeding, pairing, and initial
nest-building behaviors have been observed.
Many of the fascinating details can be found here:
www.fws.gov/pacificislands/nihoamillerbird.html
SeaBC. NOT THE CBC
If you know people with a seaworthy boat, you might consider asking them to
take you out for a sail or cruise in order to participate in the inaugural
"SeaBC" Sea Bird Count! It's similar to a Christmas Bird Count (CBC) or the
Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), except it's an event where one counts
birds at sea. You can choose your day in December and count all the birds
you see for a couple of hours, or for an entire day on the water.
A group of eight long-distance boaters, all volunteers, have organized this
event in its inaugural year. The SeaBC was created to raise awareness among
long-distance boaters from around the world to systematically record their
seabird observations.
The intent is help seabird conservation by mobilizing a worldwide boating
community to document ocean bird sightings, thus providing critical and
otherwise seldom-recorded data on seabird numbers, distribution, and ocean
migration routes.
Not surprisingly, the central clearinghouse for the data will be the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology's eBird website.
For additional information, including tally sheets see here:
http://web.me.com/mtwguides/CBC_at_Sea_Media_Release/CBC_at_Sea_Media_Releas
e.html
Even if you're a landlubber, but know your birds, you can team up with a
boating friend to contribute to the count!
NEW REFUGE VISION
Earlier this year, readers of the E-bulletin were told about the planning
for last summer's Refuge Vision Meeting in Madison, Wisconsin, a process to
benefit the National Wildlife Refuge System:
www.refugenet.org/birding/febsbc11.html#TOC10
Last month, the finalized vision document, "Conserving the Future: Wildlife
Refuges and the Next Generation," was released. This document represents the
result of 18 months of study and public conversation about conservation and
the strategy for the Refuge System over the next decade.
Among its most vital points, this 21st-century strategic vision for the
Refuge System acknowledges that the nation's population has grown "larger
and more diverse . and the landscape for conservation has changed-there is
less undeveloped land, more invasive species, and we are experiencing the
impacts of a changing climate."
The document's final recommendations incorporate extensive suggestions from
the public, with implementation expected to be largely complete within about
five years
We encourage readers to look at the document. Birds, of course, are
essential to the plan, and birding also has a role to play:
http://americaswildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Final-Vision-Document
.pdf
NEW URBAN REFUGE LAUNCHED NEAR ALBUQUERQUE
One of the new proposals of the Refuge System's Vision Document is to launch
a new "urban refuge initiative." This effort is intended to define
excellence in existing urban refuges, establish the framework for creating
new urban refuge partnerships, and implement a refuge presence in 10
demographically and geographically varied cities across the country by 2015.
The drive for new refuges has already started, with news on a just-announced
urban-area refuge just south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. In late September,
it was announced that 570 acres, located about five miles from downtown
Albuquerque, would become a refuge.
The former Price's Dairy Farm is one of the largest remaining farms in the
Middle Rio Grande Valley. Not only is the property within a half hour drive
of nearly half of New Mexico's population and is the largest agricultural
property within the Albuquerque metro region, it is also expected to protect
habitat for a number of species and subspecies, including the Southwestern
Willow Flycatcher.
Many cooperative partners were instrumental in launching this project. You
can read more here:
www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2011/2011-09-29-091.html
HEADWATERS MAKES HEADWAY
In February the E-bulletin described the Everglades Headwaters project in
Florida, an effort to create a new National Wildlife Refuge and to protect
additional surrounding conservation acres by creating easements with willing
landowners.
www.refugenet.org/birding/febsbc11.html#TOC04
In early September, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its
groundbreaking proposal to establish this new National Wildlife Refuge and
Conservation Area in central Florida.
The effort would help restore and protect wetlands to support water quality
for millions of Floridians; to sustain Florida's ranching economy and way of
life by including conservation dollars for the maintenance of private
landownership and delivery of conservation benefits; to increase access and
opportunities for hunting and fishing; to conserve Florida's threatened
wildlife by protecting significant habitat for a number of species
including, Crested Caracara, Snail Kite, Florida Scrub-Jay, [Florida]
Grasshopper Sparrow, and habitat for the Red-cockaded Woodpecker; to support
military readiness by creating buffer areas around strategic training
grounds; and to protect a mosaic of lands of sufficient size and continuity
to enable wildlife to adapt in response to climate change and other natural
and man-made threats.
Specifically, the Everglades Headwaters proposal would allow the National
Wildlife Refuge System to acquire land and conservation easements from
willing sellers in certain areas of the headwaters region, from the
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes to Avon Air Force Park.
The proposal includes the establishment of six focus areas where the USFWS
would be authorized to acquire up to 50,000 acres as National Wildlife
Refuge lands, along with a larger Conservation Area within which the Service
could acquire up to 100,000 acres of conservation easements. The Service
would only proceed with willing sellers inside the newly defined boundary.
The comment period is now closed, and the proposal is expected to be revised
by the USFWS before being finalized.
You can follow the proposal's developments here:
http://www.fws.gov/southeast/evergladesheadwaters/
ACCESS MATTERS: CAN BIRDING MAKE HEADWAY?
The Everglades Headwaters proposal would make allowances for hunting and
fishing. These, of course are considered legitimate and important priority
public uses on National Wildlife Refuges, as are wildlife observation
(dominated by birding), wildlife photography, wildlife interpretation, and
education.
In the final Everglades Headwaters plan, there may even be efforts made to
accommodate camping, hiking, horseback riding, and bicycling, especially
when they are associated with wildlife-based recreation.
In response to certain concerns voiced about public access for hunting and
fishing, these programs on Headwaters refuge lands will be co-managed by the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as state wildlife
management areas, with particular emphasis on developing youth outdoor and
sporting education programs.
Accordingly, special efforts and accommodations are being made for these
activities. We wish our colleagues in the hunting and fishing communities
well, of course.
We also look forward to the day when birding interests (as the main element
of wildlife watching) receive similar accommodation, and the same kind of
attention for recruitment, education, and access.
SF BIRD-FRIENDLY DESIGN APPROVED
In the August E-bulletin, we described the Bird Safe Building Standards
which the San Francisco Planning Commission approved the previous month -
standards that could greatly reduce bird deaths and injuries resulting from
collisions with buildings in the city:
www.refugenet.org/birding/augsbc11.html#TOC05
In August, these standards were unanimously approved by the San Francisco
Board of Supervisors, and in September, Mayor Edwin Lee signed the standards
into law.
These standards include significant sections for the design of safer
windows, night lighting, and the construction of wind turbines in the urban
environment. The guidelines address the effects of light pollution, which
can confound birds' ability to navigate during migration. Even by simply
turning off unnecessary lights at night, owners and operators can save
thousands of dollars a year along with greatly reducing risks to migrating
birds.
Reducing bird strikes can often be achieved with simple and cost-effective
means. "There are a number of buildings in San Francisco, such as the San
Francisco Federal Building and the De Young Museum, that are, albeit
unintentionally, already bird-friendly. Where new construction is concerned,
the bird-friendly options need not be more expensive, since bird-safe
materials and designs can be incorporated from the beginning," said
Christine Sheppard, manager of the American Bird Conservancy's Bird
Collisions Campaign.
Copies of the San Francisco Standards are available online at:
www.sf-planning.org/ftp/files/publications_reports/bird_safe_bldgs/Standards
_for_Bird-Safe_Buildings_8-11-11.pdf
For more information on the issue and the signing, see here:
www.goldengateaudubon.org/news/planning-commission-approves-new-bird-safe-st
andards-for-san-francisco-buildings/
BOREAL BIRDS OF CANADA AT RISK
North America's Boreal forest remains the largest intact forest left on
Earth. To draw attention to this treasure, an international coalition of
conservation groups released a new report in late October. "Birds at Risk:
The Importance of Canada's Boreal Wetlands and Waterways," examines natural
areas in the Boreal forest that are critical for birds, and draws attention
to the dual threats of industrial expansion and climate change.
The report calls on the Canadian governments (national and provincial) to
increase protection of Canada's "bird nursery of the north" by protecting at
least half of the Boreal forest and supporting sustainable development
practices in the remaining areas.
For details, photos, video, and the full report, you can visit:
www.borealbirds.org/report-birdswater.shtml
IMPERIAL WOODPECKER FOOTAGE
The last documented sighting of an Imperial Woodpecker occurred in 1956 in
the state of Durango in the high-altitude pine forest of Mexico's Sierra
Madre. The supporting film documentation, taken by Pennsylvania dentist and
amateur ornithologist, William L. Rhein, remained unearthed for decades.
The Imperial Woodpecker, a closely related cousin to the Ivory-billed
Woodpecker, is presumed extinct, and the 85 seconds of 16mm color movie
footage that Rhein took in 1956 represents the only such documentation ever
captured of this species in life.
Last month, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology publicly released
this fascinating footage, showing a female Imperial Woodpecker flying from
tree to tree and hitching up the trunks of Durango pines.
You can view this footage here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0OCd6b1aXU
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0OCd6b1aXU&feature=player_embedded>
&feature=player_embedded
and access the full story here:
www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=2314
AVITOURISM DOLLARS IN RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF TEXAS
Texas A&M University recently released a survey that concluded that nature
tourism which is dominated by birding brings in over $300 million a year to
the Rio Grande Valley economy.
The survey commissioned by the South Texas Nature Marketing Coop, revealed
that nature tourists tend to stay in the Rio Grande Valley an average of
five days, and that 64% had visited the Valley previously, with the average
number of previous visits being 15.
Said Keith Hackland, owner of Alamo Inn B&B, "We've known that nature
tourism had a huge economic impact on the area; we just didn't realize how
big it really is."
The survey, conducted during May and June, was the first of two survey
phases. The second will be run this fall. Survey statisticians expect the
economic impact figure to increase once the second phase is completed.
The full report can be accessed here:
www.southtexasnature.com/pdf/EconImpactReport2011.pdf
IBA NEWS: SF BAY "STATE OF THE BIRDS"
Last month we reported on the release of a new state-oriented "State of the
Birds" report, one for Massachusetts:
www.refugenet.org/birding/octsbc11.html#TOC08
and
www.massaudubon.org/StateoftheBirds/
We have the feeling that readers will be seeing more of these regional
reports in the near future that will effectively meld their messages into
the whole Important Bird Area (IBA) effort. As these reports emerge, not all
will receive notice in the E-bulletin, but the latest addition certainly
does.
Last month, the first-ever State of the Birds Report for San Francisco Bay
was released by PRBO Conservation Science (PRBO) and the San Francisco Bay
Joint Venture (SFBayJV). The 29 partners involved in the effort included the
US Geological Survey, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay
Bird Observatory, Audubon California, Audubon Canyon Ranch, California
Coastal Conservancy, the National Park Service, and Laney College.
This report details the many factors that impact bird populations in the Bay
Area (an area of hemispheric importance to migratory waterbirds) including
sea level rise and extreme storm conditions due to global climate change.
"The good news is that a majority of bird species are doing well after
decades of investments in habitat restoration and other conservation
measures around the Bay. The bad news is that increasing sea levels, extreme
weathers events, non-native predators, contaminants, and invasive species
pose serious threats to the gains we have made," explained Melissa Pitkin,
PRBO Outreach Director and editor of the report.
The San Francisco Bay Area includes about a dozen distinct IBAs.
You can access the full report here:
www.prbo.org/sfbaystateofthebirds
For additional information about IBA programs worldwide, including those
across the U.S., check the National Audubon Society's Important Bird Area
program web site at:
www.audubon.org/bird/iba/
TIP OF THE MONTH: GET THOSE FEEDERS READY
If you have a personal backyard feeding station or run a nature center or
refuge/park visitor center feeding station, now is the time to assess your
winter feeding strategy, especially if you don't regularly feed birds
throughout the year.
Review your feeder arrangement, including having the right mix of hopper,
sunflower-tube, suet, and nyjer feeder offerings. Consider creating a nearby
brush pile where songbirds can poke around for feed and shelter, including
hiding from raptors. Be sure, however, to maintain a 10-foot clear-zone
around each feeder to keep cats from having a close hiding place. Also,
consider including water (a heated bird bath if required) as a feature for
your feeding station.
Finally, clean those feeders, bird baths, and surrounding grounds regularly.
WHY NAB?
Your two E-bulletin editors enjoy practically all the North American bird
and birding magazines. Why shouldn't we? These publications help us keep
abreast of what's going on in the world of birds and bird-appreciation. More
to the point, not "everything you need" is available on the Internet.
That's why this month we encourage you to consider supporting the
contribution and value of the publication, NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. This
journal currently sponsored and published by the American Birding
Association, presents seasonal summaries and analyses of what's going on in
the bird world at the continental level. It is the only "journal of record"
for North American birdlife.
Check out NAB editor, Ned Brinkley's, recent summary of what the publication
continues to offer, after almost a century of recording the changing seasons
year after year.
http://blog.aba.org/2011/10/north-american-birds-65.html
BOOK NOTES: NG GUIDE NEW EDITION
National Geographic's FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA has been a
standard since first appearing in 1983.
Still, why would yet another edition merit attention? And, more importantly,
if you have the 4th or 5th edition, why would you even consider getting this
6th edition that has just been produced?
Your editors definitely think it's worth it!
The 6th edition - thoroughly re-tooled by Jon Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer -
contains more new material than any other previously published revision, and
it is most impressive. For instance, it includes 300 new art figures
(amazingly produced by five artists, all with extensive field experience);
it contains extensive migration information overlaid on the species maps; it
also includes a series of breakthrough subspecies maps; and there are
thumbnail presentations that increase the number of mega-rarities covered at
the end of the book from an impressive 71 to an astounding 92.
Of course, the ID text has also improved where desired or necessary. Even
the font is finer and crisper than the previous editions. But perhaps the
most interesting innovation in this 6th edition is the addition of
field-mark labels on almost all the illustrations. These are often
mini-notes, hints, or Peterson-like pointers to draw your attention to one
or another aspect of each species' look and feel.
The combination of organization, illustration, and design adds up to a book
that should please birders at virtually any level of experience.
NEW STAMP ART CHOSEN
On 29 October, the new artwork for the 20012-13 Migratory Bird Hunting and
Conservation Stamp (commonly called the "Duck Stamp") was chosen. There were
five qualifying species in the competition: Mallard, Blue-winged Teal,
Cinnamon Teal, Wood Duck, and Gadwall. An image of a male Wood Duck by
Joseph Hautman was ultimately chosen. (Joe Hautman has now won the contest
four times!) You can access more details and view the artwork here:
www.fws.gov/duckstamps/
This colorful illustration will appear on the 2012-2013 stamp and the
proceeds for the $15-stamp will go to the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund
(MBCF) to secure wetland and grassland habitat for the Refuge System.
"THE BIG YEAR" - GOOD FOR US
Released on 14 October in theaters across the country, "The Big Year" is a
movie that is at the same time thoughtful, charming, and amusing.
Not surprisingly, some reviewers didn't enjoy the film, complaining that
Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson are far funnier than the script
for the film allowed.
In reality, some of these reviewers were no doubt disappointed that the
opportunity was not taken to focus on the silly and goofball antics of
birding. And those reviewers were spot on about that point; birders are not
portrayed as total geeks.
Frankly, the film is good to birders. It is about passion for an avocation -
in this case pursuing birds - and balancing a near obsession with actual
day-to-day living and relationships. The film is well done, and the script
is woven in such a way to explain to the non-birding public how many birders
operate - from the interested to the totally obsessive. If you haven't seen
the film, do give it a try. Warning: it may disappear from the theaters very
quickly.
In the meantime, to view one of the better insider reviews from colleagues
at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, see:
www.birds.cornell.edu/roundrobin/2011/10/15/the-big-year-our-movie-review/
THIS MONTH'S QUIZ FOR A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BIRD BOOK
Each of our monthly quiz questions will either relate to one of our previous
news items, or it will pertain to an event or experience that is scheduled
to occur during the current or coming month.
We will give away five books to E-bulletin readers whose names are picked at
random from among those submitting correct answers. Due to shipping
constraints, only folks residing in the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win.
For details on NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, publishers of acclaimed birding books
and field guides, available wherever books are sold, visit:
www.shopng.com/birdbooks
The prize for this month will be a copy of the sixth edition of the NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA. It is covered in our
own "Book Notes" above, but you can also find more details on this sixth
edition here:
http://tinyurl.com/3vv7q9s
Here is last month's question: "What Cuban (and Bahamian) bird, previously
reported to be seen in Florida, had to be removed from listing and remains
unlisted for the state and for the United States because it was never
photographed or otherwise fully documented?"
The correct answer, Cuban Emerald (Chlorostilbon ricordii), was not
particularly easy. Curiously, we covered the species and its status in the
November 2006 issue of the E-bulletin:
www.refugenet.org/birding/novSBC06.html#TOC03
Last month's winners were Harriet Davidson (Fort Gratiot, MI), Laura Hubers
(Webster, SD), Bruce Luebke (Portage, WI), Bill Pranty (Bayonet Point, FL),
and Chris Sloan (Nashville, TN)
Here is this month's question: What was the very last "year bird" that the
characters Stu Preissler and Brad Harris saw together in the movie "The Big
Year"? (Hint: it was one of our monthly rarity species within the last
year.)
Please send your answer by 15 November to:
Make the subject line "QUIZ! " and please include your full name and mailing
address along with your answer so that we can mail you a book should you be
a fortunate winner. We will also provide the correct answer next month.
- - - - - - - - -
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 or reproduce 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
781/259-2178
or
Paul J. Baicich
410/992-9736
We never lend or sell our E-bulletin recipient list.
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