[BCNnet] FW: Birding Community E-bulletin - June 2007

[donniebird at yahoo.com]

Bird conservationists:

For many years I have excerpted and included on BCNnet the bird conservation
writings of my long time friends Paul Baicich and Wayne Peterson.  Because I
thought their entire June 2007 newsletter is so loaded with worthwhile
birding and conservation news I've copied the entire message.  I encourage
you to write Paul and ask that you be included on their distribution list
for future editions.

Good birding.

Donnie Dann
Highland Park, IL/Lake County
donniebird at yahoo.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Paul J. Baicich [mailto:paul.baicich at verizon.net] 
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 1:45 PM
To: Paul J. Baicich
Cc: Wayne Petersen
Subject: Birding Community E-bulletin - June 2007


THE BIRDING COMMUNITY E-BULLETIN
             June 2007

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 
our 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

The rarity for May is a Bahama Mockingbird found on 6 May at Bill 
Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Dade County, Florida. (For description 
and illustration, see the "big" Sibley guide, page 411 and the 
National Geographic Guide, page 362-363.)

What, another month with a Florida entry?

Yes, this is four months in a row ( the previous three Florida 
rarities were Western Spindalis, Loggerhead Kingbird, and Black 
Noddy). This is purely a coincidence because all we try to do each 
month is try to pick out the month's accessible and interesting 
rarity, without regard to location. With this in mind, the Bahama 
Mockingbird is the bird of choice for the June E-Bulletin, even 
though it happens to be in Florida again.

A resident of the Bahamas, Jamaica, and small islands on the coast of 
Cuba, Bahama Mockingbird has only been found in the U.S. about 20 
times before. Most sightings have been in Florida from early April to 
mid-June, and mostly between the Dry Tortugas and West Palm Beach. 
The first individual ever found was at the Dry Tortugas in 1973.

Interestingly, the Cape Florida bird was not the only Florida 
Mockingbird reported in May. On the morning of 2 May, a different 
Bahama Mockingbird was described from the NW side of Fort Jefferson 
in the Dry Tortugas. Another Bahama Mockingbird, or the same Fort 
Jefferson bird, was reported on 29 May. However, the Cape Florida 
bird stayed longer and was enjoyed by more observers.

The mockingbird at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park was found on a 
trail by the park's southernmost parking lot. Much to the delight of 
many observers the bird frequented buttonwood, strangler fig, and sea 
grape in the area through 9 May.

Over the years, many birders believe that the increase in Bahama 
Mockingbird sightings is attributable to an increased number of 
observers, greater observer awareness, and increased coverage of 
birding localities. The species has been usually found in coastal 
parks and suburban habitat. May's mockingbird at Bill Baggs Cape 
Florida is at least the sixth occurrence of this species at that 
particular location.

For a photo by Trey Mitchell of this most recent Cape Florida bird:
http://www.photographwildlife.com/images/TASpost/CapeFlorida/May72007/index.
htm


NEAR-SHORE ATLANTIC ALBATROSS(ES)

Seeing an albatross near shore in the U.S. or Canada is a rare 
experience anywhere outside of Alaska or Hawaii. One exception is the 
now-famous Laysan Albatross of Point Arena, California, a bird that 
has spent fourteen consecutive winters at that harbor. (Local fans 
have dubbed him "Mr. Al B. Tross," a bird that will even join local 
surfers beyond the waves right outside the harbor.)

An albatross off the northeast coast of North America is another 
story. Over the last eight years there have been a spate of 
Yellow-nosed Albatross reports. This species is a bird of the 
southern Atlantic waters, breeding on a few isolated islands and only 
rarely found in the North Atlantic. Initially, a bird was sighted in 
February 2000 at sea about three miles off Salvo, North Carolina. 
This event was followed by a cluster of sightings in May, some of 
them actually on land, in Massachusetts, New York (Fire Island), New 
Jersey (Cape May area), Rhode Island, and in June, in Massachusetts again.

Since then, there have been additional reports, mainly along the New 
England coast, particularly in Massachusetts and Maine. Some 
observers believe this is a single stray Yellow-nosed Albatross being 
spotted again and again. Others feel that several Yellow-nosed 
Albatrosses may be involved.

In any case, in late April a Yellow-nosed Albatross was found dazed 
and emaciated in a cow pasture behind the home of Shelley and Ryan 
Coite in Cape Neddick, Maine. The Coites contacted the Center for 
Wildlife, also in Cape Neddick, and the center eventually delivered 
the bird to the Tufts Wildlife Clinic in North Grafton, 
Massachusetts, a facility capable of sophisticated treatment. There, 
the albatross was fed squid and fresh fish until it doubled its 
weight, eventually attaining a healthy 4.2 pounds.

In late May, the bird was released at a beach in Falmouth, 
Massachusetts, and on its back it carried a light satellite 
transmitter - a $3,000-device donated by Habit Research, a Canadian 
manufacturing company. The bird's wanderings were to be tracked until 
the batteries wear out, or until the albatross molts the feathers 
carrying the unit.

Unfortunately, the bird was tracked back to land on Cape Cod a few 
days later. As of this writing the bird is back at Tufts, but should 
soon be released again offshore. Eventually, a website will be 
established so the public can follow the travels of this remarkable 
wanderer. (Once a web site is made public, we will let you know via 
this E-bulletin.) Among other things, we might eventually determine 
if future reports of Yellow-nosed Albatross off the NE coast involve 
the same bird or multiple individuals.

For a map of the normal range of the species, plus some New England 
locales, see:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/05/21/Map_of_al
batross_breeding_ground/


WINDPOWER: NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE OBVIOUS

In early May, a report was released by the National Academy of 
Sciences on the environmental impact of wind-energy projects.

Among other things, the report criticized "the lack of any truly 
coordinated planning" in the rapid growth of wind farms across the 
country. It specifically encouraged federal, state, and local 
governments to pay more attention to the planning, regulation, and 
location of wind-energy projects at sites where there could be 
threats to wildlife, or where scenic landscapes could be adversely impacted.

Wind currently provides less than one percent of the nation's 
electricity; however, it is still the fastest-growing alternative to 
fossil fuel-produced power.

The report noted that the percentage of birds killed by collisions 
with wind towers and their spinning blades is relatively low compared 
to the numbers killed by automobiles or collisions with buildings and 
other lighted structures. As wind power increases during the next two 
decades, wind turbines could also begin to threaten local populations 
of certain bat species and continue to impact birds, especially along 
unspecified "migration corridors."

Although the report failed to break any new ground, it did report 
that, "In light of the lack of follow-up by environmental impact 
studies. . . more careful tracking of bird and bat populations, 
behavior, migration corridors, and other factors that may affect 
their risk of collisions with turbines is warranted, especially for 
threatened or endangered species." To provide an organized approach 
to the use of wind energy and its effects on the environment, the 
report's evaluation guide recommended using systematic pre- and 
post-construction studies to explore potential wildlife and other 
impacts to improve how such facilities are built, located, and operated.

Mandated by Congress, this report was drafted by a group of academics 
assembled by the National Research Council, an arm of the National 
Academy of Science.

That the obvious findings were accompanied with trumpet and fanfare 
came as a surprise to some observers, as did the recommended 
guidelines on "aesthetic impacts" since the recommendations came from 
a body ostensibly assigned a "scientific" task.

The Academy's summary can be found here:
http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/wind_energy_final.pdf


BIOFUELS AND BIRD CONSERVATION

And speaking of energy and birds, we recommend you take a look at an 
article, "Biofuels and Ducks" in the May/June issue of DUCKS 
UNLIMITED magazine.

Although this article by Jim Ringelman has a waterfowl emphasis, 
concentrating on the Prairie Pothole Region of the northern Great 
Plains, its message has almost as much to do with all the birds 
living in the Prairie Pothole Region, including grassland and wetland 
songbirds, shorebirds, and other waterbirds. We've previously 
addressed concerns in this arena mostly focusing on CRP and ethanol. 
Ringelman's article is a thoughtful primer on the options inherent in 
the ethanol-and-biomass choices increasingly confronting us.

You can find an on-line version of Ringelman's article here:
http://www.ducks.org/DU_Magazine/DUMagazineMayJune2007/3213/BiofuelsandDucks
.html


FLAP OVER BIRD COLLISIONS: KILL THE LIGHTS

In March 2006, we wrote of cooperative bird-conservation efforts in 
Toronto to reduce avian mortality as result of collisions with glass 
and lights:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/marSBC06.html#TOC03
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/mar06.html

In early May of this year, the volunteers at the Fatal Light 
Awareness Program (FLAP) in Toronto announced that they had recovered 
a "record number of birds in 2006: over 5,400 birds from 93 species" 
that had collided with buildings within the Greater Toronto Area. 
Forty percent of the birds rescued were released back into the wild. 
Another 2,500 dead birds killed during fall migration in 2006 were 
dramatically displayed at the local Metro Hall Rotunda. The display 
of these dead collision victims, though grim and theatrical, was also 
most effective:
http://www.toronto.ca/lightsout/news.htm

The creative project, "Lights Out Toronto," involving the city and 
multiple partners, has resulted in a public awareness campaign aimed 
at drawing attention to the issue of glass-and-light induced 
bird-strikes, along with establishing a practical set of new 
building- and lighting-guidelines. For more information see:
http://www.toronto.ca/lightsout/pdf/development_guidelines.pdf

At a time when Global Warming has drawn the well-deserved attention 
of many, the reduction of light pollution (and parallel energy 
savings) is an element that can easily be brought into the 
discussion. One campaign slogan in Toronto is: "Kill the Lights. Save 
the Birds."

We have, of course, discussed building strikes and glass-issues 
multiple times in the E-bulletin, including Chicago's parallel 
Light-Out program. For more details see:
http://www.lightsout.audubon.org/
and
http://www.birdsandbuildings.org/index1024.html


STUDY SUMMARIZES WEST NILE BIRD LOSSES

A study in NATURE last month summarized some of the losses in bird 
populations as a result of the emergence of West Nile Virus in 1999. 
The research examined 26 years of Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data to 
assess declines among certain common bird species.

The researchers, S. L. LaDeau, A. M. Kilpatrick, and P. P. Marra, 
actually focused on 20 common species that are regularly surveyed 
each breeding season. Populations of seven of these species have 
shown measurable, if not dramatic, declines across the continent 
since West Nile's arrival.

West Nile Virus hit seven species - American Crow, Blue Jay, Tufted 
Titmouse, American Robin, House Wren, Black-capped/Carolina Chickadee 
and Eastern Bluebird - hard enough to be statistically significant. 
Only the Blue Jay and House Wren have bounced back since 2005. The 
hardest-hit species was the American Crow. According to this study 
about one-third of the crows in the United States may have been 
killed by West Nile virus.

Suburban America, where many of these species are found in numbers, 
may offer a ready home for the virus, with an abundance of all the 
things the virus needs to spread. In the case of the eastern 
seaboard, Dr LaDeau said, "That heavily packed urban corridor is a 
bad place to be a bird. The reason for that is that the mosquito 
prefers human landscape. They do very well in suburbia."

Among the 20 bird species examined, 13 species did not show declines 
attributed to West Nile. Biologists say that other species have 
exhibited significant mortality, such as owls, hawks, sage-grouse and 
Yellow-billed Magpie, but there are no reliable or broad-based 
surveys to quantify (before and after) how bad the losses may have 
been. Researchers suggest that birds of prey could be particularly
vulnerable.

West Nile Virus has been mentioned numerous times in the E-bulletin, 
including its impact on beleaguered sage-grouse populations that we 
summarized last September:
http://www.refugenet.org/birding/sepSBC06.html#TOC14
and
http://www.steiner-birding.com/bulletin/sept06.html

For a concise abstract of the study from NATURE, see:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nature05829.html

For another summary see:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?alias=west-nile-killing-off-bel&chanID=sa00
3&modsrc=reuters


DO FENCES REALLY "MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS"?

Birders have been among those watching with dismay the plans by the 
U. S. Department of Homeland Security to build a 700-mile barrier of 
fencing, raised levee-like roads, vehicle barriers, radar units, 
flood lights, and video surveillance along the U.S.-Mexican border. 
The focus last month was the Rio Grande Valley. (Previously, the 
issue, particularly with bird-and-wildlife impact, has focused on 
Arizona and California.)

After decades of turning back the clock along the banks of the Rio 
Grande, planting cleared agricultural fields with native trees and 
brushy thickets to shelter wildlife, and otherwise building a natural 
corridor that had severely suffered through the years as a result of 
inappropriate previous development, these restoration efforts are now 
facing a stark new barrier, quite literally.

Local mayors in The Valley were appalled in February to learn of a 
map showing 153 miles of border fencing in Texas, part of a plan to 
erect 370 miles by the end of 2008. The Mayors said that the effort 
would cut off landowners and endangered wildlife from the river, ruin 
flood-control systems, and send the wrong message to Texas' biggest 
trading partner.

Things looked worse in early May when it became clearer that such 
core sites as Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Lower Rio Grande 
Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and a number of county and state 
properties essential to nurturing an effective wildlife corridor, 
were not only not immune from the barrier plans, but were at times 
front-and-center.

For example, wildlife refuge officials recently learned at a meeting 
with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that plans could impact the 
refuges much sooner than previously anticipated. This is because 
refuge property could be placed on the "fast track" because it is 
already owned by the federal government and no condemnation 
proceedings would be required.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has since said the map is no 
longer accurate, and was simply a "starting point" for discussions. 
Still, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection admits that "all areas 
of the border, including federal lands, are included in our efforts 
to gain effective control."

Most local leaders in The Valley insist that the fence clearly sends 
the wrong message:

"This wall would do damage to those of us living on both sides of the 
wall," said State Sen. Eddie Lucio from the border city of 
Brownsville. "This is a wall of shame that we neither want nor 
welcome. Texas is connected to Mexico by 23 bridges. Through these 
bridges we maintain our centuries-old friendships and blood ties with 
Mexico, as well as the trade and tourism which benefits this state 
and the entire United States of America."

"No physical wall is going to keep people from coming in. The core of 
the problem is an economic issue. We have integrated all of the 
markets in North America but we have failed to integrate the labor 
market," said McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez.

Father Tom Pincelli, a Catholic priest and birder in The Valley who 
chairs the American Birding Association board of directors, commented 
on the $125 million pumped into the Valley's economy each year by 
nature tourists, by saying , "They've opened up a tremendous amount 
of land, and eco-tourism is growing by leaps and bounds. This is one 
more step backward. And the municipalities, right and left, are 
dead-set against it."

For a summary of developments, see:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4799025.html


BOOK REVIEW: GOOD BIRDERS

Lisa White, editor at Houghton Mifflin, has assembled an easy-going 
and lively collection of birding advice, with 50 short essays by 
well-known birders. The collection, GOOD BIRDERS DON'T WEAR WHITE, 
dispenses recommendations and advice to birders at every level, on 
topics ranging from feeding birds and cleaning binoculars to the 
value of birding traditions and introducing children to birds.

 From satirizing bird snobs to sharpening your field skills, the 
essays can be viewed as both entertaining and useful. Most 
importantly, they are presented in a lighthearted manner.
Among others, the essayists include: Jon Dunn, Pete Dunne, Victor 
Emanuel, Laura Erickson, Tim Gallagher, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Karlson, 
Kenn Kaufman, Paul Lehman, David Sibley, Don and Lillian Stokes, Clay 
Sutton, Bill Thompson III, Dick Walton, Scott Weidensaul, Sheri 
Williamson, and Julie Zickefoose. Artist Robert Braunfield 
illustrates many of the essays with comical black-and-white line drawings.
A portion of the proceeds of the book will be donated to the Roger 
Tory Peterson Institute, dedicated to the teaching and study of 
nature and an appreciation of birds:
http://www.rtpi.org/

In the interest of full disclosure, both of the E-bulletin's editors 
also have little essays in the book. This should not discourage you 
from buying the book, however!


SCIENTISTS WORLDWIDE CALL FOR BOREAL FOREST PROTECTION

Last month, some 1,500 highly respected scientists from more than 50 
countries around the world called for the protection of Canada's 
Boreal Forest. The scientists identified the 1.4 billion-acre 
Canadian Boreal Forest as one of the largest intact forest and 
wetland ecosystems remaining on earth. Its health is vital to the 
survival of North America's migratory birds.

As regular readers of this E-bulletin know, the Boreal Forest is 
under increasing pressure from corporate logging, mining and oil and 
gas operations, and only ten percent has been protected to date, far 
less than what is scientifically recognized as necessary to sustain 
the ecosystem over time.

The scientists' letter recommends preserving a minimum of half of 
Canada's Boreal Forest in protected areas, and only allowing 
carefully managed development on the rest. This plan is in accordance 
with the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework, a program already 
endorsed by Canadian conservation groups, 25 Canadian First Nations, 
and more than 75 major businesses having annual sales of $30 billion or
more.

Here is the link for more information (press release, the letter 
itself, scientist signatures by region, and more):
http://www.borealbirds.org/scienceletter.shtml


NOT ENOUGH FUNDING FOR BIRD CONSERVATION?

Recently, when bird conservationists have gone to Congress with 
proverbial hat in hand, the response has often been that "there is 
just not enough money to go around." This is because each 
appropriations subcommittee in Congress works under a finite spending 
cap. The result is that there is often unpleasant squabbling over 
insufficient slices from the same small pie.

This year might be different.

This year there may be more money to address some of our conservation 
concerns. On 17 May, Congress passed its fiscal year 2008 Budget 
Resolution that sets overall caps on various categories of spending 
within which the individual appropriations committees must operate. 
This included $31.94 billion for "Function 300" which encompasses 
most natural resource and environmental spending. That's a $1.5 
billion increase over last year and $3.1 billion more than the 
President's budget requested.

Indeed, the "Function 300" increase means that there is more for FY08 
for multiple issues of concern to bird conservationists, resulting in 
better potential distribution from that larger pie. Some of these 
conservation-spending numbers passed their first important hurdle 
through a late May "mark-up" in the House Interior Appropriations 
Subcommittee. They appear below in millions (m), after some Bird 
Conservation Funding Coalition (BCFC) or Cooperative Alliance for 
Refuge Enhancement (CARE) requests and last year's FY07 approved 
spending in parentheses

Program  (number requested through BCFC or CARE - FY07 enacted - 
actual mark-up)

Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act   ($5.5m - $4m - $5m)
Migratory Bird Joint Ventures   ($15.1m - $10.8m - $11.1m)
Fish and Wildlife Science and Support   ($29.52m - $26.94m - $27.94m)
North American Wetlands Cons. Act - NAWCA   ($50m - $39.4m - $42.6m)
State Wildlife Grants   ($85m - $67.5m - $85m)
Forest Service International Programs   ($8m - $6.9m - $8m)
National Wildlife Refuge System Operations & Maintenance   ($451.5m - 
$395m - $451m)

As the last listed numbers show, these all went up, some 
significantly. Further decisions on spending must go through the 
House Appropriations Committee, the full House, the Senate Interior, 
Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriation Subcommittee, and the 
full Senate. Still, indications are encouraging, as long as Congress 
hears from a concerned public.

- - - - - -

You can access an archive of past E-bulletins on the National 
Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) website:
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 
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
             wpetersen at massaudubon.org

                         OR

             Paul J. Baicich
             410/992-9736
            paul.baicich at verizon.net