RARITY FOCUS
By the end of January, Last month, in February’s Birding Community E-bulletin, we reported that “the magnificent, and wandering, Steller’s Sea-Eagle in Maine was last seen on 24 January, but it may reappear somewhere again” And, of course, it did!
It reappeared on 13 February, and remained, more or less, in Lincoln and Sagadahoc counties, in Maine, through 21 February, making another showing on 5 March.
We don’t usually highlight a monthly rarity more than once in the E-bulletin, but the presence of the Steller’s Sea-Eagle in New England (Massachusetts and Maine) for multiple weeks, is justification enough for continued consideration. Moreover, sightings of this roving adult Steller’s Sea-Eagle over the last year and a half are simply astonishing.
At the same time, equally astonishing have been the networks of information, cooperation, and access that this rare bird – and the birding community - has helped engender. (We could almost as easily have put the sea-eagle experience under our other usual topic-categories of “tip of the month” and “access matters,”)
Among other things, there have been lessons learned and experiences shared, whether they had to do with safety, ethical viewing and photography, pooled information (e.g., GroupMe), map use, food availability, lodging information, and, yes, even bathroom availability. Some of them can be found on this Google Docs, developed during the early days of sea-eagle searching:
And another good set of networks is found here, described via Maine Audubon by Doug Hitchcox:
A fine summary, from different engaged individuals and points of view, can be found here, in Bird Observer:
A good description and site-narrative can be found here, presented by Cameron Cox:
Well, keep searching. This Steller’s Sea-Eagle may show up yet again!
IBA NEWS: NEW ARGENTINE WHSRN SITE
As we’ve mentioned before, virtually parallel to the international Important Bird Area (IBA) sites are the sites in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), highlighting the spectrum of essential shorebird locations across the Americas. WHSRN began this year by announcing the addition of its 113th site, Albufera Mar Chiquita in Argentina.
Albufera Mar Chiquita has also become the tenth WHSRN site in Argentina. It is located in the province of Buenos Aires along Argentina’s Atlantic coast, covering a total of 55,000 hectares. The site contains a coastal saltwater lagoon, which connects to the ocean by a narrow estuary but is otherwise separated from the ocean by a stretch of dunes approximately 30 km long. It’s a complex of nature reserve and wildlife refuge, both under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Protected Areas, administered by the Ministry of Environment of the Province of Buenos Aires.
Albufera Mar Chiquita was designated as a Site of Regional Importance because it supports more than 1% the biogeographic populations of Double-banded Plover (Charadrius falklandicus), as well as species more familiar to us North Americans, such as wintering Hudsonian Godwits and Red Knots. A total of 18,000 shorebirds have been observed using the site annually, and it is estimated that their number probably exceeds 20,000 individuals per year. Studies conducted between June 2020 and May 2021 complemented historical data and confirmed the area’s vital importance for these particular species.
Still, some of the threats facing the area include urban development, increased unplanned tourism, and even vehicular traffic on the beach. During their austral summer and on weekends, large numbers of visitors can bring more disruptions with kite surfing and the presence of off-leash dogs disturbing the resting and feeding shorebirds.
More details on the inclusion of Albufera Mar Chiquita can be found on these WHSRN pages:
For additional information about worldwide IBA programs, including those in the U.S., check the National Audubon Society's Important Bird Area program web site at:
SPACE-X UPDATE
Just a few months ago, in November 2021, we reported on the ongoing controversy with the location of the on-site SpaceX facilities in Texas. The company founded by Elon Musk in 2002 may have been part of the billionaire space-race news over the past year, but the conservation – and especially bird conservation – consequences are not always part of the news.
SpaceX’s site is surrounded by state and federally protected lands, including tracts of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. A number of bird species are involved, from the federally Threatened Piping Plover and Red Knot to the Endangered Northern Aplomado Falcon.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has delayed its final review of SpaceX’s Starship rocket project at Boca Chica, due to a deluge of comments from individuals and bird conservation groups. Indeed, the FAA is currently going through more than 19,000 responses as it develops the final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the Starship project. The document’s new release date is March 28th.
You can find our November report here:
And find the actions being taken through the American Bird Conservancy here:
SONGBIRD ART CONTEST WINNERS
Winners of the “Art of Conservation Songbird Art Contest,” run by Wildlife Forever and the Jay N. Darling Legacy Center, were announced in February, selected from nearly 2,000 entries submitted by young bird artists from 48 states and 43 countries. A total of 20 young bird artists were recognized for their artwork and interest in the conservation of the five chosen bird species: American Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Wood Thrush, and Veery. This creative art contest was inspired by the legacy of artist and conservationist Jay Norwood Darling, and is intended to encourage youth participation, learning about songbirds, awareness of conservation needs, and simply a fun competition for prizes and recognition.
The talent illustrated in this year’s contest was incredible,” said Pat Conzemius, President and CEO of Wildlife Forever. “I’m inspired by the art but equally so, the connection these young people make in learning about nature.”
Details on the contest, the youthful winners, and the impressive winning art (in multiple grade-categories) can be found here:
BWD REVIVAL?
In January, we drew your attention to the announcement that Bird Watcher’s Digest had shut down after over four decades of creativity and service to our broad bird-watching community. As we wrote then, “The ongoing pandemic seems to be the proverbial last straw in a series of setbacks and tragedies.” You can read our report from January here:
Now, an amalgam of former BWD staff, regular columnists, and dedicated readers has emerged to reassemble the magazine’s best parts. Two ringleaders, Rich Luhr and Mike Sacopulos, with backgrounds as magazine publisher and attorney, respectively, have stepped up to lead the effort. Together this team intends to create an improved, enlarged, and reliable place for outstanding bird-oriented writing, photography, and art. The name will surely change, if only a bit. After all, the publication hasn’t been a “digest” for decades. The new streamlined name is expected to be simple: BWD.
None of this will be easy. Not only will the team be charged with reestablishing a huge subscriber base and seeking out regular advertisers, it will want to rebuild BWD social media channels from scratch, having lost 39K Facebook, 25K Twitter, and 15K Instagram followers.
Stay tuned; there should be more to report in the coming months. In the meantime, you may want to read the initial plans outlined in Julie Zickefoose’s blog, posted on 1 March:
LIGHTS OUT: ASHEVILLE NORTH CAROLINA
The growing “Light Out” efforts continue across the continent, and although we can’t always keep up with the pace, we want to share with you one of the victories, this one in Asheville, North Carolina.
Last month, Asheville’s mayor, Esther Manheimer, proclaimed March through May, and September through November as “Bird Migration Awareness Months.” This is an effort to promote the protection of birds during peak migration periods.
As part of a Lights Out program, the mayor encouraged all businesses, residents, and building managers to turn off non-essential lighting from 11pm to 6am during spring and fall months to reduce bird collision mortality and save on energy costs.
Alone, this may not seem to be a big deal, but it’s part of a greater trend. Asheville now joins other North Carolina cities, including Raleigh, Charlotte, and Winston-Salem, in promoting a Lights Out orientation.
The cooperating and engaged Coalition for a Bird-Friendly Asheville outlined simple steps that Asheville building owners and managers could take to help prevent fatal bird-window collisions:
· Turn off indoor and outdoor lights between 11pm and 6am when possible, especially during the months of spring and fall migration (March – May and September – November)
· Install automatic motion sensors or timers to extinguish unneeded lighting
· Redirect or down-shield outdoor lights to reduce upward illumination
· Replace blue-toned lighting (6,000 K+) with warmer, yellow lighting (3,000 K)
· Ask building employees to draw blinds while working at night
Of course, most of these steps have the added benefit of energy conservation.
It’s all part of a growing movement of awareness and action. You can find out more about the coalition here:
and through the city’s press release here:
SAVING CHIMNEY SWIFTS
We have reported on efforts to address the loss of Chimney Swifts in the Birding Community E-bulletin for some time. In Canada alone, the population of Chimney Swifts has declined by nearly 90% since 1970.
Now, Birds Canada with some of its partners have launched a new Chimney Swift Chimney Restoration Fund to provide financial support for the restoration of chimneys and other structures that are important for Chimney Swifts in Canada.
The reduction in the number of accessible chimneys is a serious factor in the decline of these amazing birds. “When aging chimneys are capped, screened, lined or demolished, this represents a loss of habitat, which is a threat to the survival of Chimney Swifts,” said Véronique Connolly, coordinator of the new fund.
Of course, the decline of flying insect life, both in Canada and the US, is another daunting problem and why we are seeing fewer of these swifts.
To find out more on the new chimney project and fund in Canada, see here:
HPAI INFLUENZA DECTED
Late last month, the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland reported on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) being detected in wild birds in the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways.
As of mid-February, some of the species in which HPAI has been detected included the following: Mallard, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, American Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, Lesser, Scaup, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Redhead, American Black Duck and Snow Goose. While detections of HPAI were mostly in these waterfowl, they have also been reported for various backyard bird species and Wild Turkeys.
Not surprisingly, many strains of avian influenza (AI) occur naturally in wild birds in North America. HPAI refers to strains that appear to be highly pathogenic to domestic poultry, and it is unknown how these viruses might impact wild bird populations.
To date, there have been no North American human cases of AI reported that resulted from exposure to birds on this continent. Still, the BBL warned its bird banders about the handling of birds in the context of their ongoing work.
You can find more general information on HPAI here:
NIFTY OSPREY CAM: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Sure, bird-cams at specific nest-sites are almost common these days, but the continuing pandemic and association of work-at-home activity continues, with bird-cams an added entertainment feature for many folks.
One of our favorite bird-cams – now considered simple technology - deserves some notice this month. It’s the “Osprey Cam” at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The new and improved Osprey cam is brought to us by the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the university. The Osprey nest in question – currently with three eggs - is located at the top of the right-field light pole at the Alfred A. McKethan Baseball Stadium on campus.
Nesting pairs of ospreys have been using this site for a number of years. And, yes, the on-site camera is available 24/7, even with infrared viewing at night. Enjoy:
ANTI-TECH MAGPIES
Here we continue reporting on technology, with a look at clever magpies.
Australian Magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) generally live in social groups of up to a dozen individuals, cooperatively occupying and defending territory through vocal and aggressive behaviors. Older siblings among these magpies will also help to raise youngsters.
During one study, researchers discovered how quickly magpies team up to solve group problems. It involved new, durable, and reusable tracking devices, designed to follow bird movement.
Within 10 minutes of fitting the last of five miniature backpack-like tracking devices on these magpies, researchers watched as an adult female magpie - without a tracker - worked with her bill to try and remove the harness from a younger bird.
Within hours, most of the other devices had been removed. By day three, even the dominant male of the group had had his tracker successfully dismantled.
Well, back to the proverbial drawing-board!
See the report here, on technology vs. the magpies:
LAST WORD
Finally, if you have any friends or co-workers who wish to join the monthly Birding Community E-bulletin mailing list, you can simply refer them to this link:
