Whenever a White-cheeked Pintail is reported in the U.S., the calls go out, but so do questions about the origins of this or that individual. It's a species that is fairly common in waterfowl collections, and reports of its occurrence, especially outside Florida, are often doubted.
The White-cheeked Pintail, also known as Bahama Pintail, is a tropical waterfowl found across much of the Caribbean and parts of South America (including a population in the Galapagos Islands). Despite concerns about their provenance, these smart-looking ducks are sometimes reported in Florida, which is exactly what happened in the last days of December 2019.
On the morning of 29 December, a White-cheeked Pintail was reported at the west pond at Lely Resort in Naples, Florida. It was associating with Mottled Ducks and was certainly a free-flying bird. This species, more often found in brackish waters than other dabbling ducks, is typically a resident of mangrove swamps, small lakes, and coastal lagoons. And in the U.S., it is most often reported between late November and early May.
Reports of the duck in Naples indicated that it was skittish, perhaps indicating it was a wild bird. It remained at the location throughout the month of January. Details are being submitted to the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC)which will attempt to make a determination on the question of the duck's origin.
In the meantime, enjoy this a of this attractive individual:
DUCK STAMP FOLLY
In 1976, the U.S. Congress, in its wisdom, changed the official name of the Federal Duck Stamp from the "Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp" to the "Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp" for a very good reason.
The intent was to associate the Stamp -with 42 years of wetland conservation history at the time - with the growing environmental movement. The idea was to make sure that the public appreciated that the responsibility for securing wetland habitat through buying the stamp was not meant to be the sole responsibility of waterfowl hunters. The thought was also to combine high-quality waterfowl artwork on the Stamp with the cause of saving wetland and grassland habitat by all people dedicated to conservation.
Every Administration since then has embraced this broad concept, at least every Administration until now. The Trump Administration has now proposed a rule that would make the theme "Celebrating Our Waterfowl Hunting Heritage" a mandatory part of the Stamp's artwork from now on, starting with the very next Stamp art contest.
A one-year trial in this rule, in 2018, had mixed results. Many artists found it confusing and too restrictive; the overall quality of the entries did not increase, and the number of art entries in that contest (153) was a mere third of what the average entries were in the 1990s.
In the meantime, Stamp sales have been dropping over the decades, a consequence of the drop in the number of waterfowl hunters. Surely, one of the ways to maintain, let alone increase, possible sales would be to appeal to a broader non-hunter audience, one that appreciates that 98% of the c. $24 million collected annually through stamp sales goes directly to wetland and habitat acquisition in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Making a hunting scene a required part of the Stamp art sends the wrong message: that it's something less than a funding-mechanism for vital bird habitat, and the Stamp is simply for hunters. With an Administration that seems to get so much wrong when it comes to environmental issues, you can now add this latest move to the list.
The proposed Administration rule is open for public comments until 16 March 2020. Get more details, and find out how to comment here, from the Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp:
IBA NEWS: "WATERS OF THE U.S."
Late last month, the Trump Administration - through the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency - finalized a rule redefining the scope of federal authority over "waters of the United States" under the Clean Water Act.
The "Waters of the United States" regulation has long been instrumental in protecting streams and isolated wetlands, most notably, perhaps, in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana.
Conservationists across the country are concerned over the rescission of this rule and what it might mean for waterfowl, shorebird, and other wetland-oriented species. Some defenders of the proposed change claim that since the rule only applied to private lands, wildlife would still be safe. They ignore that without these protections, the National Wildlife Refuges and Waterfowl Production Areas in the PPR will be further isolated and even overpopulated. Additionally, those lands overlap with a number of Important Bird Areas (IBAs).
Beyond the PPR, some "ephemeral" waterways are prominent in the "arid west," or the region of the U.S. where water is already scarce. Those states include "all or portions of 12 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming."
The definition in the new rule is a significant departure from the 2015 rule proposed by the Obama administration, which was intended to provide clarity and certainty. The 2015 rule was immediately delayed until it was finally repealed last year by the Trump administration. The new rule significantly narrows the scope of coverage and eliminates tests and standards. It is deeply troubling that the Administration has ignored the scientific consensus that unquestionably illustrates the vital role that these wetlands play in wildlife conservation.
A dozen states are currently suing to block the rule from taking effect.
See more details here from the National Wildlife Refuge Association:
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:
BRAZIL MESS AND SHOREBIRDS
It began in late August when mysterious crude oil began coming ashore along the coast of Brazil. Apparently, this has continued, from week to week, becoming that nation's worst-ever oil spill. By mid-December, oil had appeared along 4,400 kilometers of coastline, including 950 beaches across 127 municipalities and 11 states. It has contaminated beaches, coral reefs, estuaries, mangroves, and at least 14 nature conservation areas.
The source of this oil and the precise location of the spill remain unknown. Lab tests indicate that the oil may have the same properties as oil from Venezuela, but that government has denied any connection. A tanker-ship source has been generally dismissed. One theory is that the oil was dumped during an at-sea ship-to-ship transfer. And a modeling project, factoring currents and winds, suggests that the oil could have originated from locations possibly 300 - 600 kilometers offshore.
The oil has been threatening the health of traditional coastal communities, including the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of people. The oil has also been impacting some of the most significant overwintering areas for several migrant shorebird populations. These now-at-risk shorebirds include Semiplamated Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Black-bellied Plover, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Whimbrel. The oiled zone also hosts a significant portion of the federally threatened rufa population of the Red Knot. Of equal importance is that the zone is a critical summering area for subadult shorebirds that will not return to the arctic to breed until their second or third year of life.
See here for a more thorough repost by Bryan Watts from the Center for Conservation Biology:
THE EARLIEST ROBIN EGGS ON RECORD
In early January, one of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "nest-watchers," Ed Laster, surprised the Lab by reporting an American Robin building a nest in his neighbor's yard in Arkansas. When the nest building developed into egg laying, it turned out to be the earliest clutch that could be verified by Cornell.
Apparently, the eggs were laid sometime between 30 December and 6 January, probably in early January. Three eggs were present on 8 January. Laster reported that the eggs were abandoned as of 13 January 13, an expected outcome for such an early nest.
Why do birds sometimes do this? The crew at Cornell hypothesized that the subtle increase in day length after the winter solstice (21 December) might have stimulated the American Robin to begin the nesting process. "It is increasing day length in the spring, rather than temperature, which triggers hormones responsible for reproduction in most temperate songbirds." Ed Laster's observations demonstrate that every such record potentially adds value and is worth recording in such citizen science projects as the Cornell Lab's NestWatch.
TIP OF THE MONTH: YOU CAN HELP DIGITIZE
Since we mentioned Cornell's NestWatch project, we should also draw your attention to another fine activity you might consider, an activity to take on before most birds are actually nesting. The project could use help in transferring large chunks of data from the old written nest cards to the new digitized format. For example, the effort needs help in digitizing the final third of the Lab's Northern Cardinal collection. You can help NestWatch get across the finish line by volunteering to transcribe some Northern Cardinal nest cards. Even a half hour spent transcribing for this or some other species would be helpful! For more information, see volunteer opportunities here:
