RARITY FOCUS
It may not be quite yet time to run across multiple state lines to look for avian rarities, but it certainly looks like things are changing, whether one considers the health-scene or current seasonal changes. In the first case, vaccinations have become almost easy to secure, and our social conversations often revolve around the acquisition of our first or second doses. In the second case, the season, spring has sprung!
While the “rarity” of the immediate past was the rarity of getting out for regular and even small-group birding, the situation is shifting. And the pull of spring migration is making our excursions outdoors more common… and safer. In some sense we are “expanding our ranges,” and that’s healthy and just in time.
It may have been rare to plan trips, even short trip, two months ago, but it looks like we are slowly coming out of our self-enforced semi-isolation. While it’s not time to act reckless, it’s about time we took advantage of the season to enjoy birds more fully.
DICLOFENAC PROBLEM NOT CONFINED
Long-time readers of this E-bulletin may remember that we covered the issue of Diclofenac, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), as being the source of vulture-deaths in India multiple times, as far back as October 2006 and June 2011. Despite regional restrictions on the use of Diclofenac on cattle, some species of southern Asia’s vultures – e.g., White-rumped, Indian, and Slender-billed – continue to be in trouble. And while South Asia’s critically endangered vulture populations have been stabilizing, they have been at precariously low levels since 2012. Nonetheless, multiple countries in South Asia have banned Diclofenac use in livestock.
The complete story is well-described here, by the Science History Institute in 2019:
and also here, from BirdLife International just last month:
But there is a new wrinkle to consider. Despite the vulture situation in South Asia and parts of Africa, Diclofenac still remains available in many countries, including some in Europe (e.g., Spain and Italy).
Last month, a new study came out in the scientific journal Science of the Total Environment. The study confirmed the death of a vulture in Europe from the veterinary use of Diclofenac. A Cinerous Vulture born in 2020 in the Boumort National Hunting Reserve located in the Catalan of the western Pre-Pyrenees has now been confirmed as the first victim of a vulture species to die from poisoning by veterinary use of Diclofenac in Europe.
The use of veterinary Diclofenac in Europe represents a real threat to European vulture populations, and it sets a dangerous precedent and a potential alternate distribution channel for the veterinary use of the drug in Africa and Asia.
You can read more on this from BirdLife International:
STAGGERING DDT DUMP
Oil spills at sea are awful. Accumulating plastic in the ocean is a horror. Now, it’s the discovery of a massive underwater toxic waste dump off Southern California, a location that was suspected, but is now verified, to be staggering in scope.
Last month, marine scientists announced that they had identified over 25,000 barrels believed to contain the toxic chemical DDT on the seafloor. The massive ocean-site was probably used by industrial companies from the 1930s into the early 1970s. After spending two weeks surveying an area larger than the city of San Francisco, the scientists could find no end to the dumping ground. They could have kept going in any direction, they said, and uncovered even more toxic waste-barrels.
Significant amounts of DDT-related compounds are still accumulating today in Southern California dolphins, and a recent study linked the presence of these persistent chemicals to an aggressive cancer in sea lions. One can only guess at this point what impact this expansive dump has had on seabirds, but further investigation is certainly required.
For more details you can read this article from the Los Angeles Times of 26 April:
TIP OF THE MONTH: PROMOTE A POSITIVE PROJECT
We usually suggest a “tip” that consists of something you can do individually in your life to get more out of birding or to promote broader bird appreciation and conservation. Last month, for example, we recommended an effort to plan and implement some spring and summer yard-scaping for birds, specifically something special for pandemic-restricted homebodies.
Yes, that was a home-oriented effort. This month we are recommending the opposite: “adopting” a bird-project that advances our values in a location away from home, even outside the country.
Of course, this can be done individually. You can always contribute to any one of a group of bird-and-nature-oriented organizations, institutions that will send you e-mail funding appeals aplenty.
But focusing on a particular project – in a particular country – and “following” that project can sometimes have more meaning, or more impact. This kind of project can go beyond the individual, and can be ideal for a bird club, local Audubon outfit, or even a garden club.
Using one fine example, we recommend a look at the Cape Cod Bird Club, in Massachusetts. For the last few years, the club has carried out an initiative to solicit proposals and support micro-grants (up to $1000) for bird conservation and education projects. The club concentrates on efforts in the Caribbean, where many of our breeding birds spend the winter, but such a reach might just as easily be devoted to Mexico, Central America, South America, or even the tropical seas, wherever “our” birds roam.
One advantage of this approach is that by directly funding small groups (not large NGOs) these efforts can often better leverage the needed funds more effectively, and the money can go further, especially when it is not covering overhead of staff who may be based in more developed countries.
Another advantage is the opportunity to follow the projects’ progress more easily, basically with more north-south interaction, and perhaps even make it possible to visit the projects when circumstances allow.
Looking at the Cape Cod Bird Club’s projects might serve as an idea-generator for others:
ST. VINCENT VOLCANO
In harmony with the previous news item, it may be important to look at the scene on the Caribbean Island of St. Vincent.
The explosive eruptions of La Soufrière Volcano on St. Vincent began on 9 April. The dome collapsed on 12 April, and pyroclastic flows began. The volcano has devastated nearby towns, agricultural lands, and rivers, and it has blanketed the entire country in ash. As seen on satellite images, there are some places on the island where ash is piled over a foot high. Currently, the country is dealing with a humanitarian crisis, with over 20,000 residents displaced. Scientists are monitoring La Soufrière on a daily basis and their message is that the smoldering volcano, fairly quiet for now, is “still dangerous.” Moreover, torrential rains on 28-29 April created floods and landslides in several parts of the island. Some people still need to be evacuated out of the danger zone and require clean water and shelter.
In the process, the threatened St. Vincent Parrot is also in trouble, and other species, such as the endangered Whistling Warbler and a dozen other restricted-range endemics are at risk. These include the Grenada Flycatcher, Rufous-throated Solitaire, Purple-throated Carib, Brown Trembler, Lesser Antillean Tanager, and Antillean Euphonia.
The good news is that local foresters and others - including farmers - are working hard for the birds. Moreover, shipments of much-needed supplies have been sent to the island via Birds Caribbean and their partners. The first shipment of rugged field supplies – over 1,600 pounds worth – recently arrived, and more are on the way. These latest items also included nectar feeders for hummingbirds (some flowering plants have been roasted), seed feeders, and additional camping supplies for conservationists in the field.
The monitoring and saving of St. Vincent Parrot and the other birds continues. You can find out more – including how to assist – here, from Birds Caribbean:
IBA NEWS: TRAIN-WRECK?
A new form of high-speed transportation is being considered between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. It’s a system called a SCMagLev (super-conducting magnetic levitation) train. It could potentially travel at speeds in excess of 300 mph using magnets. (The first commercial-scale SCMagLev train is under construction in Japan but not expected to begin until 2027.) Here, only one stop would be created on the route (at the Thurgood Marshall/BWI Airport), and the trip might take a mere 15 minutes. The Bank of Japan has committed $5 billion dollars of the $10 billion needed to fund construction of the train.
It sounds wonderful: modern, quick, and taking exhaust-spewing cars off the road.
But not so fast: This is not an effective local commuter solution for the region, nor does it add value to the individual localities through which the train may pass. Indeed, communities in need along the route are simply bypassed. Along with that perspective, the individual price tag of $60 for a one-way ticket between Baltimore and Washington would put the use of SCMagLev out of the reach for many regular commuters. And, among other concerns, one of the two proposed train-routes would go right through a recognized, state-priority Important Bird Area (IBA), the famous Patuxent Research Refuge.
This is the largest remaining area of natural habitat in the intensely developed Baltimore-Washington DC corridor. The Patuxent Research Refuge, covering almost 13,000 acres, was established in 1936 on former farmland. It has been used primarily for important research into wildlife and habitat management. At least three species on the WatchList - Wood Thrush, Kentucky Warbler, and Prairie Warbler - have significant populations there. And surveys in the breeding season have detected up to 10 American Woodcocks and as many as 30-55 Whip-poor-wills. (This site supports the largest population of Whip-poor-wills in central Maryland.)
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) a $27.8 million dollar grant to prepare an Environmental Impact Study for this project. Comments on the study are due by 24 May.
You can find more information from organizations that have raised issues with the SCMagLev proposal here:
And background on the IBA-status of the Patuxent Research Refuge can be found here:
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:
TRYING AGAIN: RECOVERING AMERICA’S WILDLIFE ACT
On Earth Day last month, an impressive bipartisan bill to address the losses in America’s wildlife was introduced in the House of Representatives.
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, often referred to as RAWA, was introduced by Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE). The intent is to dedicate $1.3 billion annually to state fish and wildlife agencies to implement their Congressionally-mandated “Wildlife Action Plans.” An additional $97.5 million would be dedicated to tribal fish and wildlife managers for parallel work.
This funding approach to wildlife conservation has been around for at least two decades, with each attempt at significant “dedicated” (i.e., guaranteed) annual funding sometimes getting close, but always missing the mark.
Last year, with an impressive 185 bipartisan cosponsors, the legislation passed the House as part of H.R. 2, the “Moving Forward Act,” but got no further. Unfortunately, current funding for state Wildlife Action Plans, collectively about $70 million per year, is less than 5% of what is probably necessary to conserve the species most at-risk. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act could help fill the gap. It would provide 75% of each state’s cost, with each state responsible for finding the other 25%.
The current Wildlife Action Plans crafted by the states are helpful, but they also outline some wishful multi-year planning that simply can’t be fulfilled under the present inadequate funding-scheme.
The RAWA proposal complements the highly successful Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson) and Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act (Dingell-Johnson), which facilitated the recovery of a range of “hook-and-bullet” species including large mammals, gamebirds, and sportfish that previously confronted near-extinction.
The RAWA possibilities are hopeful, especially with the requirements that states must spend 15% of the funds to help recover state or federally listed species and can spend up to 15% of the funds on wildlife conservation education and on wildlife-associated recreation. Moreover, RAWA could be a very important part of how we respond to the recently determined loss of 3 billion birds in North America since 1970.
With the introduction of the bill, more than 350 wildlife, bird, recreation, and conservation organizations, along with related businesses, released an impressive letter of support:
You can also find the full Recovering America’s Wildlife Act here:
AND WHERE ARE WE GOING?
As we suggested at the start of this E-bulletin, the current pandemic still colors just about everything we do these days – from work to play and from travel to conservation – and a post-pandemic America will have elements that certainly look “different” from things we were previously used to!
In a “guest editorial” for Bird Watcher’s Digest (May/June 2021), Bob Ford, Partners in Flight (PIF) Coordinator, and Paul Baicich, co-editor of this E-bulletin, described how bird watchers and bird conservationists might start navigating a novel way forward in an emerging “new normal.” The editorial presents some approaches we might all consider in recrafting what a broader bird appreciation and conservation might actually look like in the future:
LAST WORD
If you have any friends, fellow bird-club members, conservation colleagues, or co-workers who wish to be included on the monthly Birding Community E-bulletin mailing list, you can simply refer them to this link:
