This is not a typical issue of The Birding Community E-bulletin. During this time of Covid-19 virus, we are not going to start by highlighting some mega-rarity in North America that some birders found and other birders have rushed off to see. No way.
Right now, it would be inappropriate to highlight such a cavalier - and, ultimately, dangerous - activity. This is not the time to run off to see this or that rare bird. Local, solitary birding - done carefully with appropriate "social distancing" - is possibly alright, depending on the location, but it will certainly be a while before birding as most of us have known it "gets back to normal."
This issue of The Birding Community E-bulletin will, by default, stress some of the joys and peculiarities of "armchair birding."
In the meantime, please be safe, remain healthy, take care of your loved ones, and cherish life as we regain our collective health, along with others around the world.
BIRD NOTE: ON LAST MONTH'S EARTH DAY
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, our friends at BirdNote produced a very special show last month. BirdNote, if you didn't know, is a project for public radio stations around the country where listeners can experience a bird-song story every day. (It can also be found online at any time, and you can sign-up to receive audio segments.) For general information, see here:
While most BirdNote shows are only two-minutes long, perfect for a short radio-spot, the Earth-Day special was almost 11 minutes, with an amazing array of bird sounds to please almost everyone.
Generally, the listener travels from East to West, starting with waves at daybreak, off the coast of Maine (Atlantic Puffins call from the cliffs). Then it's a trip down the coast and inland to the Appalachians (Cerulean Warbler) shifting to bayou country (e.g., Anhinga, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-throated Warbler, and more). You will visit the lush scrubland of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas (Plain Chachalacas with their wake-up calls and Great Kiskadee). Then it's off to the Rainwater Basin of Nebraska, too late for the famous Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes but in time for other birds (Red-winged Blackbirds, Blue-winged Teal, and Northern Pintails). Then a visit to Montana (Western Meadowlark) and arid Arizona (Gilded Flicker, Elf Owls, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls, Purple Martins, and Brown-crested Flycatchers).
There are birds to experience in California's Carman Valley (including Red-winged Blackbirds, Western Meadowlarks, and American Bitterns) and a detour to remote Alaska's Safety Sound (Arctic and Aleutian Terns, Long-billed Dowitchers, and other shorebirds). The whole production ends in the Hawaiian Islands (Hawai'i Creeper).
It's a fun experience; we encourage you to enjoy the "trip":
BOOK NOTES: A GUIDE TO LISTENING
If you were pleased with the 11-minutes devoted to bird sound described above, and want a lot more, you should consider Birdsong for the Curious Naturalist, by Donald Kroodsma (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020).
This is a fundamental guide from one of our finest bird-sound devotees. Donald Kroodsma explains why and how birds sing, but even more importantly, he guides you through the listening-process. It's no accident that the book's subtitle is "your guide to listening."
Kroodsma covers what varied sounds actually signify. The text is connected to codes throughout, codes that link to an online library of more that 700 bird-recording examples. There are - brace yourself - over 75 hours of excellent listening in the accompanying website:
You may want to read the first few chapters in the book twice, if only to get a firm grip on the essentials. Then, the chapters get deeper into the details, with examples aplenty. For example, try "How a Bird Gets Its Song," (inborn and learned), song-matching, dialects, complex songs, repertoires, morning and evening song rituals, space, time, and "musical" aspects. You can easily get deep into the details.
So, if you were wondering what to do for the next few weeks indoors, here's your chance!
NYC MURAL PROJECT
The Audubon Mural Project is a joint effort between the National Audubon Society and Gitler Gallery to create murals of climate-threatened birds within - and beyond - John James Audubon's old Harlem-based neighborhood in New York City. The project commissions artists to paint dramatic bird-murals to call attention to the climate-driven problems, and the effort has been widely covered in the media, including in The New York Times.
So far, almost 120 beautiful murals have been painted out of the proposed 314. They grace brick walls, schoolyard barriers, and metal storefront security-shutters alike. It's a remarkable project, a huge accomplishment, and a fine contribution to this part of The Big Apple.
If you want to take a tour of the Harlem murals, including those not far from Audubon Avenue, your actual visit may have to wait. During better times, you will be able to download a map of the murals and walk from developing site to site, artwork to artwork, species to species. Readers should probably wait for the "all clear" notice before traveling to much-beleaguered New York City for this experience. Put it on your "bucket-list. The project will, almost certainly, pick up later, but for now, you can enjoy the creativity of 83 of the existing murals visible online.
DUCK STAMP ART-DECISION
And speaking of art, in February, we raised the issue of the art content presented on the Migratory Birding Hunting and Conservation Stamp (popularly called the Duck Stamp). We wrote of the unfortunate proposal to make a hunting scene or theme a required part of the annual Stamp's art. Many critics worried that it would send a wrong message: that the Stamp is something less than a broad funding-mechanism for vital bird habitat in the Refuge System, and that the Stamp is simply for hunters. We explained that concern here:
The proposed Administration rule was open for public comments until mid-March, and the authorities did come to a recent decision. This year, and for future years, besides the usual art-standards, the judges in the waterfowl art-contest will be instructed to choose an entry that best illustrates the theme "celebrating our waterfowl hunting heritage." What this means is that it will now be mandatory for the image "to include one or more appropriate hunting-related accessories and/or scenes to reflect this...decoys, dogs, hunting blinds or other hunting images."
The dominant focus must still be one of the five eligible species portrayed as a living bird. This year, the species eligible for artwork are Brant, Gadwall, Cinnamon Teal, Lesser Scaup, and Red-breasted Merganser.
We suppose that even a "once-every-five-year compromise" for hunting-heritage, an idea that was floated late in the game, was deemed unacceptable to the powers-that-be at the Department of the Interior. It remains to be seen if the outcome will please the artists or bird conservationists, let alone result in any more Stamps being sold.
You can access and read the final decision here:
JR. DUCK STAMP CONTEST WINNERS
On a related subject, last month, five judges reviewed 59 final pieces of waterfowl artwork by youngsters. This year, over 14,000 young artists submitted entries from which the near-finalists were chosen.
Students in kindergarten through grade twelve participate in their annual state Junior Duck Stamp Program through their school, home, art studio or after-school group, or from a refuge, park or nature center. After learning about wetlands, waterfowl and wildlife conservation, they express their learning through a drawing or painting of a duck, goose or swan.
The first national Junior Duck Stamp art contest was held in 1993. The stamp encourages students to explore their natural world, participate in outdoor recreation activities, and learn wildlife management principles. Approximately 2,000 Junior Duck Stamps are sold annually for $5 each.
A Wood Duck image by 13-year old Madison Grimm, will grace the 2020-2021 Junior Duck Stamp, intended to raise funds to educate and engage our nation's youth in wildlife and wetlands conservation and outdoor recreation. Her work was chosen at the contest, which this year had to be done remotely on-line.
Chowon Kim, 17, of New York, took second place with an acrylic depicting a Hooded Merganser, and third place went to Meijia Tang, 16, of Maryland, for an acrylic and oil rendition of Northern Pintails.
The skills displayed by these young artists is a testament to both their talent and their interest in wildlife conservation.
A gallery of all the submissions, with the top winners up front, can be found here:
IBA NEWS: SOME FAR-OFF SHOREBIRD SANCTUARIES
In lieu of one of our usual monthly reports on North American Important Bird Areas (IBAs) we present an alternate view and coverage. We think you will find it appropriate for the times.
In another reminder that "we are all connected" in this world - and in so many ways - we bring to your attention the announcements concerning a couple of crucial conservation sites last month, announcements that should benefit some wonderful long-distance migrant shorebirds.
First, we have two new Nature Sanctuaries recently proposed for Chiloé Island, a critically important area in Chile that hosts more than 21,000 overwintering Hudsonian Godwits each year. These godwits migrate from their breeding grounds in the Alaskan and Canadian tundra to "winter" in Chiloé island, a round trip of over 18,000 miles, to feed on the rich benthic invertebrate fauna existing in the coastal wetlands of the Chilean archipelago. If approved, these wetlands will be included in a long-term management plan that could significantly help conserve this species along with its precious wintering habitat.
See here for more information on this effort and our connections with this migrating species:
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, we have highlight a second example. This concerns one of Asia's most important shorebird sanctuaries. In 2017 the Myanmar Government declared about 40,000 hectares of in the eastern side of the Gulf of Mottama as a "Wetland of International Importance." Now this designation has quadrupled in size thanks to years of advocacy from wetland and bird conservationists. Earlier this year, the government finalized the extension of the Gulf of Mottama Ramsar Site, quadrupling the area to 161,030 hectares, and extended it into adjacent regions.
The Gulf of Mottama boasts some of the largest congregations of shorebirds in Southeast Asia, with over 90,000 birds overwintering annually. These include significant numbers of North American Bar-tailed Godwits from the Alaskan tundra, as well as related Siberian species such as the Eurasian Curlew, Great Knot, and the very rare Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Read more here, from BirdLife International:
With these two examples from both sides of the Pacific, from Chile and from Myanmar, examples connected by shorebirds that breed in the same part of the world, an Alaskan/Siberian zone, we are reminded of how connected we all really are.
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:
DRONE DISGUISED AS HUMMER
In the category of "you can't make this stuff up" we present a hummer-drone.
In a recent video from Nature on PBS, viewers were able to get a very close look at half-a-billion resting monarch butterflies in mountains in Mexico. The viewing was managed by disguising a small drone to look like what appears to be a Blue-throated Hummingbird. As described in the three-minute video, hummingbirds do not appear as a threat to the monarch butterflies.
See for yourselves. And see if you are more amazed by the monarchs... or the by hummer drone!
MORE YELLOW CARDINALS
A yellow-colored male Northern Cardinal was found in early April in a yard in Boynton Beach, Florida. This bird marks at least the 17th yellow male Northern Cardinal reported in southern and eastern states since 2016. The yellow coloration of these birds is the result of a genetic mutation called xanthochroism - when yellow or orange plumage replaces a bird's normal colors.
Read more on this particular discovery and other yellow cardinals, including photos, in BirdWatching:
This story is a good reminder to keep your bird-feeding station well-stocked and under regular observation while you are spending a lot more time at home!
AN INCREDIBLE EGG... AND DUO
Early this year, at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, two Andean Condors, named Lianni and Lurch, began a courtship display. Lurch began bowing to Lianni, extending his wings, vocalizing and stomping his feet. Now, the pair are caring for a fertile egg. Lianni is a very special bird, and she celebrated her 36th birthday in late April. Lurch is 49.
This event is particularly significant because Lianni once overcame a life-threatening illness. In 2012, she fell very ill, and extreme measures were needed to save her. She needed a blood transfusion, a procedure that had never before been done on a condor. Ultimately, a team worked to safely collect small samples of blood, and a first-of-its-kind condor blood bank was established. Despite further complications, the transfusion was a success, and Lianni recovered. Since Lianni's blood transfusion, the National Aviary created a blood bank by safely collecting small samples of blood from other birds. Still, she continued to require daily heart medication and regular check-ups to keep her healthy. Since then, there have been other successful blood transfusions in birds at the Aviary.
Lianni now spends the day sitting on her precious mango-sized egg. Her mate, Lurch, takes turns incubating so Lianni can stretch her legs and take a bath. Regardless of their ages - condors can actually lay eggs and incubate well into their 40s and 50s - and Lianni's past health problems, if all goes well, the egg will hatch in early June. (Last year, the pair's chick died shortly after hatching.)
Andean Condors are threatened throughout much of their range and are critically endangered in Ecuador. The condor breeding program at the National Aviary is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, and the Aviary works to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse and demographically stable population of condors for generations to come. Through this and related programs, the National Aviary has helped to release four Andean Condors in Columbia to help boost their wild population
Curiously, although the Aviary is temporarily closed to the public, people can watch the male and female take turns sitting on their egg because their habitat is outside of the building and can be viewed from a nearby street, Arch Street.
The situation is summarized here, at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
NEW BIRDS OF THE WORLD WEBSITE
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has expanded their impressive website that previously described the Birds of North America in thorough species profiles available for vital life histories, including unique songs and species photographs. Now, the similarly-structured new Birds of the World website has added a wealth of information about all 10,500-plus birds of the world on one website.
In a description by the Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, John Fitzpatrick, Birds of the World is made up of the combination of the expansive previously developed data-bases as well as new acquisitions, such as the exclusive digital rights to all the content from Lynx Edicions' Handbook of the Birds of the World.
Species accounts include images, sounds, and videos - including thousands from Lynx's Internet Bird Collection - plus all the stunning illustrations from the Handbook volumes, maps and animations from eBird, and authoritative text from all of the component projects.
"We will maintain the site as a living system, engaging a huge network of collaborators around the world to help keep species accounts current with new text, media, updated literature references, distribution changes, and taxonomic updates," Fitzpatrick added.
Certainly, bird enthusiasts welcome this achievement and the power of having such a remarkable information source available. Yes, there is a cost - a pay-wall - involved, but now with some time on your hands, you can at least sample parts of the material available. Try here:
FALCON TRADE TROUBLES
In the March issue of Scottish Birds, publication of the Scottish Ornithologists' Club (SOC),
Stan da Prato
reported on the continued problem of released Gyrfalcons and hybrid falcons in the Scottish countryside. He compiled the story from various newsworthy sources.
Birders were urged to contact Scottish Natural Heritage (the national conservation authority) to stop licensed releases of captive-bred falcons. This wild release gives the young falcons experience in natural hunting. Then, they are re-caught for further training and sold to rich buyers in the Middle East. Prices are as high as $15,000 for a white Gyrfalcon. Such a Gyr can be a status symbol for some Arabs. But, as a cold-climate raptor, it is not well-adapted to hunting in hot climates.
Apparently, 122 Gyrfalcons were released on license in the Scottish Moray countryside last year. In addition, there was reportedly an unlicensed release in 2018, which included hybrids between Gyrfalcon and both Saker Falcons and Peregrines. Birders in Scotland fear that such releases upset the natural wildlife balance and could threaten scarce shorebird species.
You can read the report in Scottish Birds (March, p.60), available free from the editors - in light of the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions with birders everywhere restricted in movement:
The report, by the way, does not identify the Middle-Eastern countries involved, but we might assume they are among "the usual suspects," mainly the Gulf States, especially the United Arab Emirates and Qatar (perhaps also Kuwait and likely Saudi Arabia).
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
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