Our rare bird for December is Crimson-collared Grosbeak, a species which only breeds in northeastern Mexico (south to northern Veracruz) and which has occurred in Texas more than 20 times, mostly females or immature males.
The first time this species was found in Texas was in 1974. Since then almost all the sightings have been single birds in winter, in South Texas, although there have been some years when multiple occurrences have been recorded. Six of these birds were found during winter 1987-1988, at least nine in the Lower Rio Grande Valley during the winter 2004-2005, and multiple birds in the winter of 2013.
Last month's grosbeak was found on 26 December in the entry area at the Santa Ana NWR. It was a female eating berries in a bush on east side of the nature center near a small watering hole. It was present there into the end of the month.
You can find an eBird report with multiple photographs (by Gale Bachert) here:
Birders in the Lower Rio Grande Valley should be on the lookout for other individual Crimson-collared Grosbeaks through the rest of winter, since multiple birds have sometimes previously appeared in the past!
BOOK NOTES: THE OUTER LIMITS
On occasion, along with our rarity-of-the-month highlight, we sometimes mention a spring or autumn rarity that appeared on the "edges" of Alaska. These "edges" often pertain to Adak, Attu, or Shemya islands on the Aleutian chain, St. Paul Island on the Pribilofs, or Gambell on St. Lawrence Island. The species in question typically fail to make the grade as the rarity of the month because most birders would normally have had difficulty trying to rush to the limits of Alaska to "chase" the bird. Unless you are already on site, such a quick trip is typically out of the question.
If you have ever had an interest in these places and their role in North American birding, you will be delighted to know that The Birds of Gambell and St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, by Paul E. Lehman is now available. It has appeared as the latest in the series of "Studies of Western Birds N.4," published by Western Field Ornithologists.
This is the first complete and detailed treatment of the birds of this region, from early explorers through early 2019. Much of the historical information dates back to the 1930s, with some additional sightings even including the 1880s, but most of the bird data presented comes from about 1973 to the present. The work covers detailed accounts of the 290 species that have been documented on the island, and includes a remarkable 19 first North American records.
The occurrences of species more commonly found on the western side of the Bering Straits are particularly intriguing, and their documenting photographs are especially interesting. The book is enhanced with more than 800 color photographs of the island, its habitats, and most of its bird species. Indeed, the assemblage of documenting bird photographs alone is a remarkable and admirable achievement.
Lehman's dedication to birding Gambell, especially in the autumn since the 1990s, has greatly opened up the location to serious study. Lehman's ability to coalesce the cooperation of visiting birders, bird photographers, map-makers, local villagers, and other visitors assures that this 360-page work will remain the definitive contribution on the ornithology of this fascinating island for decades to come.
IBA NEWS: STRENGTHENING PEA ISLAND NWR
The expansion or enhancement of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) often go unnoticed or unheralded once the sites have been identified for their initial significance. But additional improvements at these sites really constitute smart management, often making them of increased significance for the species involved. What follows is one such example.
Ducks Unlimited recently secured funding in partnership with Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on the coast of North Carolina to improve 307 acres of managed refuge wetlands for waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds and other wetland-dependent species.
The location is within the Southern Outer Banks Focus Area of the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV) South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative Area. The ACJV Waterfowl Implementation Plan has identified the importance of Pea Island to waterfowl and other migratory wetland-oriented birds, and over 300 bird species have been identified on or near the refuge.
The currently proposed contract work includes installation of an aluminum half-round riser between existing managed impoundments to enable NWR staff to move water between units to manage these units for quality waterfowl and other waterbird habitat. The project also includes the installation of a pump station and power unit to address the refuge's lack of reliable water delivery into and out of the South Pond impoundment in the project area.
Pea Island NWR is one of North Carolina's most important sites for waterfowl and shorebirds. Three impoundments are intensively managed for migratory birds, two of which have been closed to the public to prevent disturbance. The site supports North Carolina's largest, regularly-occurring flock of American Avocets and the state's greatest number of breeding Black-necked Stilts.
The planned improvements will allow NWR staff to achieve independent management of these impoundments, encourage production of quality forage for waterfowl, provide mudflats and sheet-water for shorebird foraging habitat, and control undesirable plant species. Construction of this project is slated for later this year.
You can find an IBA profile of Pea Island NWR 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:
ACCESS MATTERS: A HOMEOWNER'S REQUEST
In Massachusetts, a report of an Orange-crowned Warbler visiting a feeder in winter is uncommon enough to draw attention. One such report in Gloucester presents a lesson for us. Because of the narrowness of Doane Street, the homeowner with the visiting warbler requested that birders wishing to see the bird park on nearby Shore Hill Road in front of a small park with room for about three cars. This parking-spot was less than a two-minute walk from the feeder-site on Doane Street. The host specifically requested that visitors should refrain from driving down the street because of its narrowness, a street without available parking.
Despite the fact that some visitors failed to see the bird on their first attempts, there were no problem because, overwhelmingly, birders followed the homeowner's parking and viewing instructions. Eventually, however, it was learned that the homeowner had become furious when, a week or so after the bird's discovery, a single car with several occupants drove slowly down the narrow street trying to observe the bird at the feeder from the vantage-point of the vehicle.
It was kind for the homeowner to share the location of the unusual feeder-visitor in a sensitive neighborhood in the first place, but it was inexcusable for the thoughtless visitors to this location to ignore the homeowner's viewing request.
This is a classic example of how the few can risk birding access for the many. Clearly access does matter so that visiting birders can continue to enjoy seeing uncommon birds in sensitive areas. Paying attention to this kind of birding etiquette and access will help enhance the opportunity to see less common, or rare birds, in the future.
NYC BREAKTHROUGH IN GLASS PROTECTION
In early December, the New York City Council approved Proposed Initiative 1482B, the most broad-reaching, bird-friendly building policy in the nation. This action requires that new building materials meet bird-friendly standards that will greatly reduce collision risks to birds. The policy also includes major renovations to modify existing glass features, and will apply to construction across the city's five boroughs.
The following consortium of partners worked directly with the City Council, providing background on the problem of bird-glass collisions and insight into materials and design solutions: American Bird Conservancy (ABC), New York City Audubon (NYC Audubon), the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIANY), the Bird-safe Buildings Alliance, and architects representing FXCollaborative and Ennead Architects.
The bill is a compromise forged by the diverse collaboration of the partners, all of whom wrestled with and reconciled competing interests of many sorts - design, light, height, use, location, cost, and bird mortality.
"It's a huge leap forward for long-term conservation," said Kathryn Heintz, NYC Audubon Executive Director. "It will reduce collisions and save migratory birds whose numbers are declining dramatically. As a whole community, we must do better for the future, better for the sustainability of urban living, and better for the health of both birds and people."
"It's our ethical responsibility as members of the building industry to address the role of glass in bird population decline," added Dan Piselli, AIA, LEED AP, CPHD, Director of Sustainability at FXCollaborative. "This informed our strategy for renovating the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in 2013." Once identified by NYC Audubon as the city's top bird-killing building, the Javits Center was renovated with the goal of not only making the facility more transparent and welcoming, but also making it bird-friendly. Bird deaths have dropped by 90 percent and the building now uses less energy since the renovations were completed.
"The materials and techniques that prevent bird collisions are already commonly used for a variety of reasons in our buildings; this legislation mandates their use in ways that also protect birds in cost effective ways," said Benjamin Prosky, Assoc. AIA, Executive Director of AIANY and the Center for Architecture. "AIANY and its members are proud to have fought for this commonsense bill."
In the meantime, and according to NYC Audubon project Safe Flight, 90,000 to 230,000 birds die each year during their migrations through New York City alone.
ONE TOUGH ASSESSMENT
The latest update of the international Red List of Threatened Species was released last month. BirdLife International updated the threat status on 10 December for the Red List for 59 bird species worldwide. The rankings improved for 35 of the bird species and worsened for 24.
A few of the recent changes are worthy of mention.
Among the improvements are the flightless Guam Rail - the second bird in history to recover after being declared Extinct in the Wild, following our own North American California Condor. Once widespread on the island of Guam, the rail's numbers declined after the brown tree snake was accidentally introduced there at the end of World War II. In 1987, the last wild Guam Rail was killed by this invasive predator. Thanks, however, to a 35-year captive breeding program, the Guam Rail is now established on the neighboring Cocos Island. But the bird is still classified as Critically Endangered - one step away from extinction.
Dominica's national bird, the Imperial Parrot, has suffered from the increase of hurricanes in the Caribbean. The parrot species declined from Endangered to Critically Endangered after Hurricane Maria in 2017, the strongest hurricane on record to have struck the island. Fewer than 50 mature individuals are estimated to be in the wild.
Our own Black Rail, was one of two species downgraded from Near Threatened to Endangered. The rail lives in saline, brackish, and freshwater marsh habitats, wet meadows and savanna, coastal prairies, and impoundments. Surveys show declines of 90% in some parts of its range. Under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the rail's eastern subspecies is proposed to be listed as threatened, a position it has held since October 2018.
For more details on the updated Red List, see here:
119th CBC SUMMARY
You may have just finished participating in your local Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the 120th on record. But last month, the impressive 2018-2019 count results were publicly released.. While frigid temperatures may have presented a challenge for the birds recorded on that count, The U.S. government shut-down that began at midnight on 22 December, 2018, posed a major impediment to many CBCs conducted on Federal property, including National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks.
Nonetheless, CBC participants turned out in record numbers - with just under 80,000 observers and over 2,600 counts conducted across the hemisphere!
You may want to review the impressive summary of the 119th count, pulled together by Geoff LeBaron, the longtime Director of the CBC program. The results are significant, and LeBaron reminds us of a sobering reality: "For years it has been mentioned in the annual Christmas Bird Count summaries that we shouldn't worry too much about the total number of birds each season, as it can vary tremendously depending upon whether winter roosts of blackbirds, crows, or robins happen to be within count circles. But still, especially in light of the recent paper published this fall about diminishing numbers of birds across the continent, this disturbing trend deserves some future analyses... [At the same time,] it has become apparent that many Christmas Bird Count participants themselves don't realize the importance of what their contributions mean to further the protection of the birds we love!"
You can read LeBaron's overall summary here:
TIP OF THE MONTH: CHECK YOUR FIELD PACK
Birders often carry small backpacks - regularly referred to as field packs - when birding. It's the handy way to bring your field guide, notebook, water-bottle, snacks, lunch, mobile-phone, and/or camera into the field.
But those are the items you usually re-pack or refresh at the start of each day of birding.
There are also those "other" things that are often in you field pack and that remain there basically on a "seasonal" basis, or else just languish there, resting at the bottom of the pack, or in some forgotten side-pocket.
With the start of 2020, it's probably a good time to clear out and entirely re-pack your field pack.
Depending on the season or your location, you may want to re-pack the specific contents you're carrying. You may want to bring along hand-sanitizer, band-aids, sunscreen, insect repellent, lens-cleaner, or light gloves, but some of these may need replacement. That crushed chocolate bar, broken pencil, and forgotten and crumpled refuge checklist at the bottom of your field pack needs to be removed. And that wad of unused tissues in the side-pocket should be replaced. How about your small flashlight? Check the batteries.
When you start the year by re-packing your field pack from top to bottom, you may discover that the pack turns out to be two pounds lighter!
