RARITY FOCUS
Since last April, with the clear onset of the pandemic, we have shied away from showcasing a single, monthly, rare bird. Instead, we have emphasized the wonder of local birding, backyard activity, or simply studying or appreciating birds more intently. And this month, we will just highlight one simple outcome of carefully examining a common, yet interesting bird and the potential surprising outcome.
It was a Ring-billed Gull, just one among hundreds of thousands on the shores of Lake Erie. But as birder/photographer Chuck Slusarczyk scanned the blizzard of gulls by the Coast Guard Station in Cleveland, this bird caught his eye.
What Slusarczyk found was a Ring-billed Gull with a metal leg band, clearly a bird that had been part of a banding project. Chuck figured that if he could read the tiny numbers on the band, he could discover more about this gull. He took multiple photos of the bird’s leg-band, piecing together the sequence of numbers to read them all. After a total of five different attempts to photograph the numbers, he succeeded.
When he sent his results to the USGS Bird Banding Lab, he was surprised. The bird had been banded as a chick in Toronto. This was no big deal, but the date was. This bird was banded on 18 June 1992, which makes this Ring-billed Gull the oldest one on record. Yes, according to the U.S Geological Survey and Canadian Wildlife Service, the banded Ring-billed Gull Chuck Slusarczyk documented was 28 years and 9 months old.
This is proof that you never know what you’re going to discover while birding. Just apply some curiosity… and persistence!
You can find more details on this story here, from WKYC-TV:
BALD EAGLE ENCOURAGEMENT
In late March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced that populations of Bald Eagle have actually quadrupled since 2009, according to a new report by the Service and its partners. Don’t forget that Bald Eagles once teetered on the brink of extinction, reaching an all-time low of 417 known nesting pairs in 1963 in the lower 48 states.
But after decades of protection through varied laws (e.g., the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and the Endangered Species Act), the banning of DDT, and on-the-ground and educational conservation efforts engaging numerous partners, the Bald Eagle population has flourished, growing to more than an astounding 71,400 nesting pairs. This includes an estimated 316,700 individual Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states.
Detailed information on the current scene is now available in a new technical report:
BALD EAGLE WOES
And while we are on the subject of Bald Eagles, a quarter-century-old mystery concerning the deaths of 70+ Bald Eagles in Arkansas has finally been solved. And it’s an amazing story. These raptors died because of a remarkable tiny alga that lives on a specific invasive water plant and makes a novel toxin, but only when the algae is present in unique circumstances. The key elements in this complex story include odd behavior noted on the part of Arkansas Bald Eagles that were observed exhibiting disorientation that included flying into trees and cliff-faces! This was then followed by significant scientific detective work conducted at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
What the follow up research revealed was that a never before identified cyanobacteria (a type of blue-green algae) was covering the leaves of an invasive water plant, Hydrilla verticillate, a favored food of American Coots that are common on many southern lakes, especially in the winter. Further research eventually showed that toxins contained in the bacteria were being passed through the food chain to Bald Eagles that were regularly preying on American Coots.
This chain of death was not unlike what happened to Bald Eagles and other raptors and waterbirds during the DDT era before the deadly effects of DDT were discovered and the pesticide was eventually taken off the market in the 1970s. That story was graphically told in Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring, which ultimately led to the removal of DDT from the marketplace.
To find out more about this fascinating story see this article by Sarah Zhang in The Atlantic:
BIRD-ZINE, ANYONE?
A zine (pronounced zeen), taken from the word “magazine," is an informal, self-published booklet where thoughts and creative work on a given topic are highlighted. These often resemble a collage of different images, messages, and musings put together by one's writing, drawing, and/or cutting-and-gluing content (e.g., photos, magazine clippings) into a booklet. Zines can be digital or handmade.
Our friends at BirdsCaribbean have announced their first regional "Bird Zine Contest," launched as part of their Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival 2021 activities. There are four age categories for potential participants (from 7 years old to adult). There are also four specific topics from which to choose: bird sound, bird flight, Caribbean species spotlight, and why Caribbean birds matter. Submissions are limited to all the insular West Indies including: the Bahamas, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos Islands, the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands), the Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Zines in English, Spanish, and French are all acceptable. The deadline is May 1, and, yes, there are prizes.
You can find more details on this contest here:
TIP OF THE MONTH: PLANTING-TIME
For the most part, because of the pandemic, many Americans are still playing it safe, avoiding crowds, limiting travels, and staying home. As we’ve written before, this has resulted in an increased interest in backyard birding and bird-feeding. Big-time!
This means that it’s a good time to plan and implement some spring and summer yard-scaping. This should include planting some flowers that attract hummingbirds, a seed garden with a variety of native plants, some large sunflowers, and even a new tree or large bush to add to your already bird-attractive yard, even if it’s large, small, or tiny!
Remember, even small plots can add to the enhancement of stopover sites for migrants, as well as nesting and foraging areas. Local nurseries are already filling with the colors of spring, and the birds will respond accordingly. If we’re going to stay home, we can take a special joy in the colors and sounds of the birds we host. And always remember, by using native instead of nonnative plants, - especially fruiting shrubs - you can give your birds natural foods without causing them to spread invasive species across the landscape.
For a primer on the subject, you might refer to this short piece previously presented by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
MBTA PRESERVED
In early March, the Interior Department formally rescinded a contentious Trump Administration legal opinion that concluded that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) covered only the intentional killing or injuring of birds.
The department said in a more recent statement that the previous opinion had "overturned decades of bipartisan and international consensus and allowed industry to kill birds with impunity." Environmental groups and eight states had actually sued to challenge the Trump Administration move.
"The Biden administration is doing the right thing by refusing to defend the prior administration's illegal and ecologically disastrous interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, one of the nation's bedrock conservation laws," said Eric Glitzenstein, director of litigation at the Center for Biological Diversity.
The Department of the Interior is now launching the potentially lengthy process of rewriting the rule.
"Millions of birds were at risk of unnecessary death from a Trump-era rule, but the Biden administration has made a better choice," said Renee Stone, senior vice president for conservation programs and general counsel at Defenders of Wildlife. "We look forward to working with the Biden administration to protect the 100-year-old Migratory Bird Treaty Act and America's migratory birds.
For a statement on the significance of this action, see the American Bird Conservancy:
IBA NOTES: BEACH BLUNDER
A multi-agency plan for Gulf Coast restoration projects in Florida – in what is called the Draft Restoration Plan 2 and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) - involves two dozen projects for habitat restoration, enhancement, and creation, along with access/recreation issues. These are funded via Deepwater Horizon coffers, continuing to restore the region long after the BP oil spill. The money is still there, and projects abound.
There is one project, situated southwest of Pensacola, that is intended to “improve habitat and manage visitor access along Johnson Beach… in the Perdido Key Unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore.” It’s a deeply flawed proposal, accessing the restoration funding to build parking lots on the top of annual nesting sites for threatened Least Terns and Snowy Plovers.
This makes little sense and is particularly objectionable since the Gulf Islands National Seashore rates as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Moreover, the barrier island unit is extremely vulnerable to overwash and storm surge, and it is plagued with regular damage and loss from hurricanes.
In fact, rubble from pavement and other infrastructure remnants are already a real threat to these habitats, birds, and other wildlife. Ironically, the Gulf restoration trustees have already dedicated $10 million of restoration funds to remove asphalt and other debris from Gulf Islands habitat that originated as parking lots and roads but were destroyed in past storms.
Gulf oil-spill money should not be used to do further damage to those habitats, especially in such important and valuable protected area.
Comments on this project were due in late March, and conservation advocates await the results.
For information on the Gulf Island National Seashore (and adjacent area) status as an Important Bird Area, see here:
and 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:
LAST WORD
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