RARITY FOCUS
In December, we wrote about the feisty little Northern Saw-Whet Owl found in the 75-foot Norway spruce that had been set up in Manhattan’s famous Rockefeller Center the previous month. The media enjoyed story of the small owl in the huge Christmas tree, and the public followed the bird’s recovery and release.
Last month, also in Manhattan, the media again turned to a unique and rare bird story, one appropriate for us during this time of Covid. For the first time since 1890, a Snowy Owl was found in Central Park. What was significant about this local rarity was that it attracted the attention of New Yorkers who otherwise would have been far “too busy” to pay attention, far too engaged in the rush of city life to take the time to seek out this avian wonder.
But numbers of birders – and the simply curious – came to see the young female owl in the middle of the North Meadow ball fields - a grouping of baseball and softball diamonds that might have looked to the owl like its native tundra habitat.
The birders came with their binoculars, spotting scopes, and cameras. And they were gracious enough to share their optics with the otherwise uninitiated-yet-curious newcomers who wanted to see what had excited so many otherwise rational people. Fortunately, the ball fields are fenced off in winter to let the grass recover from summer, so the potential rush of onlookers could be kept a few hundred feet away from the Snowy Owl.
The owl remained a couple of days, moved on, but eventually was refound in the park. Still, this became a story of not only the latest celebrity-bird of Manhattan, but of discovering birds during the pandemic… and making the best of our strange social and safety circumstance.
“If you want people to care about nature,” said Manhattan Bird Alert organizer, David Barrett, “you should show them that it’s there and let them appreciate it for themselves.”
You can find out more on the entire experience here, from The New York Times:
CHANGES AT ASA WRIGHT
Established in 1967 by a group of forward-thinking naturalists and birders, the Asa Wright Nature Center has operated as a not-for-profit trust in Trinidad that has thrilled international and local visitors for decades.
Situated at 1,200 feet in the mountains of the Northern Range, Asa Wright is a world-renowned destination for tropical ecology students and birders alike. It has boasted over 256 bird species on its property over the years. Moreover, the eco-lodge on the property, made up of 25 guest rooms, has hosted innumerable delighted visitors.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the property has been closed, and the eco-lodge business has apparently permanently ceased, with the associated staff laid off. Although the Asa Wright Nature Center is closing its eco-lodge, it should still function as a nature preserve. The impressive property will be retained under forest cover “in perpetuity” to protect the community watershed and to retain crucial wildlife habitat.
Since the Asa Wright Nature Center has no current revenue to support ongoing activities, it has also renewed a request for supporting donations.
You can find more information, including photos and video, here:
TIP OF THE MONTH: CAMO NOT ALWAYS HELPFUL
About 15 years ago in Gorham, New Hampshire, about a dozen crabapple trees were planted along the town’s Main Street, and also near the town’s two schools. The town authorities took good care of the trees, as they produced an attractive crop of crabapples each year. In fact, the town’s Main Street crabapple trees have become relatively well-known among birders throughout New England as a reliable location to look for wintering and eruptive Bohemian Waxwings and Pine Grosbeaks.
Accordingly, when small clusters of birders and birder-photographers descended into Gorham in mid-January, there were some surprising consequences. When these out-of-town birders, dressed in camouflage and carrying hefty long-lens cameras, arrived to see and photograph Bohemian Waxwings eating crabapples on Main Street, at least one town resident suspected them of being domestic terrorists!
This was, after all, about a week after the assault on the U.S. Capitol, and the concerned townspeople immediately suspected some nefarious goings-on. Yes, the police came by and had a conversation with the birders visiting Gorham.
The moral of this story is that under certain circumstances, wearing camouflage gear may not be the wisest thing to do!
A description of the situation, and the simple solution, presented by David Govatski, was described in this article in the Concord Monitor:
MBTA AND SAGE-GROUSE PARTING SHOTS
Amid the closing days of the Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of the Interior finalized a regulation defining the scope of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), as well as “records of decision” affirming their changes to management plans for Greater Sage-Grouse.
Under the MBTA rule changes, “unintentional” killing of migratory birds are not to be considered criminal. Only "pursuing, hunting, taking, capturing, killing, or attempting to do the same ... directed at migratory birds, their nests, or their eggs" would be illegal under the changes.
With these new standards, vast numbers of birds could be electrocuted by power lines, drowned in oil waste pits, and killed in other easily preventable ways without legal recourse. Fortunately, the incoming Biden administration could begin a process to reinstate traditional and long-standing protections under the MBTA, but this will take time. (Representative Deb Haaland [D-NM], who has been nominated as the next Secretary of the Interior, also introduced legislation to reverse the new MBTA interpretation.) In addition, once again the courts could have the power to reverse this interpretation of one of America’s oldest and most important bird conservation laws.
Regarding the sage-grouse plans, the announcement in mid-January stated that any additional review of land-use management plans is not warranted. The Bureau of Land Management indicated that, “The determinations are not new planning decisions. Instead, they are a determination not to amend existing land use plans and thus, are not subject to appeal or protest.”
Of course, the current situation now gives leeway to mining, energy, ranching, and industry groups. And anyone who has studied sage-grouse conservation knows that the issue is never over. The concerns will arise again.
You can access a summary of these two late-Trump-Administration developments (with highly informative links) from the Wildlife Management Institute here:
BOOK NOTES: NEW ORNITHOLOGY TEXT
In his Book of Birds: Introduction to Ornithology (2020, Texas A&M Press), John Faaborg, a 40-year veteran of teaching college-level ornithology, has broken new ground. In an effort to provide an ornithology textbook that is comprehensive, reasonably-sized, moderately-priced, yet with “the right mix of topics,” Faaborg has produced a work that should engage students and birders alike. He started with his larger text – Ornithology: An Ecological Approach – that appeared in the late 1980s, trimming it down, yet covering discoveries made in the field since (e.g., in ecology and evolution).
Faaborg puts little emphasis on topics like internal anatomy, physiology, or neurobiology, emphasizing, instead, bird relationships with the environment. The results are admirable. Indeed, non-students may want to pick and choose among his chapters. For example, you may want to get deeply into “Foraging Behavior,” “Migration,” or “General Patterns of Reproductive Behavior,” while skipping – at least for the time-being – “Constraints on Avian Diversity” or “Anatomy and Physiology of Reproduction.” It’s your choice! Whatever your preference, do not skip the final chapter, chapter 13, “Economic and Cultural Values of Birds.”
The book is enhanced by the hand-drawn artwork of his talented daughter, Claire. The partnership is probably unique, and the results are delightful.
Book of Birds should provide most interested and curious birders a very good foundation in the field of ornithology.
IBA NEWS: VA/MD WHSRN SITE – 30 YEARS
The “Virginia Barrier Island Lagoon System” along the lower Delmarva Peninsula is probably the most significant Important Bird Area (IBA) in Virginia, and one of the most important bird areas along the Atlantic Coast. The region has been designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve (WHSRN) site, is the site of a National Science Foundation Long-term Ecological Research project, and is the focus of long-term and multi-organizational bird conservation.
The area embraces a pristine chain of barrier islands, extensive salt marshes, inter-tidal mudflats, and open water. Much of the area is owned by government agencies and conservation organizations (e.g., The Nature Conservancy).
Much of this region – along with the nearby Maryland barrier islands - actually became a combined WHSRN site in 1990. We neglected to mention its 30th anniversary two month ago, and we wish to correct that oversight now.
You can also check out an entertaining video from the WHSRN Executive Office, and watch site partners in celebrating the shorebird conservation successes for this region:
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:
PRESIDENT BIDEN GETTING WRITER’S CRAMP
On day one of his U.S. presidency, Joe Biden signed Executive Orders to scrap plans for future drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, cancel the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement.
These all benefit birds, as do some of the Executive Orders that followed. In fact, in late January, the Department of the Interior released an announcement of expected Executive Orders that addressed oil and gas leasing on public lands (huge when you consider the Bureau of Land Management, for example), new green jobs, and a 30% land-and-ocean protection target.
Again, these all have bird-protection implications. You can read about the announcement here:
More Executive Orders are expected concerning wildlife, land, and waters in the U.S., with various political wags commenting on the danger of President Biden getting writer’s cramp.
For our part, we are not worried.
LAST WORD
In our rush to get out the January issue of the Birding Community E-bulletin, we magically trans-located the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge from Arizona to New Mexico. No, it’s still in southwestern Arizona, along the Arizona/Sonora border.
Also, if you have any friends or co-workers who wish to join the monthly Birding Community E-bulletin mailing list, you can simply refer them to this link:
