RARITY FOCUS 

Exactly two years ago, in the December 2021 issue of the Birding Community E-bulletin, we simply skipped the focus on one particular mega-rarity and, instead, highlighted the cluster of great birds that graced the Lower Rio Grande Valley that November. These included Golden-crowned Warbler, Crimson-collared Grosbeak, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, and Social Flycatcher. See here:

https://conta.cc/3oBp6YG

Once again, the rarities in South Texas in November were so outstanding, that rather than focus on one well-deserved species, we are looking at an impressive grouping of mostly Mexican species.

First, there was a female Blue Bunting that was actually found on the morning of 27 October at Estero Llano Grande State Park in Hidalgo County. The species is normally a resident of northern Mexico, but this bunting stayed around at least until 9 November. Another Blue Bunting, this time a male, showed up for a few days on 10 November at Resaca del la Palma State Park in Brownsville.

Then there was a juvenile Roadside Hawk on 9 November at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in Hidalgo County, and another young Roadside Hawk was discovered at about the same time at Resaca de la Palma State Park in Cameron County. This second bird continued through the end of the month.

The next wonder-species was a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron found on Sunday, 12 November, at the private Santa Margarita Ranch in Starr County. (This location has required prior permission for access, an option that birders have successfully used.) Some birders may remember the first individual of this species to occur in the U.S., a bird that stayed at Santa Ana NWR from late December 2009 to late January 2010. This time, the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron continued very irregularly through at least 27 November.

Then what was perhaps the strangest bird for South Texas last month was a Cattle Tyrant, found and photographed in Corpus Christi, Texas on 12 November. It was observed – off and on through November. This is a species with a disjunct distribution, the nominate race breeding from northern Argentina and Bolivia to the north-eastern tip of Brazil, and two other subspecies ranging from Panama to Venezuela and eastern Ecuador. How this bird showed up in Corpus Christi is a mystery. Still, birds have wings!

On the heels of this sighting, there was a Mottled Owl found on 18 November but not posted until 21 November. It was also at the Santa Margarita Ranch and was observed a few times at least though 29 November.

On 24 November, a Gray-collared Becard was seen at Resaca de la Palma State Park in Brownsville. This is normally a bird of arid temperate and tropical zones of Mexico and Guatemala. The first two records of this species in the U.S. were in Arizona, both appearing at Cave Creek, one in early June 2009 and the other in late May of this year. Both of those Arizona birds were one-day wonders. The Resaca del la Palma bird last month remained through November, found periodically.

And before we forget, there are two more species to mention, lingering from previous months:

The first was a Golden-crowned Warbler at Hugh Ramsey State Park that was found back in mid-September and was observed by birders through November. Another Golden-crowned Warbler was at Frontera Audubon in Weslaco for a couple of days in mid-November.

The second species involves that cluster of American Flamingos we highlighted last month, sprinkled across multiple states and shores along the Gulf of Mexico. One American Flamingo was found at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, by Alligator Pond on 22 October, and it was joined by a second individual the next day, with both continuing at least through 11 November.

Even if we missed a few of the spectacular rarities in South Texas last month, you get the picture. It was a great place to be, and some of these fancy birds are still lingering!

ACCESS MATTERS: A TEXAS REMINDER

In a quick review of the sites mentioned in the South-Texas array of rarities above, you may appreciate that three – Estero Llano Grande, Resaca Del La Palma, and Bentsen-Rio Grande – are part of the state park system. These sites charge either $4 or $5 dollars for entry, with a regular annual pass for $70 with reduction options for a fellow home-resident, qualifying seniors, active-duty armed forces personnel, veterans, and others.

National Wildlife Refuges in the area that charge for entry – e.g., Laguna Atascosa NWR ($3 per vehicle) and Santa Ana NWR ($5 per vehicle) – also accept a valid “Federal Duck Stamp” ($25 per year), and “America the Beautiful Pass” ($80 annual or $20 annual for seniors and other options found here: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm )     

The wonderful 15-acre Frontera Audubon property in Weslaco charges $5 a day. And other wonderful spots in the area (e.g., Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen and Edinburg Scenic Wetlands) have their own modest fee systems. 

Even the Santa Margarita Ranch has devised its own recommended fee schedule for organized groups and individuals.

The point of this listing is that the practice of charging modest fees for birding access has evolved over the years and most have become generally accepted – and welcomed – as part of the birding scene. This is a small way to “give back” and to sustain management for local birdlife… and for birder resources.

IBA NEWS: TERN RAFT FOR ESTUARY IBA

Ideally, most Important Bird Areas (IBA) require some level of care, maintenance, and monitoring, especially given the inevitable potential changes in surrounding habitats and the general climate-change scene.

So, when tern colonies seriously began declining, along with their preferred nesting islands in Chincoteague Bay, Maryland, real concerns were raised. Older sandy nesting islands had been washed or eroded away with a change in inlet water surges and the severity and frequency of storms, while the impact of sea-level rise only compounded the problem.  

In 2009, the state’s Coastal Bays region was designated an IBA due to its tern and Black Skimmer nesting habitat, however Royal Terns and Black Skimmers have not nested successfully there in recent years. Common Terns are still present, but their numbers have plummeted about 76%, from roughly 2,500 pairs across the state in 1985 to about 600 pairs in 2018, which was the last year with reliable population numbers.

Conservation partners at Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, Audubon, and other NGOs have been interested in rebuilding and recovering some of the lost nesting-islands, but the entire permitting and planning process could realistically take many years. Fortunately, building some artificial nesting-rafts to give Common Terns, and perhaps Black Skimmers, some interim nesting relief was seen as an option. 

In 2021, an artificial “floating island,” or raft-complex, that was 32’ x 32’, was built to provide breeding habitat for Common Terns in Maryland’s Chincoteague Bay. This was the first seabird nesting raft ever attempted in the mid-Atlantic States, with no guarantee of success. Without this raft, topped with crushed-clamshell surface, bird conservationists feared that the terns could disappear from Maryland entirely as a nesting species.

In that pilot year, the raft had 23 nests and 22 fledglings. In 2022, the raft was expanded to 48’x48′, which weighed a hefty 34 tons. This effort yielded more than a 7-fold increase of birds with 155 nests and 153 fledglings, becoming the largest breeding colony in Maryland. In 2023, the raft-system hosted a surprising 323 nests.

While not an inexpensive or low-effort solution, artificial islands can be an important stopgap conservation technique and a short-term strategy to provide critically needed breeding habitat for terns until more permanent island solutions - involving dredge material - are planned, permitted, and created.

You can read about the recent efforts here:

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/fall-2021/an-artificial-island-may-be-lifeline-marylands

 You can also watch a 45-minute report (followed by a Q&A session) by Kim Abplanalp, one of the project ringleaders, with all the details from design, to costs, to results. It was from a Howard County Bird Club (Maryland) event in mid-November:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftpGSFiCRUs

For details on the Maryland Coastal Bays IBA, see here:

https://gis.audubon.org/portal/apps/dashboards/ab402cba1acc461d924783cf0f5e181c#site=363

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:

https://www.audubon.org/important-bird-areas

SAVING GOLDEN EAGLES IN THE EAST

Golden Eagles may be common in the West, but not so in eastern North America. While they breed in eastern Canada (except Newfoundland), the species may no longer positively nest in the eastern U.S. That said, the eastern population has only been robustly estimated for breeders in Québec and for migratory birds in Pennsylvania, with numbers of birds that migrate through the Great Lakes not well estimated.

With this in mind, the Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group just released a new plan intended to guide conservation strategies for this iconic raptor. The Conservation Plan for these majestic birds in Eastern North America, the culmination of a three-year effort, is intended to address eagle biology, population status, cultural significance, management needs, knowledge gaps and more.

You can review the 81-page plan here:

https://tinyurl.com/3fkrwtmf

On a related note, on 15 November, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requesting a Threatened or Endangered listing for the Eastern Golden Eagle under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). See here:

https://abcbirds.org/news/eastern-golden-eagle-esa-petition/

WHITE-FACED IBIS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is using White-faced Ibis as an “umbrella species” to investigate and support potential climate-resilient conservation of wetland ecosystems in western North America.

By trapping, tagging, and tracking adult ibises, researchers can follow ibis movements and fill in the scientific gaps in knowledge about many species of other migratory waterbirds and the wetland habitats they need throughout their full life cycle including breeding, migration, and wintering.

Researchers are placing a light-weight external solar-powered GPS backpack transmitters on the birds to collect vital transmitted data that is downloaded once a day. In the summers of 2022 and 2023, biologists caught and tagged 122 birds in California, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. As of October, returns have yielded a remarkable 930,581 GPS locations, highlighting preferred areas for breeding, stopover, and wintering. Such accumulated data can provide targeted conservation measures on the ground, whether for habitat enhancement, conservation, or restoration.

One of the benefits of tracking this umbrella species is that it can define habitat needs for a suite of additional wetland species, many of which are “Birds of Conservation Concern,” including grebes, rails, herons, and egrets. In the future, researchers plan to combine this data to help additional wetland species including cranes, shorebirds, and certain waterfowl in evaluating where there is need to prioritize conservation actions on the ground.

You can access a recent short report here:

https://www.fws.gov/story/2023-10/white-faced-ibis-and-climate-change

JOHN OLIVER DOES IT AGAIN

Do you remember when John Oliver - British-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host - who arranged for strange and humorous entries in the Federal Duck Stamp Art contest? It was described in our October 2021 issue:

https://conta.cc/3ls14O9

And the whole story was further covered well by Audubon, here:

https://www.audubon.org/news/check-out-these-hilarious-entries-new-duck-stamp-contest

John Oliver’s bird humor took another recent twist when he succeeded in his online campaign to have what he describes as “a weird, puking bird with a colorful mullet” win New Zealand’s “Bird of the Century” contest.

In the contest for this title, the Australasian Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) clearly caught the fancy of Oliver. Perhaps it was its curious local name, the Pūteketeke (pronounced pooh-techie-techie), or its habit for “eating its own feathers then puking them up after eating fish” that drew Oliver to the species. (In all fairness, the species is also classified as "Nationally Vulnerable," with fewer than 1,000 in New Zealand, and less than 3,000 in New Zealand and Australia combined.)

Regardless, the contest results led to record-breaking vote totals and a stunning victory for the Pūteketeke over New Zealand’s official bird, the North Island Brown Kiwi. Oliver's campaign even put up billboards around the world, urging people to vote here:

www.votethisbird.com

With the last votes counted, the Pūteketeke got over 290,000 votes, with the kiwi coming in second with a pitiful 12,904,

For more details and lots of laughs, see here:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/john-oliver-backed-this-puking-bird-and-upset-the-kiwi-in-new-zealand-top-bird-contest/ar-AA1jZwg9

YES, IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE

While John Oliver found one wonderful and fun way to bring birds and people together in his Pūteketeke campaign last month, there are also academic and very serious ways to approach these kinds of connections and interests.

This brings us to the Human Dimensions Subcommittee of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) which recently released a document outlining ways to incorporate key social science principles into bird conservation projects.

A new “Guide to Incorporating Social Science in Bird Conservation” is a resource for both organizations and individuals to better incorporate a “human dimension perspective” into current conservation work. “Human dimensions” is the term that reminds us that all conservation issues have human elements - social, cultural, legal, political, and economic – that “influence the

status of bird populations and the feasibility and success of bird conservation efforts.”

Indeed, birds, habitats, and people are not always considered together when we plan, manage, or even study bird conservation, even though these considerations are truly inseparable. There are several disciplines and fields of study that can contribute to doing meaningful bird conservation work, and this 10-page guide can help introduce the approach to a multi-faceted perspective:

https://nabci-us.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/A-Guide-to-Incorporating-Social-Science-in-Bird-Conservation-1.pdf

MIGRATORY BIRD DAY THEME CHOSEN

And there is more on the birds-and-people-connection to consider, especially with the theme for the 2024 World Migratory Bird Day campaign.

The campaign theme has been announced, and it is… drumroll, please… Insects!

Yes, insects and their importance to migratory birds will be the principal focus of the celebrations in 2024. This Bird Day campaign theme will stress the need for proactive conservation measures including reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers and connecting areas of natural vegetation and native plants in our varied landscapes.

World Migratory Bird Day is officially celebrated on the second Saturday of May in the U.S. and Canada (11 May 2024), and the second Saturday of October in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean 12 (October 2024). However, every day can be “Bird Day,” and organizations can certainly choose to celebrate birds - and host public events – just about any day of the year.

You can find more details here:

https://www.migratorybirdday.org/

CHRISTMAS COUNT REMINDER!

And another important day for connecting birds and people, is the 123rd Christmas Bird Count (CBC) to be conducted this month between Wednesday, 14 December through Thursday, 5 January. If you are new to the count scene, you can check out this map to see where there is a count near you. (The green and yellow circles are open for new participants, and red circles are full.):

https://tinyurl.com/bddxpw8s

To arrange for participation, contact compilers by e-mail in advance of the chosen count day by using the information from the circle pop-ups on the map. Led by these compilers, teams of CBC volunteers seek out all the birds observed within a portion of an overall 15-mile diameter circle, and the totals are then tabulated. The CBC, of course, provides anyone with an interest in birds an opportunity to participate in this annual citizen-science and community event.

Scouting out an assigned area in advance of the count, checking out the status of the site and the birds in the woodlands, wetlands, fields, and accessible backyard feeders, can really help. This is especially true for areas that are not regularly birded during the rest of the year.  

CLARIFICATION AND LAST WORD FOR 2023

In reporting last month on bird-and-glass mortality in Chicago, we incorrectly summarized a 2021 study, implying that turning off just half the lights in large buildings could reduce collisions by six to 11 times. The original study concluded that after accounting for weather migration intensity, “predicted collision counts were 11 and 6 times higher (in spring and fall, respectively) when all windows were lighted compared to when half were darkened.” See here:

https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2101666118

As we wrap up this year, if you have friends or co-workers who might wish to receive the free monthly Birding Community E-bulletin, you could forward this issue to them and/or simply suggest that they sign up via this link:

https://bit.ly/35Xd3hO