DC AUDUBON SOCIETY

DC Audubon Blog Has Moved

2007-03-22T11:04:00.000-04:00

You can now find the latest information about DC Audubon events and conservation news at http://www.dcaudubon.org/blog.

Please join us there and change your bookmarks.

-John

Talk about Birds in DC

2006-10-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Join DC Audubon and other Capitol city birders at Riverby's Books!
DC Audubon is co-hosting a talk on birds in the DC area. Peter Vankevich, DC Audubon member and author of a monthly DC birding column in the Hill Rag, and others will discuss what birds you may see in DC and tips on how to identify them. Reception to follow.

Riverby's Books
417 East Capitol St., SE
Oct. 19 @ 7 PM

New Species: Bugun Liocichla

2006-09-12T15:14:00.000-04:00

A beautiful new species has been discovered in India. The new species is a liocichla, related to babblers. An astronomer first saw the species in 1995 but could not identify it with existing field guides. He did not see it again for another decade. A colleague suggested that it was an Emei Shan Liocichla (Liocichla omeiensis), a species that occurs 1,000 km away in southwest China. In May 2006, he caught one bird. Measurements taken from that bird, as well as differences in plumage and calls, indicated that this liocichla was a separate species. It has been designated Bugun Liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum) after the local Bugun tribe that owns the forest where most sightings were made.

Upcoming Field Trip to Rock Creek Park

2006-09-08T16:39:00.000-04:00

DC Audubon field trip announcement: mark your calendars.

Next Sunday, Sept. 17, join DC Audubon's annual field trip to Rock Creek Park in search of Fall migrants. We'll be looking for those confusing Fall warblers, of course, but not neglecting any others. Meet by the Rock Creek Nature Center at 7 A.M. (5200 Glover Rd., N.W., about 1/4 mile south of the intersection of Glover and Military Roads). The Ridge and Maintenance Yard areas will get most of our attention, but we may visit others (within walking distance from the Center) at the leader's discretion. We should finish up by 11. Besides the trusty binocs & field guide, I recommend insect repellant, sunscreen, and waterproof footwear (not a bad idea to bring water & snacks as well).

Please RSVP to the leader, Paul DeAnna by telephone in the evenings after 6pm (202) 544-2680. Please include a phone number where you can be reached the evening before the trip, just in case a weather postponement becomes necessary. If you can offer a ride to a non-driving birder in your neighborhood, please let me know the general area you're coming from. I'll do what I can to put those offering rides in touch with those needing them. Detailed driving directions are available on the Park's website.

Rock Creek is also accessible by public transportation. Take the E2 bus to the intersection of Miltary Road and Glover Road (a.k.a. Oregon Ave), NW. From there follow the path at the southeast corner of the intersection to the Nature Center.

An announcement of this field trip is also posted on our website.

A Swift Night Out

2006-09-07T16:40:00.000-04:00

If you know the location of a chimney swift roost, consider participating in A Swift Night Out. This project was begun to increase public awareness of chimney swifts and to support their conservation. There are two weekend counts this summer, one in August (already passed) and one this weekend. Here are the directions:

Here is how it works: Keep your eyes to the skies at dusk in late July and watch for areas where swifts are feeding. Look for a tall shaft, chimney or similar structure to locate where Chimney Swifts (central to east coast) or Vaux's Swift (Pacific coast) go to roost in your area.

This year, on one night over the weekend of August 11, 12, 13, and / or September 8, 9, 10 observe the roost starting about 30 minutes before dusk and estimate the number of swifts that enter. When you have your number, contact us with your results. That's all there is to it!

Please include the following information:
Number of swifts counted
Time (and time zone)
Date
Location
Address: city, state/province
Broad description of the site, e.g. school, warehouse, residence, Chimney Swift Tower, etc.
Weather conditions may also be reported.

See here for contact information and results from previous years.

Chimney swifts became common in urban areas because of the availability of chimneys and other vertical structures for nesting. However, in recent years the population has declined as chimney construction has changed to discourage nesting. Swifts benefit city residents by consuming large number of insects every day. For more information on chimney swifts, see ChimneySwifts.org.

Bald Eagle in Baltimore

2006-08-30T21:56:00.000-04:00

An immature bald eagle caused a stir in Baltimore today by landing on a city sidewalk in a residential neighorhood. It walked around on the sidewalk and the street for an hour and a half. Residents assumed that something was wrong with it and had called the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to send a wildlife rescuer. But before this could be arranged, the eagle flew away.

The Sun article provides two possible explanations from local wildlife experts. One focused on a possible injury.

"Why the heck it would stand around on Bolton Street for an hour? Who knows?" said Glenn Therres, associate director of the Wildlife and Heritage Service at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "I don't know if it flew into something and was dazed for a while. It could have been injured, but the fact that it flew away suggests the injury might not have been that severe."

At any given time, there are about 2,000 bald eagles in Maryland, Therres said. The eagles nest along the shores of tidal waters in the region, but the birds - which were upgraded to threatened from endangered in recent years - rarely if ever hang out on city sidewalks, Therres said.

"There are a lot of them floating around, acting like teenagers and juveniles, just kind of looking for a good place to eat or to socialize with other birds their own age," Therres said. "A wooded shoreline on the Potomac or Susquehanna [rivers], but not normally in an urban neighborhood in Baltimore City."

A second explanation is that it was merely resting.

David Curson, director of bird conservation for the Maryland and District of Columbia branch of the National Audubon Society, said the bird might have eaten a large catch of fish and was too stuffed and lazy to move.

"It's difficult to explain, but one possibility is, it may have eaten a large meal," Curson said. "Sometimes, when a bird like that eats a large meal like that it gets weighed down. But without knowing all the facts and not having seen the bird myself, it's difficult to be sure."

Katrina Updates

2006-08-28T20:50:00.000-04:00

Now that we have arrived at the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall on the Gulf Coast, newspaper articles are considering the lingering damage done by the storm. Many refuges along the coast were hard-hit and are struggling to recover. Part of the problem is that the storm washed salt water into fresh water ecosystems and killed vegetation that could not stand the salinity. The waters also dumped all forms of trash and toxic waste into the refuges. Cleaning and restoring the marshes will take years and substantial investment.

The refuges damaged along the coast are important for both breeding and migratory birds. Twelve Important Bird Areas lay in the direct path of the storm. The long-term effects of the storm on the birds that used those areas will not be known until more research is done. In the short term, many birds seem to have abandoned their traditional nesting habitats. Among the species with reduced nesting colonies include Brown Pelicans, several species of herons, Black Skimmers, and Sandhill Cranes.

On a lighter note, Judith Toups reports that in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina, her yard was filled with ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Bachman's Warbler?

2006-08-21T08:48:00.000-04:00

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has posted video of a possible Bachman's Warbler on its website. This film was shot in Cuba in January 2002. After recording the bird, the photographer used field guides to identify it as a female Bachman's Warbler. Cornell's ornithologists reviewed the video and deemed it inconclusive. They have asked for comments from experienced observers.

What do you think of the video?

For comparison, here is a painting of male and female Bachman's Warblers by John James Audubon.

New Rules For Canada Goose Management

2006-08-20T16:46:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is making it easier to kill Canada Geese without a permit. Its new rules apply to airports, landowners, and state wildlife officials and are intended to reduce the population of resident geese along the Atlantic Flyway, where the number of geese increases at a rate of about 2 percent per year. Large numbers of resident geese have resulted in safety problems at airports, conflicts with golf courses and other private landowners, and obstacles for habitat restoration.

The new regulatory program consists of three components. The first creates control and depredation orders for airports, landowners, agricultural producers and public health officials that are designed to address resident Canada goose depredation and damage while managing conflict. This component will allow take of resident Canada geese without a federal permit provided certain reporting and monitoring requirements are fulfilled.

The second component consists of expanded hunting methods and opportunities and is designed to increase the sport harvest of resident Canada geese. Under this component, States could choose to expand shooting hours and allow hunters the use of electronic calls and unplugged shotguns during a portion of early September resident Canada goose seasons.

The third component consists of a new regulation authorizing the Director to implement a resident Canada goose population control program, or "management take". Management take is defined as a special management action that is needed to reduce certain wildlife populations when traditional and otherwise authorized management measures are unsuccessful, not feasible, or not applicable in preventing injury to property, agricultural crops, public health, and other interests. Under Management Take, the take of resident Canada geese outside the existing sport hunting seasons (September 1 to March 10) would be authorized and would enable States to authorize a harvest of resident Canada geese between August 1 and August 31. Management take would be available to States in the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central Flyways following the first full operational year of the other new regulations.

In the DC area, there are between 500 and 600 resident geese living in the Anacostia watershed.

Limits on Menhaden Catch

2006-08-20T16:38:00.000-04:00

Last week we reported that Osprey in the Chesapeake Bay area may be suffering due to the decline in Atlantic Menhaden. The fish, which are crucial to the diets of Osprey and other birds, have been in decline for the past two decades. At the end of the week, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission acted on the problem:

ARLINGTON, Va. A regional fisheries commission has agreed to cap the commercial catch of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay.That cap is intended to give scientists time to assess the health of the tiny but important bait fish.

Meeting in Arlington, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted today to set the cap through 2010....

The annual catch will be limited to 109-thousand-20 metric tons, with flexibility for years when the catch is up or down.

John Bull Dies at 92

2006-08-15T11:47:00.000-04:00

John L. Bull, an ornithologist based in New York City, died this past Friday. Among other accomplishments, he wrote the first guide to the birds of New York State, and co-authored the bird guide for the eastern region in the National Audubon Society's series of photographic field guides.

A research assistant at the American Museum of Natural History, Mr. Bull led popular birding tours of Long Island and Central Park in the 1960’s and 70’s and meticulously kept track of the species and the state of their habitat.

In 1964, he wrote a book, “Birds of the New York Area,” intended for would-be birders living in the suburbs of New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut and for those in Manhattan itself, a prime birding destination. It covered the mourning doves of Central Park to the horned grebes off Montauk Point.

Mr. Bull later expanded his reach and wrote about all of the 410 bird species that had been recorded throughout New York State. That book, “Birds of New York State,” which was published in 1974, was the first exhaustive survey of the subject in 60 years. Another researcher, E.H. Eaton, had recorded only 366 bird species in 1914.

In Mr. Bull’s book, he noted the new or increased counts of species usually found at more southerly latitudes — like the snowy egret — and suggested that a milder climate might be at work in changing migration patterns.

Joel L. Cracraft, curator in charge of the ornithology department at the American Museum of Natural History, said the guidebook was “a first-rate state bird book.”

“At the time,” Dr. Cracraft said, “there was not a high-quality and professional account of the great diversity of New York’s species and their distributions.”

Declining Menhaden May Threaten Osprey Reproduction

2006-08-15T11:28:00.000-04:00

The Osprey population of the Chesapeake Bay region has been adversely affected by the decline of Menhaden, a small fish, along the Atlantic coast. The Chesapeake has one of the largest breeding populations of Osprey anywhere, with close to 4,000 pairs. Within the last decade, researchers have found increasing numbers of malnourished and dying chicks. They argue that this is because the Ospreys' preferred food, Menhaden, has declined sharply over the past two decades.

Menhaden filter the bay's waters by eating the microscopic plants and animals that consume dissolved oxygen needed by other aquatic life. In turn, they're a primary food source for sport fish, such as striped bass, bluefish and weakfish, and seabirds, including loons, gulls and gannets.

Ongoing scientific research focuses mostly on the ecological role that menhaden fill underwater. Broader public awareness has centered on the fish's importance to recreational anglers. But, like striped bass, ospreys favor meals of menhaden over other fish.

"Of everything we know about the bay, this is one of the fundamental food chains: Ospreys eat menhaden," said Paul Spitzer, a Maryland ecologist who specializes in birds.

One study found that menhaden made up 70 percent of the diet of ospreys nesting on Mobjack Bay off the coasts of Gloucester and Mathews counties.

Other studies done along the Atlantic coast have turned up similar results.

Menhaden swim in large schools that skim the water's surface, and they move straight ahead rather than dart around like other fish.

That makes them a perfect prey for circling ospreys, as well as Omega Protein's spotter planes, which radio a school's coordinates to waiting boats.

A fishery commission is considering imposing limits on harvesting of Menhaden while more research is done to determine the causes of the fish's decline.

Trip Report: Delaware Marshes

2006-08-13T11:18:00.000-04:00

Black Skimmer / Photo via NaturePicsOnline

Four Audubon members set out from Washington on August 12 to look for late summer birds. The day was perfect for birding: high around 80, clear, and breezy. We set our sights on Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge, which sits at the edge of Delaware Bay, consists of close to 16,000 acres of tidal salt marsh, together with several freshwater impoundments and upland hardwood forest. The diversity of habitats makes it possible to find many species of birds, especially during migration. Bombay Hook is a fine place to bird in any season, but is at its best during spring and fall migration. For a Washington-based birder, the attraction of this refuge is the ability to see many species of shorebirds that are hard to find at inland locations.

Read More...

Field Trip This Saturday

2006-08-09T21:37:00.000-04:00

Join DC Audubon on Saturday, August 12, for its annual late summer field trip to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and the Delaware Marshes. During this trip we hope to see herons, shorebirds, and terns as they end their breeding season and begin their journey south. In addition, the marshes and woods of the refuge boast many resident species. One can see purple martins and blue grosbeaks near the visitor center, and other Eastern Shore specialties like seaside sparrow and marsh wren breed along the boardwalk trail. On our May field trip this year, we saw over 100 species in and around Bombay Hook. We may not reach that total on this trip, but we should see many beautiful and interesting birds during our trip through the refuge.

For a more recent account of Bombay Hook by a local birder, see here.

For directions and RSVP information, see our webpage. (It is important that you contact the trip leader as soon as possible if you intend to come.)

Sooty Shearwaters Have Longest Migration

2006-08-09T14:47:00.000-04:00

According to new research, sooty shearwaters make the longest known migration. The birds travel close to 40,000 miles each year from their breeding grounds around New Zealand to their wintering grounds in the North Pacific. That way, the birds can take advantage of the summer in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Scientists were able to track this route using electronic tracking tags.

Between January and March 2005, 33 birds at two breeding colonies in New Zealand were fitted with tags weighing 6g, allowing researchers to track their journey.

In the autumn of that year, 20 of the tags were recovered when the birds returned to their burrows at the breeding grounds; 19 of the devices had successfully recorded the bird's movements.

Data showed that some birds travelled up to 910km (565 miles) in a day, and dived to depths of 68m in their search for food.

One interesting result of the study is that individual birds do not travel around the circumference of the Pacific, as previously thought. Instead they travel quickly to one of the winter feeding grounds, located near California, Alaska, and Japan, and then return quickly to their breeding grounds at the end of the southern winter. Below is a map showing the travels of the 19 shearwaters with working tags.

Blue = Breeding season activity
Yellow = Flight north
Orange = Wintering activity and flight south

Tracking Bees, Bugs and the Birds That Love Them

2006-08-05T17:47:00.000-04:00

(From NPR) For decades now, ecologists have been attaching radio transmitters to the bodies of large animals: whales, bears, elephants, condors and eagles for starters. What these scientists haven't done is stick the same devices onto animals like song birds and big insects, those migratory flying things that sometimes mow down crops and spread diseases.

For eight years now, Wikelski's been the leader of a group of scientists who do collect those data points, with the help of radio transmitters no bigger than a baby's thumbnail. These scientists are known as "microtrackers" and for now they're few and far between.

But Wikelski's work is changing that by forcing ornithologists to change the way they think about migration. His first microtracking studies started nearly a decade ago when Wikelski captured groups of mid-Western thrush and glued extremely sophisticated radio transmitters to the bellies of these birds.

"The transmitters recorded heartbeat, breathing, wing beats and location," he said. "Once every second, they sent all this information out in concentrated bursts."

Wikelski says we know very little about how small animals migrate. Scientists would find out where birds are born and where they die. They would discover where birds are making pit stops on their trips home. And they would be able to track locust swarms and birds that could carry avian flu across international boundaries.

Wikelski turned the focus of his research to flying insects. With the help of prominent entomologists like Mike May of Rutgers University, he's been attaching even smaller transmitters to the backs and bellies of insects. Listen and read more on NPR.

Pesticide Action Alert

2006-08-01T20:16:00.000-04:00

The following came from the American Bird Conservancy (via Birderblog).

URGENT - We have 24 Hours to Stop the Most Deadly Pesticide to Birds

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is poised to make a decision on whether to ban the bird-killing pesticide, carbofuran. This is the most deadly pesticide to birds currently being used in the United States. It is more toxic than DDT. A single drop is enough to kill a bird.

We have just learned that because of pressure from the manufacturer, FMC corporation, the EPA may make the wrong decision and elect to keep this pesticide on the market. We have 24 hours to counteract the industry pressure. We need your help.

We ask you to email carbofuran@epa.gov, CCing gshire@abcbirds.org telling the EPA to ban carbofuran now because of its danger to birds, other wildlife, and people. Your email can be brief. Use the talking points provided below to help. What is important is that you tell them in your own words that you do not want carbofuran to be used in the United States. Alternatives exist that are equally effective and not deadly to birds. There is no reason to keep carbofuran registered.

Please send your email before 5pm Wednesday August 2, 2006!

Alternatively you can fax your comments to 202-564-0512.

Thank you for taking this emergency action on behalf of birds and wildlife,

George Fenwick
President, American Bird Conservancy

We provide the following talking points to help you let EPA know why this chemical must be banned:
All legal uses of carbofuran kill birds resulting in potential violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) every time it is applied. Farmers are placed in jeopardy of violating the MBTA whenever carbofuran is used, even if
they follow the label directions.
Carbofuran is very toxic to people. Human risk assessments have been done three times and they show greater risks to farm workers each time they are refined. These studies indicate that carbofuran is too dangerous to use.
Carbofuran is so toxic it kills all the beneficial insects as well as pests with the result that integrated pest management cannot be done.
Carbofuran is so toxic that no crop rotation can be performed for ten months after application. This eliminates the possibility of crop rotation as a tool for reducing insect damage to crops.
Alternative chemicals exist for all crops except artichokes. Many alternatives exist for corn. Only a very small percentage of corn produced in the U.S. uses carbofuran now because of its environmental effects and safety issues.
New insecticides have been developed for rice, cotton, corn, and other crops specifically to replace carbofuran. Most of these are reduced risk chemicals presenting much less bird, wildlife, and human health risks.
Transgenic corn has been developed specifically for resistance to corn rootworm and European corn borer, further reducing the need for conventional pesticides.
The United States is a world leader in pesticide regulation. Cancellation of carbofuran will send a strong message to Latin America, Canada, and Mexico about the dangers of this pesticide. This will help save birds in those countries when they phase out carbofuran. Canceling the tolerances of pesticide residues on foods will immediately limit the use of carbofuran in all countries that export to the US.

Helping Birds in a Summer Heat Wave

2006-08-01T20:03:00.000-04:00

During heat waves like the current week's, many birds suffer from heat illness, just like humans. To keep cool, birds will seek shade, pant, hold their wings away from their body, and bathe. You can help the birds around your home deal with the heat by taking a few steps.

Provide sources of water for drinking and bathing. Remember that smaller birds prefer shallow water. Some ideas for providing water are here. Empty and refresh the water to keep it clean and free of mosquito larvae.
Clean hummingbird feeders and refresh their sugar water regularly. Very warm conditions can lead to the growth of dangerous bacteria and fungi.
Keep any seed feeders clean of refuse where germs could breed and spread.

Remember to keep yourself safe by following the CDC's heat illness guidelines.

100 Years of Club Plummers Island

2006-07-31T11:38:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post Features the The Washington Biologists' Field Club which is celebrating 100 years of self-professed geekdom (six years late) this year, with a 150-page volume summarizing a century of counting every living thing on Plummers Island, the club's buggy, overgrown paradise a few steps into the Potomac, just downriver from the American Legion Bridge.

Established in 1901 as a weekend retreat, Plummers Island, called by the field club "the most thoroughly studied island in North America," today represents one of the most comprehensive, longest-running biological inventories in the country.

Scrambling over Plummers Island's rock and scrub, club members have documented every living thing known to have existed there. To date, that includes 885 species of vascular plants, 70 mosses and 597 beetles -- not to be confused with the five different cockroaches they have found

The stories begin in 1899, when botanist Charles Pollard formed the Washington Biologists' Field Club, and began the search for a suitable field camp.
In 1901, the group leased Plummers Island, which it bought seven years later. For about $200, the members built at its rocky pinnacle a wooden cabin with few amenities beyond a big fieldstone fireplace and lean-to kitchen.

At the time, the island was a mix of untended farmland, forest, rock and shoreline. The blend drew plenty of creatures and plant life, and the members began collecting, each in his area of expertise.

For about three decades, Shetler has collected plants on the island. Opening a steel cabinet down the hall from his Smithsonian office, he flipped through yellowed folders. Inside rested mistflower specimens collected as early as 1917, the vivid blue blossoms on some still colorful.

*Washington Biologists' Field Club Website

High Levels of Mercury in Wood Thrush

2006-07-28T14:57:00.000-04:00

A study of songbirds in upstate New York has revealed very high levels of mercury in 178 species, with the highest levels being in wood thrushes.

The presence of mercury in lakes and streams is already well documented, and the New York Department of Health advises people to restrict the consumption of any freshwater fish caught in most of the state to no more than one meal a week.
But Dr. Evers is one of the first scientists to test for wildlife mercury contamination beyond fish. He began his work in this area in 1998 and found that common loons, which eat fish, had highly elevated levels of mercury that made them lethargic and caused their reproductive rates to drop.
He then decided to study songbirds, which never eat fish. In particular, he wanted to study the wood thrush, a small bird with a distinctive song that was once common throughout the Northeast. The population of wood thrushes has declined 45 percent in recent decades.

It was once thought that destruction of the bird’s forest habitat was responsible for the decline. But Dr. Evers now suspects that mercury contamination might be a factor, along with the wide-ranging negative effects of acid rain on the forests....
Dr. Evers’s work suggests that when mercury falls on land, it is absorbed by soil and by fallen leaves that are consumed by worms and insects. Songbirds then feed on the bugs, absorbing the mercury.
While all the birds he tested last year had mercury in their blood, wood thrushes had the most, Dr. Evers said, an average of 0.1 parts per million. That is below the federal safe standard for fish (0.3 p.p.m.) but high enough to affect the birds’ reproductive cycle.
With fewer songbirds to eat potentially harmful insects, the state’s forests would be at greater risk for damage by gypsy moths and other pests, Dr. Evers said.
Beyond that, mercury leaching into soil could find its way into the food chain in ways that are still unknown, he said.

Bombay Hook Trip Report Online

2006-07-21T10:08:00.000-04:00

Eighteen enthusiastic participants joined trip leader Dhananjaya Katju for the DC Audubon Society's annual May field trip to Bombay Hook. This National Wildlife Refuge is one of the best birding spots within a day trip length drive from Washington, D.C. It combines woods, fields in various stages of succession, fresh water impoundments, tidal salt water marshes, and mudflats. The diversity and quality of habitats at Bombay Hook attracts a great diversity of birds. ... [read more]

Ruddy Turnstone / Photo by Peter Vankevich

If you missed DC Audubon's May field trip to Bombay Hook, you have another shot to watch shorebird migration with us. Watch our webpage for details on our upcoming field trip to the Delaware Marshes.

Mystery Gull

2006-07-21T10:03:00.000-04:00

This photograph was taken by Peter Vankevich during a DC Audubon field trip to Bombay Hook. As you can see, it is a gull, but its identity is somewhat uncertain. Do you know what species this is? Leave a comment if you think you know. (The gull in question is the one in the center.)

Ivory Billed Woodpecker Habitat Good News

2006-07-20T17:31:00.000-04:00

ENDANGERED SPECIES: Judge stops $320M irrigation project on behalf of unproven ivory-billed woodpecker

A federal judge today temporarily stopped construction on a $320 million irrigation project in Arkansas in order to protect the habitat of the ivory-billed woodpecker, whose existence has been hotly debated since a claimed sighting in 2004.

U.S. District Judge William R. Wilson halted the Army Corps of Engineers' Grand Prairie Irrigation Project because federal agencies might have violated the Endangered Species Act by not studying the habitat fully. The construction site is 14 miles from where researchers said they spotted the bird in the swamps of the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in early 2004. The bird had been presumed extinct for 60 years.

Since then, scientists have published a number of articles claiming the bird was actually a more common pileated woodpecker. Cornell University ornithologists continued their search this summer but to no conclusive avail. Most recently, Arkansas wildlife officials last month offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who can prove the bird's existence (Greenwire, June 22).
Wilson said for legal purposes he had to assume the woodpecker exists in that area. "When an endangered species is allegedly jeopardized, the balance of hardships and public interest tips in favor of the protected species," he wrote. "Here there is evidence the IBW might be jeopardized" (Andrew DeMillo, AP/Washington Post online, July 20). -- DK

Hummingbird Conservation in Peru

2006-07-18T16:39:00.000-04:00

The American Bird Conservancy has joined with the Peruvian Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos to conserve vital habitat in northern Peru for a rare hummingbird.

The hummingbird, known as the Marvelous Spatuletail, is among the strangest and most spectacular of all birds. Adult males have tails that are more than twice as long as their bodies and end in two great ungainly-looking spoon-shaped feathers. The birds are also cloaked in iridescent feathers, and like all hummingbirds, they are highly aggressive despite their small size. Local people once believed the birds conveyed aphrodisiac properties when consumed, likely compounding their problems which already include the conversion of their extremely limited habitat to cattle pasture and agriculture....

Despite its remote location, the area where the hummingbird lives is already known to birdwatchers. In order to find the species it is often necessary to commission the services of one of the world’s youngest bird guides, ten-year-old Solomon Ortiz-Perez, who for a small fee will lead eager groups of bird tourists up steep slopes to search for the bird. The spatuletail is fast becoming a flagship species for tourism in the area, and has already appeared in travel advertisements in American magazines that aim to attract keen birdwatchers to the bird’s remote habitat. It has also been declared the “Regional Bird” for Peru’s Amazonas region.

The American Bird Conservancy has engaged in similar efforts in Colombia to save wintering habitat for the cerulean warbler.

Waterlily Festival This Saturday

2006-07-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

This Saturday, July 15, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is hosting its annual Waterlily and Founders Day.

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens

Annual Waterlily Festival

Saturday, July 15, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Park is open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm 1550

Anacostia Avenue, NE (Anacostia Avenue and Douglas Street. NE)

Blooming lilies and lotuses

Storytelling and puppet show

Face painting

Gardening workshops

Pond and greenhouse tours

DC Audubon will be there and lead a bird walk in the gardens. Come meet some of our board members and field trip leaders. Look for our table in the picnic area near the visitors center. There is no need to RSVP for this bird walk; just meet up at our table at about noon.

This is a wonderful time of year to visit the Aquatic Gardens, since most waterlilies and lotuses will be at their peak. In addition to the flowers, the gardens attract a diverse array of breeding and migrant birds. The marsh and river trail offer additional birding opportunities.

Chickadees, Titmice, and DNA

2006-07-11T17:26:00.000-04:00

The current issue of Birding magazine has some interesting notes about recent research on chickadees, titmice, and other members of the Paridae family. (The report in Birding summarizes a study published last year in The Auk.) Researchers determined that the genus Parus, which used to contain all chickadees, titmice, and related species, should in fact be broken into multiple genera. The suggested division includes Poecile (chickadees) and Baeolophus (titmice) in North America. Eurasian and African tits are now divided into Parus, Lophanes, Periparus, and Cyanistes. The split of New World chickadees and titmice into the Poecile and Baeolophus genera is not new; the AOU recognized the split in 1998.

For North American birders, the results regarding chickadees are intriguing. Though the black-capped chickadee and carolina chickadee interbreed and are similar enough in appearance to make identification difficult, they are not as closely related as one might think. Instead, black-capped is more closely related to the mountain chickadee. Among carolina chickadees, there are significant genetic differences between the two subspecies, the eastern extimus and the carolinensis subspecies in Louisiana. Whether that would be enough to call for a species split is not addressed in the Birding summary.

New AOU Checklist for North America

2006-07-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

The American Ornithologists' Union has released the 47th Supplement to their Checklist of North American Birds, the 6th supplement they have released since the publication of the Checklist's 7th edition. The supplement makes the following changes to the list:

Changes in this Supplement fall into the following categories: (1) three species are added because of splits from species already on the list (Calonectris edwardsii, Dendragapus fuliginosus, Loxigilla barbadensis); (2) one species is added because of new distributional information (Fregetta tropica); (3) two species replace others presently on the list because of splitting of extralimital forms (Cuculus optatus, Ficedula albicilla); (4) one species name (Streptopelia risoria) is changed because of recognition of its status as a feral form of S. roseogrisea; (5) one family is merged into another (Dendrocolaptidae into Furnariidae), with no resultant nomenclatural changes; (6) one subfamily is elevated to status of family (Stercorariidae), with no resultant nomenclatural changes; (7) one genus (Asturina) is merged with another (Buteo), resulting in a new name combination (B. nitidus); (8) one species (sissonii) is transferred from one genus (Thryomanes) to another (Troglodytes); and (9) two species (Myiozetetes similis, Catharus mexicanus), in addition to three of the four added to the entire list [see (1) and (2) above], are added to the list of species known to occur in the United States.

Of these, the one likely to affect the most North American birders is the first. Blue Grouse (Dendrapagus obscurus) has been split into two species, Dusky Grouse (D. obscurus) and Sooty Grouse (D. fuliginosus). The two species were split based on mitochodrial DNA and behavioral evidence. Sooty Grouse inhabits the Pacific coast, while Dusky Grouse claims the interior mountain west. There is an intergrade zone in Washington state. The paper that led to the split is here.

In addition to the changes listed in the first blockquote, the AOU has rearranged species into new genera within the sandpiper and tern families. In the case of sandpipers, species in the
Heteroscelus and Catoptrophorus genera have been moved to the genus Tringa, so that the list is now as follows:

Xenus cinereus Terek Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos Common Sandpiper
Actitis macularius Spotted Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus Green Sandpiper
Tringa solitaria Solitary Sandpiper
Tringa brevipes Gray-tailed Tattler
Tringa incana Wandering Tattler
Tringa erythropus Spotted Redshank
Tringa melanoleuca Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa nebularia Common Greenshank
Tringa semipalmata Willet
Tringa flavipes Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa stagnatilis Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa glareola Wood Sandpiper
Tringa totanus Common Redshank

Five genera have been split from the Sterna genus in the tern family: Onychoprion, Sternula, Gelochelidon, Hydroprogne, and Thalasseus. The new order is as follows:

Anous stolidus Brown Noddy
Anous minutus Black Noddy
Procelsterna cerulea Blue-gray Noddy
Gygis alba White Tern
Onychoprion fuscatus Sooty Tern
Onychoprion lunatus Gray-backed Tern
Onychoprion anaethetus Bridled Tern
Onychoprion aleuticus Aleutian Tern
Sternula albifrons Little Tern
Sternula antillarum Least Tern
Sternula superciliaris Yellow-billed Tern
Phaetusa simplex Large-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica Gull-billed Tern
Hydroprogne caspia Caspian Tern
Larosterna inca Inca Tern
Chlidonias niger Black Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus White-winged Tern
Chlidonias hybrida Whiskered Tern
Sterna dougallii Roseate Tern
Sterna hirundo Common Tern
Sterna paradisaea Arctic Tern
Sterna forsteri Forster’s Tern
Thalasseus maximus Royal Tern
Thalasseus bergii Great Crested Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus elegans Elegant Tern

Human Activities Speed Bird Extinction

2006-07-06T12:27:00.000-04:00

According to a recent article, human activities have raised the rates of bird extinction well above what they would be without human interference.

The researchers calculated that since 1500 -- the beginning of the major period when Europeans began exploring and colonizing large areas of the globe -- birds have been going extinct at a rate of about one species per year, or 100 times faster than the natural rate.

And the rate has been faster in recent times. "Increasing human impacts accelerated the rate of extinction in the 20th century over that in the 19th," the report said. "The predominant cause of species loss is habitat destruction." ...
The new assessment considerably exceeds previous scientific estimates that 154 bird types disappeared during that past 500 years, according to the researchers.
One factor contributing to such large differences in estimates is that "more than half of the known species of birds were not discovered until after 1850, an important point that previous estimates of extinction rates have failed to take into account," Raven said. "One can't register a bird as extinct if it was not known to exist in the first place."

The authors of the piece advise better policies to prevent extinctions.

The new report is not all bleak, Pimm said. "The good news in this report is that conservation efforts are reducing extinction rates to about one bird species every three or four years," he said, but he added that even this improved rate "is still unacceptable."
Of the 9,775 known species of birds, "an estimated additional 25 would have gone extinct during the past 30 years if it were not for human intervention," Raven said.
Despite conservation efforts, "some 1,200 more species are likely to disappear during the 21st century," he warned. "An equal number are so rare that they will need special protection or likely will go extinct, too."

Read the rest.

Bird Poop in Space

2006-07-06T12:13:00.000-04:00

It appears that bird droppings managed to survive the launch of the shuttle Discovery.

NASA's rocket scientists have a new appreciation for the out-of-this-world power of bird droppings. The orbiting space shuttle Discovery sported some whitish splotches on its black right wing edge that NASA officials said appeared to be bird droppings.
Shuttle lead flight director Tony Ceccacci said he saw the same splotches on the identical part of the shuttle about three weeks ago when Discovery was on the launch pad and laughed when pictures beamed back from space Wednesday showed they were still there.
That means these bird droppings withstood regular Florida thunderstorms, a mighty Fourth of July launch during which 300,000 gallons of water is sprayed at the shuttle's main engines, and a burst upward through Earth's atmosphere. During that launch Discovery went from zero to 17,500 mph in just under 9 minutes.

Upcoming Events

2006-06-30T11:46:00.000-04:00

The Potomac Conservancy has a series of events in July that may interest Audubon members.

Independence Day Paddle. Tuesday, July 4, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Violette’s Lock (Lock 23) to Tenfoot& Sharpshin Islands. Celebrate Independence day with PotomacConservancy on a five-mile paddle from Lock 23 to the Conservancy’s ownTenfoot and Sharpshin Islands. Come prepared for the weather and bringa sack lunch. RSVP required, canoes and equipment limited but stillavailable. Free. (301) 608 - 1188, x213.
Picnic on the Potomac. Saturday,July 8, 4 - 8 p.m., Caderock Pavillion, Carderock, Md. Come andcelebrate with the Potomac Conservancy at our seventh annual memberpicnic and potluck. Food, games, nature and fun! This PotomacConservancy event is suitable for children. Free. (301) 608 - 1188,x208.
Voices of the River: Fiddlin’ On the Porch.Sunday, July 9, 4 - 5 pm, River Center at Lockhouse 8, C&O Canal,Cabin John, Md. Park at Clara Barton Parkway Lock 8 pullout. Comelisten to the folk fiddle and guitar of Kitchen Gorilla(Lisa Robinson and Joel Edelman) and hear old time tunes of Celtic,Appalachian and Eastern European origin. This Potomac Conservancyevent is suitable for children. Free. (301) 608 - 1188, x 212.
Potomac Heritage Trail Repair Workshop.Saturday, July 22, 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., Northern Virginia. Join atraining workshop on trail maintenance and learn how to construct ahiking trail from professionals supported by the ACME Treadway TrailCrew and the Potomac Conservancy! Slots are limited, RSVP required. Contact Bruce Glendening (703) 532 - 9093 or James Tilley (301) 608 -1188, x 213 for more information.
Explore and Restore: Minnie’s Island. Sunday,July 23, 9 am - 2 pm, Minnie’s Island near Lockhouse 8, Cabin John,Md. Come learn about Minnie’s Island, owned and protected by PotomacConservancy! Volunteers will not only cleanup litter, remove invasiveplant species, reestablish trails, but will also explore this treasureand summer beauty of the island inside the beltway. Cool water andsnacks will be provided, RSVP required. Free. This PotomacConservancy event is suitable for children. (301) 608 - 1188, x 211.

Wings Over Water

2006-06-30T09:58:00.000-04:00

Registration is open for the tenth annual Wings Over Water festival on the North Carolina coast. This year's festival runs November 7-12.

Welcome to Eastern North Carolina and the Outer Banks Here you'll enjoy miles of unspoiled landscapes, sandy beaches, rolling dunes, scrub thickets, broad marshes, pocosins, blackwater swamps, and maritime and inland forests. These varied habitats are rich in wildlife. Large acreages are protected as parks, reserves and wildlife refuges.
Autumn is a special time in Eastern North Carolina. The frantic summer tourist season is well past, and the land and water are left to those who wish to blend with nature. Wings Over Water will be your opportunity to enter this land of wildlife enchantment. Through field trips, workshops and interpretive programs, you will explore one of the most fascinating ecological settings in the United States.
Wings Over Water (WOW) offers programs for the amateur-to-serious birder, nature enthusiast, wildlife photographer, paddler, angler, and others who enjoy being up close with nature.
Participants, for a modest cost, can select from such varied experiences as:
Venturing into areas with combined bird lists of nearly 400 species.
Visiting North Pond on the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on Hatteras Island, the hottest spot for fall birding in North Carolina.
Traveling to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse area to search for a variety of shore and water birds.
Experiencing Ghost Town Birding on Portsmouth Island
Taking a ferry to the pirate Blackbeard's hang-out on Ocracoke Island to enjoy the quaint fishing village and check out the birds.
Visiting the ancient maritime forests at Buxton Woods and Nags Head Woods for a look at these rare ecosystems.
Traveling to Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge where eagles and other raptors are likely the causeway and entrance road.
Exploring a blackwater swamp in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Sliding into a kayak or canoe to explore a salt marsh environment.
Wade in search of Clapper Rails, marsh sparrows and wrens at Oregon Inlet.
Heading for the blue waters of the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras to search for pelagic birds.
Experiencing a Red Wolf Howling where the nearly extinct animal is now fighting its way back.

Visit Wings Over Water for more information.

Spotted on the Hill

2006-06-30T08:55:00.000-04:00

The Hill Rag, a free monthly publication about life in the Capitol Hill neighborhoods, now has a column featuring the writing and photographs of longtime DC Audubon member Peter Vankevich. The column, called "Spotted on the Hill," profiles birds that are commonly seen in Washington. Each photograph was taken somewhere on Capitol Hill.

This month's bird is the Myrtle Warbler (pdf). Peter explains:

The Myrtle Warbler, Dendroica coronata, is the eastern subspecies of the Yellow-rumped Warbler. For years it was considered a separate species, but in 1973 the American Ornithological Society "lumped" it with its western counterpart the Audubon's Warbler and the Guatemalan Goldman's Warbler, to make one species. This bird is the most common warbler in North America, and winters in great numbers along the mid and south Atlantic Coastline due to its ability to eat wax myrtle berries in addition to warblers' usual mainstay diet of insects. During migration it has a soft musical song with a slight trill that fades out. In winter, it has a
very distinctive chip note. Note its yellow side patches and black breast and mask. Its primary diagnostic in all plumages is a yellow patch in its lower back easily seen when in flight. Don't expect to find it nesting in your yard, its heading to forests farther north.

Read the rest (pdf).

Past columns:

Volunteer birders needed at Manassas!

2006-06-29T14:30:00.000-04:00

Interested in being a volunteer birder for Manassas?!?!

Please contact Carolyn Williams at cwilliae@gmu.edu or 703.273.1961.

I coordinate the Northern Virginia Bird Survey (NVBS), The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia's breeding bird point-count now in its 13th year. (Until fairly recently ASNV was called the Fairfax Audubon Society.) This year we lost the services of three of our long-time master birders (team leaders) for Manassas National Battlefield Park (two moved from the area and another was overbooked). I am looking for several master birders (defined as one who can identify by sight or sound all the bird species one would expect to encounter in N. Va. during June) to replace them. Our count protocol is a simple one, a one-time, five-minute count at each 250-meter (about 0.15 mile) grid point. The count is done between dawn and about 8:30 a.m. in June.* Master birders can survey alone or with one or more assistants, but only the master birder identifies the birds to be logged in. Information collected includes species, number of individuals, evidence of breeding activity (using codes), date and time of the count, sky and weather conditions (using codes). Flyovers are indicated. Survey instructions, detailed field maps, and data sheets will be provided. About sixty points are involved, and of these twenty-nine have been GPSed. You can survey as many of the points as you like. I am pushing the GPSed points as they have been surveyed the longest. They are located in the north central part of the park.
*Under the circumstances, I think we can extend the deadline to at least July 7.
For further information contact Carolyn Williams at cwilliae@gmu.edu or 703.273.1961.
Thanks.
Carolyn

West Nile Virus Depends on Robin Distribution

2006-06-29T13:35:00.000-04:00

A recent study of West Nile Virus transmission in the DC area found that the number of infections in humans depends on the density of the local population of American Robins. Researchers set up mosquito traps baited with dry ice in several local parks: the 26th Street Dog Run, National Mall, and Fort Dupont Park in DC; and Camden Yards, Takoma Park, and Bethesda in Maryland. Birds at the same sites were caught in mist nets for blood tests.

Robins, it turns out, appear to be taking the hit forhumans, getting sick and dying as did thousands of crows that wereinfected in the first wave of West Nile virus after it arrived in NorthAmerica. Thanks to the robins, humans who frequent the 26th Street dogpark and similar areas have a lower chance of contracting the virus, atleast in spring and early summer months. The reason? To mosquitoes,robins are far more tempting meals.
Then the scene changes.
"Robinsbegin to migrate south in late July and August," Kilpatrick said,"leaving mosquitoes on the hunt for blood from another source."
That source turns out to be Homo sapiens. The number of human infections with the virus shoots up come the dogdays of August. Then it's mosquito vs. man or woman, instead ofmosquito vs. robin.

The authors of the original article in PLoS Biology argue that the pattern of infection - birds in early summer and humans in late summer - has increased the prevalence of the disease in both mosquitos and humans:

Feeding shifts have two synergistic effects on the intensity of WNV transmission to humans. First, we have shown that the increase over time in the probability of Cx. pipiens feeding on humans results in a greater number of human WNV infections than if the mosquitoes fed on humans with the same probability as in early summer (Figure 1C). Second, feeding primarily on WNV-competent avian hosts during the amplification period of the epidemiological cycle maximizes the intensity of the epidemic in mosquitoes.... This is because mosquito WNV prevalences are already beginning to decline (possibly as a result of increased acquired immunity in juvenile birds) when mammals begin to make up an important fraction of the blood meals. Thus, the shift in feeding from competent hosts early in the season to humans later leads first to greater amplification of the virus as transmission intensifies between birds and mosquitoes and subsequently to an even greater number of human WNV infections.

The continuing presence of the West Nile Virus in the DC area is a reminder to take reasonable precautions against mosquito bites, especially in late summer: do not keep standing water around your house; use insect repellent on bare skin or keep skin covered. (See this CDC advice on avoiding bites.)

Whooping Cranes

2006-06-28T23:01:00.000-04:00

Earlier in the week, it was reported that a pair of whooping cranes in Wisconsin had possibly hatched a chick. Well, now this news has been confirmed, and it turns out that the pair hatched not one, but two chicks. For the first time in over 100 years, there are now whooping cranes breeding in the wild in the eastern United States.

As part of the project, now in its fifth year, cranes hatched in captivity at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland have been raised at the Necedah refuge and led south by ultralight aircraft in the fall to the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge near Crystal River, Fla. They migrate back north on their own in the spring.
The flock now numbers about 60 birds, with 22 newly hatched young ones being raised for release this fall....
The only other migrating flock of whooping cranes numbers about 200 birds. They fly from Canada to winter on the Texas Gulf Coast. The whooping crane, the tallest bird in North America, was near extinction in 1941, with only about 20 left.

For more information on the whooping crane project, see the website of Operation Migration.

Earliest Birds May Have Been Aquatic

2006-06-19T09:35:00.000-04:00

Fossils from China's Gansu Province have shed new light on the early evolution of birds. The fossils show an bird-like species named Gansus yumenensis that lived about 110 million years ago, in the late Cretaceous. Gansus is only about 10-15 million years younger than feathered dinosaurs like Dilong paradoxus.

Artist's rendering of Gansus yumenensis

Gansus yumenensis lived most of its life in water, similar to loons, grebes, diving ducks, and alcids. It shares much of its bone structure with modern birds, and it could certainly fly.

Harris says Gansus shares many skeletal features with modern birds, including the knobby knees characteristic of underwater swimmers like loons and grebes. Moreover, he says, the preserved skin of the webbed feet shows the same microscopic structure seen in aquatic birds today.
"It was unexpected to find a bird this advanced in rocks this old," Harris said. "It tells us that the anatomical features we use to characterize modern birds evolved very quickly."
According to the researchers, Gansus is the oldest clearly established member of the subclass Ornithurae, the group most closely related to modern birds.
...
Most fossil birds dating so far back belong to a different evolutionary lineage called opposite birds. The name stems from the fact that bones in their shoulders and feet fit together opposite from the way seen in birds today.
Opposite birds made up the dominant bird group of the Cretaceous Period (145.5 to 65.5 million years ago). They disappeared along with the dinosaurs when that period ended, leaving no modern descendants.

The most likely scenario now seems to be that most avian forms died at the end of the Cretaceous but that certain aquatic birds like the Gansus species survived. Modern birds - from ducks to gamebirds to songbirds - then evolved from these aquatic roots. Most of this early lineage has yet to be established, but it will be fun to watch where the bones lead us.

High Noon With Al

2006-06-13T13:22:00.000-04:00

Sneak out for lunch. Former vice president Al Gore signs his new environmental book, An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It (companion to the documentary film by Davis Guggenheim about Gore's environmental crusade), at Olsson's Books-Penn Quarter.

Thursday, June 15
Noon
418 7th St., NW
Washington, DC 20004
(between D & E Streets)
202-638-7610

* USA Today Review

Blackwater Resort Moves Ahead

2006-06-09T19:53:00.000-04:00

From the Chesapeake Bay Foundation:

Cambridge Commission Gives Blackwater Favorable Vote

The Cambridge Planning and Zoning Commission on June 6 made a favorable recommendation on the Blackwater Resort Communities development. This is not over -- there is still time to stop this project. The project must still receive a favorable recommendation for the final master plan. It also still needs approval from the Cambridge City Council and the state Critical Area Commission.

We need you to:

1. Come out to upcoming hearings and show your opposition to the project.

2. Hold city officials accountable for their actions.

3. Stay posted on this website and the Blackwater blog for upcoming hearing dates and updated information.

4. Continue to show your opposition to the project--sign the petition, or get a neighbor or friend to sign it; write a letter to the editor about your opposition to the project and ask elected leaders to listen to the will of the people.

This project is near the Blackwater NWR, an important breeding and wintering site for birds and other animals in the Chesapeake watershed. Runoff from the development is expected to set back efforts to clean up the bay. DC Audubon has run autumn field trips to the refuge for several years.

Bird Fossil Presentation Next Thursday at the AAAS

2006-06-07T20:35:00.000-04:00

Next Thursday, June 15, the American Association for the Advancement of Science will host a program on the early evolution of birds based on analysis of bird fossils. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Friends of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the journal Science are cordially invited to meet three researchers whose latest fossil analysis will be published in Science on 16 June.

Dr. Hai-lu You of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing; Dr. Matthew C. Lamanna of Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Dr. Jerald D. Harris of Dixie State College, St. George, Utah, will give a lecture and video presentation to take place:

Thursday, 15 June 2006
AAAS headquarters building
12th and H Streets NW, Washington, DC
Metro Center subway stop (one block from AAAS headquarters)
Refreshments will be offered at 6:00 p.m., with the one-hour program to follow at 6:30 p.m.

Seating is limited. All guests are requested to RSVP by contacting AAAS Development at development_events@aaas.org or at (202) 326-6636.

Additional Information
-------------------------------------
The research, directed by Dr. Hai-lu You, is sponsored in part by the Discovery Quest Program for The Science Channel. Guests will be treated to a short clip from The Science Channel's special feature, "Rise of the Feathered Dragons," which will air Monday, 19 June at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Details will remain embargoed until the day of release. This research will provide the first peer-reviewed analysis of Dr. You's discovery of bird-fossil specimens preserved in China's Changma Basin. Paleontological discoveries provide a useful springboard for stimulating scientific interest among young people. Invited guests are encouraged to bring their older children (middle school and older).

To RSVP: E-mail development_events@aaas.org or call (202) 326-6636.

For more information, see the AAAS webpage.

The President Taps A Birder

2006-05-30T13:38:00.000-04:00

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Treasury Secretary John Snow resigned Tuesday and President Bush nominated Goldman Sachs Chairman Henry M. Paulson Jr. to replace him.

The Washington Post reports that Paulson is a birdwatcher who can often be found in Central Park with his binoculars, he is known as a conservationist also serving as co-chair of the Asia/Pacific Council of the Nature Conservancy, and the chair of The Peregrine Fund, which works to conserve wild populations of birds of prey.

In an article in CNN Money/Fortune Paulson was approached by the Nature Conservancy in 2001 to serve as its CEO. "The timing isn't right," Paulson said then. Now instead he takes the helm of Treasury.

* CNN Money/Fortune article on Paulson's Secret Life
* Article in The Washington Post
* Financial Times Profile
* Remember these birds at the Treasury

Red Knots in Decline

2006-05-25T20:43:00.000-04:00

The population of North American red knots has been in the midst of a sharp decline for a decade, falling from over 100,000 in the 1980s to 17,000 last year. This year, the numbers have fallen even further. Aerial surveys around the Delaware Bay have counted only 12,000 red knots.

Increased harvesting of horseshoe crabs has been blamed for this species's rapid decline. Before a sudden boom in the horseshoe crab market, watermen took only about 100,000 crabs per year; at the height of crab harvesting in the mid 1990s, about 2.5 million crabs were taken. Horseshoe crabs are used as bait for conch fishing.

Red knots depend upon a plentiful supply of horseshoe crab eggs when they arrive at the Delaware Bay in the midst of their long migration from the southern tip of South America to their breeding grounds in the Arctic Circle. Their migration is timed to coincide with the spawning of horseshoe crabs, when millions of horseshoe crabs come ashore on the beaches to mate and lay their eggs.

The Delaware Sparrow

2006-05-23T11:38:00.000-04:00

The tidal salt marshes of Delaware, which DC Audubon toured on a recent field trip, are home to a unique subspecies of Swamp Sparrow, the Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana nigrescens). This subspecies is small in number and declining due to changes in the vegetation of coastal marshes. Because little is known, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center is currently studying the life history of the coastal plain subspecies.

It was only 55 years ago that the coastal plain swamp sparrow was identified and categorized as a subspecies of the more common swamp sparrow, says Shriver. And just last year Smithsonian researchers discovered where the bird winters -- a stretch of marshland from Charleston, S.C., to Beaufort, N.C. It's not a very long trek; most migratory birds fly far greater distances between their winter and summer homes. But Shriver explains that there's one crucial difference between the habitats -- freezes don't occur regularly in the coastal Carolinas. Coastal plain swamp sparrows feed on insects and spiders, which they find by poking around in the mud, so moving 500 or 600 miles south ensures a steady food supply in the winter months.
Mid-May marks the start of nesting season for the coastal plain swamp sparrow and the start of field research. Studies in Chesapeake Bay marshland have shown a steady drop in the number of sparrow nests since the late 1980s. Shriver and Greenberg want to see if that pattern is occurring in Delaware marshes. Coastal plain swamp sparrows like to nest in high marsh, which features a mix of tall and short grassy vegetation with shrubs mixed in. They often attach their nests to the base of the Hide Tide Bush, a common shrub, and then use tufts of Salt Hay to camouflage the nests. Finding these small, well-hidden nests is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, the female vocalizes a distinctive "chip, chip, chip" call when
leaving the nest.
Coastal plain swamp sparrows like to nest in high marsh, which features a mix of tall and short grassy vegetation with shrubs mixed in. They often attach their nests to the base of the Hide Tide Bush, a common shrub, and then use tufts of Salt Hay to camouflage the nests. Finding these small, well-hidden nests is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, the female vocalizes a distinctive "chip, chip, chip" call when leaving the nest.

Learn more about coastal plain swamp sparrows.

Mystery Seabird in DC

2006-05-21T13:27:00.000-04:00

Mystery Seabird in Wasington, DC

Peter Vankevich took this photograph on May 13, 2006 on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC. Several excellent birders have had varying opinions as to its identification. Feel to offer your opinion in the comments.

DC Audubon BIRDATHON 2006

2006-05-06T10:07:00.000-04:00

Audubon Society of the District of Columbia
BIRDATHON 2006
May 13, 2006

Celebrate the diversity of resident and migratory bird species on International Migratory Bird Day (http://www.birdday.org/) by participating in a fund-raising Birdathon to benefit the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia.

The Birdathon counting is between 5:00 a.m. through midnight. Teams will count American Bird Association (ABA) recognized species of birds within the terrestrial and nautical boundaries of the District of Columbia. Birds seen on the boundary lines with MD and VA will count.

Rules are the same as the 2005 ABA Big Day Rules with the exception of the time of the Birdathon and each bird species must be seen or heard by 2/3 of the team members. If you are a team of only two members, you both must identify the bird.

To refer to the additional rules visit here:
http://www.americanbirding.org/bigday/2005bigdayform.pdf

All teams must seek pledges for donations to the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia. Non-residents of DC may participate. Non-members of the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia may participate. Participants are recognized when their lists are submitted no later than May 20. There is no entry fee. Please create a team name and enter it with your submission. We are operating on the honor system for sightings, but the Society has the right to question and challenge unusual sightings.

Typically, ask for a pledge per bird seen or heard and tell your donors how many species you hope to target.

Winners – everyone that cares about bird conservation is a winner, but the team with the most sightings will be recognized on the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia’s Web site. Please include a team picture and your names with your submission so that you may bask in the glory of your victory.

Make checks payable to the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia.
Submit checks, team information and final counts using the ABA form to the following:

Send checks to Audubon Society of the District of Columbia, c/o Denise Ryan, Treasurer
5726 Lockwood Rd, Cheverly, MD 20785
Participation or rules questions to Denise Ryan at savetheocean@yahoo.com

Trip Report: Cockpit Point Road

2006-05-02T12:03:00.000-04:00

Sunday, April 30th, was the inaugural DCA trip to southeastern Fairfax County to Cockpit Point Road. Seventeen hardy birders turned up and the trip was successful although there were logistical snafus and ornithological disappointments. While trying to cut down the unneccessary number of cars the group split. Those who came with me and returned to the embarking spot at the entrance to Cockpit and Possum Point stopped at the power station on the ridge and were treated to great looks at Summer Tanager and Prarie Warbler with a Baltimore Oriole flying into the same tree for some coloration diversity. Orchard Orioles also flitted around to make their presence known. Below in the reservoir, several Bald Eagles held the point with some scurrying around by Spotted Sandpipers and Killdeer below. In the pines Yellow-rumped Warblers abounded and then a Yellow-throated Warbler gave an upclose demonstation of his song, breeding colors, and ownership of his section of trees. House Finches, Goldfinches, Song and Field Sparrows were singing along the shrubs by the power plant and an Osprey carried nesting materials to his perch amidst the power lines.... Read more

May 4 lecture at the National Zoo: Chivalry Is Dead in Migratory Birds: Lessons From the Winter Season

2006-04-27T12:06:00.000-04:00

May 4 – Lecture at 7:30 p.m.

Chivalry Is Dead in Migratory Birds: Lessons From the Winter Season

The relationship between male and female migratory birds during the breeding season appears idyllic: Both members of a breeding pair vie for each other's attention, cooperate to bring food to their nestlings, and, in some cases, even raise a second brood together. Things change dramatically during the winter season in the tropics. There, it's a battle of the sexes. Males compete with females for the best habitats—and usually win. As a result, females suffer lower survival. Peter P. Marra of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center will talk about this and other discoveries of his 15-year research program on the winter ecology of migratory birds in Jamaica. This lecture is part of the Zoo's celebration of International Migratory Bird Day.

The lecture is FREE, but please RSVP at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Lectures/rsvp.cfm. The lecture is in the National Zoo's Visitor Center, just off Connecticut Avenue. Take public transportation, or drive through the vehicle entrance at Connecticut Avenue and park in Lot A.

Lady Whipbirds Sing With An Accent

2006-03-21T18:45:00.000-05:00

From The Discovery Channel: A Scotsman with a heavy brogue may speak the same language as a Texas cowboy, but each has a distinct accent; now researchers have discovered that female whipbirds in Australia sing the same basic songs, but with regional accents.

Female birds in general rarely sing, so that find itself is unusual. The determination is doubly noteworthy because the scientists observed that the males of this species, Psophodes olivaceus, sing with no accent whatsoever.

Mennill and his colleague Amy Rogers measured eastern whipbird recordings from 16 different populations along the east coast of Australia. For each of the 112 birds that they recorded, they measured the song's number of syllables, the length of the first syllable, the highest and lowest frequency of the last syllable, the time between these frequency extremes and other characteristics.

The vast majority of female recordings showed variations on each of these criteria, but male songs were all virtually identical.

In terms of accents, he said that geographical variations, or dialects, are found in other songbirds, whales, seals and primates.

Findings were published in a recent issue of the Journal of Avian Biology.

*Female 1

*Female 2

*Female 3

*Male whipbird call

Field Trip to Hughes Hollow

2006-03-21T17:07:00.000-05:00

We had a bright, clear day, if a chilly one, for DC Audubon’s annual “First day of Spring (one day early)” field trip to Hughes Hollow on Sunday, March 19. Fourteen participants met leader Paul DeAnna to visit this birdy wetland, located just off the western end of River Road in Montgomery County. Part of the larger McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, which extends for several miles between the Potomac River and River Road, Hughes Hollow is a complex mosaic of open water, swamp, woods, hedgerows and open fields in various stages of succession. Such varied habitat offers fine birding in any month of the year, but I think the area really comes into its own in early Spring, when breeding birds and early migrants are just starting to drop in, but before most wintering species have returned North....

Read More

Chimney Swifts are Coming!

2006-03-17T12:08:00.000-05:00

I encourage you to check out this web site reported below and to report any Chimney Swifts you see this spring. Your report might be the first report of swifts for the area. Local reports have noted Tree Swallows are moving through now. I look forward to the electrical cheery chirps of my insect eating friends.

Since Chimney Swifts thrive in urban areas, the DC Metropolitan area is a prime location to see them. Keep your ears and eyes altert for them.
*********************************************

The first Chimney Swifts of 2006 have been spotted on the Gulf Coast. Once again this year we will be plotting the swifts' movements northward over the next few months. Please let us know when you see the first ones in your area. The results will be posted on our web site at:

www.chimneyswifts.org

You can help us get the word our by passing this message along to any groups or organizations who might want to contribute.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Best Regards,
Paul and Georgean
Driftwood Wildlife Association1206 West 38th, Suite 1105Austin, TX 78705

Please visit our web site.

Thanks to our friends at Travis Audubon Society for sending out this message for us.

Upcoming Eagle Festival at Blackwater

2006-03-09T14:42:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, March 11, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge will host its Sixth Annual Eagle Festival.
The free event will include bird walks, lectures, and demonstrations
with live captive raptors. There will also be several hands-on
workshops and activities for kids. To reach the refuge, follow the directions here.

The Friends of Blackwater have set up webcams at the nests of an osprey and a bald eagles.

Blackwater is the site of DC Audubon's annual November fieldtrip. You can read about our last trip there at our website.

Dyke Marsh Film: Capital Wetlands In Crisis

2006-03-08T16:59:00.000-05:00

The film, On the Edge: The Potomac River's Dyke Marsh has its World Premiere at the DC Environmentalist Film Festival. Dyke Marsh is one of the largest naturally-occurring freshwater tidal marshes in the national park system. A 380-acre wetland, Dyke Marsh is a remnant of the extensive marshes that once lined the river but have been lost to human activity. Congress preserved it in 1959, saying that here, wildlife values should be “paramount.” Naturalist Louis Halle wrote in the 1940s that Dyke Marsh was “the nearest thing to primeval wilderness in the immediate vicinity of the city [Washington].”

Like most vanishing tidal marshlands from Maine to Louisiana, it is disappearing as the result of a myriad of human abuses. As a safety buffer against hurricanes and floods, an ancient hatchery for bay and ocean fish and a focal point for migrating birds, Dyke Marsh affects all of our lives. This film provides a glimpse into the rich diversity of flora and fauna supported by the marsh and contrasts its health today to its condition in the past. The return of the Bald Eagle and the Osprey to the marsh is contrasted with the loss of habitat for most other resident species. Incorporating some of the marsh's historical lore, On the Edge, enlivened by an original soundtrack with Didgeridoo and rainforest percussion instruments, is a primal call to revive the diversity of life that provides sustenance and safety to the species that is destroying the country's tidal marshes–human beings.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The Atrium, Terrace Level, New Hampshire Ave. at Rock Creek Pkwy.
March 21 at 7:00 p. m
FREE

Old Town Theater
815 King Street, Alexandria
March 28, at 7:30 p.m.

Friends of Dyke Marsh is a volunteer group dedicated to preserving and enhancing Dyke Marsh, the last enduring substantial freshwater tidal marsh in the Washington, D.C. capital area, located on the Potomac River just south of Alexandria, Virginia. Dyke Marsh is administered by the National Park Service. Join Friends of Dyke Marsh.

When Darwin Went Galápagos

2006-03-08T16:34:00.000-05:00

Smithsonian Magazine made the 5,000-mile journey to the Galápagos Islands, to follow in Charles Darwin’s footsteps. Darwin came to the archipelago at age 26, which straddles the Equator some 600 miles west of Ecuador, as part of the Beagle’s five-year mission to survey the coast of South America and to conduct a series of longitudinal measurements around the globe. Darwin’s five-week visit to the islands catalyzed the scientific revolution that now bears his name.

The article recounts the tale of the finches that misled Darwin. There are 14 finch species in the Galápagos that have all evolved from a single ancestor over the past few million years. They have become one of the most famous cases of species adapting to different ecological niches. From Darwin’s specimen notebooks, it is clear he was fooled into thinking that some of the unusual finch species belonged to the families they have come to mimic through a process called convergent evolution. For example, Darwin thought the cactus finch, whose long, probing beak is specialized for obtaining nectar from cactus flowers (and dodging cactus spines), might be related to birds with long, pointed bills, such as meadowlarks and orioles. He also mistook the warbler finch for a wren. Not realizing that all of the finches were closely related, Darwin had no reason to suppose that they had evolved from a common ancestor, or that they differed from one island to another.

The author's own discovery, more than 30 years ago, that Darwin had misidentified some of his famous Galápagos finches led him to the Darwin Archive at Cambridge University Library, in England. There he found a manuscript trail that poked further holes in the legend that these birds precipitated an immediate “aha” moment. It was only after Darwin’s return to England, when experts in herpetology and ornithology began to correct his Galápagos reports, that he realized the extent of his collecting oversights and misidentifications. In particular, Darwin had failed to label most of his Galápagos birds by island, so he lacked the crucial evidence that would allow him to argue that different finch species had evolved separately while isolated on different islands of the Galápagos group.

Five months after his return to England, in March 1837, Darwin met with ornithologist John Gould. Five years older than Darwin, Gould was just beginning to become known for his beautifully illustrated monographs on birds, which today are highly prized collectors’ items. One of my most unexpected discoveries in the Darwin archives was the piece of paper on which Darwin recorded his crucial meeting with Gould. This manuscript clearly shows how Darwin’s thinking began to change as a result of Gould’s astute insights about the Galápagos birds. Unlike Darwin, Gould had instantly recognized the related nature of the Galápagos finches, and he also persuaded Darwin, who questioned him closely on the subject, that three of his four Galápagos mockingbirds were separate species rather than “only varieties.” Gould also informed Darwin that 25 of his 26 land birds from the Galápagos were new to science, as well as unique to those islands.

Gould’s taxonomic judgments finally caused Darwin to embrace the theory of evolution. Stunned by the realization that evolving varieties could break the supposedly fixed barrier that, according to creationism, prevents new species from forming, he quickly sought to rectify his previous collecting oversights by requesting island locality information from the carefully labeled collections of three Beagle shipmates. Two of these collections, by Captain FitzRoy and FitzRoy’s steward, Harry Fuller, contained 50 Galápagos birds, including more than 20 finches. Even Darwin’s servant, Covington, had done what Darwin had not, labeling by island his own personal collection of finches, which were later acquired by a private collector in England. The birth of the Darwinian revolution was a highly collaborative enterprise.

The case for evolution presented by this shared ornithological evidence nevertheless remained debatable for nearly a decade. Darwin was not entirely convinced Gould was right that all the finches were separate species, or even that they were all finches. Read more.

New York For The Birds

2006-03-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

A winter bird-watching tour in the middle of New York harbor gives a hardy few a sense of how things must have looked to early settlers... and turns up numerous sightings of seabirds. Listen on NPR's All Things Considered by Robert Smith.

Field Trip To Hughes Hollow

2006-03-08T16:22:00.000-05:00

Hughes Hollow
March 19, 2006
RSVP, contact trip leader Paul DeAnna

DC Audubon will tour this noted birding hot spot, part of the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, located in Montgomery County Maryland. This is a mosaic of diverse wetland habitats interspersed with mature deciduous forest, hedgerows, and open fields in various stages of transition. The area is bordered on the north by deep marsh and open water in three impoundments covering about 60 acres, and on the south by the Potomac River and adjacent C&O Canal. Migrating waterfowl should be present. Red-headed woodpeckers are among the resident birds. We have timed the trip in hopes of witnessing the return of the tree swallows.

DIRECTIONS (Please consult a map since odometer readings can vary): From the Capital Beltway (495) take exit 39 for River Rd. (MD 190) 3.3 miles north to the 2nd traffic light in Potomac (intersection with Falls Rd.). Continue on River Rd. 7.9 miles to the T-junction with Rt. 112 (Seneca Rd.). Follow River Rd. to the left at this stop sign for another 4.4 miles to the intersection with Hughes Rd., turn left, and drive about 200 yards to the first parking area on the right, where a gated road divides the large impoundments.

Doctor and Birdwatcher On Call For Bird Flu

2006-03-08T15:47:00.001-05:00

Metehan Özen, middle, sets up bird-watching gear with friends at Turkey's Karakaya lake.

Excerpted from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL article by PHILIP SHISHKIN

On a recent Sunday, Metehan Özen -- one of Turkey's foremost birdwatchers -- trained his $1,500 Leica telescope on an orange-chested Merlin falcon and watched it devour a smaller bird in a flurry of claws, flying feathers and blood.

A few days earlier, two boys played with a dead crow, developed a fever and were brought to Dr. Özen's pediatric hospital ward. There, the specialist in infectious diseases monitored them closely for signs of bird flu.

For years Dr. Özen's hospital job and his hobby existed in unconnected worlds. As Turkey grapples with the bird-flu outbreak here that has quickly infected at least 21 people and killed four, the doctor's two callings have put him in the middle of the quest to understand the virus and contain its spread.

Fellow doctors used to tease him about birdwatching. Not anymore. Over the past two weeks, as the virus rolled out across Turkey, the 37-year-old Dr. Özen briefed the country's top public-health officials about the epidemiology of avian flu and about the migratory routes of wild birds. They are suspected of introducing the virus to domestic poultry, which in turn can infect people. He took a long bus drive amid heavy snowfall and howling wolves to get to the scene of the first human cases near the Southeastern town of Van. There, he saw infected children and their chest X-rays, and visited the parents of three who had died. He helped draft the government's measures to combat the virus, including culling poultry and isolating domestic birds from humans and wild birds, and persuaded officials to ban the hunting of all wild fowl.

In September, Dr. Özen warned colleagues at a medical congress that wild birds could bring avian flu to Turkey during the winter migratory season, and that is now an accepted theory. Trade in infected poultry is another means for the virus to spread. "When you compare maps of migration patterns with maps showing bird-flu outbreaks, they often match each other," said Mehmet Ali Torunoglu, the head of the communicable diseases section at Turkey's ministry of health. "Metehan seems to be right."

In late 2004, Dr. Özen tracked a satellite-tagged goose as it flew from Northern Russia, down to Kazakhstan, Eastern Turkey and Iraq, and then back. The goose's stops along the route gave Dr. Özen ideas about how the virus could spread through migratory flyways.

After visiting Van, Dr. Özen spent some time working with a team of experts at the Turkish health ministry's crisis center in the capital of Ankara. When he returned home, bad news awaited him at his hospital. The two young boys who had found a dead crow in their backyard had a mild form of viral pneumonia, a possible symptom of bird flu. In its human form, the virus often attacks the lungs and causes them to fail. Dr. Özen put the boys in an isolated ward, and waited uneasily for the results of tests that can determine bird flu.

They came back negative. So after his tense week, Dr. Özen headed out into the countryside for his usual pastime, but with a difference: Avian flu was never off his mind. Now, "every bird you see is suspect," Dr. Özen says.

He awoke at 6 on Sunday morning and set off to explore the rich avian world of the Karakaya lake on the outskirts of Malatya, an Eastern Anatolian town known mostly for its apricot orchards. Accompanied by two buddies -- a plastic surgeon and a railroad worker -- Dr. Özen was soon announcing the sightings of particularly interesting birds by chanting "aha, aha, aha...ha-ha-ha!"

A stocky beige barn owl, drowsy and slow in the early morning sunshine, was being chased and harassed by two nimble magpies swerving around it like two fighter-jets. A group of gray herons, their long necks recoiled for a nap, stood motionless on the shore. Two pygmy cormorants, an endangered species, flew across the bright blue sky. Thousands of ducks and Armenian gulls, their numbers swelled by winter migration, crisscrossed the lake.

In the village of Toygar, right on the shore of the Karakaya lake, several roosters crossed the road and headed toward the water to mingle with hundreds of wild ducks. "This is exactly what I fear," Dr. Özen said. For most people, close contact with wildfowl is extremely rare, but domestic poultry routinely mix both with wild birds and with people. Sure enough, two children hopped off a donkey cart next to a wooden shack and approached the roosters.

Since then, he has sighted around 370 species out of Turkey's estimated 456, and he is at work on a "Birds of Turkey" volume. He and his buddies are now preparing a trip to look for a bird called the Great Bustard because at 26 pounds it's the heaviest thing flying in these parts.

Bird Flu Puts Ravens At Risk And British Empire?

2006-02-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of the Tower of London's ravens is seen roosting in 1996.
Photo Credit: By Lynn Fergusson -- Reuters

For 350 years, coal-black ravens have wandered freely around the Tower of London's grassy inner courtyard as cawing barometers of the monarchy's vitality -- if the ravens ever die or leave the tower, the legend goes, the tower and the kingdom will fall.

Now the fear of bird flu has done what Luftwaffe bombings, blizzards, assassinations and abdications could not, forcing the ravens to be moved inside in isolation for their own safety and to hedge Britain's bets on the future of the crown.

On Tuesday, Hungarian officials confirmed that they had found the lethal H5N1 strain in three dead swans. With seven European countries now reporting cases of bird flu, including France, which is just 21 miles across the English Channel, concern is spreading in Britain. European officials met Tuesday in Brussels to discuss how to contain the virus, which has killed at least 92 people, mostly in Asia.

The British government has announced that plans are being prepared to put millions of free-range chickens indoors if the disease reaches British shores. But, quietly, the country's most famous birds were moved indoors last Wednesday night to custom-made aviaries. The names of the eight ravens currently in the tower are Gwylum, Thor, Hugine, Munin, Branwen, Bran, Gundulf, and Baldrick.

The move was made public this week by Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, as the tower is officially known, as visitors continue to inquire as to the whereabouts of one of the favorite features of the 900-year-old tower.

As thousands of visitors arrived Tuesday to view the famed Crown Jewels, several discussed the ravens that were seen no more. No one was saying nevermore would they be seen, but officials said the quarantine is not likely to be brief.

* Read more from The Washington Post
* More on Ravens and Tower of London the from Wikipedia

Action Alert: Stop Blackwater Development

2006-02-21T14:46:00.000-05:00

For the past several years, DC Audubon has made an annual field trip in the fall to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, an important site for migrating and wintering waterfowl. It is also a vital breeding ground for bald eagles and other threatened species. Rare mammals that use the refuge include the endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel.

The health of the refuge, and by extension, the health of the Chesapeake Bay is now itself endangered. A planned development bordered by Egypt Road and the Little Blackwater River would destroy important an agricultural habitat and remove a buffer zone along the river, allowing more pollutants to seep into the watershed.

Sign this petition for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to request Governor Ehrlich to intervene and stop the development.

For background on the fight, see this recent article from the Washington Post.

Root For The Home Teams

2006-02-16T15:24:00.000-05:00

It is a local rivalry in the making. Two Washington teams head to the World Series of Birding, but only one will come out on top.

The DC Audubon Society is sending their new team "City Flickers" to go up against the more seasoned team of ornithologists from the Smithsonian Institution called "The Bushnell-Smithsonian Woodpeckers." Bushnell. Sponsorship. Let's root for the new kid on the block.

May 13th is the 23rd annual World Series of Birding in Cape May, New Jersey. It is a 24 hour race to see the greatest number of species and some take it very seriously. Like any other modern day sporting event many of the teams have rallied sponsorship, not surprisingly the sponsors tend to be binocular, camera, and lens oriented. Cape May is one of the great birding areas in the U.S. as it is the first/last land point across the Delaware Bay for bird migrating north/last and at World Series in the past the winners have seen over 200 species.

Last year around 1,000 people, comprised of 98 teams including children and teenagers, registered for the event, including the Snow Birds from Canada, a Turkish team and the four-times winning Nikon Team and hit the fields, woods, and beaches of New Jersey.

The ground rules are simple. Teams start anywhere in New Jersey at at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and finish up the following midnight at the Cape May Lighthouse.

Get Ready For Kiwi Krazy At National Zoo

2006-02-16T11:13:00.000-05:00

A North Island brown kiwi has hatched at the Smithsonian's National Zoo-only the second of these endangered kiwis to hatch during the Zoo's 116-year history. The National Zoo is one of just four zoos in the world to breed kiwis outside of New Zealand.

The bird hatched on Monday, Feb. 13, after 64 days of incubation. A quick health exam by National Zoo veterinarians and Bird House staff determined that the chick was healthy. In the last few weeks, National Zoo Bird House staff monitored the chick's development inside the egg each day, by weighing and candling the egg-a procedure that uses a bright light to illuminate the egg's interior, enabling staff to see the egg's air cell and monitor the chick's growth inside.

The kiwi chick weighed 9.7 ounces when it hatched and will rest in an incubator for the first week; it will be removed for daily weighing. Once it is able to stand, it will be placed in a specially designed brooder box off-exhibit, where it will continue to grow and develop under the careful observation of Zoo staff. Kiwi chicks hatch fully feathered, with their eyes open and begin foraging for small worms and berries after their first week of life, since they receive no help from their parents.

In 1975, the National Zoo was the first institution outside of New Zealand to hatch a kiwi. That 30-year-old bird is still on exhibit at the Zoo's Bird House. The Zoo currently has five kiwis―one female, three males and the newly hatched chick, whose gender is not yet known.

The five recognized species of kiwis are all flightless, nocturnal, burrowing birds that are unique to New Zealand. North Island Brown Kiwis are listed as "endangered" by the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

* National Zoo Website

Dating Is For The Birds

2006-02-15T11:35:00.000-05:00

Scally-Headed Parrot
(From www.caracara.org)

An ornithologist who set up a dating agency for lonely parrots says it has been a huge success. Rita Ohnhauser has already brought 1,300 lonely hearts together in Berlin and unlike other matchmakers she knows her pairs will never split - because the birds mate for life.

"In the wild parrots search out a life partner and then spend every minute of the day with them, but when they are kept as pets they are mainly alone and get very depressed," said Ohnhauser.
She added that parrot owners across Germany had started bringing their feathered friends to the sanctuary to find a mate, and she currently had 150 parrots busy "getting acquainted" with other birds.

"Birds experience love at first sight just like humans. But others make a really careful choice before entering a relationship. It can take up to three months," she said. (From Ananova)

* The Parrot Pages

Off The List

2006-02-14T11:50:00.000-05:00

The bald eagle is shown in Homer, Alaska on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2005.

(AP PHOTO)

(WASHINGTON POST) The proud symbol of a nation for more than two centuries, the iconic and elegant American bald eagle also is emblematic of a snail-paced federal bureaucracy.

Seven years after the government said the fierce raptor is no longer threatened with extinction, officials finally have a plan for removing it from the endangered species list.

Officials said Monday's action could lead to the bald eagle coming off the endangered species list within the next year or so.

"Should the eagle be delisted, we expect that the public will notice little change in how eagles are managed and protected," said H. Dale Hall, the Fish and Wildlife Service's director.

Hall said at least 7,066 known nesting pairs now exist in the contiguous United States. The bald eagle's territory stretches over much of the North American continent. Tens of thousands more live in Alaska and Canada, where their existence never was imperiled.

However, 43 years ago, there were just 417 known nesting pairs left in the lower 48 states, mainly because of the widespread use of DDT and other pesticides that weakened the bald eagle's eggshells and reduced its birth rate. The brown-bodied bird with the distinctive white head and tail also suffered from lead poisoning _ eating waterfowl pierced by a hunter's lead shot.

In 1967, under a law that preceded the Endangered Species Act, the bald eagle was declared an endangered species in the lower 48. In 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency banned DDT for most uses.

Fish and Wildlife officials in 1978 listed the bald eagle as endangered in 43 states and threatened in Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. The government hatched detailed recovery plans, with specific population and reproduction goals. Sometimes eggs were imported from Canada and installed at artificial eyries.

By 1995, the species had rebounded enough to be reclassified as threatened throughout the lower 48.

If and when the bald eagle is removed from the endangered list, two other laws will continue to protect it: the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the 1940 Bald Eagle Protection Act, later revised to include the golden eagle. But those don't address habitat.

Great Horned Owls starring on MPT!

2006-02-14T09:15:00.000-05:00

From MDOsprey:

Maryland Public Television's Outdoors Maryland is developing a story piece on Great Horned Owls in Maryland. They hope to obtain video from throughout the nesting season to capture the breeding effort from egg to fledging. The first filming date that they have scheduled is 22 February. I know of a few GHOW nests from past years that I will quickly revisit to determine if they are active this year.

To assist MPT, if anyone knows of active GHOW nests that you would be willing to pass on, we would appreciate it. To make the piece more interesting, we would like to have nests in a variety of locations to add to the possible visual diversity of the story. If you have locations to pass on, please contact me (dbrinker@dnr.state.md.us) off the list so that we do not indiscriminately put the subject owls at risk from over visitation.

By the way, if you do know of active nests, whether you pass them to me or not, please make certain that you enter your observations on them into the Breeding Bird Atlas, now in this its final year.

On behalf of MPT, thank you for your assistance with this effort!

Ocean City Field Trip Postponed to Feb. 18th

2006-02-10T13:29:00.000-05:00

Due to the snowstorm predicted for Saturday, February 11th, the DC Audubon Society is postponing its annual field trip to Ocean City and the Delaware coast to Saturday, February 18th. Please make note of the changed date if you plan to attend.

Except for the date, the schedule for the trip will remain the same. See our website for more details.

Lecture at the National Zoo: Out of the Shadows: The History, Science and Current Status of the Bird Friendly® Coffee Program

2006-02-08T11:52:00.000-05:00

Come hear what promises to be a fascinating lecture on February 9, 2006 at 7:30 p.m.

Come learn about the creation and history of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center's (SMBC) shade coffee certification efforts, known as the Bird Friendly® coffee program. Now in its sixth year, this unique Smithsonian initiative links the results of scientific field work with conservation and the marketplace. It also promises to help small coffee producers in the process. Robert Rice, a geographer and policy researcher at the SMBC, will walk you through the history, challenges, and successes of this program that—via the simple morning ritual of drinking coffee—aims to preserve habitat for many of the migratory birds we see in each year.

Go to the National Zoo website to RSVP:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Lectures/rsvp.cfm

Great Backyard Bird Count

2006-01-19T21:53:00.000-05:00

The Christmas Bird Count season may be over, but there is still plenty of time for birdwatchers to participate in citizen science projects this winter. Coming up on February 17-20, 2006, is the ninth annual Great Backyard Bird Count, a joint project of the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

To participate, select one block of time during the count period to watch birds in your backyards. While you are watching, make note of what species you see, how many individuals there are of each species, and how long you counted. Then submit your data here: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/. If you do not have a backyard, as is the case for many urban residents, you are still encouraged to participate by counting birds in a local park or along your street. Every bit of data helps, and the more ground covered, the better.

Like the Christmas Bird Count and other citizen science projects, the Great Backyard Count provides scientists with important bird population data. Scientists have been able to track declines of some species, and changes in the wintering range of other species, thanks to the data collected in this project.

NPR Story on Bird Window Strikes

2006-01-03T12:03:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it, there was a good story on NPR's Morning Edition about work on preventing or decreasing bird window strikes by changing glass.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5076012

DC Audubon Christmas Bird Count

2005-12-20T11:29:00.000-05:00

Thank you to all of the volunteers who gave up their day or weekend to participate in the many Audubon Christmas Bird counts. I hope it was enjoyable and everyone stayed warm.
We had some exciting results in the Rock Creek Park sector of the count this year. In all previous count years the record species total was 47. This year we had a 53 species!

Among some of the more unusual species include an American Turkey seen on the Rock Creek Park golf course, a Merlin also seen on the golf course, Red Breasted Nuthatch, Northern Harrier, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, House Wren, Hermit Thrush, and all three species of resident owls (Eastern Screech, Barred and Great Horned).

We have not had a Great Horned Owl on the count in many years, so that is an exciting addition too. It is a lesson in persistence and patience. Keep trying for those resident species that should be present. You never know when one might turn up.

Good birding and good luck with the rest of the counts!

Denise Ryan

Goosing The Geese Away

2005-11-15T12:56:00.000-05:00

H. Jay Spiegel says he has had 50 Canada geese sleep on his dock at night.

"Every morning I'd have to go out there first thing to wash . . . the dock because you don't want it drying up."
Photo Credit: By James A. Parcell -- The Washington Post

Stratford Landing, a lovely neighborhood not far from George Washington's Mount Vernon, has a problem. A geese problem. People feed them, and the geese are so grateful that they stay.

Forever.

They waddle on docks along Little Hunting Creek, into the meticulously groomed back yards that flank the water, and they even wander up to Stockton Parkway, disrupting traffic. They confront people out for daily strolls, honking belligerently for a meal.

One thing about Canada geese: They don't like to be disappointed when it comes to food. They're nasty. They believe in biting the hand that doesn't feed them.

And even worse: These beautiful creatures poop. Frequently. Green poop that turns back yards into fecal nightmares. Canada geese poop production has been estimated to be at least a half-pound a day per goose, so if a flock of three dozen geese while away the afternoon on someone's lawn, or a few hundred congregate -- doing what they do best -- the coverage can be extensive.

But for the geese-plagued residents of Stratford Landing, relief may be on the way. With residents lamenting a decline in their quality of life, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors next week will consider a geese-be-gone ordinance that would prohibit the feeding of geese and ducks along Little Hunting Creek. Anyone who tosses so much as a kernel of corn could face a $50 fine. The ordinance would be enforced by animal control officers. Read More from The Washington Post.

Flu Facts

2005-10-25T15:08:00.000-04:00

Bogdan Cristel

With widespread interest in avian influenza or “bird flu”, Audubon is providing the following information and links as a resource for those who may be concerned about avian influenza, as well as about how birds are involved. Also included are some general precautions for protecting both human and bird health.

Background on Avian Flu
There are over 135 different strains of avian influenza virus. Most strains circulate in low levels within wild bird populations. Though they usually cause only mild illness in wild birds, some strains may cause lethal outbreaks in domestic poultry. A few avian influenza strains are more virulent, and can cause high mortality in both wild birds and poultry stocks.

Most avian influenza strains do not normally infect species other than birds, though a few subtypes can be transmitted from birds to humans. Avian influenza viruses become much more dangerous if they mutate to allow easy transmission from one human to another, not just from birds to humans. The most devastating avian influenza epidemic occurred in 1918 when a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza mutated allowing people to infect other people. An estimated 40 to 50 million people died worldwide as a result.

The Current Strain of Avian Influenza: H5N1
Since 1997, the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has infected over 100 people and caused at least 65 deaths in East and Southeast Asia. While any human infection is cause for concern and action, this current avian flu outbreak has affected a relatively small number of people, and has very limited ability to be transmitted from person to person. Rather, the virus appears to be transmitted to humans through consumption of or direct contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces. Over one million domestic birds have been culled to contain outbreaks. There is no evidence that the virus has mutated to spread widely from person to person.

Do Wild Birds Transmit H5N1 to People?
In the summer of 2005, the virus spread to Central Asia and China where it was detected in both domestic birds and wild birds. These outbreaks do not indicate that wild birds are effective carriers or reservoirs for the H5N1 virus. The virus is so virulent that it appears to be self-limiting; infected wild birds die before they can travel far or transmit the virus to many other birds.

Leading experts including the World Health Organization, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, and World Organization for Animal Health all emphasize that culling wild bird populations is highly unlikely to stop the spread of the disease, and would only divert resources away from more important disease control measures.

(See statements by UN Food and Agricultural Organization)

Has H5N1 Been Found in North America?
The H5N1 avian influenza virus has not been found in wild birds in North America. There is a remote chance that infected wild birds from Asia could bring the virus with them during fall migration to North America. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Geological Survey (USGS), Alaska Department of Fish & Game, and public health agencies are working together to test thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds for the virus in Alaska, and field sampling is being integrated with surveillance programs throughout the United States and Canada.

What You Can Do
1) While the possibility of contracting the H5N1 virus from wild birds is very unlikely, people who have close personal contact with wild birds should take measures to protect themselves by practicing animal handling and sanitary practices recommended by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center Wildlife Health Bulletin #05-03.

2) People who feed birds are not at high risk of contracting avian influenza from birds in their yards or at their feeders. However, since birds can transmit other diseases to humans (e.g. salmonellosis), people who feed birds should routinely clean their feeders and bird baths as recommended by Audubon and the USGS National Wildlife Health Center. People who come into contact with wild bird excreta should thoroughly clean up with soap and water.

Additional Resources
*Centers for Disease Control
*United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization
*USGS National Wildlife Health Center
*BirdLife International Statement on Avian Influenza
*Wetlands International Statement on Avian Influenza
*NPR Bird Flu in Depth
*Latest News from Google News

National Parks for Sale?

2005-09-26T17:18:00.000-04:00

A trip to Roosevelt Island includes this scenic 1/2 mile walk

through the swamp forest on the recycled material boardwalk.

(NPS Photo)

For folks who enjoy birding on Roosevelt Island in DC - be aware, the Chairman of the House Resources Committee, Rep. Pombo, is circulating a draft of a 285 page Bill that among other things, proposes selling off National Parks that recieve fewer than 10,000 visitors per year. In the bill they suggest selling off DC's Roosevelt Island's 91 acres to developers. Say goodbye to the nesting Ospreys wintering Bald Eagles if this goes through.

See this link for more on the story from the San Francisco Chronicle.

- Denise Ryan

More Info:

Draft House Resources Committee legislation would put 15 national parks up for sale, allow offshore oil and gas drilling in now-restricted waters and open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to petroleum exploration, according to a copy of the measure obtained by E&E Daily.

The draft proposes removing the 91-acre Theodore Roosevelt Island from the park system and selling it to commercial or residential developers, as well as requiring land be made available for a vehicle bridge to the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The island is in the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va.

The draft proposes selling 15 parks "for energy or commercial development" if they receive fewer than 10,000 visitors a year. They are:

*Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Texas.
* Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, Alaska.
* Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Alaska.
* Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Alaska.
* Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, California.
* Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Arizona.
* Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Massachusetts.
* Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska.
* Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
* Mary McLeod Bethune Council House, Washington, D.C.
* Minute Man Missile National Historic Site, South Dakota.
* Noatak National Preserve, Alaska.
* Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Monument, Pennsylvania.
* Thomas Stone National Historic Site, Maryland.
* Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska.

Rally for the Arctic draws large crowd

2005-09-21T12:19:00.000-04:00

On Sept. 20, the environmental community held a large rally in front of the Capitol to express their support for preserving the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska - and Audubon was there. Throughout the crowd you could see bright orange baseball caps with Audubon across the front and National Audubon had a table there to share information about birds at risk if oil drilling is allowed by Congress in the refuge.

According to the speakers at the event, opening the refuge for oil production would amount to solving our energy problems like dumping a glass of water into the ocean and expecting the tide to rise. The message from the event was that conservation, not exploration and drilling will help Americans with the price of gas and oil now and in the future.

Several chapter representatives were in town for the event and the opportunity to lobby congress. Several notable speakers were present to show support for protecting the refuge including Robert Kennedey Jr.; Senators Clinton (NY), Kerry (MA), Lieberman (CT) and Chaffee (RI); Congressmen Markey (MA) and Kucinich (OH). Pictures featured here are Sara Bushey from National Audubon working the information table and the crowd of folks at the event on the Capitol grounds.

Denise Ryan

Saving The Symbol

2005-09-20T11:21:00.000-04:00

USFWS photo

The Smithsonian Magazine takes a look at endangered species, like our nation's symbol, the Bald Eagle, that have been given a second chance thanks to tough laws, dedicated researchers, and are making their way 'back from the brink.'

The Efforts to safeguard the nation's natural heritage culminated in the 1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA), signed into law by President Richard Nixon. It requires federal authorities to identify threatened or endangered animal and plant species and to help them recover, often by restricting how their habitats may be used.

In 1782, the Second Continental Congress incorporatedthe bald eagle into the first great seal of the United Statesas a symbol of “supreme power and authority.” Unlike the king’s England, where wildlife was the exclusive property ofroyalty, in this new nation wild animals belonged to all the people.

By the 1930s, the national symbol was in trouble. Bald eagles, once soaring over most of the country by the hundreds of thousands, had plummeted in number to an estimated10,000 pairs by the 1950s.

Hunting, land clearing and accidental poisoning (eagles often ate toxic meat set out by ranchers to kill wolves and other predators) contributed to the decline.

In 1940, Congress jumped to the fore with the Bald Eagle Protection Act that stated, “The bald eagle isno longer a mere bird of biological interest but a symbol ofthe American ideals of freedom.”

But the introduction of DDT in 1945 dealt the animal acritical blow and by 1963, only 417 baldeagle nesting pairs were found in the lower 48.

Today, with about 7,678 pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48, the bird awaits a final OK to be taken off the ESA’s threatened list.

Status: Threatened, awaiting removal from list
Year declared endangered: 1940
Lowest count in lower 48 states: 417 nesting pairs

* Smithsonian Magazine Story
* American Bald Eagle Foundation

* U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Website

* Listen and learn about the Baby Baldies

Endangered Species Act Endangered?

Congress is considering proposed changes to the 32-year-old Endangered Species Act that would get the government out of the business of setting aside critical habitat for threatened plants and animals.

That would eliminate a central element of the landmark law.

An overhaul of the Endangered Species Act, proposed by Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., was going before the House Resources Committee on Wednesday. Pombo, the committee's chairman, wants his panel to vote on it Thursday and he hopes the full House will consider it next week.

Environmentalists fear that eliminating the government's ability to establish critical habitat would take away a key to species survival.

*Read more in the Washington Post story

National Gallery Exhibit & General Electric

2005-09-18T11:08:00.000-04:00

The National Gallery in Washington, DC is opening an exhibit on Audubon's Birds of America September 25 - April 2, 2006. Yesterday, I happened to be at the gallery and stumbled into the exhibit. I guess they have it up early as it seems ready to go and folks are looking at it. It is not to be missed! How wonderful to look at original prints in their glorius detail. The details on the feathers and the layers and creative washes of paint Audubonn instructed his colorists to use are incredible. There is also one oil painting that Audubon painted and owned until he died of an Osprey carrying a Weakfish. It gives me new respect for the plumage of the Turkey - the first print in the series and a new respect for the artist. This man knew birds on a level of detail that I can only describe as intimate. Check it out at --
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/upcoming.shtm#audubon

On a similar vein, looks like GE has bought permission to use a copy of Audubon's Short Billed Dowitchers or Red-Breasted Snipe in one of their ads. I'm very disappointed. You can see it here, and it is in the NY Times Magazine for Sunday, Sept. 18. http://www.ge.com/images/audubon1280.jpg
Note the airplane in the background and the latin name they use for the bird. Very disappointing. I hate greenwashing.

The picture next to this blog is a Stellar's Jay, I took the picture in Yosemite National Park 10 days ago. What a handsome fellow!

Denise Ryan
DC Audubon

Twas A Swift Night Out

2005-09-17T18:34:00.000-04:00

A SWIFT NIGHT OUT is a continent-wide effort to raise awareness about and encourage interest in Chimney Swifts and Vaux's Swifts. The project was originally inspired by John Connors with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, North Carolina.

As summer draws to a close and the swifts have finished raising their young, these aerial acrobats begin to congregate in communal roosts prior to their migration in the fall. Some roosts may consist of an extended family group of a half a dozen birds or so, but the larger sites can host hundreds or even thousands of swifts!

Here is how it works: Spotters kept their eyes to the skies at dusk in late July and watched for areas where swifts were feeding. They looked for a tall shaft, chimney or similar structure to locate where Chimney Swifts (central to east coast) or Vaux's Swift (Pacific coast) go to roost in their area.

On one night over the weekends of August 12, 13, 14, and / or September 9, 10, 11 spotters observed the roost starting about 30 minutes before dusk and estimate the number of swifts that enter. They sent their numbers in to the North American Chimney Swift Nest Site Research Project.

The DC Birding Blog spotted a swift site around the corner of Massachusetts Ave and 3rd St, NE read here.

* Chimney Swift Webcam
* More on The Chimney Swift

March To The Penguins

2005-09-17T18:00:00.000-04:00

(P1 Photo Courtesy Dreamworks Animation
Skg/penguin Photo Courtesy Edinburgh Zoo)

How far are you willing to go for a glimpse of a private glimpse of a Penguin now that "March of the Penguins" has left you wanting so much more? The Washington Post has a guide to "Where The Wild Things Waddle."

This Land Is Their Land
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore (Druid Hill Park; $15) has about 50 African penguins living on the zoo's Rock Island. Details: 410-366-LION

Las Vegas: Where Flamingos and Penguins live together in peace. The Flamingo Hotel has a free Wildlife Habitat replete with all kinds of exotic animals, including African penguins. Don't miss the daily penguin feedings at 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Details: 800-732-2111

Far Flung Places
Antarctica, South and Central America and Australia are chief among the distant destinations where various penguin species call home.

Magdalena Island, a penguin sanctuary and rookery in Patagonia, Chile, is swarming with Magellanic penguins -- some 60,000 pairs -- who come here to do their nesting. A handful of tour operators include a stop at the Strait of Magellan island on their cruise itineraries. You can also take a day trip from Punta Arenas, Argentina; Gotolatin.com, for example, offers a daily sojourn to Magdalena and Marta islands, both part of Los Pinguinos National Monument. Cost is $62; best to go December to February. Info: 866-464-1519

You can practically live among African penguins at Boulders Beach Lodge (011-27-21-786-1758) in Simon's Town, South Africa. Penguins roam freely around the lodge and restaurant. Nightly room rates from about $58 double.

From Here To There
On Feb. 9, the National Zoo offers "Galapagos: Ecuador's Enchanted Islands," home to indigenous Galapagos penguins. The 12-day trip is $4,565 per person double, plus $845 for airfare out of Dulles. Details: 800-423-4236.

The Baltimore Aquarium offers a Nov. 1-11 trip to Botswana, where you're likely to see Jackass penguins. The price is $5,595 per person double and includes air from BWI. Details: aquarium, 410-576-3800; Classic Escapes, 800-627-1244.

Sunday Field Trip To Rock Creek Park

2005-09-17T17:52:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, September 18, join DC Audubon for a trip to Rock Creek Park to search for Fall migrants, including those confusing Fall warblers. We will meet at 7 a.m. in the Nature Center parking lot (the side nearest the Center; please note: the Center itself does not open until 9 a.m.).

If you do not drive, it is possible a ride can be arranged. Drivers willing to offer a ride to a non-driver in their neighborhood should indicate where they will be coming from.

The trip will run to about noon, and we will cover as many of the Park's hot spots we can in that time, including the ridge, the equitation field, the corrals and the maintenance yard. What we see depends on all of those unpredictable elements that make birding the Park so much fun. If you enjoy reading history, an account of last year's trip is online.

A supply of water, snacks, and insect repellant will certainly increase your staying power. I also highly recommend waterproof footwear. You don't know how much morning dew grass can hold until you've been on the ridge at Rock Creek.

The Nature Center is on Glover Road, approximately 1/4 mile South of its intersection with Military Road, in Northwest D.C.

*Detailed directions to the park.
*RSVP here

Mexico Bound Monarchs Picks Up Ultralight Hitchhiker

2005-09-17T13:47:00.000-04:00

(By Marvin Joseph -- The Washington Post)

Many may say that Butterflies have no business on a bird blog, but these butterflies behave like birds; they migrate, they winter in a temperate climate, and now they have their very own entourage complete with Ultralight. (see also Whooping Cranes)

Every autumn, an estimated 300 million monarch butterflies head south from Canada and the northern United States to winter in California and Mexico. The journey of up to 3,000 miles can last three months. One of the major routes takes them over the Washington area.

This year, for the first time, the monarch's transcontinental migration is being tracked and filmed by a crew, using an ultralight plane to make a one-hour documentary about the butterflies, their migration and the challenges they face.

The plane, named Papalotzin, which means "little butterfly" in an Aztec language, is painted to look like a monarch butterfly. It weighs about 397 pounds, has a wingspan of about 33 feet and carries a crew of two -- one to fly and one to film.

Peak migration for the monarch occurs in late September and early October and follows a route over Maryland and the District. Monarchs usually have a life span of four to five weeks, but those that migrate live seven to eight months.

Monarchs are the only butterflies in the world that make such an arduous annual migration, a journey that the World Conservation Union has declared "an endangered migratory phenomenon," according to the World Wildlife Fund.

In winter, they live in colonies that cluster on fir trees in the pine and oyamel forests of central Mexico. But that habitat is being threatened by illegal logging and other human activities that are thinning the forests, despite the creation in 2000 of the 130,000-acre Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve.

* Read more from The Washington Post
* Tracked the journey at http://www.papalotzin.com

Photo: Cathy Plume of the World Wildlife Fund and pilot Francisco "Vico" Gutierrez talk about the monarch-colored ultralight, the Papalotzin, being used to film the butterfly migration.

Owls Rails and Nocturnal Birds of KAG

2005-09-16T17:07:00.000-04:00

BIRDS AT KENILWORTH AQUATIC GARDENS
NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY
September 24, 2005
1550 Anacostia Avenue NE, Washington, DC 202/426-6905
(RAIN or SHINE – severe weather cancels)

Announcing 2 bird watching walks to be followed by a volunteer service in a variety of projects for National Public Lands Day. Projects include litter removal, pruning trees and flowerbeds and removal of invasive and exotic species.

How to participate:

Sign up for a bird walk with Denise Ryan at (202) 454-4590 or denise_ryan@lcv.org:

Saturday, September 24, 2005

6:00 a.m. Owls, Rails and other Nocturnal Critters of KAG – all levels of birders welcome, space limited – meet in the parking lot – RSVP required
Sunrise at 6:58 a.m., low tide at 8:40 a.m.
Bring binoculars, scopes, flashlight, bug spray, drinks and snacks.
We’ll follow the sounds of the night to determine the area of the park to investigate. Bring a willingness to remain very quiet. To follow immediately with a work project – required to participate, bring gardening or work gloves if you own a pair.

8:00 a.m. Birds of KAG – all levels of birders welcome, space unlimited – please RSVP. Meet in the visitors’ center. We’ll look for fall migrants and local birds among the ponds and on the boardwalk on the marsh. Bring binoculars, scopes, hat, sunscreen, bug spray, drinks and snacks. To follow immediately with a work project – required to participate, bring gardening or work gloves if you own a pair.

1550 Anacostia Avenue NE, Washington, DC – 202/426-6905
The nearest Metro stop is Deanwood (on the Orange line)

To get to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens by Metro…Take the Orange Line to the Deanwood Station. Take the Polk Street exit (to your left) and follow Polk to the pedestrian bridge... Cross over 295 and turn left on to Douglas Street, then proceed 2 blocks to Anacostia Avenue (you’ll see the big brown NPS sign guiding you to the Aquatic Gardens). Turn right on Anacostia Ave and walk 50 yards to the park entrance on your left.

Extinction Sometimes Is Not Forever

2005-08-13T07:36:00.000-04:00

Above: Skeleton of a Dodo bird at American Museum of Natural History

Scientists beware: Don't count your extinct bird species because one of them may hatch.

Several supposedly extinct birds have recently been "rediscovered," raising hopes that others not seen for ages may still be taking to the skies.

"The real message of rediscoveries is that we didn't look hard enough in the first place," said Nigel Collar of UK-based conservation group BirdLife International.

"Rediscoveries" fall into two categories, the first being birds that were written off as extinct but subsequently found.

The second includes birds not seen for decades -- often because conflict made their home range inaccessible -- but that were not necessarily considered extinct.

One of the most startling avian "resurrections" was the New Zealand storm petrel, which was positively sighted in 2003. Believed by many to be extinct, it was previously only known from fossil material and three 19th century specimens. A group of bird watchers saw the black-and-white sea birds off New Zealand's North Island in January 2003.

Also in 2003, the long-legged warbler -- not seen by experts since 1894 -- was found alive in the mountains of Fiji.

Left: Two white-winged guans rest on perches in their cage in a protected area in northern Peru. A quarter of century ago, Perus white-winged guan, a species native only to this Andean bird paradise, was considered as dead as a dodo. Discovered in 1877 by a Polish ornithologist, the birds were believed extinct for 100 years until their rediscovery in 1977 by Gustavo del Solar, a hunter-turned-conservationist who founded a special breeding project to reintroduce it to the wild.

Last year, the rusty-throated wren-babbler -- not seen for almost 60 years -- was spotted in India's Himalayan mountains.

For some experts, the "Holy Grail" of lost birds has been hoisted with the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker, a large bird with striking looks that was believed to have fallen victim to the logging industry.

The southwestern African country of Angola, which is emerging from three decades of civil war is proving to be rich in "lost birds." South African ornithologist Ian Sinclair has been to Angola four times since war ended in 2002 and has found 18 endemic species not been seen and identified by experts for decades.

"We discovered that civil war, while obviously bad for people, was good for the habitat and the environment," Sinclair told Reuters. "All of these huge coffee plantations were abandoned ... A lot more habitat is available as a result."

A six-day expedition earlier this year yielded positive sightings of the orange-breasted bush-shrike and the white-headed robin-chat -- not seen by scientists since 1957.

The group also spotted a single pair of black-tailed or slender-tailed cisticolas. These are only found in Angola and neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and had not been seen in the wild since 1972.

Swiestra's francolin -- similar to a grouse or partridge -- is the one Angolan endemic that Sinclair has yet to rediscover.

"It's only known from a single specimen collected in September 1964 in northwestern Zambia. So it's been off the map for 40 years," he said.

Also being sought is the pink-headed duck of India and Myanmar. There have been no reliable sightings since the late 1940s but there are reports of rural folk hunting it in Myanmar.

Still, there are clearly some no-hopers, such as the famed dodo of Mauritius, a large flightless bird that died out long ago.

Right: Watercolour of extinct Pink-headed Duck by Bhawani Das. Painted between 1777 and 1782 for Lady Impey in India, from living bird. National Museums Liverpool

Despite the new finds, BirdLife says the overall situation of the world's birds is worsening.

In a recent report, it said more than a fifth of the planet's bird species faced extinction as humans ventured further into their habitats and introduced alien predators.

* Reuters Story

In Massachusetts Gay Marriage Good For Swans Too

2005-08-13T07:19:00.000-04:00

The not-so-aptly named Romeo and Juliet reside in the Public Garden in spring and summer. (Globe Staff Photo / John Tlumacki)

Boston's beloved pair of swans -- feted by city leaders, residents, and tourists alike as one of the Hub's most celebrated summer attractions -- are a same-sex couple. Yes, scientific tests have shown that the pair, named Romeo and Juliet, are really Juliet and Juliet.

The city's Parks and Recreation Department conducted the tests months ago, but didn't announce the results for fear of destroying the image of a Shakespearean love story unfolding each year in the Public Garden.

''Each year when the swans go in, the kids immediately come to us and say, 'Which one's Romeo, and which one's Juliet?' " parks spokeswoman Mary Hines said yesterday in response to a Globe inquiry. ''It's just like one of those fairy tales; why spoil it?"

This year and last, the swans have laid eggs in the spring and then stood guard at the nest as visitors and nearby residents made regular pilgrimages, hoping to see the eggs hatch. Neither batch did. Turns out, that's because they were never fertilized by a male swan.

The news ignited something of a debate among swan spectators in the Public Garden yesterday, with some insisting the city now should buy a true Romeo and others saying the city should embrace the two as a couple.

''If these two swans are happy together, they shouldn't have to have a guy," said Emma Stokien, a 15-year-old from New York. ''It's good to have the swans as a symbol of the acceptance in Massachusetts."

* Boston Globe Story

Mute Swan Song In Maryland?

2005-08-10T07:32:00.000-04:00

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has wrestled with the issue of invasive species for years. But, the story of the Mute Swan stands out among similar stories, mostly because many bird lovers have such affection for this beautiful, but environmentally destructive, species of swan. Here, an update on the agency’s efforts to resolve the fate of the Mute Swan in Maryland.

Despite their aesthetic appeal, mute swans can cause problems. The mute swan is native to Europe and Asia, but is an exotic species in the United States. In Maryland, a feral population of about 4,000 mute swans has become established from the original escape of five captive swans in 1962. The largest number of mute swans occurs in Talbot, Queen Annes, and Dorchester counties. Population growth and range expansion of this species has increased the number of swan-related problems for people and native wildlife.

Public opinion about mute swans is mixed. They are very large birds, measuring 56-62 inches in length. With little or no fear of humans, they are easily observed and provide opportunities for people to come in close contact with wildlife. Their vibrant orange bills with black knobs, white plumage and long, gracefully-held necks make them conspicuous. Their young, which have a dusky tinge and grayish bill, usually remain with their parents for about four months. Mute swans reside primarily in estuarine river habitats with smaller numbers on inland lakes and ponds.

Citizens frequently complain that mute swans reduce the availability of submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, to native wildlife, reducing recreational crabbing and fishing opportunities. Presently, we estimate that Maryland's mute swan population consumes about nine million pounds of SAV annually. Concentrations of mute swans have over-grazed bay grasses, eliminating habitats for crabs, fish, and other wetland dependent species.

In the early 1990s, a large molting flock of mute swans caused a colony of least terns and black skimmers, both state-threatened species, to abandon their nesting site on Barren Island in Dorchester County by trampling nests containing eggs and chicks. This was the only skimmer nesting colony in the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay. These swans also displaced nesting Forster's and common terns, declining species in Maryland. In other areas of the state, mute swans have also been documented killing mallard ducklings and Canada goose goslings.

* Maryland Department Of Natural Resources Page

When Wings Sing

2005-08-06T08:07:00.000-04:00

Richard Prum, a Yale ornithologist, was hiking through an Ecuadorean forest 18 years ago when he had one of the strangest experiences an ornithologist can have. He watched a bird sing with its wings.

Dr. Prum was observing a male club-winged manakin. The tiny red-headed bird was hopping acrobatically from branch to branch in order to attract female manakins. And from time to time, the male would wave its wings over its back. Each time the manakin produced a loud, clear tone that sounded as if it came from a violin.

"I was just utterly stunned," Dr. Prum said. "There's literally no bird in the world that does anything that prepares you for it. It's totally unique."

Ever since, Dr. Prum has wondered how the club-winged manakin managed this feat. Now he and a former student, Kimberly Bostwick of Cornell University, believe they have solved the mystery.

Club-winged manakins rake their feathers back and forth over one another, using an acoustic trick that allows crickets to sing. While the technique is common among insects, it has never been documented before in vertebrates.

The noise-making skill of manakins first came to the attention of naturalists in the 1800's. The club-winged manakin belongs to the manakin family (Pipridae), which includes about 40 species, many of which have peculiarly shaped feathers that allowed them to make sounds.

In many species the males use the noises during their courtship displays. "Some of them pop like a firecracker, and there a couple that make whooshing noises in flight," Dr. Prum said.

How Do They Do It?

Dr. Bostwick traveled to New York to study the manakin collection at the American Museum of Natural History. "I spent a lot of time playing with the feathers," she said. She noticed that next to the strangely ridged feather was another feather with a stiff, curved tip. She realized that each time a manakin shook its wings, its tip rakes across the ridges of the neighboring feather like a spoon moving across a washboard. Each time it hit a ridge, the tip produced a sound. The tip would strike each ridge twice - once as the feathers collided and once as they moved apart again.

Dr. Bostwick realized that this raking movement allowed a wing to produce 14 sounds during each shake. As a result, a bird could shaking its wings 100 times a second could produce a sound with a frequency of 1,400 cycles a second. "All the questions that hadn't made any sense just clicked into place," Dr. Bostwick said. (More from the NY TIMES)

Source: Science

* Video Manakin Mating Call (from Science Magazine)
* Cornell Press Release

Behind The Binoculars...Terrorist Or Birder?

2005-08-06T07:10:00.000-04:00

Source: humblewildlife.com

Popular birding sites across the country, are facing stricter regulations -- in some cases being required to hire a police escort -- as authorities beef up national security.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Americans have been subject to increased government restrictions and scrutiny at airports and elsewhere. That bird-watchers have become a target is somewhat surprising, since all they do is ''walk quietly through the woods," as Brinkley put it.

But those woods are often around military bases, wastewater management plants, and dams -- places where government authorities fear that terrorists disguised as birders could lurk or strike.

And the equipment they carry -- binoculars, telescopes, and cameras -- can make birders look suspicious at first glance.

Birding at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel used to require only an annual permit that was easily available via mail, telephone, or fax; about 800 were distributed annually. To enter any of the three northern islands, which are not open to the public, a birder would only have to show the permit, a photo ID, and vehicle registration. The southernmost island, which has a restaurant and a fishing pier, is open to the public.

''Anyone could stop [on the islands]. We had no idea who was on the islands and who was not," said Clement Pruitt, director of operations and chief of police for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

But earlier this year, after Virginia's Department of Transportation determined that the ventilation buildings on each of the four islands were poorly secured, fences were erected around the buildings, and the three northern islands were closed to all but employees.

Under the rules, which took effect Friday, individuals or groups of no more than 15 people will have to arrange their visits in advance and pay $50 an hour to be escorted by an off-duty police officer. Upon arrival, all birders must provide photo identification and vehicle registration. Their belongings and vehicles may be examined at check-in and at any time during the visit.

''These sorts of national security issues seem to be intruding in ways one would never have expected. You expect airline security. You don't expect it when you go birding. Who knew you'd have a police escort?" said Perry Plumart, director of conservation advocacy for the American Bird Conservancy. (LA TIMES article via Boston Globe)

* The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Website

Anacosta Strategery This Weekend

2005-07-29T18:11:00.000-04:00

The District of Columbia Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy Planning Workshop

The workshop is a progress update on the District of Columbia Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy and a chance to solicit input on necessary conservation actions.

The District of Columbia Fisheries and Wildlife Division is developing a comprehensive Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy for the District to guide the actions of the Division and their partners in the conservation of wildlife species of Greatest Conservation Need over the next 10 years. These species of Greatest Conservation Need include 150+ species at risk in the District of Columbia and are primarily declining nongame wildlife, threatened or endangered species, and rare species.

The DC Fisheries and Wildlife identified the key 14 habitats that support these 150+ species. These key wildlife habitats form the basis of the District of Columbia’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Fourteen key wildlife habitats have been described and mapped. The wildlife species of Greatest Conservation Need supported by each key habitat have been identified. The major threats to these habitats have been identified and a draft list of conservation actions has been made. These conservation actions are the core functions that are to be implemented to conserve the species of Greatest Conservation Need.

Saturday, July 30, 2005 (1:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
Aquatic Resources Education Center
Anacostia Park
2600 Anacostia Drive, SE
Washington, DC 20020(202) 581-2560

Shuttle Hits Bird

2005-07-29T14:47:00.000-04:00

N. Wayne Hale, the deputy manager of the shuttle program after fielding questions about the Shuttle was asked about the fate of the bird that was struck by the shuttle's external tank during liftoff.

``We've never see a bird strike in the program before,'' Hale said.

The nose cone of the orange external tank struck the large bird just 2.5 seconds after launch. Luckily, Mr. Hale said, the bird slid off of the side of the tank opposite the shuttle and posed no hazard to the Discovery. He said that the incident was especially surprising because the shuttle program had always assumed that the roar of launching would scare birds away, but "this guy didn't clear the area."

Mr. Hale added that some NASA employees wondered what kind of bird it was and have searched for the remnants on the launch pad, but have found nothing. In the launching pictures, he said, "We pretty clearly see him going into the plume - and I don't know if we'll ever know." And he grimaced.

NASA also is studying whether anything can be done to prevent collisions with wildlife.(Reuters/New York Times)

What kind of bird was it? The New Scientist says it may have been an osprey or a turkey buzzard.

Those Philandering Finches

2005-07-21T10:36:00.000-04:00

National Geographic

Researchers found that about 25 percent of the black rosy-finch hatchlings found in this and two other nests were not sired by the male feeding and guarding them—proof that the female had not been monogamous.

Blood samples were taken from the nestlings and the male parent and then using microsatellite DNA fingerprinting—a method used to determine paternity in animals—researchers determined that the samples suggested the female had been visiting neighboring males for sneaky copulations.

This behavior was supported by samples later taken from other black rosy-finch nests, with around 25 percent of chicks sired by males other than the female's nesting mate. For the first time this bracketed female rosy-finches with a range of other birds, from flamingoes to sparrows, that also "play" away from home. Read more from National Geographic.

Biologists Counter Woodpecker Hopes

2005-07-21T09:47:00.000-04:00

A sketch from 2004 of what was believed to be an ivory-billed woodpecker

(NYTIMES)

Three biologists are questioning the evidence used by a team of bird experts who made the electrifying claim in April that they had sighted an ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird presumed to have vanished from the United States more than 60 years ago, in the swampy forests of southeast Arkansas.

If the challenge holds up, it would undermine not only a scientific triumph - the rediscovery of a resplendent bird that had been exhaustively sought for years - but also significant new conservation expenditures in the region.

The paper questioning the discovery has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, which could post the analysis online within a few weeks. But the paper will be accompanied by a fierce rebuttal by the team that announced the discovery, and a response to that rebuttal by the challengers.

But only the video was potentially solid enough to confirm for the wider ornithological community the existence of the bird, the authors said in various statements at the time.

Everyone agrees that the bird that appears on the tape is either an ivory-billed woodpecker or a pileated woodpecker, a slightly smaller bird that is relatively common. Both species have a mix of white and black plumage. However, the ivory-billed woodpecker has a white trailing edge to its wings while the pileated woodpecker has a black trailing edge.

The team that conducted the original search for the bird ran extensive tests, including recreating the scene captured in video using flapping, hand-held models of the two types of woodpecker. They concluded that the plumage patterns seen in the grainy image could only be that of the ivory-billed woodpecker.

The authors of the new paper disagree.

* New York Times Story

* Video of what is thought to be Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

* Cornell Lab of Ornithology Interactive on Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

Droppings Blamed For "Contamination"

2005-07-19T18:33:00.000-04:00

A major source of chemical contamination in the Arctic turns out to be bird droppings. Wind currents and human activities long have been blamed for fouling the pristine Arctic. But a study by a group of Canadian researchers found that the chemical pollution in areas frequented by seabirds can be many times higher than in nearby regions.

Scientists report in Friday's issue of the journal Science that the ponds, which receive falling guano from a colony of northern fulmars that nest on the cliffs, have highly elevated amounts of chemicals. More from the Washington Post.

Least Terns Opt For Maine Island Life

2005-07-19T18:19:00.000-04:00

Hog Island, Maine, July 18, 2005 – For the first time in Maine’s recorded history, Audubon biologists have discovered endangered Least Terns nesting on an island rather than their historic preference of nesting on mainland sandy beaches. Eighteen nests are confirmed and several additional pairs of terns are setting up territories on Stratton Island, in Saco Bay, an Audubon-owned property protected by the Society’s Seabird Restoration Program. Stratton Island was already notable for providing habitat for the greatest diversity of waterbird species in Maine, and this event only confirms the island’s significance as an Important Bird Area.

More from Audubon.

Red Flag For Red Knot

2005-06-09T15:28:00.000-04:00

The Red Knot has one of the longest migration patterns, traveling from Tierra del Fuego on the southern tip of south America to the Arctic to nest during the brief summer months. Every year, millions of shorebirds including Red Knots, Sanderlings, and Ruddy Turnstones, stop off on the shores of the Delaware Bay on their way to the Arctic to breed, where they come to feed on the eggs of horseshoe crabs that spawn on the beaches at the same time of year. It is one of nature's great migration spectacles.

The Delaware Bay is their final "re-fueling" stop on the way north, where they beef up for the long flight ahead and put on extra weight for nesting, the birds need the crab eggs to sustain them through the remaining leg of their long migration north, some 4,000 miles.

Overharvesting of the crabs for use as bait in conch and eel pots has meant a less bountiful take for the birds which longterm could be detrimental to the species. A study conducted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection predicts the Red Knot could face extinction in 5 years, read the Reuter's story.

* Act now to help save the Red Knots
* Audubon calls for emergency action
* More info on Red Knott

* Help the count

Black Tie March

2005-06-06T11:38:00.000-04:00

"MARCH OF THE PENGUINS" - National Geographic Feature Films President Adam Leipzig introduces the premiere DC screening of the new National Geographic and Warner Independent Pictures documentary, "March of the Penguins," a story told by actor Morgan Freeman about emperor penguins as they embark on their annual migration to and from their Antarctic breeding grounds. Also participating is director of the film, Luc Jacquet, who lived in Antarctica for 13 months following and filming the penguins. Prior to the screening Sea World conducts an educational presentation with Magellanic penguins.

TONIGHT: Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Location: National Geographic Society, 1600 M St. NW.
Notes: Event starts at 6 p.m., film screening at 6:30 p.m.
Q & A follows the screening.
*Order Tickets

Free admission to the first 30 people wearing penguin attire

Preserves For Birds

2005-06-03T13:13:00.000-04:00

Fraser Preserve
Courtesy: The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy’s preserves are set aside to protect natural plant and animal communities, including those of the winged variety. A map of preserves in the Maryland/DC Area can be seen here. Virginia's preserves are listed here.

Best for Birders:

Nanjemoy Creek provides a nesting home to one of the largest great blue heron colonies on the East Coast. Approximately 1,000 pairs of herons return each year on or around Valentine's Day to bring in the next generation of this species--the East Coast's largest wading bird, standing four feet tall with a six-foot wing span.

The Fraser Preserve boasts about 110 species of birds, including 39 nesting species and the bald eagle. Among the nesting birds are the red-shouldered hawk, ruby-throated hummingbird, downy woodpecker, scarlet tanager, and blue-gray gnatcatcher. There are also over 300 varieties of wildflowers. The natural habitats found in the Piedmont region, include clear fast streams, lush cold-spring swamp, marsh, mature hardwood forests, open meadow, ponds, river and stream floodplain forests and thickets, steep rocky bluffs, springs and seeps, and various stages of old field succession. The terrain slopes toward the Potomac River, which forms the northern boundary of the preserve.

At Helena's Island Preserve bird species far outnumber mammals and reptiles. Solitary sandpipers, ospreys, teal, mallards, and mergansers can be seen during the spring and fall migration. A number of species regularly visit or inhabit the island, including American redstart, northern parula, Carolina chickadee, green-backed heron and spotted sandpiper.

Blackwater River Preserve has one of the best remaining examples of an ancient baldcypress forest in the Southeast. Biologists estimate that some trees at this preserve are more than 800 years old. The prothonotary warbler as well as various other species pass through here.

Fernbrook Natural Area is an excellent example of a southern Piedmont forest in varying stages of succession. At an elevation of about 400 feet above sea level, the preserve includes examples of mature upland and lowland hardwood forests, a successional oak-pine forest, as well as a small tract of southern pines. Birds sighted here include the pileated woodpecker, ovenbird, scarlet tanager, ruby-throated hummingbird, and the red-tailed hawk. Bobcats have been known to wander through the area.

D.C. Bound:

Bear Island/Potomac Gorge, a natural monument in the shadow of national monuments, The Potomac Gorge—the 15-mile section of the Potomac River from above Great Falls south to Theodore Roosevelt Island—is one of the most significant natural areas in the entire National Park System. The Potomac Gorge site includes the well-known Billy Goat Trail- 2 miles of strenuous hiking. Access to the site is controlled by the National Park Service, who manages C&O Canal National Historical Park.

Ducks Going Postal

2005-06-03T12:46:00.000-04:00

Artist Claremont Pritchard, 1968

In 1934, our nation discovered its natural bounty had limits as the continental population of waterfowl reached its lowest point in recorded history—approximately 27 million birds.

Through the Federal Duck Stamp Program, conservationists, artists, hunters and the federal government joined forces to conserve our country's natural resources.

Since 1934, revenues from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps have been used to acquire millions of acres of natural habitat for America's waterfowl in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The National Postal Museum has an exhibit of the stamps that have been part of the Federal Duck Stamp program at the Jeanette Cantrell Rudy Gallery. The exhibit explores the history of rare and collectible Federal Duck Stamps created as part of the conservation program. You can see the Postal Museum exhibit online.

Chesapeake Bay Sending Out S.O.S.

2005-06-03T12:09:00.000-04:00

Blackwater at Dawn
National Geographic
Photograph by Peter Essick

Conservationists know what's wrong with the bay and how to fix it. They also know why it won't happen soon. The Chesapeake is sending out a distress call; oysters nearly gone, crabs near historic lows, waterman towns dying out, buildings and roads fracturing the countryside.

Population in the estuary's watershed, which includes parts of six states and the District of Columbia, has doubled in a generation, from 8 million to 16 million, compromising solitude as well as water quality. No one had illusions that the work of the Chesapeake Bay Program, a massive federal-state restoration effort, begun in 1983 and unmatched anywhere in the world, would be quick or easy. But no one anticipated that 22 years later it would still be struggling. National Geographic features the Bay's struggle.

Interactive Map of the Chesapeake.

Swimming At Their Own Risk In East Baltimore
National Geographic
Photograph by Peter Essick

5,000 Gulls to be Shot

2005-05-31T06:38:00.000-04:00

Transportation officials thought they were doing a good thing when they provided a nesting area along a major highway for several threatened species of birds. But after five years, the nests have attracted more than just terns and black skimmers. The birds' predators _ sea gulls _ have come out in droves and are crashing into cars on Interstate 64, which connects southeastern Virginia to the mainland.

Last summer, up to 60 gulls died on the highway every day.

Concerned about the potential for serious car accidents, the state Department of Transportation has called on wildlife officials to shoot some of the 5,000 gulls on the south island of I-64's Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. The road carries more than 100,000 cars a day during peak summer months. More from The Washington Post.

Woodpecker Once Thought Extinct Found Alive And Well

2005-05-11T14:16:00.000-04:00

The ivory-billed woodpecker, once prized for its plumage and sought by American Indians as magical, was thought to be extinct for years. Now it's been sighted again and conservationists are exulting.

The striking bird, last seen in 1944, has been rediscovered in the Big Woods area of Arkansas, scientists and conservationists reported in late April.

Since early 2004 there have been several independent sightings, including one caught on videotape, of one or more of the birds, Fitzpatrick said.

That video of the bird's 3-foot wingspan and distinctive black-and-white markings confirmed the presence of the creature that seemed to have vanished after logging destroyed its habitat.

The ivory-billed woodpecker, one of the largest such birds in the world, is one of six North American bird species thought to have become extinct since 1880. The bird ranged widely across the southeastern United States at one time.

Once sought by Indians who believed that its bill possessed magical powers, the bird also was hunted for its feathers so they could adorn women's hats. Loss of habitat was its main threat, however.

Washington Post Articles:
*Woodpecker Thought Extinct Rediscovered
*Ark. Man Recalls Finding Rare Woodpecker
*Extinct? After 60 Years, Woodpecker Begs to Differ
*Rare Woodpecker's Home Remote, Dangerous
*Delta Towns Hope Woodpecker Brings Riches
* Ark. Bird Festival Revamped for Woodpecker

On NPR:
*Tim Gallagher, author, The Grail Bird: Hot on the Trail of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

The Nature Conservancy:

*On The Trail of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

Naturalist Walk In Rock Creek Park

2005-05-11T13:57:00.000-04:00

Early May is an exciting time for bird enthusiasts. It's when thousands of migratory birds fly through the Washington area, and help usher in the warm weather with their unique calls and songs. WAMU's Sarah Hughes accompanied the Audubon Naturalist Society's Stephanie Mason on a walk through Rock Creek Park, to seek out some of these newly arrived visitors.

The Naturalist Society conducts a free walk for beginning birders every Saturday morning.

Listen to the walk through the park on NPR.

For more information, visit Audubon Naturalist Society website.

Field Trip To Bombay Hook And Little Creek May 14th

2005-05-11T13:16:00.000-04:00

On Saturday May 14, 2005, DC Audubon will take a field trip to Bombay Hook NWR to see the phenomenal migration of shore birds. This trip is a great opportunity to see thousands of sandpipers, plovers and avocets. One birder beautifully referred to this field trip, as “essential to truly enjoy the annual spectacle of migration” and when “birder’s hopes…are renewed every year at this time.”

Directions and tentative spots to visit:
Directions: From the DC area, get on Rte. 50 heading east. Cross the Bay Bridge. Once on the Eastern Shore, take Rte. 301 northeast (this splits off from Rte. 50). Go about 34 miles from this point and turn right on Rte. 300.which runs east through farmland. Go 15 miles to Kenton, Delaware. At the traffic light in Kenton go right on Del. 42, which ends after 9 miles in Leipsic, crossing Rte. 13 en route. (Be very careful in Delaware, there are lots of speed traps in these towns). Go left (north) in Leipsic on Rte. 9 1.5 miles to the Bombay Hook entrance sign and turn right. We will meet at the Visitor's Center.

After Bombay Hook, we will head south to Little Creek and in the town take a left at the Post Office onto Port Mahon Rd. The next stop farther south will be to Pickering Beach which is a few miles south and a left off of Rte. 9 onto Pickering Beach Rd.

If you have a car and can help carpool, please let me know. If you need a ride, please let me know that as well, so I can try to make sure everybody who needs a ride has one. For carpooling, we will meet at the Bread and Chocolate café/bakery on Capitol Hill at the corner of 7th and Pennsylvania Ave SE at 7 am. If you prefer to meet at Bombay Hook, we should be at the Visitor’s Center by 10 am. We will caravan from one place to the next over the course of the day.

Sunscreen and insect repellent will certainly add to your birding pleasure in these marshy areas. Lunch or snacks and plenty of water are a good idea, too.

If you plan to come or need more information call me at 202-277-1365 or e-mail me at mikekaspar@aol.com.

The Bird Fest Begins At The National Zoo

2005-04-26T10:22:00.000-04:00

Bird Fest At The National Zoo (April 30-May 5th)

Come Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day

Saturday, April 30 to Thursday, May 5

Weekend family festival:
Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Highlights:

"Superbirds!" special, live theatre program for school groups on May 3, 4, and 5.
Showtimes 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., daily.
Book signing and lecture by David Sibley—May 2, 7:30 p.m. Lecture will be "Birdwatching in the 21st Century" where he will talk about illustrating and writing the Sibley Guides to Birds and the joys and challenges of birding and bird conservation.
Flying WILD Teacher Workshop, Saturday, April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon
DC Audubon Society will be and exhibitor
Links for more information on event and to volunteer.

End Of Civil War Makes Way For Birders In Angola

2005-04-25T08:27:00.000-04:00

Bird Life International: Ian Sinclair

The first ornithologists to visit northern Angola since the end of the country's civil war have 'rediscovered' three species of bird not seen for decades, a conservation group said on Wednesday. The six-day expedition at the end of January yielded sightings of the orange-breasted bush-shrike and the white-headed robin-chat, two small birds not been seen by scientists since 1957. (Reuters Story)

* Story from Bird Life International