A regular roundup of important news on birds and their habitats. Check back often for updates.
2/13/07
“Make the boy interested in natural history if you can. It is better than games.”
— Famed explorer Robert Falcon Scott, in a 1912 letter addressed, “To My Widow,” from Antarctica after realizing that he would not make it home alive. His then 3-year-old son, Peter, went on to graduate from Cambridge University and had a distinguished career as an ornithologist.
The Brown Pelican May Remain Endangered in California
Even Though the Species Is Thriving
In the 1960s the number of brown pelicans in California dipped to dangerous levels as the pesticide DDT entered the birds’ food chain and weakened the shells of their eggs. Now there are an estimated 150,000 brown pelicans in California and the state wants to remove the pelican from its list of endangered species.
The problem is that state law requires an extensive environmental study to prove that the bird no longer needs protection. The state of California does not want to spend the money to conduct the study.
GOP Senator Proposes a $400 Million Loan to Purchase Habitat for Water Fowl
Senator Norm Coleman is a Republican from the blue state of Minnesota and he is up for reelection in 2008. It comes as no surprise that the senator has come out against the president’s troop surge proposal.
Senator Coleman has also made a point to show he is environmentally friendly. He has sponsored the Wetlands Loan Act of 2007, a measure that would authorize a $400 million loan to purchase private wetlands for conservation purposes. The loan would be repaid through revenues from the duck stamp program.
The duck stamp program was created in 1934. Since that time, the program has generated more than $670 million, which has been used to protect more than 5 million acres of habitat for water fowl.
Canada Looks to Protect the Habitat of the Ivory Gull
Over the past 20 years the population of Canada’s ivory gull has been reduced by 80 percent. Government officials believe that as few as 1,000 of the birds remain. Scientists have found very high levels of mercury in the eggs of the ivory gull. This toxic substance is known to cause reproductive problems in birds.
The ivory gull has been recommended to join the list of 212 endangered species in Canada. But diamond miners are looking to explore for minerals in one of the bird’s most popular habitats on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. The Canadian government and mining companies have agreed to protect the bird’s nesting areas.
Birders Should Say “No Way” to the Duncan Hunter Presidential Campaign
Duncan Hunter, GOP congressman from San Diego, calls himself the most conservative candidate seeking the presidency in 2008. A staunch defender of President Bush’s policy in Iraq and an advocate of a border fence between Mexico and the United States, Hunter is also pro-business in almost all of his positions. There is no mention of environmental issues such as clean water, clear air, or endangered species on his campaign or House Web sites.
His lack of attention to these matters is a strong indication that if elected president he would neglect environmental issues and give developers, loggers, mining interests, and others free rein to destroy birds’ habitats as they see fit.
Study Finds Nearly One Half of All Waterbird Species Are in Decline
A study by Wetlands International, a Dutch environmental group, finds that 44 percent of the world’s water bird species have seen a decline in their populations over the past five years. Five years ago, the group found that 41 percent of waterbird populations were declining.
Wetlands International says that rapid economic development in bird habitats and climate change are the most likely causes for the decline in water bird populations.
U.S. Army Proposes to Resume Training Exercises at Some Installations
That Are Critical Habitat for the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
The United States Army is proposing to ease restrictions on its training exercises on installations that have been deemed important habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker. The Army claims that since 1996 the restrictions placed on training in these areas have produced growing populations of the birds. Breeding pairs in areas protected since 1996 have increased by 53 percent, according to the Army environmental analysis. The Army also believes that noise from its training exercises is not as detrimental to the woodpeckers as previously thought.
The Army states that new training procedures may affect some individual birds but there will be “no adverse effect at the population level.”
Birders Wary of Proposed Wind Farm in Lake Erie
The Cuyahoga Regional Energy Development Task Force has proposed establishing a wind farm three miles off the coast of northern Ohio in Lake Erie. The proposed wind farm, which would include the only wind turbines in the world situated in a body of fresh water, would provide enough electricity to power thousands of homes.
The task force’s proposal includes hiring an expert who will assess where the turbines would be situated so they would not have an adverse effect on migratory birds.
But biologists for the state’s Department of Natural Resources are opposed to the plan. They assert that it would be impossible to monitor the mortality rates of migratory birds at the offshore wind farm.
Cruelty to Birds in Pennsylvania
This past September, the Elstonville, Pennsylvania Sportsman’s Association held an archery contest. According to investigators, club members fastened turkeys to bales of hay by their feet. The turkeys were able to flap their wings but otherwise could not move.
Contestants who participated paid $12 to shoot three arrows at the turkeys. If a turkey was wounded the archer won the bird. The turkey was then beheaded and processed for the archer to take home. Children were permitted to participate, shooting at the turkeys from less than 50 feet away. Alcohol was served at the event.
Many of the turkeys were wounded and cried out in pain. An undercover agent for the Pennsylvania Humane Society called state police who shut down the turkey shoot. The club was cited for eight violations of animal cruelty laws. The most the club could be fined under current law is $5,000.
Birders United Action Alert: Supporters of Birders United in Pennsylvania who would like to make the penalties for cruelty to birds much stronger should contact their local state representatives and senators. You can find the e-mail address for your state legislator by clicking here.
Major Setback in Effort to Save the Whooping Crane
The deadly tornadoes that struck central Florida in early February also took a devastating toll on efforts to save the endangered whooping crane.
A flock of 18 cranes had been bred in captivity in Wisconsin. Each winter ultralight aircraft were used to guide the flock to their winter homes in Florida at the Chassohowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.
When the storms struck, 17 of the 18 young cranes were killed. Officials believe a strong surge of lightning strikes were responsible for the crane deaths.
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