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May 31, 2005
World's Largest Caspian Tern Colony to be Decimated
Plans to devastate the world’s largest colony of Caspian Terns look set to go ahead under a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), completed by FWS and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The plan calls for the elimination of up to 74% of the tern colony on East Sand Island in the Columbia River on the Washington-Oregon border.
All but 1-1.5 acres of the 6 acres of sandy habitat on the island would be destroyed and birds relocated, reducing tern numbers over several years from 9,500 current breeding pairs to as few as 2,500 pairs. The colony currently holds 70% of the Pacific Coast population, due mostly to the loss of suitable alternate nesting habitat (such as the deliberate destruction of habitat at neighboring Rice Island by federal agencies).
While Pacific salmon in Alaska remain in plentiful supply, salmon numbers in the Columbia River have declined precipitously in recent years. NMFS has long blamed the terns for inhibiting salmon recovery by their consumption of juvenile salmonids – a conclusion disputed by scientists. The EIS was completed in settlement of a lawsuit, filed by ABC, Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society, and Seattle Audubon Society. The groups contend that the terns have only a minute impact on salmon returns and are being unfairly scapegoated, while the real causes of salmon declines – dams, habitat loss, over-harvest, and fish hatcheries – go largely uncontested.
Caspian Tern, CA, © Andrew Birch
The plan, estimated to cost $2.4 million in its first year, calls for new tern habitat to be established elsewhere in Washington, Oregon, and California. However, some of these sites are up to 800 miles from the present colony, and all would expose terns to greater threats from predators and environmental toxins, as well as increased competition from other birds. Until suitable, predator-free habitat is established elsewhere, and terns have colonized and bred successfully there, conservationists do not support moving terns off East Sand.
Long-term ownership of East Sand Island, currently in Army Corps of Engineers hands, is not addressed by the EIS. The Corps and conservationists have urged its addition to the National Wildlife Refuge system. An ABC-designated globally Important Bird Area, the island also has over 6,700 roosting endangered "California" Brown Pelicans, and a large mixed gull colony.
Posted by Surfbirds at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)
May 26, 2005
National Waterway Wildlife Survey
This summer British Waterways, which cares for 2,000 miles of canals and rivers nationwide, is asking people to visit their local waterway and report back on the wildlife they see for the 2005 National Waterway Wildlife Survey.
The information gathered will be added to British Waterways’ species database which records biodiversity on the inland waterways and is used to help plan the management of its canals and rivers and the protection of their rich array of wildlife.
Kate Humble, ecologist and TV presenter, explains: “Britain’s canals, rivers and lakes are havens for wildlife, from birds, fish and mammals to insects, reptiles and amphibians. People can help protect waterway species by taking part in this summer’s National Waterway Wildlife Survey. Visit your local canal, river or lake in June, July or August and tell British Waterways what you see. Summer is a great time to spot all sorts of waterway wildlife including herons, kingfishers, swans, coots, moorhens, mallards, dragonflies, frogs, toads and newts. You may also be lucky enough to see some of the rarer and shier species including otters, bats and water voles.”
Last year, over 1,100 sightings were recorded by the public across Britain’s waterways, with 60 different species spotted. British Waterways ecologist, Jonathan Brickland, explains: “Over half the population lives within five miles of one of our canals or rivers and a waterway trip is a fun, free and healthy activity for families at weekends, during school holidays or in the long summer evenings.
“It’s important to monitor the wildlife that lives on our canals and rivers. We need to know what’s there so that we can protect and look after our waterway creatures, for example installing bat bricks, bird boxes, otter holts and soft banks for water voles.”
To find out more, people can visit British Waterways’ online guide to waterway wildlife at www.waterscape.com/wildlife and download a reporting form, together with information about places to visit on the waterways. Once they’ve completed their forms, visitors should enter the data on the website. Alternatively, people can take part by filling in a freepost reply form, part of a special wildlife guide for families visiting the waterways, downloadable from Waterscape.com or available by calling British Waterways Customer Service Centre on 01923 201120.
Notes:
British Waterways cares for a 2,000-mile network of canals and navigable rivers throughout Britain, working to provide a sustainable future for the inland waterways and generate maximum benefit and enjoyment to all from this unique environmental and leisure resource. We work with a broad range of public, private and voluntary sector partners to unlock the potential of the inland waterways and generate income for reinvestment in the waterways for the benefit of the millions who visit and care for the waterways every year. www.britishwaterways.co.uk
Canals and rivers are now among the country's most important environmental assets. They provide an ideal habitat and feeding ground for a diverse range of flora and fauna. They reach into the heart of most of Britain’s larger towns and cities and often bring a unique cross-section of the countryside right to urban door-steps for all to enjoy. This wide range of habitats and species, giving canals and rivers a unique biodiversity. Habitats range from the grassland and scrub of cuttings and embankments, boundary hedgerows and towpath verges, to the reedy fringes and the water channel. Waterways are also especially important for wetland species.
There are hundreds of miles of almost uninterrupted hedgerow along the canal network, populated by birds such as sparrows, blackbirds and buntings. The sloping off-side bank of waterways also provides an ideal nesting habitat for moorhens, coots and mute swans, while visiting birds like kingfishers and herons are attracted to the wealth of fish in the canals. There is a great variety of invertebrate life in and along the waterways, including insects, molluscs, and even freshwater sponges. The waterways themselves are rich in fish, such as roach, bream and gudgeon, and each year British Waterways invests in fish re-stocking programmes. The canal environment is visited by, or is home to, a number of protected mammals, whose populations nationally are seriously depleted. These include badgers, otters and bats as well as the increasingly rare water vole, whose habitats received legal protection from April 1998.
Many canals and their surroundings have been designated as wildlife sites, important at international, national or local levels. A number have been identified by the EU as important protection areas for breeding birds (SPAs); others are proposed Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) under the Habitats Directive. In addition there are over 60 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and well over a thousand locally designated Wildlife Sites.
Posted by Surfbirds at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)
Birds Poisoned in North Pennines
Peregrine Falcon found poisoned on RSPB nature reserve, two dead Buzzards discovered close-by.
The RSPB today (26 May 2005) expressed its outrage at the news that three birds of prey found dead near the Society's Geltsdale nature reserve in Cumbria had been poisoned by a banned pesticide.
The body of an adult male peregrine falcon was found dead on the southern boundary of the reserve at the end of March, and post mortem analysis has revealed that the bird died as a result of poisoning by the banned agricultural pesticide carbofuran.
The peregrine was one of a pair that was known to be holding territory on the reserve earlier in the year and looked likely to nest.
In a second incident, expert analysis has confirmed that a dead buzzard, one of two found last month less than two miles from the reserve, also died from carbofuran poisoning. The birds were found next to a dead rabbit which was laced with carbofuran and had apparently been used as 'bait'.
The RSPB Geltsdale reserve covers an area of more than 5,000 hectares in the North Pennines between Carlisle and Haltwhistle and is dominated by moorland with a fringe of farmland and woodland.
The RSPB is appealing for anyone who has any information about the death of the birds to contact Cumbria police. Peregrine falcons and buzzards are fully protected under UK law and anyone convicted of killing one of the birds could receive a term of imprisonment of up to six months and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
RSPB North England regional director, Andy Bunten, said: "I am shocked by news of these incidents and angry that such rare and spectacular birds died in this way. We were optimistic that a pair of peregrine falcons would nest on the reserve and the death of the male bird is a terrible blow. It is appalling that a protected bird of prey can be found poisoned on a nature reserve. It is clear to me that someone in the area has a callous disregard for wildlife and the safety of local people."
A recent report produced by the RSPB revealed that crimes against birds of prey are continuing at an unacceptably high level. The Birdcrime 2003 report documents 560 crimes against wild birds, including 143 cases of shooting and destruction of birds of prey and 91 cases of illegal poisoning.
Since 1995, there has been a shocking catalogue of persecution incidents in the Geltsdale area involving birds of prey and other wildlife. Incidents logged by the RSPB include: 1995 - at least seven hen harrier nests failed due to persecution; 1996 - shot peregrine found on Geltsdale Reserve and two peregrines believed shot at nearby site; 1997 - male harrier shot; 1998 - attempted shooting of buzzard and corpse of a shot harrier found on the reserve; 1999 - female harrier poisoned and two ravens poisoned by carbofuran found on Geltsdale Reserve; 2000 - female harrier shot; 2001 - six eggs disappeared from a harrier nest.
Mr Bunten added: "It is apparent that over the years, person or persons unknown have carried out deliberate illegal acts of bird of prey killing on or near the reserve and this situation cannot be tolerated any longer. The illegal use of deadly poisons in the countryside creates a serious risk to people, their pets and to wildlife. I urge anyone who has any information about who is responsible for these dangerous and despicable crimes against wildlife to come forward and contact the police."
Peregrine falcons are rare breeding birds and the most recent survey in 2002 gave a total of 1,402 pairs in the UK. The falcon is the fastest bird in the world and can reach speeds of around 180kph (112mph) when it stoops after prey.
Only two weeks ago, the RSPB expressed its concern about the risk from illegal persecution to a pair of hen harriers, one of England's rarest birds of prey, which looked likely to nest on the Geltsdale reserve. The Society announced that it would be forced to launch a 24-hour guard on the birds if they nest.
For further information please contact:
David Hirst, RSPB regional press officer: 0191 233 4321 or 07885 834889
Andre Farrar, RSPB PR manager 01767 680551
Guy Shorrock, RSPB Investigations Department: 01767 680551 or 07885 255830
Posted by Surfbirds at 02:44 PM | Comments (0)
BOURC - Taxonomic changes (Scoters)
Taxonomic changes to the British List
The following recommendations relating to the taxonomy of birds on the British List will take effect from the publication of the BOURC Taxonomic Subcommittee's (BOURC-TSC) next report in Ibis.
Black Scoter Melanitta nigra
The two currently recognised subspecies of Black Scoter, the Eurasian M. n. nigra and the North American and East Asian M. n. americana should be treated as separate species:
Common Scoter M. nigra (monotypic)
Black Scoter M. americana (monotypic).
Both taxa are currently on the British List.
Black Scoter,ssp americana, Denmark, Blåvand 28-03-2003 © Ole Krogh
Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca
Eurasian populations M. f. fusca are distinct from East Asian and North American populations M. f. stejnegeri and M. f. deglandi, and should be recognised as separate species:
Velvet Scoter M. fusca (monotypic)
White-winged Scoter M. deglandi (polytypic, with subspecies deglandi and stejnegeri).
Velvet Scoter is on the British List.
Supporting information relating to these decisions will be published separately.
Posted by Surfbirds at 03:34 AM | Comments (0)
Migratory Songbirds Have a Night-vision Brain
Durham, N.C. -- Neurobiologists have discovered a specialized night-vision brain area in night-migratory songbirds. They believe the area might enable the birds to navigate by the stars, and to visually detect the earth's magnetic field through photoreceptor molecules, whose light-sensitivity is modulated by the field.
The full article can be found at the following link here
Posted by Surfbirds at 03:29 AM | Comments (0)
May 21, 2005
Rainforest Protected Areas Created in Conflict-Torn Area of Brazil
On February 17, 2005, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva created one of the world’s largest protected areas in the Amazon in an effort to stem illegal logging. The total area covers portions of three states (Para, Mato Grosso, and Rondonia), and measures some 12.8 million acres (20,000 square miles), twice the size of the state of Maryland.
The announcement comes on the heels of a similar decree last November that set aside five million acres of rainforest in two new reserves, in the state of Para. While certain parts of these two reserves will be fully protected from any use, with local communities acting as stewards, other parts will be cooperatively managed by local communities for low-impact activities such as rubber tapping and vegetable oil extraction.
Para has been at the center of a bitter dispute since President da Silva reversed some logging restrictions in the early part of 2005, angering local environmentalists and indigenous groups. Following the death of an American missionary, Dorothy Stang on February 12, at the suspected hands of illegal loggers, da Silva reinstated the restrictions and created the new, larger protected area. Although tensions in Para have calmed for now, illegal land use remains a constant threat to these new reserves and the rest of the Amazon’s rainforests.
Olive-sided Flycatcher from the Surfbirds Galleries © Robert Hughes
Over 1,000 bird species inhabit the Amazon, along with approximately 60,000 plant species, 2,000 freshwater fish species, and over 300 species of mammals. Many North American birds use Amazonian rainforests as their wintering grounds, such as the Olive-sided Flycatcher (an ABC Green List species) and Veery.
Posted by Surfbirds at 07:24 AM | Comments (0)
May 20, 2005
American Veterinary Association Revises Feral Cat Stance
In November 2004, the AVMA issued a new position statement on stray and feral cats that represented a significant strengthening of its stance in favor of birds and other wildlife.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is one of America’s oldest and largest veterinary associations. Its objective is the advancement of veterinary medicine, including its relationship to public health, biological science, and agriculture. In November 2004, the AVMA issued a new position statement on stray and feral cats that represented a significant strengthening of its stance in favor of birds and other wildlife. No longer can advocates of TNR (the practice of trapping feral cats, neutering them, and then releasing them back into the wild into so-called ‘managed’ colonies) claim that the AVMA supports their actions. The AVMA neither endorses nor opposes the practice.
The Association clearly states that free-roaming cats represent a significant factor in wildlife mortality, and pose a disease risk for the public. They even go as far as to say, "All free-roaming abandoned and feral cats that are not in managed colonies should be removed from their environment and treated in the same manner as other abandoned and stray animals in accord with local and state ordinances." State and local agencies are also encouraged to adopt ordinances that prevent the establishment of ‘managed’ cat colonies in wildlife-sensitive ecosystems.
Contrary to the continuing assertions of TNR advocates, the AVMA now states, "An insignificant percentage of the total number of unowned free-roaming and feral cats are being managed by humane organizations. Consequently, the reduction in the total number of free-roaming cats these programs will affect is insignificant." The AVMA does, however, encourage the establishment of properly designed and maintained enclosed feral cat sanctuaries, which ABC has endorsed and encouraged for several years. For the full position statement, visit AVMA’s Website at: www.avma.org/policies/animalwelfare.asp#feralcats.
Posted by Surfbirds at 05:35 AM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2005
2005 Kirtland's Warbler and northern Michigan specialty tours
Michigan Audubon Society (MAS) is pleased to announce its involvement in Kirtland’s Warbler tours for summer 2005. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MAS will be leading free tours to view the Kirtland’s Warbler from the Grayling, MI Holiday Inn between May 15 and July 4, 2005.
Tours depart daily at 7 AM and 11 AM, and give participants their best chance of seeing this highly endangered bird. More information is available here
Kirtland's Warbler from Surfbirds Galleries by Brandon Holden
In addition, MAS will also be leading specialty tours to three other excellent birding destinations in northern Michigan, including Tawas Point State Park, the Grayling area, and the Trout Lake area of the eastern Upper Peninsula. Top targets are Connecticut Warbler, Spruce Grouse, Least Bittern, Upland Sandpiper, Clay-colored Sparrow, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, and possibly Black-backed Woodpecker and more. Tours depart Tuesday through Friday from the Grayling Holiday Inn between May 17 and July 1, 2005. MAS members will receive a $10 discount for reservations, and non-member participants will receive a $15 savings toward an MAS membership or a $5 discount toward a subscription to Michigan Birds and Natural History, Michigan’s ornithological journal. Details are available online here or by phone at the MAS office: 517-886-9144.
Posted by Surfbirds at 02:38 PM | Comments (0)
Longline Fishing Pillaging the Pacific Says New Book
Echoes Speech By Canadian Prime Minister to End “Systemic Pillage” and “Rape” of the Ocean
Forest Knolls, CA –On Monday, June 6th, the new book Striplining the Pacific: The Case for A United Nations Moratorium on High Seas Industrial Longline Fishing will be released at the United Nations Law of the Sea meeting June 6-10th. The new book echoes the sentiment of Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin’s call on May 1st to end the “pillage” and “rape” of the ocean at an international fisheries conference this week.
Prime Minister Martin said in his address to the international conference on The Governance of High Seas Fisheries and the UN Fish Agreement – Moving from Words to Action.: “Canada joins other nations in looking for concerted action against the systemic pillage of our oceans and their resources. We — and by “we”, I mean the global community — need to see concrete results in a short period of time.”
At the end of his talk, the Prime Minister also added: “Tonight, I’m asking you to build on this global consensus. I’m asking you to seize this historic occasion, and begin the process to stop the rape of our fisheries and oceans, once and for all. ”
“Prime Minister Martin’s call to end the “systemic pillage” and “rape” of the ocean echoes the mounting international call on the UN to end the pillaging of the Pacific by longline fishing,” said Robert Ovetz, PhD, Coordinator of the Save the Leatherback Campaign. “When this conference wraps up tomorrow, we hope Canada will support this effort as well move from words to action.”
The new book Striplining the Pacific outlines how high seas industrial longline fishing is rapidly pillaging the Pacific of both targeted fish and non-targeted marine wildlife. A rash of recent scientific reports have documented not only the decline of large predatory fish such as tuna, shark and billfish by as much as 87% since the 1950s but also warn of the extinction of the leatherback sea turtle in the next 5-30 years and the extinction of the loggerhead sea turtle and black-footed albatross seabird. Longlining is considered by scientists one of the biggest threats to these species.
In response to this crisis, Costa Rica has submitted a recommended plan of action that will be considered at UN Law of the Sea meeting that calls for a moratorium on high seas longline fishing until such time that these species are no longer threatened with extinction and that sustainable use Marine Protected Areas can be set up on the high seas. The Costa Rican Plan is an outgrowth of the 850 scientists from 83 countries and 300 non-governmental organizations from 54 countries that have signed a letter to Secretary General Kofi Annan asking the UN to implement a moratorium on industrial longlining in the Pacific.
PM Martin’s address can be found at:
http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/news.asp?id=476
Leatherback Resources:
∑ A pre-release copy of the new book Striplining the Pacific can be downloaded at:
∑ http://www.seaturtles.org/pdf/Striplining.final.2.pdf
∑ Review copy of the documentary film Last Journey for the Leatherback? is available upon request
∑ B-roll video footage is available upon request
∑ Interviews with leading scientists are available
∑ The scientist petition is available at:
click here
∑ The NGO petition is available at:
click here
∑ Press packet is available upon request
The Sea Turtle Restoration Project is a California-based marine conservation organization that works to protect sea turtles and other marine species in the United States and in countries around the world. For more information about sea turtles and the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, please visit: www.seaturtles.org and www.savetheleatherback.com
Posted by Surfbirds at 02:36 PM | Comments (0)