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April 15, 2006
Toxic algae off W Coast US is killing off brown pelicans
April 2006-- San Pedro, CA -- Pelicans are falling victim of the same toxic bloom of ocean algae that's sickening sea lions and also making shellfish unfit for human consumption, wildlife rescuers said Wednesday.
More than forty Brown Pelicans have been taken to the International Bird Rescue Research Center in San Pedro in the past week, 18 of those dead on arrival and the rest receiving treatment. Many more are dying in the wild, either at sea or on inaccessible jetties, center officials said.
A neurotoxin produced by the algae makes its way up the food chain to the pelicans and marine mammals and can result in seizures and death for the wildlife. Meanwhile, the state Department of Health Services issued a warning against the consumption of certain sport-harvested mussels, and parts of anchovies, sardines, lobsters and crabs. The shellfish and fish are unfit for people and their pets due to the toxic algae bloom.
Brown Pelican, Mexico, Acapolco January 2002 © Terry Lunn from the Surfbirds Galleries
The poisoning has misdirected some pelicans to places like Commerce and Hollywood, farther inland than they would normally go. Others are just dropping from the sky. "They become very disoriented, they fly in different directions, they even fall out of the sky," said IBRRC Executive Director Jay Holcomb. "Yesterday we got one out of a parking lot in San Pedro."
The first signs of "domoic acid" poisoning started showing up in February among sea lions. Where possible, the animals are taken to the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro. Now that center's next-door neighbor at Fort MacArthur, the bird center, is starting to take in sick pelicans exhibiting the head-bobbing, shaking symptoms characteristic of domoic acid poisoning.
Posted by Surfbirds at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)
April 06, 2006
Rufous-tailed Robin admitted to Category A of the British List
The British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (BOURC) has admitted Rufous-tailed Robin Luscinia sibilans to category A of the British List following the occurrence of a first-winter bird on Fair Isle, Shetland on 23 October 2004 (sight record, photographed, trapped).
Rufous-tailed Robin, Shetland, Fair Isle 23rd Oct © Simon Mitchell
Rufous-tailed Robin is a long distance migrant breeding in the Siberian taiga from the lower Yenesei valley in the west, across the Russian Far East to Northern Mongolia. It winters largely in southern China and eastern Southeast Asia. Within its known breeding range it is relatively scarce, but breeds within the range of other known vagrants such as Siberian Blue Robin and Pallas's Warbler.
The species is uncommon in the cage bird trade, and is known to be difficult to breed with no breeding reported since 2001. European import bans in place in autumn 2004 due to the Avian Infleunza outbreak in the Far East has curbed the trade of wild birds from the Far East to Europe, so legal channels of import for this and other eastern species were closed before and during the period of this occurrence. Illegal imports into the EU cannot be totally discounted, but the balance of opinion in this case, was firmly in favour of genuine vagrancy.
This is the first record for the Western Palearctic. One subsequent report: Bialystock, Poland on 30-31 December 2005.
Interestingly, this species was predicted by Ian Wallace as a likely vagrant to occur in Europe in his Palearctic Passerine Predictions paper in British Birds in 1980.
Eric Meek, Chairman of BOURC commented "Siberian vagrants always provide their finders with a special sort of thrill, and the excitement of this particular find has already been well documented. An inveterate skulker of forest floors, most birders, if they have encountered this species at all, will have seen it at one of the Far East's migration watch points such as Beidaihe. That this one turned up on Fair Isle, where forest floors are few and far between, at least gave the observers a better chance of prolonged views. Long considered a possibility for the British List, members of the BOURC were unanimous in their agreement that Rufous-tailed Robin should be added to Category A of the British List"
The British List now stands at 573 species (Category A =3D 553; Category B =3D 10; Category C =3D 10).
Posted by Surfbirds at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
Birdwatchers could be at risk of deadly european virus
Birdwatching enthusiasts visiting central and eastern Europe in 2006 are being warned about a potentially life-threatening disease.
The 'Tick Alert' campaign is warning about Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE), a viral disease contracted via the bite of an infected tick. It can lead to meningitis and in serious cases result in paralysis and death, with about one in 30 cases proving fatal.
The warning identifies 16 European countries where the TBE infected tick population is officially endemic and therefore poses a high risk to visitors who have not been immunised or taken bite prevention precautions.
These include Estonia, which holds records for bird spotting, Poland, and its Biebrza Marshes and Hungary, with some of the finest and yet most undisturbed birdwatching in Europe today.
At-risk groups include all visitors to rural areas of endemic countries, particularly those participating in outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking and camping.
A number of measures can be taken to reduce the risk of infection: these include using an insect repellent, wearing trousers and long-sleeved clothing to cover all areas of exposed skin, regularly inspecting for tick bites and carefully removing any found. The disease can also be transmitted by the ingestion of unpasteurised milk which should be avoided.
Tick diseases are not only found abroad. Families planning camping and activity holidays in rural areas of the UK are being urged to protect themselves against home-grown tick diseases. It is estimated the number of UK cases of Lyme disease could be as high as 2,000 a year.
However, the Foreign Office advises that visitors to TBE endemic regions seek inoculation advice from their local surgery or clinic - well before travelling.
Immunisation against TBE is available from specialist travel health clinics and at GP surgeries and healthcare centres.
Further information on the endemic regions of Europe and latest advice for travellers is available at www.masta.org/tickalert.
Birdwatching in the UK may also expose the risk from ticks carrying Lyme disease. Infected ticks are found throughout the UK, in particular Exmoor, the New Forest, the South Downs, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, Thetford Forest, the Lake District, the Yorkshire moors and the Scottish Highlands. It is estimated the number of UK cases of Lyme disease could be as high as 2,000 a year.
Posted by Surfbirds at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)