Surfbirds News: September 2007 Archives

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September 22, 2007

“Alarm-call” for China’s rarest bird

A recent study of Chinese Crested Tern highlights that the global population has fallen to less than fifty individuals, half what they were just three years ago.

The study believes that the main cause of this decline is an unregulated expansion in trade for seabird eggs, a local delicacy that has risen in demand alongside a thriving tourist economy.

Without urgent action conservationists have given the bird less than five years before disappearing completely from its two remaining breeding areas.

Chinese Crested Tern © Bjorn Anderson

Chinese Crested Tern Sterna bernstein is China’s rarest bird, listed by BirdLife International as Critically Endangered – the most severe threat category.

First discovered in 1861 and rarely recorded since, Chinese Crested Tern was largely presumed extinct until 2000, when four adults and four chicks were found amongst a colony of other tern species on Matsu, an island off the coast of Fujian Province. In 2004, it was discovered breeding at another site: Jiushan Islands, on the coast of Zhejiang Province of eastern China. At present these are the only known breeding sites in the world.

“We all thought we had lost this species sixty years ago and were so happy to hear of its rediscovery in 2000," commented Simba Chan, Senior Conservation Manager at BirdLife’s Asia Division. “Its survival in Fujian and Zhejiang waters was probably due to the tension between Beijing and Taipei.”

“It would be such an irony if the Chinese Crested Tern survived amid the hostility in the Taiwanese Strait, yet becomes extinct now the relationship between Beijing and Taipei gradually normalises,” he added.

“Both sides of the Strait should work together to save this, the rarest bird in China - otherwise it will be sure to follow the Baiji [Yangtze River Dolpin] as another ecological tragedy of the early 21st century.”

The recent survey, undertaken by a Chinese survey team, is the first time Chinese Crested Tern have been surveyed over successive breeding seasons.

“Compared with 2004, the population size has decreased by more than 50 percent,” said Dr Chen Shuihua, who led the Chinese Crested Tern survey team. “Our investigation indicated that its survival is under very severe pressure and on the verge of extinction.”

The study suggests that egg-collecting poses by far the most dramatic threat to Chinese Crested Tern, whereby seabird eggs are collected by local fishermen in the belief that wild eggs have more nutritious value than poultry eggs.

“With rapid economic development along the east coastal area in China, tourism and catering have also developed rapidly,” explained Dr Chen. “As a result a large number of sidewalk snack booths have emerged in the coastal areas of Zhejiang and Fujian.”

Seabird eggs have become a popular delicacy, yet there is little awareness that some of these eggs may come from threatened species.

The report indicates that the going rate for one seabird egg at Juexi (nearby the Jiushan Island breeding colony) was approximately 15 Chinese yuans ($2USD) in 2005. In two years this price has more than doubled: seabird eggs now sell for 35 Chinese yuans (about $4.5USD), encouraging more people into the egg-collecting trade.

In 2005 and 2006, the Chinese Crested Tern breeding colony disappeared altogether on Jiushan Island, most likely a sign of breeding failure caused by egg-collecting. Subsequent findings have reinforced this opinion: “We saw few newborn seabirds in our 2006 and 2007 breeding season surveys,” added Dr Chen.

BirdLife International are among those putting together an action plan that will draw together measures needed to save Chinese Crested Tern. Among the actions needing urgent implementation are: enhancing protection of breeding habitats, stationing wardens, regular monitoring, and regulations for selling and collecting of seabird eggs in eastern China.

“China has a good record on taking action to save other bird species from extinction - this alarm-call to save Chinese Crested Tern has hopefully come just in time,” said Simba.

Read Graham Talbot's Chinese Crested Tern Twitch at surfbirds

Posted by Surfbirds at 7:28 AM | Comments (0)

Bulgaria and Romania enrich EU through Important Bird Areas

BirdLife International has today launched inventories of the most important sites for wild birds in the two new Member States of the European Union, Bulgaria and Romania.

Altogether 244 of these internationally important sites for biodiversity, known as Important Bird Areas (IBAs), have been identified in the two countries. They cover 40% of combined land surface.

IBAs serve as a reference list for those areas to be protected by Member States under the EU Birds Directive and the Natura 2000 network.

The BirdLife Partners in Bulgaria (BSPB) and Romania (SOR) present their IBA inventories nine months after the countries joined the EU.

Red-breasted Goose, © Szilágyi Attila

The IBAs identified cover a diverse range of habitats such as lowland and mountain forests, wetlands and grasslands– landscapes that are rapidly disappearing from the rest of Europe.

In Bulgaria, a large part of the IBAs designated host twenty-three globally threatened species like Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca, Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata and Red-Breasted Goose Branta ruficollis, which represents 70% of the global wintering population. Forty-six of Bulgarian IBAs hold important congregations of migratory species e.g. White Stork Ciconia ciconia, Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina and Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus.

In Romania, a large proportion of the IBAs support the twelve globally threatened species that occur in Romania, either as breeding or wintering species. The country plays an important role in maintaining the European breeding populations of seven species (Dalmatian pelican Pelecanus crispus, Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus, Saker Falcon Falco cherrug, Corncrake Crex crex and European Roller Coracias garrulus), and also supports important wintering populations of Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus, Red-breasted Goose, White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala and Greater-spotted Eagle Aquila clanga.

Romanian IBAs also support more than 50% of the EU breeding population of seven species, including Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides, Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus and Red-footed Falcon.

However, BirdLife is very concerned that the legal protection of these areas will not keep pace with the rapid economic development, including for tourism along the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria and in the mountains of Romania.

"We want the governments of both countries to urgently put in place the legal protection required by EU legislation, before irreversible damage is done to these sites of high natural beauty" said Konstantin Kreiser, EU Policy Manager, BirdLife's European Division.

Posted by Surfbirds at 7:14 AM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2007

UK divers buck Europe’s tumbling trend

The latest survey of black-throated and red-throated divers by the RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has found the two species have increased in the UK by 16 and 34 per cent respectively in the last 12 years.

Both have declined in Europe overall and the black-throated diver was last week made a conservation priority by the UK government because of the declines elsewhere.

Black-throated Diver, Highland, June 2006 © Stuart Elsom

Man-made rafts, anchored in remote Scottish lochs, are thought to be helping the rarer black-throated diver breed more successfully but the good fortunes of the red-throated diver – the bird whose winter numbers altered the huge London Array wind farm – are a mystery, conservationists say.

Stuart Benn, Senior Conservation Officer for the RSPB, said: “To be increasing the numbers of these birds while they decline elsewhere is fantastic.

'Both species are highlights of the uplands - they look stunning and make some of the most fascinating sounds in nature. Divers are celebrated in American culture and should be similarly lauded and applauded here. They are brilliant birds.”

Black-throated divers rose from 187 pairs in 1994 to 217 pairs in 2006 but have declined by more than 50 per cent across Europe since 1970. In the Highlands - their stronghold – they were declining because fluctuating loch waters were flooding some nests while eggs on others were being lost to collectors and predators.

The new study shows the greatest increase in the Outer Hebrides but in the Highlands, numbers of this yodelling bird have also risen. A total of 58 rafts have been installed in remote lochs in the region.

Planted with turf and heather, the rafts look like natural islands within two years. “We installed them because of the flooding of lochs with a lot of incoming water or with hydroelectric dams,” Stuart Benn said. “The rafts also protect the birds from land predators and birds now using the rafts are producing twice as many chicks as those nesting on land.

“We can’t say hand on heart that the overall increase is due to the rafts because we haven’t ringed the chicks but there is no doubt that the rafts have turned out to be very, very good at what they do.”

Red-throated Diver © Frank Dhermain

Red-throated diver numbers have jumped from 935 to 1,255 breeding pairs in 12 years. However, the Shetland population is still much lower than the 700 pairs found in 1983. That study surveyed Shetland only and the new results showed only 407 pairs nesting on the Isles.

The red-throated diver is steeped in mythology and is known as the rain goose in its strongholds of Orkney and Shetland. In the 19th century, it was regarded as a foreteller of storms in many parts of the world.

Dr Mark Eaton, an RSPB scientist, said: “We feared the numbers of red-throated divers might drop because the warming of the North Sea seems to be reducing stocks of the fish they feed on. The black-throated diver could also be at risk in the future, despite the recent increases. If climate change causes loch temperatures to rise, the small fish the birds feed on could grow too large to eat.

“Divers are up there with eagles and other iconic birds and are one of the things people go to Scotland to see. They are birds of mountains and lochs so if you are watching them in Britain, there’s a good chance you’re in picture postcard countryside as well. We should be doing all we can to tackle climate change and limit the damage to these birds’ habitats.”

Dr Sue Haysom, an ornithologist with SNH, said: “SNH is greatly encouraged by the signals coming from this research. These are key species of Scotland's wild loch habitats and any increase in their numbers is a welcome contribution to the health of Scotland's natural heritage.”

Posted by Surfbirds at 6:56 AM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2007

Another good season for Great Yarmouth's little terns

The number of young birds flying at Britain's largest colony of little terns at Great Yarmouth has surprised and pleased the RSPB.

The final tally of 156 young little terns produced at the little tern colony at North Denes beach meant many nesting birds overcame the hazards of poor summer weather.

Little Tern, Suffolk, © Robert Wincup

One of Britain's scarcest seabirds, the little terns had their usual helping hand from the RSPB, Natural England and Great Yarmouth Borough Council, whose joint project protected the little terns from disturbance and predation.

There was a peak nest count of 276 nests, so an average of a little over half a chick per pair fledged successfully. Some nests were lost to high tides and foxes, related in part to the untypical weather. Predation from kestrels was at a low level, like last year.

The cold and wet summer also meant fewer people came to see the birds than usual, though those that did come – including six school groups and Great Yarmouth MP Tony Wright – enjoyed good views of the terns set against the contrasting back-drop of Yarmouth's Golden Mile.

During late May and June, there were also up to 83 pairs of little terns at Winterton Dunes National Nature Reserve, but these were unsuccessful and many birds appeared to move to Great Yarmouth North Denes.

This year's fair results follow last year's count of 673 fledglings – young birds that successfully flew – from 369 nests. That was the highest number in 22 years of the protection scheme, one of the biggest colonies of little terns in Europe.

Mark Smart, site manager of the RSPB's Berney Marshes nature reserve and little tern project manager said, 'We are really pleased that the little terns had a successful breeding season here, especially following last year's bumper season. We have our ups and downs, but over two decades the Great Yarmouth colony is a long-running success story – thanks to a dedicated team of RSPB staff and volunteers.

Mark Smart continued: 'However really little terns should be nesting in small numbers all along our sandy coasts. So although we're pleased with how they are doing at Great Yarmouth, it's also a pity that the national population is so reliant on this one big site.'

Posted by Surfbirds at 6:44 AM | Comments (0)

Lake Chad might seem a long way off

Lake Chad in Africa is shrinking and its contraction is amongst changes highlighted in the updated Times Atlas of the World.

Lake Chad has retreated by 95 per cent since 1963 because of water extraction, increased population, overgrazing and less rainfall. This is bad news for Britain’s migrating birds.

Millions of birds including cuckoos, spotted flycatchers, wheatears and turtle doves fly thousands of miles annually, between wintering sites in southern Africa and nesting areas in Britain and other parts of Europe.

Turtle Dove, Jersey, © Romano da Costa

These birds have all declined, in some cases by more than 50 per cent. Problems finding enough food before they return to Britain are amongst the difficulties they are facing.

The Sahel region, where Lake Chad lies, is a major refuelling site for migrating birds. They stop here to feed on insects and berries. A shrunken Lake Chad means much of the vegetation harbouring this food has gone. Less food means underfed birds means fewer will make it to the UK.

We have already noticed, both through survey and anecdote, substantial declines of spotted flycatchers, turtle doves and cuckoos.

There are other crises these birds are facing – turtle doves are shot in southern Europe and the best nesting holes may be taken by the time spotted flycatchers arrive - but the drying of Lake Chad, the Sahel and the neighbouring Sahara desert, is still a major problem.

There are things we can do to help. We can continue to press the UK government to work with other governments to reduce global greenhouse emissions and check the symptoms of climate change including reduced rainfall.

We can press the Cypriot and Maltese governments to ban the hunting of turtle doves, most urgently in the spring before they have had chance to breed.

And we can urge farmers here to take up opportunities to retain and plant hedgerows and trees to provide more food and nesting sites for migrant birds when they arrive.

Lake Chad might seem a long way off but as the migrating bird flies it is not, assuming these birds have enough energy to get here and assuming they have a decent chance of return.

Posted by Surfbirds at 6:36 AM | Comments (0)

More birds than ever face extinction – but success stories highlight way forward

As the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reveals the scale of the escalating extinction crisis occurring across the planet, an unobtrusive parakeet from Mauritius is showing that, with funding and dedicated fieldworkers, species can recover from the brink of extinction.

Released today, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reveals that unprecedented numbers of species are now threatened with extinction. For birds, the Red List is maintained by BirdLife International, who report that 1,221 species are considered threatened with extinction. The overall conservation status of the world’s birds has deteriorated steadily since 1988, when they were first comprehensively assessed.

189 birds are now listed as Critically Endangered - the highest threat category.

Yet even among these severely threatened birds is a small number whose survival odds are improving, providing case-studies to others for how species can be successfully saved. The most encouraging recovery seen in the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species was Mauritius (Echo) Parakeet, once dubbed “the rarest parrot on Earth”.

Mauritius Parakeet Psittacula eques –a green parrot, males of which have a bright red bill - was once down to just 10 birds in the 1970s, but today saw the World Conservation Union (IUCN) announce its move from Critically Endangered to Endangered.

“Mauritius Parakeet is an inspiring example of how species can be helped to recover even from the brink of extinction,” commented Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife’s Global Species Coordinator.

In the last century the species has suffered from a multitude of threats all of which contributed to substantial declines; yet concerted actions, involving local and international conservationists, the government and people of Mauritius –with support from an array of international funders- has seen the species’ chances of survival improve.

“Our work in saving other Critically Endangered birds on Mauritius has taught us that you must tackle the root causes of decline and be prepared to address these issues first,” says Vikash Tatayah of the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation (MWF), the island’s sole terrestrial conservation NGO.

For Mauritius Parakeet, these threats included introduced nest predators (in particular Black Rat), decline of the native fruits on which the parakeets feed (itself outcompeted by invasive non-native plants, and eaten by feral pigs), and a loss of suitable nesting sites.

“These parrots only naturally nest in old canopy trees, which are disappearing across the island,” Vikash explains. “Many years of hard work went into tackling the shortage of nest sites and finally we’ve come up with a design acceptable to Echo Parakeets and requiring less maintenance. The parakeets now nest in artificial cavities more than the traditional nest cavities.”

“The artificial cavities also control for invasive nest predators –another long-term threat to the birds,” Vikash continues. “The boxes are rat-proofed, overhanging trees are trimmed, we poison for rats on the ground, and staple plastic sheeting around trees to reduce predation of eggs and chicks by rats. These are simple but essential measures to help get the population back on its feet.”

This is the third such downlisting to occur on Mauritius in recent years due to the efforts of MWF. In 2000, Pink Pigeon Nesoenas mayeri, down to just nine birds a decade earlier, was downlisted to Endangered and now numbers 400 birds. Likewise, Mauritius Kestrel Falco punctatus, went from just four birds in 1974 and now numbers approximately 1,000 individuals.

On being asked the secret of their success Vikash answers: “It’s no use saying ‘a parrot is a parrot, a pigeon is a pigeon’; instead we must ask how we can use the lessons we have learnt on restoring populations of other threatened birds – we must pass information on, learn from our experiences and the experiences of other projects worldwide.”

“We’ve needed fantastic support and that’s what we’ve got: both technical and financial but you also need excellent and dedicated people in the field. Whilst funding is crucial, equally so is having trained people in the field – people make the difference.”

The news is of encouragement to those working in conservation within the BirdLife Partnership, once again proving that with adequate investment and trained people on the ground, threatened species do recover.

Two weeks ago the first Mauritius Parakeet eggs of the season were laid and MWF is confident that, due to good native fruit season, a sufficient number of young parrots will fledge to maintain the population.

“Mauritius Parakeet is still Endangered – we still have lots of work to do,” states Vikash. MWF will continue conservation work on the species until the Mauritius Parakeet population is self-sustaining, but by working to maintain habitats, control predators and promote biodiversity they hope to improve the survival odds of other species that too depend on the island’s biodiversity. “People included,” adds Vikash.

“Like other species that have been saved from extinction, reversing the fortunes of the Mauritius Parakeet took painstaking research to identify the threats, sufficient funding and sustained efforts by dedicated fieldworkers to implement the necessary actions,” said BirdLife’s Dr Stuart Butchart.

“Across the world there are dedicated people struggling to repeat this story for other species, but they need the resources to achieve this.”

For more on today’s Red List 2007 announcements visit: www.iucn.org

Posted by Surfbirds at 6:18 AM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2007

Timing running out for polar bears

A new report on the fate of polar bears in a world of climate change predicts disaster for one of the world's most charismatic species, the global conservation organization WWF said today.

"We now have official confirmation that the largest living land predator is going to go extinct in our lifetime,” said Dr Neil Hamilton, Director of the WWF Arctic Programme.

The report by the US Geological Survey predicts that changes in sea ice will result in the loss of about two-thirds of the world's polar bear population by 2050. This is almost certainly an underestimate of the predicted impact because of the consistent underestimates in sea-ice loss (currently about 25 per cent ) of current models.

Polar Bear, Nunavut, Canada, James Bay July 2006 © Paul Jones

"The world is still discussing whether or not to take rapid action against climate change," said Dr Hamilton. "Politicians are fiddling at the edges while the Arctic wilderness succumbs to global warming; but in the meantime, they are sending one of the world’s greatest species on its way to extinction."

The full report can be found at:
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/special/polar_bears/

Posted by Surfbirds at 6:53 AM | Comments (0)