5 Southeastern forests safer from logging

A recent collaboration between industry and environmental groups resulted in Georgia-Pacific announcing that it would not buy wood fiber from areas recognized as environmentally sensitive or where slow-growing hardwood forests have been cleared in order to plant quick-growing pine.

In a press release, American Bird Conservancy lauded Georgia-Pacific's new policy, which affects 11 sites, and pointed out that five sites are globally Important Bird Areas. When a site receives the IBA title, it's recognized as significantly important habitat for one or more bird species.

The five IBA sites are
* Francis Marion National Forest (8,000 acres) in South Carolina, known for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches and Prairie Warblers;
* Congaree Swamp (26,000 acres) in South Carolina, known for Barred Owls, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Prothonotary Warblers and Swainson’s Warblers;
* Alligator River region (213,000 acres) in North Carolina, known for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers as well as several thousand wintering ducks and swans;
* Great Dismal Swamp (180,000 acres) in Virginia, known for Swainson’s Warblers, Chuck-will’s-widows, Wood Thrush, and Kentucky, Prairie and Worm-eating Warblers;
* Croatan National Forest (40,000 acres) in North Carolina, known for carnivorous plants as well as Peregrine Falcons, Bachman’s Sparrows, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (62 clusters) and Swallow-tailed Kites.

To learn more about IBAs, click here for an incredible 15-page PDF that includes maps, graphs, pictures and details.

American Bird Conservancy auctions original bird paintings

Via eBay, American Bird Conservancy is accepting bids on original artwork by Paul J. Greenfield. With Robert S. Ridgely, Greenfield created "The Birds of Ecuador" and now provides 11 bird paintings to raise funds for ABC.

The unframed acrylic paintings measure approximately 22 inches by 14 inches, and the starting bids range from $5,000 to $8,500. Close to 100% of the final sale price will go to ABC.

Each painting will arrive with a certificate of authenticity. Bidding will end on Oct. 23.

Puffbirds (right)
Rails, Gallinules, Coots
Raptors
Woodpeckers
Herons, Ibises, & Spoonbills
Hummingbirds
Gnateaters & Tapaculos
Jacamars & New World Barbets
Miscellaneous Species
Wood-Quail & Seedsnipes
plus a piece not in the field guide: Masked Trogons with a current bird of $415

From ABC:

Paul J. Greenfield has studied and painted birds in Ecuador for over 35 years. He undertook the initial work for these paintings at his studio in Ecuador, and completed the pieces at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Paul is closely involved in the conservation of the birds he paints, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Jocotoco Foundation, ABC's Ecuadorian partner group, alongside the book's co-author Robert Ridgely.

Praise for the field guide:

"A monumental work that sets a new standard for South American bird guides, The Birds of Ecuador fills a huge information vacuum. These volumes are a fitting tribute to the authors' passion and commitment to pass on their unparalleled knowledge of one of the world's richest avifaunas. Ecuador's nearly 1,600 bird species are here made accessible in a user-friendly format." --Steve N.G. Howell, author of "A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America"

Outdoor cats and wild birds: a video discussion

Many birders know that pet cats allowed to roam outdoors as well as feral cats often prey on wild birds. Information from various sources, such as National Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy, reinforce the negative effect that outdoor cats have on native wildlife. The topic's been a lightning rod for decades and likely will remain so, because humans place different priorities on domesticated cats and wild birds.

Cat Fancy - a monthly national magazine focused on responsible pet care - advocates indoor-only cats. Susan Logan, the editor, invited me to join her in a video discussion about wild birds and outdoor cats. We talked about various aspects of the situation, including trap-neuter-release programs and the effectiveness of TNR.

You'll find the video here, and I'm curious about your reactions to it.

Also, how would you reply to someone who says "We love the birds but the cats have to eat also"? Do you talk about this topic with friends and relatives who allow their pet cats to roam outdoors?

News roundup

From American Bird Conservancy: On Sept. 17, Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), George Voinovich (R-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced Senate bill S. 3490 to increase funds for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI) and Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) introduced a similar bill, H.R. 5756, in the House of Representatives.

Want to contact your political representatives? Here are the senators, and here are the representatives.

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From Cornell Lab of Ornithology: "Little Green Places" contest deadline is Oct. 31. The "Celebrate Urban Birds" program invites birders to send photos, drawings or links to videos that show small urban spaces that provide shelter, food or water. You can send your Littel Green Place to urbanbirds AT cornell DOT edu. Many details appear here.

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Again from ABC, on a topic dear to my heart:

A new study has found that federal and state funding to conserve and recover Hawaiian birds species listed under the Endangered Species Act is much lower than for mainland birds, and is insufficient to recover the many declining bird species on the islands.

The study found that on average, endangered bird species on the mainland received 15 times more funding than endangered Hawaiian birds. Of the total spent toward recovery of listed bird species between 1996-2004, the 31 birds unique to Hawaii received only 4.1% of the recovery funds available from all sources, which included the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other federal sources, and the state, even though nearly one third of all U.S. endangered birds are found exclusively on Hawaii.

Nearly one-third of all U.S. endangered birds live on the Hawaiian islands?!
Do mainland birders support the conservation of Hawaiian species?
Are they talking to the agencies and individuals who control recovery funds?
Or is this a long-term case of "out of sight, out of mind"?

More birders than AARP members?

From The Daily Green:

One in six Americans is a bird lover, and yet the political clout that would be marshaled by other constituencies of that size has not had as big an influence, the heads of the nation's biggest birding groups told reporters as they discussed the 2007 WatchList of imperiled U.S. birds.

"There are more birders than Baptists. There are more birders than there are members in the AARP," said George Fenwick, president of the American Bird Conservancy.

The Audubon Society, particularly, is active politically. And there are signs that there is bipartisan federal support for bird conservation, despite the constituency being relatively unorganized. That has resulted in federal bird conservation programs remaining stable during the Bush Administration, when several other environmental programs saw dramatic cuts.

"... federal bird conservation programs remaining stable during the Bush Administration" -- That clause intrigues me.

This also intrigues me: "the political clout that would be marshaled by other constituencies of that size has not had as big an influence..." Why hasn't the birding community created a stronger, cohesive political presence? What has prevented us from doing that -- ourselves?

Possible Four Seasons hotel endangers national bird

On the Caribbean island of Grenada, a resort development is putting the Grenada Dove at risk. Less than 100 doves remain, according to American Bird Conservancy.

On Hog Island, bulldozers have cleared half of the land.

For more information, read the ABC comment letter sent to the developer, Capital 88. Four Seasons contact information appears here.

Photo courtesy of ABC.

Hazards to wild birds

In the Oct. 1 print edition of High Country News, an article (subscription only) included a sidebar called Avian Hazards. It estimated the number of birds killed annually in the United States, based on data from U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and American Ornithologists' Union.

Buildings: 550,000,000
Power lines: 130,000,000
Cats: 100,000,000
Automobiles: 80,000,000
Pesticides: 67,000,000
Wind turbines: 28,500
Airplanes: 25,000

Look at the number of casualties caused by cats. Wow. If that figure concerns you, consider sharing information from the American Bird Conservancy's Cats Indoors program with neighbors, friends and relatives.

First lady visits Midway Atoll

Earlier this month, first lady Laura Bush visited Midway Atoll, participated in a Native Hawaiian ceremony for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument and planted native bunch grass that will benefit endangered Laysan Ducks. (Click on the map for a larger version.)

Bush said she has been an avid bird-watcher all her life, but she does not keep a checklist of birds she has seen, as some birders do. She noted that she had never before seen any of the three albatrosses she saw yesterday: the Laysan albatross, the rarer black-footed albatross and the only golden albatross in the country.

Asked if she had volunteered to make this trip, Bush did not hesitate in answering, "Absolutely."

Bush also said she supports the removal of lead paint from former Navy buildings; the paint chips poison the birds, prompting conservation groups like American Bird Conservancy to campaign for full and prompt funding of the clean-up effort.


Photo courtesy of Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Mitsubishi foundation helps birds in western Mexico

American Bird Conservancy and its Mexican partner, Pronatura Noreste, recently coordinated the purchase of 865 acres of coastal wetlands in Bahia Santa Maria, Mexico. Mitsubishi International Corporation Foundation made it possible by donating $206,000.

That donation paved the way for $238,000 via the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. That funding will allow Pronatura Noreste to restore the tidal flow to the wetlands, currently disrupted by dikes created for a now-defunct shrimp farm.

On the Gulf of California (the paler blue area), Bahia Santa Maria -- between the cities Los Mochis and Culiacan -- hosts various wintering wetland-dependent birds, including 25 percent of all Western Sandpipers. Other visitors include Blue-footed Booby, Laughing Gull, Heermann’s Gull, Royal and Least Terns, Marbled Godwits, Long-billed Curlew and Stilt Sandpipers.