Harpy Eagle nest found north of known range

From Environmental News Network comes a press release about the discovery of a Harpy Eagle nest with chicks located in Belize, 700 miles north of the raptor's known range.

TOLEDO DISTRICT, Belize – Scientists recently discovered an active Harpy Eagle nest in the Maya Mountains of Belize. Thought to be locally extinct in Belize since 2000 and extirpated from Mexico and most of Central America north of Panama, Harpy Eagles (Harpia harpyja) are designated as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are considered “Critically Endangered” in Belize.


This discovery by a team from the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education is significant because the active nest represents the most-northerly known Harpy Eagle nest in the Americas. According to H. Lee Jones, author of The Birds of Belize, it is the first active Harpy Eagle nest recorded in Belize. Over 1100 km (~700 miles) separate these eagles from other populations.


Harpy Eagles are known as the most powerful eagle in the Americas, hunting prey as large as monkeys and sloths for food. With 7-foot wingspans and individual birds weighing up to 20 pounds, they are a formidable predator. Due to deforestation and hunting, Harpy Eagles are typically missing from most of Central America’s rainforests where they once freely ranged.

Whooping Cranes' progress in Operation Migration

Weather in Hardin County, Tenn., has grounded the 10 young Whooping Cranes migrating from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin to Chassahowitzka NWR in Florida. (Click on the image to see a larger version.)

With guidance from three ultralight aircraft, the birds will fly more than 1,280 miles to reach their wintering grounds. This year's flock began their journey on October 10, and as of today, migration day 51, they've flown about 646 miles. You can compare their progress to previous years' timelines.

Why do ultralight pilots help these captive-bred cranes travel south? Look here for details about Grus americana, North America's tallest bird, and its struggle to return to a healthy population from an all-time low of 15 birds in 1941. You can learn more about Whooping Cranes and hear their calls here.

If you want to increase your odds of seeing the big birds along their migration route, look at this list of flyover locations. The OM crew stresses that their movements depend on the weather, so watchers need to remain flexible and understand that the birds might have to sit tight for a day or more if winds and other factors prove inhospitable.

Those of us who can't see the flock in person have another option: CraneCam. The site says:

Please note the camera will be broadcasting a LIVE feed while airborne with the young Whooping cranes. Best viewing time is (weather permitting) each day beginning at 7am Central and ending at approximately 9am. On days when weather is favorable, we will also set up the camera near the travel enclosure at each of our stopovers.

Three Hawaiian seabirds at risk from utility cooperative

Three seabirds in the Hawaiian Islands prompted a utility cooperative on Kauai to submit a draft Habitat Conservation Plan and an Environmental Assessment for public review. The HCP and EA are part of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative's application for an incidental take permit for bird species protected under the Endangered Species Act. The public may review and comment on the documents until Nov. 29.

The three species are Hawaiian Petrel (endangered, right), Newell's Shearwater (threatened, below) and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (a candidate for listing). According to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

The three seabirds breed on Kauai, feed in the open ocean and spend the majority of the year at sea. Adults generally return to their colonial nesting grounds in the interior mountains of Kauai beginning in March and April and depart beginning in September.

Fledglings – young birds learning how to fly – travel from the nesting colony to the sea in the fall. Both adults and fledglings are known to collide with tall buildings, towers, powerlines, and other structures while flying at night between their nesting colonies and at-sea foraging areas.

These birds, particularly fledglings, are also attracted to bright lights that disorient them. Disoriented birds are commonly observed circling around exterior light sources until they fall to the ground or collide with structures, resulting in possible injury or death.

KIUC has requested an incidental take permit because its lawful activities - generating and distributing electricity - will cause the occasional death of a bird during the operation and maintenance of its facilities during the next five years. The draft HCP describes KIUC's plans to "minimize, mitigate and monitor" incidental take.

For many more details about the draft HCP and EA, visit the link above.

Hawaiian Petrel, top, courtesy of Jim Denny/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Newell's Shearwater courtesy of Brenda Zaun/USFWS

Pelican chicks receive new start in Florida

From North Bay Village, Fla., north of Miami:

The Pelican Harbor Seabird Station in North Bay Village has become the adoptive home of dozens of Brown Pelican chicks endangered by the oil spill in the Gulf. These chicks are the first to arrive at a facility that's been getting ready to take in avian refugees.

The 45 pelican chicks had been treated at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La., but they could not stay because more birds were expected.

Stock photo: Brown Pelican chick

Lead paint kills rare Pacific seabirds

American Bird Conservancy renewed its efforts this week on behalf of Laysan Albatrosses on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. The rare seabirds unfortunately eat lead-based paint chips from 70 abandoned buildings, and the conservation group -- plus Conservation Council for Hawai'i and Hawai'i Audubon Society -- want Congress to provide funds to remove the paint.

“Curious Albatross chicks are ingesting the lead-based paint chips, which causes a variety of painful ailments and ultimately, a slow death,” said Dr. Jessica Hardesty Norris, Seabird Program Director for ABC. ...

In a paper to be released in the scientific journal Animal Conservation, Dr. Myra Finkelstein of the University of California Santa Cruz and co-authors, including scientists and managers from the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, concluded that the death of Laysan Albatross chicks from lead exposure on Midway has long-term consequences for the nesting population of Laysan Albatrosses there. By 2060, there may be as many as 190,000 fewer albatrosses due to lead poisoning. By contrast, removing lead-based paint now could increase the population by up to 360,000 by 2060.

Laysan Albatross courtesy of International Bird Rescue Research Center/Jay Holcomb

2nd California Condor shot, recovering from lead poisoning

From an e-mail sent by the California Department of Fish and Game this afternoon:

Second California Condor Shot
Biologists on Central Coast Discover Three Pellets Lodged in Critically Endangered Bird

BIG SUR, Calif. - Three weeks after finding an adult male condor with 15 shotgun pellets lodged in its body, biologists at the Ventana Wildlife Society found three lead pellets in a juvenile female. The second bird, condor #375, was trapped by biologists on March 26 in Big Sur. The timing of the shooting is currently unknown.

After conducting a routine blood test, Ventana Wildlife Society biologists learned that the second bird is suffering from lead poisoning. An investigation is under way, and the public is asked to contact law enforcement agencies listed below with any information on these shootings.

X-rays of the ailing condor revealed three shotgun pellets embedded in its body - two in a wing and one in a thigh. Condor #375 was treated for lead poisoning and then immediately transferred to the Los Angeles Zoo for long-term treatment.

“We were alarmed when one condor was found shot, but now with two birds in such a short time, we are deeply concerned,” said Kelly Sorenson, director of Ventana Wildlife Society.

The wildlife agencies overseeing state and federal endangered species laws take any incident like this very seriously and will pursue justice for any criminal acts.

Defenders of Wildlife is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction of those responsible for the condor shootings.

“You can’t place a dollar sign on how valuable each condor living in the wild is for the survival of the species,” said Pamela Flick, the California program coordinator for Defenders of Wildlife. “But we hope that this contribution will help to catch those responsible for shooting this rare and vulnerable bird and show that harming endangered condors is illegal.”

Stiff state and federal penalties may be imposed for violations of the Endangered Species Act.

“Typically, hunters have a strong conservation ethic and do not randomly or intentionally harm protected species,” said California Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Branch Chief Eric Loft. “Any information about these shootings will help us prosecute for this egregious crime and will further protect this rare California species.”

Although both wounded condors are still alive, it remains unclear whether either would be able to return to the wild. The first bird found shot, condor #286, is still in critical condition with an incapacitated digestive tract due to lead poisoning. The condor remains alive only because veterinarians have been able to nourish him with a feeding tube.

While the prognosis for condor #375 is better, one shotgun pellet has impacted a bone in the left wing, and it is unclear whether there will be long-term impairment of her ability to fly. In both birds, the lead exposure is more likely from a different incident involving the ingestion of lead fragments.

Biologists have been working for decades to reestablish California condor populations in the wild. From a population low of just 22 condors in 1982, there are now 320 of these critically endangered birds in the world.

Approximately half of all California condors are flying free in the wilds of California, Arizona, Utah and Baja Mexico. California condors can live to be over 50 years old but do not begin breeding until they reach a minimum of six years.

Excessive mortality overwhelms the ability of long-lived, slow reproducers such as the condor. Even a low level of mortality is a serious threat to the population.
Due to lead’s toxic effect on condors, California changed hunting regulations in July 2008 to require hunters in the condor’s range to use only non-lead ammunition. Information on the new regulations can be found on DFG’s Web site.

Hunter Jake Theyerl of the Institute for Wildlife Studies has been working in Central California for the past year to get the word out about alternatives to lead ammunition. “Hunters in our region respect wildlife and work to be good stewards of the land,” Theyerl said. “There’s legitimate debate about what the best hunting practices are, but there’s no debate in the hunting community about shooting a condor. We just don’t do it.”

Pinnacles National Monument will be hosting a community forum in the coming month to discuss the California Condor Recovery effort. For more information, please call 831.389.4486 or go to the Web site.

Photo courtesy of Scott Frier/Nikon, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Birders asked to report migrating Whooping Cranes

This winter proved harsh for the big endangered birds that spend the colder months at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Rockport, Texas. Tom Stehn, whooping crane coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the last wild flock of whooping cranes lost 21 birds - six adults and 15 chicks.

Wildlife officials ask that birders share sightings of the birds by calling toll-free 800-792-1112, extension 4644, or emailing leeann.linam@tpwd.state.tx.us.

Photo courtesy of Earl Nottingham/Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

From the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department news release:

When added to 34 birds that left Texas in spring 2008 and failed to return in 2009, Stehn said 20 percent of the flock was lost during the last 12 months. The upshot is that only 249 birds will make the trip north this year. After an encouraging multi-year comeback in which flock numbers have grown each year, this marks the first year bird numbers have declined since 2001.

Stehn attributes the winter losses to poor habitat conditions in wintering grounds on the middle Texas coast. Low rainfall in 2008 resulted in saltier bays and fewer blue crabs, the primary food source for wintering whoopers. In addition, according to Stehn, whoopers are further stressed when cranes must leave the bays to fly inland seeking fresh water. Several emaciated whooping crane carcasses were found, and refuge staff even took the unusual step of providing supplemental feeding over the winter in addition to burning upland areas to make acorns more available.

Occasional set-backs aren’t new to the whooping crane recovery story, a species that numbered only 49 as recently as 1975, according to Lee Ann Linam, biologist in the Wildlife Diversity Program at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

"Although whooping crane numbers have experienced an amazing upward climb since conservation efforts began in the 1930s, over the course of their recovery we have occasionally seen short-term dips in the population," Linam said. "The losses this winter do emphasize the important role Texas has in maintaining the health of its bays and estuaries, especially in safeguarding stream-flow during low rainfall periods."

Horseshoe crabs and endangered birds, +1

On Tuesday, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced its recommendation for a new horseshoe crab harvest ratio. Birders concerned about Red Knots and their dependence on horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay likely will cheer the new recommendation.

To provide further protection to the Atlantic coast population of horseshoe crabs and increase the availability of horseshoe crab eggs in Delaware Bay to hemispheric migratory shorebird populations, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is implementing a 2:1 male to female horseshoe crab harvest ratio, effective April 1st. There is currently no sex ratio limit.

The State of Maryland has long taken a leadership role in the management of Atlantic coast populations of horseshoe crabs. In 1998, Maryland implemented actions to reduce its horseshoe crab landings by 72%. This leadership action led to the development of a coastwide horseshoe crab management plan through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in 1999. After 10 years, the Delaware Bay population of horseshoe crabs is showing signs of recovery. Unfortunately, similar signs of recovery of migratory shorebird populations are not evident and there is increasing risk of extinction to some species.


DNR is implementing this harvest ratio limit after conducting a technical analysis and reviewing public input on a range of management options, including closure of the female horseshoe crab fishery. This action will immediately increase the availability of horseshoe crab eggs to migratory shorebirds in Delaware Bay this May and June. Maryland watermen, both horseshoe crab harvesters and conch and eel fishermen who use horseshoe crabs as bait, will be impacted by this action but will retain their current harvest quota.

Whooping Cranes migrate through Tennessee

Photo by pilot Joe Duff, Operation Migration

Fourteen endangered cranes made it to Hardin County, Tenn., today during their migration from Wisconsin to Florida. Led by four ultralight aircraft, the crane chicks left Necedah National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 17. Their final destinations are Chassahowitzka and St. Marks national wildlife refuges.

The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership coordinates the eight-year effort to reintroduce the endangered species in eastern North America. Currently 68 migratory Whooping Cranes live in the region.

"This is an exciting year for the reintroduction project with the addition of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in the Florida panhandle," said Sam D. Hamilton, Southeast Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "We wish the intrepid pilots of Operation Migration all the best with the new route as they enter the Southeast, and hope for a safe and speedy arrival at St. Marks and Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge."

Click on the images to see larger versions.

Did you know...

that President Bush pardoned Leslie Owen Collier, convicted of killing Bald Eagles when the raptors died after consuming pesticide-laced coyote carcasses?

The 1995 incident that changed the life of the farmer from the Charleston area of southeastern Missouri began when he noticed an increasing number of wild turkeys, which were believed to have died away. "I got it in my head that if I eliminated some of the coyotes it would give the turkeys a jump-start," on their comeback, Collier said.

So he put out hamburger meat laced with the pesticide Furadan in an effort to kill the coyotes. It worked; seven coyotes died.

The problem occurred when the eagles fed on the coyotes' carcasses. They died, too. So did a red-tailed hawk and a great horned owl, among other animals.

The birds are federally protected and killing them is illegal. Collier said the crime became a felony when the second eagle died. He pleaded guilty in late 1995 and received two years of probation.

While he didn't go to jail, the conviction was hard on Collier. He was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution. As a convicted felon, the longtime hunter had to give up his guns. ...

So Black and other supporters began writing letters seeking a pardon. Several months ago, U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway contacted Black and requested the full story. Hanaway had been asked by a pardon attorney for the Department of Justice for input about the possibility of a pardon.

Hanaway said she spoke with federal prosecutors familiar with the case, with the judge, even with people in the Charleston area who know Collier. "By all accounts ... he is a pillar of the community down there," she said.

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that Connie Kogler, a WildBird Birder of the Year candidate, appeared in a "New York Times" article on Nov. 27? The article focuses on Project FeederWatch, which began Nov. 8 and will continue into April. It's not too late to sign up for the citizen-science project.

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that the Nov. 15 fire in Corona, Calif. -- known as the Freeway Complex fire -- burned more than 95 percent of Chino Hills State Park? The park's 14,100 acres used to provide habitat for 200 bird species, including the endangered Bell's Vireo subspecies (Vireo bellii pusillus). A photo gallery from the article appears here.

Ultralight aircraft lead endangered birds during migration

On Friday the 17th, 14 Whooping Cranes followed ultralight aircraft from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin to begin their fall migration to wintering habitat on Florida's Gulf Coast.

The group of young, endangered birds are the eighth flock in an annual program coordinated by Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership. The birds will follow four ultralights on a new route Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. Their final destination: Chassahowitzka and St. Marks national wildlife refuges.

From a press release by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Southeast regional office:

“We are excited about the migration this year,” said Joe Duff, CEO of Operation Migration, the WCEP partner that leads the ultralight migration. “The new migration route offers opportunities for increased outreach and conservation education. Also, we know it will be safer, and we hope it will be faster.”

The ultralight pilots and support crew post updates along the way, so you can check their In The Field journal to learn of progress and challenges along the new route.

Click on the map to see a larger version.

Bald Eagle no longer endangered

WASHINGTON, D.C – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced the removal of the bald eagle from the list of threatened and endangered species at a ceremony at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. After nearly disappearing from most of the United States decades ago, the bald eagle is now flourishing across the nation and no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act.

“Today I am proud to announce: the eagle has returned,” said Secretary Kempthorne. “In 1963, the lower 48 states were home to barely 400 nesting pairs of bald eagles. Today, after decades of conservation effort, they are home to some 10,000 nesting pairs, a 25-fold increase in the last 40 years. Based on its dramatic recovery, it is my honor to announce the Department of the Interior’s decision to remove the American Bald Eagle from the Endangered Species List.”

Kempthorne emphasized the ongoing commitment of the Interior Department and the entire federal government to the eagle’s continued success, noting that bald eagles will continue to be protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Both federal laws prohibit “taking” – killing, selling or otherwise harming eagles, their nests or eggs.

For details about the species' recovery, the post-delisting monitoring plan and children's activities to celebrate the eagle's recovery, click here.

How will you celebrate the national symbol's recovery? I'll raise a toast at next Wednesday's Fourth of July festivities!

UPDATE: According to Google News, more than 500 articles about the delisting have appeared online at 9:35 a.m. PST. Granted, most of them are regurgitations of the Associated Press wire story, but still -- that's a lot of coverage, all over the world. Very nice to see the topic receive so many press.

Photo courtesy of Donna Dewhurst/USFWS

Want to see a "smiling" bird?

From American Bird Conservancy:

Wildlife researchers have photographed two rare bird species, the Recurve-billed Bushbird and the Perija Parakeet for the first time in the wild. The Recurve-billed Bushbird was photographed in Norte de Santander, Colombia by Adriana Tovar and Luis Eduardo Uruena of Fundación ProAves, American Bird Conservancy’s (ABC) Colombian conservation partner.

The species remained undetected between 1965 and 2004 due to its small range and the remoteness of its habitats, until it was rediscovered recently in Venezuela and in a region of northeastern Colombia where this photo was taken.


During an expedition into this little explored region, Thomas Donegan and Blanca Huertas of ProAves discovered a relict forest around a holy sanctuary near the city of Ocaña. In 1709, the image of the Virgin Mary was seen in a tree root that had been cut down.

The event was declared a miracle by the Vatican. A small area of forest known as the Torcoroma Holy Sanctuary has been protected by Church authorities ever since and a beautiful chapel which still houses the divine image was constructed on the site.

The surviving humid forest patch is dominated by bamboo and supports a treasure chest of threatened and little-known species. The site was declared an Important Bird Area in 2005, leading to visits by ornithologists and birdwatchers. Oscar Laverde from Colombia’s National University discovered a population of the endangered Recurve-billed Bushbird there that year.

In late 2006, ProAves established the 250-acre Hormiguero de Torcoroma Bird Reserve adjacent to the Torcoroma Holy Sanctuary to protect the Recurve-billed Bushbird and other endemics.

Endangered Hawaiian bird thrives

From KHNL:

HILO, Hawaii - The smallest chick ever hatched in captivity is doing well three weeks after coming into the world at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center on the Big Island.

The tiny endangered akepa weighed about as much as two Q-tips at hatch. The bird's weight has since grown more than sevenfold as it has been eating cricket guts, papaya, worm meal and nectar, along with vitamin and mineral supplements.

A Conservation Center official says the challenge with such a small chick is getting the food in its mouth and down the right hole so it doesn't choke. It's also a challenge to the proper liquids balance.

From a research associate's blog:

We slowly add several mineral and vitamin supplements along the way, items like calcium, vitamin B1, bone meal, and a special tonic. We’ll be feeding this chick until it is about 50 days old, slowly decreasing our feeding schedule as the chick learns to feed on his own. His (her?) adult diet will soon be mostly nectar and insects.

Read more about the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation program here.

Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo

Nesting Bald Eagles in Philly

For the first time in 200 years, Bald Eagles built a nest in the City of Brotherly Love.

"They have eggs in the nest and you can tell they are incubating by their behavior," said Doug Gross, an endangered bird specialist for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The raptors laid eggs in a former Navy yard. City and state officials worry that the species' endangered status and nest fidelity will conflict with plans for a $150 million produce market and a new marine terminal. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service might remove Bald Eagle from the federal endangered species list in June.

If all goes well, Philadelphia might host chicks like these (click on the image for a larger version):

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

10 endangered birds under review

The Pacific region of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will review the status of 10 birds -- among other species -- protected by the Endangered Species Act. Public comments are welcome until May 7 about the 71 species, which occur in Oregon, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

Periodic status reviews of all listed species are required by the ESA at least once every 5 years to determine whether a species’ classification as threatened or endangered is still appropriate. If the best scientific and commercial data produced since the time of listing are not consistent with the current classification of any species, the Service will recommend a change in the species’ federal classification. A species could be recommended for reclassification from endangered to threatened (downlisting), from threatened to endangered (uplisting), or for removal from the federal list of threatened and endangered species (delisting).

Information that is considered in a status review includes:
· Species biology, including but not limited to, population trends, distribution, abundance, demographics and genetics;
· Habitat conditions including, but not limited to, amount, distribution and suitability;
· Conservation measures that have been implemented that benefit the species;
· Threat status and trends; and
· Other new information, data or corrections including, but not limited to, taxonomic or nomenclatural changes, identification of erroneous information contained in the list, and improved analytical methods.

The avian species include:
· Bridled White-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus conspicillatus) in Guam
· Guam Rail (Rallus owstoni)
· Hawaiian Crow (Corvus hawaiiensis)
· Hawaiian Duck (Anas wyvilliana)
· Hawaiian Hawk (Buteo solitarius)
· Mariana Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus guami)
· Nightingale Reed Warbler (Old World warbler) (Acrocephalus luscinia)
· Oahu Elepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis ibidis)
· Palila (honeycreeper) (Loxioides bailleui)
· Small Kauai Thrush (Myadestes palmeri)

Bridled White-eye courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Wildlife action plans in place for all U.S. states and territories

The Interior Department recently announced that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service approved comprehensive conservation plans for the 56 states and territories. This marks the first time that we have "a nationwide blueprint of actions to conserve imperiled species and prevent them from becoming threatened or endangered."

The action plans allow state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies to receive more grants under the State Wildlife Grant program signed by President Bush in 2001. The agencies worked with biologist, conservationists, landowners and the general public to create the plans.

“A strong cooperative approach was integral when constructing our state wildlife action plans to ensure the health and survival of all wildlife,” said Ed Parker, president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and bureau chief of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. “In just a few years time, we have already seen the results of working in closer relationships with other conservation agencies and organization within our states. Never has such a comprehensive set of plans been constructed with so much input.”

Each plan includes details about low and declining populations and the habitats that they need, identifies problems for these populations as well as research and survey efforts to improve conservation, and states priorities. The plans will be updated at least once every 10 years. To see the plan for your state, click here.