World Animal Day highlights endangered species

Less than two weeks away, Oct. 4 stands out as World Animal Day, an opportunity to focus attention on endangered species while celebrating animals' roles in human lives. The celebration began in 1931 during a convention of ecologists in Italy and expanded its focus in recent years.

The current mission statement says the day provides a way:
* To celebrate animal life in all its forms
* To celebrate humankind’s relationship with the animal kingdom
* To acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives – from being our companions, supporting and helping us, to bringing a sense of wonder into our lives
* To acknowledge and be thankful for the way in which animals enrich our lives

By clicking on a region in this map, you can find events near you. Want to organize an event that focuses on wild birds? Click here for tips and guidelines.

Free entry to Kilauea Point NWR on Sept. 25

Will you be in The Aloha State, specifically on Kauai, later this month? You can receive free admission to Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Sept. 25 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in honor of National Public Lands Day and Nene Awareness Day.

National Public Lands Day celebrates the 655 million acres of forests, parks, refuges and open spaces that all of us own. At Kilauea Point NWR, visitors can check out the Kīlauea Lighthouse restoration project and also learn about native coastal plants and migratory seabirds.

Nēnē Awareness Day recognizes Hawaii's state bird. “The nēnē is an icon of Hawai‘i’s past, holding their own on fragments of their original habitat,” said Shannon Smith, refuge manager for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Kauai National Wildlife Refuge Complex. “We’re working with a cadre of committed partners to restore habitat and give this species a real chance to make a comeback.”


Designated Hawaii's State Bird on May 7, 1957, the endangered nēnē (Branta sandvicensis) struggles against extinction. Conservationists began breeding the birds in captivity in hopes of preserving a remnant of the declining population and, some day, successfully re-establishing them in their native habitat. Today, there are more than 800 nēnē on Kauai and approximately 1,950 nēnē statewide.

Photo courtesy of StateSymbolsUSA.com

Three more foreign birds now on U.S. endangered species list

Today marks the first day of endangered species protection for
* Andean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus andinus), native to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru;
* Chilean Woodstar (Eulidia yarrellii), native to river valleys in Peru and Chile;
* and St. Lucia Forest Thrush (Cichlherminia lherminieri sanctaeluciae), a subspecies endemic to the island of St. Lucia in the West Indies.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced the additions today. “This listing will help the United States work with Latin American and Caribbean countries to conserve and protect these foreign species,” said Acting Service Director Rowan Gould.

Andean Flamingos prefer low-, medium- and high-altitude wetlands in the Andean regions of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. The long-lived waterbird can stand 3.5 feet tall as adults.

No larger than a moth, Chilean Woodstar -- a small hummingbird -- lives in desert river valleys. St. Lucia Forest Thrush prefers mid- and high-altitude forest habitats.

The primary factors causing the population decline of these species include habitat alteration from urbanization and mining activities, predation, agricultural practices such as pesticide spraying, land use conversion, and road development.

The addition of a foreign species to the federal list of threatened and endangered species places restrictions on the importation of either the animal or its parts. Listing also serves to heighten awareness of the importance of conserving these species among foreign governments, conservation organizations and the public.

Forest Thrush illustration courtesy of BirdLife International

May 21: Endangered Species Day

This Friday, you can join the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and many conservation groups in celebrating America's conservation efforts to help threatened and endangered species.

Four signature events are scheduled in San Francisco, Washington D.C., Maine and Montana, and many FWS offices around the country held events last weekend, with more on the schedule for this weekend. Another list of events is available here.

Do you know when the Bald Eagle was "delisted"

or removed from the Endangered Species List? 2007

Want to test your knowledge of endangered species? Take this 12-question test.

A life with Whooping Cranes

Michigan Technological University sends word of a biological sciences graduate, Eva Szyszkoski, who's created a life with some of North America's largest birds. After she began working as an intern for International Crane Foundation in 2007, Szyszkoski became a tracking field manager a year later -- which means she migrates with the birds from southern Wisconsin to Florida to Wisconsin.

The Eastern migratory flock includes birds reintroduced to the Eastern U.S. since 2001. The flock of 103 birds represent quite an increase from the early 1940s when there were as few as 15 cranes because of hunting and habitat loss.

There are two ways of reintroducing cranes. In one, the birds are raised in the breeding grounds and accustomed to the sound of an ultra-light plane. Then they follow their surrogate plane-parent south to Florida, thus learning the migration route.

“The ultra-light plane method is expensive and creates a very unnatural situation for the birds, but it does enable us to introduce a large number of birds each year,” Szyszkoski said.

The other approach is called Direct Autumn Release. Chicks are hatched and raised on the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, about 45 minutes north of the Wisconsin Dells.

“They hopefully follow older, more experienced birds south,” the crane specialist explained. This method is more natural and less expensive, but it only enables the team to introduce up to about 10 birds a year. However, “it is showing increasing signs of success every year,” she said.

Whooping Crane photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Services

First condor chick of 2010 hatches at Oregon Zoo

Oregon Zoo in Portland proudly announced the arrival of its first California Condor chick of the year. The chick hatched on April 14 to foster parents Atishwin (shown below) and Ojai.

“Our first hatching went beautifully,” said keeper Kelli Walker. “The chick looks healthy. It’s growing well and starting to shuffle about the nest room. With any luck, another bird will hatch this week ­­–– and we have hopes for two more after that.”

After 30 to 45 days, keepers will give the chick a medical checkup, including inoculations against West Nile virus.

“We try to handle the condors as little as possible,” Walker said. “Not only is human contact upsetting to the parents, we’re preparing these animals for a life in the wild. Even if bred in captivity, we ensure that chicks are raised by condors, learning condor instincts and behavior.”

Last year, the Oregon Zoo’s Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation sent three condors to the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, for release into the wild. The largest land birds in North America, California Condors might have wingspans of up to 10 feet and an average weight of 18 to 25 pounds. Highly intelligent and inquisitive, they require a lot of parental investment in the wild.

Art contest focuses on endangered species

Forty schoolchildren around the country recently learned that their artwork earned semifinalist status in the annual Endangered Species Day Art Contest. Ten students in four age categories -- grades K-2, 3-6, 7-9 and 10-12 -- will have their art judged on May 4 by a panel of scientists, artists, conservationists, photographers and actors including Jeff Corwin, host of Animal Planet’s "Jeff Corwin Experience," and Jack Hanna, host of "Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild."

In the K-2 group, five of the 10 children chose birds as their subjects (Piping Plover, Spotted Owl, Bald Eagle, Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Sandhill Crane) while one artist in the 3-6 category chose Brown Pelican.

Among the students in the 7-9 group, four seminalists chose endangered birds -- Swallow-tailed Kite, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Brown Pelican, California Condor -- and the 10-12 category included three pieces about birds: Northern Spotted Owl (two) and Kirtland's Warbler.

To see all of the artwork, visit Endangered Species Coalition. Details about the contest appear here, and information about Endangered Species Day -- May 21 -- is available here.

SoCal beach clean-up to help Least Tern Project

This Saturday, volunteers can help California Least Terns - an endangered race - during an Earth Day clean-up at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach, Calif. Participants can sign in at 8:30 a.m. at the Magnolia Street entrance, and the project is scheduled for 9-11 a.m. Organized by Care For Our Coast, the clean-up will aid the Least Tern Project, coordinated by Sea & Sage Audubon Society. [Sidenote from an HB native: The first T is silent in Huntington. --ah]


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Progress at Maui bird sanctuary

Following up on last week's post about Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on the Hawaiian island of Maui, news arrives that officials broke ground this week for the new refuge headquarters and visitor center.

After a traditional Hawaiian blessing of the land, Senator Daniel K.
Inouye, Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares and other officials turned the first shovels of earth to initiate construction of a new headquarters and visitor center at Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on Maui. The 7,500-square-foot building will replace a small 672-square-foot trailer the refuge staff currently occupies.

“This has been a long time coming, but through everyone’s cooperation and influence, especially Senator Inouye’s, this building is coming into fruition,” said Mayor Tavares. “As a teacher, I know when children learn about nature, they grow up with a new consciousness of the environment. The refuge will truly be an outdoor classroom.”

The event included a Hawaiian blessing by Kimokeo Kapahulehua and the hula halau Maui Nui o Kama. Approximately 50 invitees participated in the groundbreaking at the building site off the entrance road to Keālia Pond.

The facility, which is expected to be completed in June 2011, will include a 1,358-square-foot lobby and exhibit hall, 1,043-square-foot multipurpose room, eight offices, a small conference room, and other workrooms. The energy-efficient building is expected to meet Silver LEED standards, one of only a few such projects in Hawai‘i.

Refuge on Maui will receive new visitor center

With the promise of a new visitor center at Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on Maui, the birds and other wildlife at the wetlands stand to receive more attention from tourists and island residents. Located north of Kihei, the refuge includes 691 acres and hosts the endangered Hawaiian Stilt (ae'o) and Hawaiian Coot ('alae ke oke'o). [In the Hawaiian language, most vowels are pronounced separatedly and not blended. --Ed.]


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The Hawaiian race of Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) nests at the refuge; the black around the neck and face extend farther than on mainland birds, according to Hawaii Audubon Society. Hawaiian Coot (Fulica alai) used to be considered a subspecies of American Coot (F. americana) but was "split" in 1993 and received full species status from American Ornithologists' Union.

At the refuge, construction plans include a 7,500-square-foot building to be used as a visitor center and refuge office, an exhibit hall, a multi-purpose room, a reception area and a lobby/bookstore. The facilities will replace the current single-wide mobile trailer used by refuge staff.

“We are currently open to the public, but with our single trailer we really have no way of adequately serving them,” Keâlia Pond NWR Manager Glynnis Nakai said. “We have never had a building attached to the ground, and certainly we have never had a facility where we can educate and interact with the school children and other visitors. This is a very exciting time for us.”

Falcon Flash begins again

March 1 brought the first Falcon Flash newsletter of the year, focusing on the Peregrine Falcons in Cleveland, Ohio. The newsletter is part of the Raptors in the City curriculum. Since 1991, the 12th floor of "Tower City" has hosted a nestbox, and for many years, SW (the female) and Buckeye (the male) raised and fledged young while being monitored in person and via webcam.

Today's newsletter unfortunately bore sad news:

It is with great sadness we report that Buckeye, the male peregrine falcon at this nestsite for the past 12 years, died on November 17, 2009, from injuries that appear to have been caused by a fatal head injury, probably due to collision with a building.


Buckeye was the father of 34 peregrine chicks. He made a wonderful contribution to the future of the species peregrine falcon, which has been recovering from near extinction in the U.S. since the 1970s.

Mr. Harvey Webster of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History suspects that Buckeye's fatal collision might have come during a battle with another male. Buckeye was getting up in years at age 14 and may have been challenged for SW's affections and control of valuable nesting territory. Peregrine falcons are fierce predators, and both males and females will battle to the death over nesting territory and mates.

A new male, identified as Ranger because of his leg bands, has courted SW, and observers say the falcons appear to have bonded. Because Ranger is young, having hatched in 2008, questions come up: Is he mature enough to be a father? Will he know how to hunt well enough to provide for his family?

We'll find out soon. You can sign up for Falcon Flash here.

Military bases expand efforts for endangered birds

Endangered species, such as Red-cockaded Woodpecker, increasingly receive support at more military bases around the country. The Department of Defense spent $300 million to protect at-risk plants and animals between 2004 and 2008 -- "more than it spent in the previous ten years combined," according to a New York Times article today.

Today, herculean efforts to save threatened species are unfolding at dozens of military sites across the nation, from Eglin, Fla., where the Air Force has restored and reconnected streams for the Okaloosa darter, to San Clemente Island, Calif., where the Navy has helped bring the loggerhead shrike back from the brink of extinction. ...

Preserving those species can require frustrating adjustments. At certain times each year, for example, the Marines are able to use only a fraction of the beachfront at Camp Pendleton, Calif., to practice amphibious landings out of concern for nesting shorebirds like the coastal California gnatcatcher. ...

Still, for every clash there is an instance of intense efforts to keep an animal safe. At Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif., for example, the Marines built a desert tortoise research and rearing center in 2005 to help the soft-shelled babies avoid predation by ravens.

Take five minutes to watch the video, "Military Bases as Wildlife Havens." You'll get to see a biologist use a mist net to capture a Red-cockaded Woodpecker and hear the bird's vocal protests.

Brown Pelican no longer endangered

From the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam Hamilton today announced that the brown pelican, a species once decimated by the pesticide DDT, has recovered and is being removed from the list of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

The brown pelican was first declared endangered in 1970 under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, a precursor to the current Endangered Species Act. Since then, thanks to a ban on DDT and efforts by states, conservation organizations, private citizens and many other partners, the bird has recovered. There are now more than 650,000 brown pelicans found across Florida and the Gulf and Pacific Coasts, as well as in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The Fish and Wildlife Service removed the brown pelican population in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and northward along the Atlantic Coast states from the list of endangered species in 1985. Today’s action removes the remaining population from the list.

What's your favorite BrPe experience? I really enjoy seeing a flock skim the waves along Huntington State Beach, near the Santa Ana River outlet. Seeing them plunge into the water always makes me stop and gasp.

Photo courtesy of International Bird Rescue Research Center/Tom Grey

More federal money for migratory birds?

Birders have another chance to tell legislators about their passion for and concern about migratory birds. A timely, concise message can show that birders want their elected officials to support the Senate bill recently introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) with cosponsors Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.).

Senate bill S.690 aims to reauthorize the current Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act but with more funding. Recent reports -- such as "The State of the Birds" -- show declines in bird populations, hence the need for increased funding.

The senators' hyperlinked names above allow birders to send messages to those officials. Check here for the snail-mail addresses, phone numbers and online contact forms for your state's senators.

SoCal birders: Bolsa Chica book signing on April 30

Have you birded at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve wetlands? Enjoyed the nesting, endangered California Least Terns? Spied a Long-billed Curlew and, with joy, punched your birding companion (ahem, Mike)?

A new book focuses on the wetlands' history, and a presentation later this month will give birders a chance to have the author, David Carlberg, sign his "Bolsa Chica: Its History from Prehistoric Times to the Present, and What Citizen Involvement and Perseverance Can Achieve."

At Huntington Beach Public Library in rooms C & D, Carlberg -- who currently serves as president of Amigos de Bolsa Chica -- will give a presentation on April 30 between 7 and 9 p.m. His book "covers a millennia of natural and human forces that eventually shaped Bolsa Chica into the landscape we know today, from the indigenous people who inhabited it for over 6,000 years to the Europeans and Americans who owned it for another two hundred years."

The book's also available for purchase here for $20.

Roundup: "The State of the Birds -- The 2009 Report"

On Thurs., March 19, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released "The State of the Birds -- The 2009 Report," the first-ever comprehensive evaluation of the nation's bird populations. The report used data and expertise from North American Bird Conservation Initiative, U.S. Committee; American Bird Conservancy; Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Klamath Bird Observatory; National Audubon Society; The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and U.S. Geological Survey.

From the report's homepage:

Birds are a priceless part of America’s heritage. They are beautiful, they are economically important—and they reflect the health of our environment. This State of the Birds report reveals troubling declines of bird populations during the past 40 years—a warning signal of the failing health of our ecosystems.

At the same time, we see heartening evidence that strategic land management and conservation action can reverse declines of birds. This report calls attention to the collective efforts needed to protect nature’s resources for the benefit of people and wildlife.

You can watch Secretary Salazar's comments in this 4:20 video.

Birders were not the only ones who noticed the report's release and data. Mainstream media covered "The State of the Birds," too -- a welcome observation.

Granted, many appear to have used a newswire article, but they still devoted space to the report (and I like noting how they did or didn't add photos, audio, video or a link to the report). Does that coverage signal an increased interest in wildlife conservation among the general public?

"Nationally, many bird species fluttering" Baltimore Sun
"US birds in 'widespread decline'" BBC News
"One third of US bird species are in peril" Christian Science Monitor
"Many bird populations in trouble, report says" CNN.com
"Report Warns Many Bird Species Declining In U.S." NPR
"The state of birds in the U.S." San Francisco Chronicle
"One-Third of U.S. Bird Species Endangered, Survey Finds" The New York Times
"Report showing threats to birds spurs call for conservation" Greenwire/The New York Times
"Nearly One-Third of U.S. Bird Species Seen at Risk" The Wall Street Journal
"Major Decline Found In Some Bird Groups" The Washington Post

Bird Phenology Program seeks birders to transcribe data

The U.S. Geological Survey needs birders to help with historical notecards of bird observations dating back 100 years. Do you want to peek into your favorite species' history?

As part of the USGS North American Bird Phenology Program, birders can add data from more than 6 million cards to a national database and provide "an unprecedented amount of information describing bird distributions, migration timing, and migration pathways and how they are changing," said Jessica Zelt, coordinator of the North American Bird Phenology Program at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.

The millions of hand-scribbled cards sit in row upon row of federal green filing cabinets of ancient vintage in a modest and fittingly old office dating from before WWII. The cards contain almost all of what was known of bird distribution and natural history from the Second World War back to the later part of the 19th century, said USGS senior scientist Chan Robbins, who kept track of the cards' whereabouts in attics and basements during the intervening years.

"When I go through the files, it is just amazing some of the stories that are recorded there," said Jessica Zelt, who is an avid birder herself. "For example, one of our online participants recently wrote to tell me she had transcribed a migration card on purple martins by American ornithologist Margaret Morse Nice from 1926. It is exciting to see people today being linked to a piece of birding history."

Participants recorded their name, locality and year, along with arrival and departure dates, date of abundance, and whether it was a species common in that area. Personal observations on the cards often caught the enthusiastic joy of a birder sighting a rare bird.

The collection, said Zelt, includes information on about 900 species, including some sightings of rare, extinct, or nearly extinct birds, such as the giant albatross, ivory-billed woodpecker and Carolina parakeet [right], birds whose very names make the hearts of avid birders go pitter-patter.

You can participate in history by volunteering your time, and you needn't live near the NABPP office in the Baltimore-Washington area. Become a participant here.

5 endangered Hawaiian birds up for review

The Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing 103 species in Hawaii with federal protection via the Endangered Species Act. More than 40 birds appear on the list of endangered species in the Pacific Islands.

Five endangered birds appear on the current list of review species:
* Nihoa Finch (Telespyza ultima) on Nihoa Island, northwest of Kaua‘i
* Hawaiian Goose or Nene (Branta sandvicensis) on Hawai‘i (also known as the Big Island), Maui and Kaua‘i
* Crested Honeycreeper (Palmeria dolei) on Maui, shown right courtesy of Jack Jeffrey
* Maui Parrotbill (Pseudonestor xanthophrys) on Maui
* dark-rumped Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) on Hawai‘i, Maui, Lana‘i and Kaua‘i

From the U.S. FWS website:

To assist in its reviews, the Service is opening a 60-day public comment period for the submission of scientific and commercial information relevant to their listing status under the Act. The public, government agencies, tribes, industry and the scientific and conservation communities are asked to submit information by May 15, 2009.

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).

The Pacific Islands office says, "Hawai‘i has the highest number of listed threatened and endangered species in the nation. There are 394 threatened and endangered species in the State of Hawai‘i, of which 294 are plants."

Robotic bird helps courtship study

From The Sacramento Bee:

As any good romantic comedy or steamy paperback novel will tell you, the man with the best strut, biggest biceps or fastest car doesn't always win the girl.

The same is true in the avian world, says UC Davis researcher Gail Patricelli.

To examine the role that social skills play in mating, she and her team employ a custom-built robot bird, constructed mainly of radio-controlled airplane parts, to seduce the not-so-picky male greater sage-grouse into performing its mating dance.

The fake bird, moving on model train tracks, allows the team to get a close-up view of the male's mating habits.

Bright feathers play a role in helping females decide which males will make the best mating partner, but that isn't the whole story, said Patricelli.

The goal of the research – which was presented recently at a Chicago meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science – is to move beyond a simple visual analysis and really understand the conversation of courtship, she said.

With the sage-grouse, Patricelli found that it wasn't the loudest display that won, but the male that best timed his courtship display, ramping up once he had the female's attention.

Don't miss the great "Fembot courtship" video at the Bee link. Fun footage of male Greater Sage-Grouse courtship displays!

Albino Sandhill, young Whooper create buzz in Neb.

From the Omaha World-Herald:

The curious case of two rare cranes in central Nebraska is electrifying birders as the spring migration season looms.

Spotted Sunday: A tall crane with pure white plumage mixing with grayish sandhill cranes.

Spotted Friday and Saturday: A tall crane with brown feathering among a flock of sandhill cranes.

One is an albino sandhill crane, one of four known albinos in a population of 600,000. The other is a juvenile whooping crane, an endangered species numbering about 258.

Both are rare and both happen to be in Nebraska, to the delight of Karine Gil, a researcher at the Platte River Whooping Crane Trust near Wood River.

"This is extremely rare," Gil said Monday. "There are two white birds around."