The Backyard Birdman

Laysan Albatross photo by Mike Yip

Audubon Action Alert! Save Ocean Ecosystems and Their Seabirds.

The White House has recently proposed a new rule for oversight of marine fisheries. The new rule would gut the protections that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has long provided ocean ecosystems and the seabirds and other wildlife that depend on them. Under the new rule, the ability of the public to have input into the future of our oceans would be severely limited and oversight of marine fisheries would be largely given over to regional fishery management councils — the equivalent of having the fox guard the hen house.

Tell the National Marine Fisheries Service that you oppose the new rule and want to keep the National Environmental Policy Act and citizen input strong 

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires government agencies to analyze the likely environmental effects of their actions and to seek public input into their decisions. The proposed rule would exempt certain categories of fisheries from environmental review altogether and weaken the requirements for environmental reviews of fisheries across the board. The proposed new rule would also severely limit the ability of the public to give input into any decisions made.

NEPA’s review process has successfully protected ocean ecosystems in the past. By mandating that impacts to birds and other ocean wildlife be considered when fishing regulations are made, NEPA can help birds and other wildlife while creating a more sustainable ocean system. Nineteen of the twenty-two species of albatross are already threatened with extinction due to long-line fishing techniques that accidentally catch and drown the birds. On the East Coast of the United States, the rufa Red Knot is threatened by overfishing of its main food source, horseshoe crabs. It is vital for our seabirds that we do not weaken environmental oversight of the fishing industry.

Red Knot photo by Bob Sheldon

Submit a public comment opposing adoption of the new, weakened rule by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Become a wildlife advocate.  Join the “Audubon Action” and make a difference!

Happy Birding!

Since we were talking about “Birding by Ear”  I thought you might be interested in this article from Science Daily on a new technology to facilitate bird population surveys.  I think you will find it quite interesting.

Chaffinch photo by Andrew Howe

ScienceDaily (July 28, 2008) — Switch on the mike, start the recording, the stage is set for the local fauna! 

Computer scientists from the University of Bonn, in conjunction with the birdsong archives of Berlin’s Humboldt University, have developed a kind of ‘Big Brother’ for birds. This has nothing to do with entertainment, but a lot to do with the protection of nature. The new type of voice detector involved can reliably recognise the characteristic birdsong of different species of birds, thereby facilitating surveys of the bird population.

Europe’s forests are falling silent as countless species of birds go on the red list of endangered species. Yet in fact no-one can say what the exact position is with some species. So as to have a reliable count of the territories of indigenous birds it would practically be necessary to send out a whole horde of spare-time ornithologists to count the birds.     (more…)

The Bird’s Nest - Beijing National Stadium

The construction on this building began in March of 2004 and was just recently completed. It has 80,000 permanent seats and will add another 11,000 temporary seats for the 2008 Olympic games.

This is a huge structure and Herzog and DeMeuron have contributed some green solutions into their design including a rainwater collecting system, a translucent roof providing sunlight for the natural grass below and a passive ventilation system. “Just as birds stuff the spaces between the woven twigs of their nests with a soft filler, the spaces in the structure of the stadium will be filled with inflated cushions to regulate wind, weather and sunlight.”

The Bird’s Nest at Night

For some interesting information on the bird’s nest and more great pictures check out Inhabitat.

Putting all the controversy about the 2008 Olympics, China and Tibet aside, I like the design of “The Bird’s Nest” and appreciate the designer’s green consideration.

Audubon Action Alert!

Yesterday, former Vice President Gore issued a challenge to America to produce 100% of our electricity from solar, wind and other non-carbon sources within 10 years.

Audubon is proud to partner with the Alliance for Climate Protection’s We Can Solve It campaign (www.wecansolveit.org), and this bold challenge to America is exactly what we need to create jobs, reduce our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels, reduce the risks from catastropic climate change, and make America more secure.

Please take a few minutes to view the five minute version of this important message HERE and pass it along. We think you’ll be inspired and energized by his message of hope and leadership for America.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) photo by Mark Schmitt

ITHACA, NY-­ Evolution seems to have happened in fits and starts,­ at least that’s what the fossil record shows. From trilobites to pterodactyls, ammonites to Archaeopteryx, scientists find the same pattern: brief bursts of innovation in which a single species, or branch on the tree of life, turns into a cluster of new twigs, then lapses into long stretches ruled by the status quo.      (more…)

 Simple citizen-science project reaches urbanites of all ages

Eurasian Collared Doves winning photo by Marian Mendez

Ithaca, N.Y.­Nature has the power to soothe and enthuse. More people are finding that out as they join the free, year-round “Celebrate Urban Birds!” citizen-science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. From schools, hospitals, and senior centers, to wellness programs, scout packs, and military bases, participants are reaping the benefits of a closer connection to the natural world and a new appreciation for city birds.     (more…)

Turtle Bay Eaglets photo by Greg Barnette

Larger of Two Eaglets Starts Flying

Young expected to stay near Hwy. 44 nest as they learn to hunt

Story by Dylan Darling

One of the Turtle Bay eaglets has been testing its wings, say the scientists monitoring the pair of young birds, which have grown up in what was a controversial nest.

“At this point, everything seems normal,” said Tom Balkow, senior environmental planner in the state Department of Transportation’s Redding office. “And it sounds like they will be ready to get out of the area soon.”

Scientists saw what they think is the older and larger of the two 12- to 13-week-old eaglets fly from the nest Thursday and it didn’t return before nightfall, he said. It was spotted again Friday morning before another flight from the nest.

“Sounds like he is getting up and around,” Balkow said.

Friday afternoon, the pair of eaglets were in the nest, both spreading their wings, but not taking off.   You can read the rest of the article here:

http://www.redding.com:80/news/2008/jun/14/larger-of-2-eaglets-starts-flying/

Eaglets Thrive Despite Bridge Work
Webcam could offer live feed of parents’ home by next winter.

By Dylan Darling
Thursday, May 29, 2008

Photo by Greg Barnette / Record Searchlight

Two bald eaglets wait for their parents to return with food in their nest near Turtle Bay Exploration Park on Wednesday afternoon. The eaglets are close to leaving the nest despite having been born and reared near a bridge construction site, state transportation and wildlife officials say.

Look out world, here come Conehead and Freedom.

Two bald eaglets who have grown up above a busy bridge construction site in downtown Redding could soon leave the nest.

“They’ve gone through the construction really well,” said Tom Balkow, senior environmental planner in the state Department of Transportation’s Redding office.

And next winter, a Webcam should provide people around the world with a live look at Redding’s now locally famous eagles, Patriot and Liberty, the eaglets’ parents.

The construction started in April and will continue for the next three years. Fearing that the work would cause too much commotion and interfere with Patriot’s and Liberty’s nesting instincts, Caltrans officials had workers wire a plastic cone to the nest in November. But the 3-foot-wide black cone wasn’t enough to persuade the eagles to select a new nesting spot.

For the rest of the story go to: http://www.redding.com/news/2008/may/29/eaglets-thrive-despite-bridge-work/

I just read this great article on Will Taft’s blog at:

http://willtaft.com/organic-food/bird-friendly-coffee/

He writes “Recently, when reaching for the organic beans, I noticed a big “Bird Friendly” label on the bag. I thought “Oh that’s cool”, but did not have any idea what it really meant. I had read about the importance of supporting economically and environmentally sustainable coffee producers and importers, and when the choice is available, I will always choose organic food, but this was the first time I had heard of “bird friendly” coffee.”

I am going to do some research and find some bird friendly coffee in my area!

North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)

The Kiwi are species of flightless birds that are endemic to New Zealand.  This is the national bird of New Zealand and all five species of kiwi are endangered.  The North Island Brown Kiwi shown above is the most common of the kiwi.  They stand about 16 inches high and the females weigh about 6 pounds, the males nearly 5 pounds.

Kiwi are shy and usually nocturnal.  They have a highly developed sense of smell which is unusual in the world of birds and they are the only birds with nostrils at the end of their long bill.  This makes it easier for them to find their prey of small invertebrates, seeds, grubs and worms.

I’m writing this to highlight the celebration of the 1000th Operation Nest Egg chick that hatched out February 17th at the Kiwi Encounter in Rotorua, New Zealand.  These birds have been driven to extinction by several factors including loss of habitat, predation by non-native species introduced to New Zealand and human habitation over the past centuries.  Operation Nest Egg is a huge effort undertaken by the New Zealand government and non-profit and community groups to save these endagered birds.

If you want to learn more about how you can help save these endangered species of New Zealand go here: Save the Kiwi .  If you want to read more about this interesting flightless bird, check out this blog: Saving New Zealand’s National Bird