Vermont Center for Ecostudies

Focus on Science: 'Poisonous' Birds -- Look, But Don't Touch

2009-11-10T13:30:00.001-05:00

Although rare in the avian world, several species of birds smell or taste bad, and a few are even poisonous – most notably, the Blue-capped Ifrit and five species of pitohui in New Guinea. These approximately Robin-sized songbirds contain nerve-paralyzing batrachotoxins that are among the most toxic natural substances known. The compounds do not serve to kill prey, but to repel or kill external parasites (e.g., lice, mites) and predators (e.g., snakes, hawks, arboreal mammals, and humans).

The Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous; bottom bird on Science magazine 30 October 1992 cover above) is the best-studied of these unusual species. A single feather from the breast or back of this bird from a certain geographic locality, if placed on one’s tongue, “would cause a burning, tingling sensation that would last for several hours or overnight. Merely handling these birds...caused [the researchers] to sneeze, experience watery eyes and runny noses, and generally respond as if [they] were having allergic reactions.”

Toxins are most concentrated in skin and feathers, much less so in heart and liver, and least in skeletal muscle. Skin and feathers are more toxic on the back and breast than elsewhere. Since the outside of the bird is where parasites or predators are most likely to encounter toxins, these differences are consistent with their role in providing chemical defense.

Pitohuis do not manufacture the toxins from scratch, but obtain them from their food, most likely certain small beetles. The presence of toxins in internal organs shows that the birds do not merely apply them topically to skin and feathers. Furthermore, since these compounds would normally poison muscles and the liver, their presence in these organs raises the question of how the birds remain unaffected by them. The birds may have evolved biochemical means to resist the toxins internally, but these have yet to be explored.

Levels of toxins vary markedly among individuals and geographic localities, chiefly those in the skin and feathers. The causes of such variation are unknown, but may be related to the mechanisms by which the birds acquire toxins in their diet and incorporate them into their feathers.

The skin of pitohuis has the same tissue structure as that of other passerine birds and does not appear to have any obvious modifications for storing or secreting toxins. Avian skin in general secretes fatty substances and continually sheds cells from the surface. Thus, pitohui skin may be pre-adapted for confining toxins and ridding them from the body. The poisons could be taken up and stored temporarily in the lipids produced by the epidermal cells.

If you go to New Guinea to see these rare birds, look, but don’t touch!

Peter Stettenheim -– Peter is a retired ornithologist with particular interests in the functional anatomy and evolution of birds. He lives in Plainfield, NH.

JOHN P. DUMBACHER, GOPINATHAN MENON, AND JOHN W. DALY. 2009. Skin as a toxin storage organ in the endemic New Guinean genus Pitohui. Auk 126: 520-530.

Introducing 'Focus on Science'

2009-11-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

VCE is pleased to introduce a new feature on our blog. Retired ornithologist Peter Stettenheim from Plainfield, NH will regularly present a readable and informative column, ‘Focus on Science’. Peter will condense and demystify a scientific article on birds from a peer-reviewed journal, and present it in digested form so that a reader of any background can understand and appreciate its findings. Topics will vary, but invariably be of interest to nearly anyone. We’re very pleased that Peter has offered to undertake this, and we look forward to launching his new column with a fascinating piece on ‘poisonous’ pitohuis from New Guinea. As always, we’ll appreciate any feedback from visitors to our blog. Thank you, Peter!

IUCN Red List Update

2009-11-08T16:33:00.001-05:00

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network, has released its latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Of the 47,677 assessed species, the 2009 update shows that 17,291 are threatened with extinction. This includes 12% of all known birds. Of the world’s 9998 bird species, 137 are Extinct or Extinct in the Wild, with 192 Critically Endangered, 362 Endangered, and 669 Vulnerable.

BirdLife International is the Red List Authority for birds. The latest BirdLife evaluation of the world’s birds did include some good news stories. For example, effective conservation efforts have resulted in three species being downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered, to reflect a lower level of threat: Lear’s Macaw (Brazil), Chatham Petrel (New Zealand), and Mauritius Fody (Mauritius).
Visit the BirdLife International website for more information about the 2009 update of the IUCN Red List for birds.

Vermont eBird takes wing

2009-11-08T16:26:00.002-05:00

BurlingtonFreePress.com - Burlington,VT,USA

It was an enduring love and life-long pursuit of “gobs and gobs” of data mixed with a hardcore birding passion that led Vermont Center for Ecostudies scientist Kent McFarland, 43, of Woodstock to coordinate the Web site Vermont eBird.

The site is the first state portal in the country for the national Web site eBird.org, a real-time, online checklist program that has revolutionized the way the birding community reports and accesses information about birds.

Read more...Vermont eBird takes wing

BALD EAGLE SHOT IN MILLSFIELD, N.H.: REWARD OFFERED FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SHOOTING

2009-11-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

Officials are seeking information to aid an investigation into the shooting of a juvenile bald eagle off the Millsfield Loop Road in Wildlife Management Area B, in Millsfield, northern New Hampshire, on or about October 22, 2009.

Anyone with information should call the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Operation Game Thief 24-hour hotline at: 1-800-344-4262, or report online anytime at http://www.HuntNH.com/OGT. Callers may remain anonymous.

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s conservation officers and special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are conducting a joint investigation into the incident. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward of up to $2,500 to the person or people who provide information leading to a conviction under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Local sportsmen discovered the injured bald eagle and notified the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator is caring for the eagle. Examination of the eagle revealed it had been shot with a shotgun and sustained a fractured wing and other injuries. A veterinarian expects the wing will heal well enough for the eagle to fly again and for it eventually to be released into the wild. The New Hampshire moose and small game hunting seasons were open at the time the eagle was found.

In addition to the Eagle Act, state laws and the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protect bald eagles. Until 2007, bald eagles were also protected under the Endangered Species Act.

ROSEATE TERN: THE NOVA-SCOTIA/MASSACHUSETTS CONNECTION

2009-11-06T07:18:00.001-05:00

Biologists from Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program, the USGS (Patuxent Wildlife Research Center), and Bird Studies Canada were excited to find a dozen Canadian-hatched Roseate Terns at staging sites on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, over a 38-day period from 14 August to 21 September 2009.

The Canadian-banded terns were banded as chicks during the summer of 2009 on Country Island, Nova Scotia, by staff from Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service. Each juvenile tern carried color leg-bands which made them visible among thousands of Roseate and Common terns staging at eight different sites on Cape Cod. Not insignificantly, Country Island where the terns were banded is a Important Bird Area (IBA) in Nova Scotia. In addition most of the color-marked terns were also relocated at one of two highly significant Massachusetts IBAs located on Cape Cod.

The meticulous survey of color-banded terns at these IBA sites is vital to improving our understanding of the nesting, staging behavior, and migratory timing of Roseate Terns, a species classified as Threatened in Canada and Endangered in the northeastern U.S. Such observations also underscore the significance of IBAs in prioritizing habitat significance at the landscape level. Currently the northeastern population of Roseate Terns which is principally located between the south shore of Long Island, New York and Nova Scotia, Canada, contains approximately 3,000 pairs, with Massachusetts supporting the majority of the population. In 2009 the Massachusetts population was comprised of approximately 1,300 pairs.

You can find more on these particular terns from Bird Studies Canada:
www.bsc-eoc.org/organization/newsarchive/10-09-09.html

The Birding Community E-bulletin is being distributed to active and concerned birders, those dedicated to the joys of birding and the protection of birds and their habitats. You can access an archive of past E-bulletins on the website of the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA):
www.refugenet.org/birding/birding5.html

Growing environmentally friendly rice in South America

2009-11-03T13:38:00.006-05:00

The Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/Birdlife) and the Grasslands Alliance will initiate a pilot to explore ways to grow rice in a more environmentally friendly way in the Southern Cone. The Bobolink and the Upland Sandpiper are among the migratory bird species breeding in Vermont that will likely benefit from ecologically-produced rice in South America.

In the Argentine Province of Santa Fe, NGO Aves Argentinas will be developing bird refuges in rice fields as part of a "bio-remedy" strategy for areas which have suffered from the impact of lead shot from duck hunting.

"The lead has been accumulating in the environment, and neither rice-producers nor hunters have realized what has been happening," said Rubén Favot, a rice producer and the recently posted Secretary of Production and Tourism of San Javier, Argentina. "Today measurements taken by experts in eco-toxicology show the presence of residues both in the water and in the soil."

In Paraguay, the rice company Agriplús and NGO Guyra Paraguay ("Bird Paraguay") have joined forces to begin trials to produce organic rice. "It's possible that we won't be able to install this type of cultivation yet, but working with fewer costs seems to be an achievable target, which not only favors our environment, but also our economy", is the opinion of the Manager Diego Dominguez.

In addition to the pilot trials in each country, the project will fund a convention of interested rice-growers in a First Meeting of Rice Cultivation and Nature Conservation.

Key Findings on the Health of Vermont Forests

2009-11-01T16:36:00.003-05:00

The Vermont Monitoring Cooperative has completed a comprehensive new report synthesizing over 20 years of monitoring and dozens of VMC cooperators' research, including work by the Vermont Center for Ecostudies.

The Vermont Monitoring Cooperative (VMC) was established in 1990 to track changes occurring in Vermont’s forests. Only limited information about the health and baseline conditions of forested ecosystems was available at that time. Vermont lacked the ability to perceive subtle changes in ecosystem condition over time and thus to be able to identify forces affecting forest ecosystem health and productivity. In addition, there was
no dedicated, centralized, and stable location for storing, maintaining, and
distributing important ecological data. VMC was envisioned and created to
collect, assemble, and distribute highquality, documented data and informationto better understand environmental changes and their impacts on forested ecosystems. Understanding the interactive nature of environmental changes required ecosystem-scale, integrated, multidisciplinary monitoring and research based on sound science. Those concepts lie at the heart of the Vermont Monitoring Cooperative’s existence.

This report offers a sampling of the extraordinary amount of information VMC has assembled in its first 18 years. While VMC research focuses primarily on the health of Vermont’s forests, forest ecosystems are complex
entities, affected by weather and climate, by natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and by the long reach of time. And everything in the forest relies on a web of connections, many of which are just now beginning to be understood.

Consider the tiny, reclusive Bicknell’s thrush, a major topic of VMC research efforts. Living at the top of Vermont in our most isolated areas, the bird is nevertheless buffeted by climate change, which alters its habitat both in New England and its wintering grounds in the Caribbean; by atmospheric mercury pollution, which has found its way into its blood
and feathers; and by the presence of happy skiers, who build trails ever higher on the sides of mountains. A goal of VMC is to learn how people can live side-by-side with the thrush, the salamander, and the moose, using the manifold resources provided by Vermont forests, always with an eye
toward a sustainable future.

This report represents the written contributions of 19 cooperators, but collective efforts of dozens of researchers from varying backgrounds and disciplines working collaboratively to compile and tell the stories contained
in this document. To the extent possible, the report is a multidisciplinary synthesis. The majority of datasets in the VMC data library can be broadly characterized under the following section titles of this report: The Health
of Our Forests, Weather and Climate in Vermont, and Monitoring Atmospheric Deposition. This report covers topics including the effects of land-use change on biodiversity, habitat and population levels of many animal species, as well as the effects of alpine development on the
environment. It includes current trends in meteorological parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, and cloud cover in the Champlain Valley and Vermont.

Also discussed are current conditions and recent trends relating to atmospheric deposition, including transport, acidification of lakes and streams, ozone, and mercury in the environment. Also explored are factors influencing forest health, diversity, structure, productivity, and forests’ ability to store carbon to help mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas
accumulation in the atmosphere.

The information in this report is intended as an introduction to the body of research that has been amassed over time, and which is growing daily. Numerous scientific papers have been published using VMC data, some of which are referenced here. We have tried to highlight successes where VMC data have influenced state, regional, or national policy or where research results have helped alter the behavior of would-be polluters. As an organization, VMC believes that it has an important and timely story to tell.

Conference: Reversing the Decline of Neotropical Migratory Bird Species and Protecting Their Habitats

2009-11-01T10:19:00.001-05:00

The Bird Conservation Alliance (BCA) is a network of nearly 200 organizations, including the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE), working together to conserve native wild birds and their habitats. The BCA, which is facilitated and staffed by American Bird Conservancy, will be hosting an all-day educational conference in the Cannon Caucus Room at The Cannon House Office Building in the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., on November 12th from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. The theme is "Reversing the Decline of Neotropical Migratory Bird Species and Protecting Their Habitats."

The meeting will feature keynote addresses from leaders from the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a series of expert panels will review the multiple threats migratory birds currently face and discuss strategies to solve these problems. Everyone is welcome. If you would like to attend please Register Today! You can also get more involved with the Alliance's work by signing up your birding club or conservation group to become a member, or by subscribing to an email list that provides occasional updates with information about upcoming BCA meetings and webinars, votes in Congress, comment drives concerning administration decisions, and action opportunities to get involved in bird conservation campaigns. To sign up, please send an email to sholmer@abcbirds.org.

Dr. Ian Newton to Speak at Dartmouth

2009-10-27T17:09:00.000-04:00

Dr. Ian Newton, an internationally-renowned expert on bird ecology and biogeography, will take the stage at 7pm on Wednesday, November 4th at Dartmouth College, Moore Hall, Room B03 to talk about the impact of humans on the survival of migratory birds.

Covering more than 30 years of field research in Europe and Africa, Dr. Newton will highlight the effects of land-use change, over-hunting, climate change, and other human environmental disturbances on the survival of Eurasian migratory birds and discuss ways in which these effects can be mitigated. Many migratory species are declining, and Dr. Newton’s research has targeted areas in which efforts to conserve these species might be best directed. Understanding patterns related to breeding and the wintering areas of migratory birds, including human disturbance at stopover sites, is a necessary step in conserving them effectively.

Dr. Newton began his ornithological career at the University of Oxford, where he studied the ecology and feeding behavior of finches. He then worked for the Natural Environment Research Council in Great Britain, studying waterfowl and birds-of-prey, with a particular focus on the impacts of DDT and other pesticides on avian wildlife. He has dedicated more than 25 years to the study of the European Sparrowhawk in south Scotland.

Dr. Newton has served as Chairman of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the U.K. and as President of the British Ecological Society and the British Ornithologists’ Union. He is currently Chairman of the Peregrine Fund in the U.S. and of the British Trust for Ornithology. He is an elected Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union. He has authored nearly 300 scientific papers, made frequent TV and radio appearances and written several books on avian wildlife and their habitats, including Finches (1972), Population Ecology of Raptors (1979), The Speciation and Biogeography of Birds (2003), and The Migration Ecology of Birds (2007).

After earning a Ph.D. degree at Oxford University, Dr. Newton has gone on to receive numerous awards, including the Order of the British Empire for service to the field of ornithology, the Union Medal of the British Ornithologists’ Union, and the Elliot Coues Award of the American Ornithologists’ Union.

Dr. Newton’s talk is co-sponsored by the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) and the Dartmouth College Environmental Studies Program and open to the public.

RAIN DAMPENS BALD EAGLE BREEDING SUCCESS IN 2009

2009-10-27T11:06:00.001-04:00

Following record breeding success in 2008, New Hampshire bald eagles experienced a far less productive breeding season in 2009. The total number of young eagles raised in nests in the state this summer was down 33% from last year. In spite of this one-year decline, 2009 was still the third best breeding year on record for bald eagles in the state.

“The number of young fledged can vary from year to year,” said Mike Marchand, a biologist with N.H. Fish and Game. “A number of factors can influence breeding success, including weather.” Marchand noted that although the number of young fledged during 2009 was lower than last year, the number of territorial pairs has been consistently increasing in New Hampshire, leading biologists to believe that the New Hampshire population will continue to grow.

The 19 territorial pairs documented in New Hampshire in 2009 represent an increase of more than 25% from the 15 eagle pairs found the state in 2008. “The growing number of breeding territories lays a foundation for more productive breeding seasons to come,” said Chris Martin, a raptor specialist with N.H. Audubon who coordinates monitoring of this state-listed threatened bird of prey. “Over time, more territories lead to more fledged young.”

Biologists and volunteer observers have documented a tripling in the number of bald eagle breeding territories in New Hampshire in the past decade, from just six pairs in 2000 to 19 pairs in 2009. “This is clear evidence of an expanding population,” Martin said.

The N.H. Fish and Game Department’s Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program and N.H. Audubon’s Conservation Science staff work together to monitor and manage the Granite State’s recovering bald eagle population. With additional support and cooperation from land owners and from other state and federal natural resource agencies, N.H. Audubon recruits, trains, and deploys volunteer observers to document eagle distribution and productivity.

A growing number of bald eagles now call New Hampshire’s Lakes Region their home. Two new pairs were identified around Lake Winnipesaukee in 2009, raising the total number of pairs found throughout the Lakes Region to eight. Further west, on the Connecticut River in Orford, another new pair raised two young in their first try. In addition, after years of waiting, biologists believe that a pair has finally established a breeding territory on Great Bay, the state’s largest tidal estuary.

Although more bald eagle pairs were found in the state this year, rainy weather and other factors limited their reproductive success. A total of 16 bald eagle chicks reached fledging age in the state this summer, down one-third from the 24 young produced in 2008. Incubation behavior was confirmed at 11 nests in 2009, also down slightly from 2008 levels. Nine of the 11 incubating pairs fledged young. Juvenile bald eagles are considered fledged at about 11 weeks old, when they first begin to fly to and from the nest.

“Several eagle pairs built nests but did not incubate eggs, and two more pairs abandoned nests at about the time of hatch,” said Martin. Productivity was also limited by fact that none of the New Hampshire nests produced three fledglings in 2009, compared with three nests with trios in 2008.

Since 1988, when bald eagles first began nesting again in New Hampshire, a total of 123 young eagles have fledged from nests in the state. Nearly 60% of those (73 eaglets) have been raised in the last four years alone.

Martin estimates that over 50% of New Hampshire’s breeding adult eagles wear coded aluminum leg bands placed on them when they were nestlings. These bands provide biologists with opportunities to identify and track movements and longevity of individuals. Included among these banded eagles is New Hampshire’s oldest known eagle, a 17-year-old female hatched in captivity in Massachusetts, placed in a Quabbin Reservoir nest and raised by foster eagle parents. She has been breeding at Nubanusit Lake in Hancock for the past 11 consecutive years.

MORE PIPING PLOVER PAIRS NEST ON N.H. SEACOAST, BUT FEW YOUNG SURVIVE

2009-10-26T21:43:00.000-04:00

The spring breeding season got off to a promising start for New Hampshire’s state and federally endangered piping plovers, but as the 2009 summer came to a close, just two chicks had fledged.

This year, a total of five pairs of the shorebirds returned to coastal beaches in Seabrook and Hampton, an increase from the three pairs that have nested in New Hampshire in recent years. Spring weather was mild, and each pair of plovers quickly established a territory and a nest. “We started off with three nests in Seabrook and two nests in Hampton,” said Brendan Clifford, a biological technician with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. Each nest had a full clutch of four eggs, so had all of them survived, they would have produced 20 chicks. Sadly, only two plover chicks survived to the end of summer.

Even sadder, human disturbance was the most likely cause of the season’s low productivity. At Hampton Beach State Park, the first nest established had protective fencing, called an “exclosure,” set up around it to keep predators at bay. Early in the year, a person broke into the fence and stole one of the plover eggs, an incident investigated by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Law Enforcement officers. Although the adult plovers continued to incubate the remaining three eggs after the incident, only one of them hatched.

At Seabrook Beach, beachgoers were frequently observed disregarding signs and walking directly through a roped-off plover breeding area. These intrusions repeatedly scared one pair of piping plovers off of their nest, preventing them from being able to incubate their eggs. Eventually, the pair abandoned the nest altogether.

In all, two of five of New Hampshire’s plover nests were abandoned prior to hatching. Of the three nests that successfully hatched eggs, two produced a single fledgling each, while no chicks survived from the final nest.

Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program biologists and volunteers monitored the plovers on a daily basis during the summer to determine the number of birds present, nest locations, nest success or failure, incubation periods and chick survival.

Since protection efforts began in 1997, a total of 83 piping plover chicks have fledged from New Hampshire's seacoast. New Hampshire's efforts are part of a region-wide protection program; overall, the Atlantic coast population of piping plovers continues to hold steady.

Protection of this endangered species is a cooperative effort of the N.H. Fish and Game Department, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, N.H. Division of Parks and Recreation, the towns of Seabrook and Hampton, volunteers, local residents and beach visitors.

See photos of the New Hampshire plovers and learn more about this endangered species at http://www.wildnh.com/Wildlife/Wildlife_profiles/piping_plover.html.

Researchers discover a second breeding season for five migratory songbirds

2009-10-26T20:34:00.002-04:00

Biologists studying songbirds that breed in North America and then migrate to Mexico have discovered something totally unheard of in the New World — a second breeding season.

Five species — Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Orchard Oriole, Hooded Oriole, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Cassin's Vireo — breed primarily in the United States and Canada. Then they squeeze in a second breeding season during a stopover in western Mexico on their southward migration.

Read the abstract from the scientific publication.

VCE's Vermont Breeding Bird Atlas on VPR today 5:55 pm

2009-10-22T14:04:00.004-04:00

Vermont Public Radio will air a piece from writer and naturalist Ted Levin about what he has learned in the course of editing the Vermont Breeding Bird Atlas. Tune in to get a sneak preview of results from VCE's largest citizen science project!

VPR Commentary Series

New Refuge to Protect Migratory and Resident Birds in the Dominican Republic

2009-10-21T11:01:00.003-04:00

Leonel Fernández, President of the Dominican Republic, has announced the creation of a new refuge “Reserva Biologica Loma Charco Azul” on the northwestern border of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, a global biodiversity hotspot. The decision extends protection in the region by 111 square miles, providing essential habitat protection for the globally threatened Bay-breasted Cuckoo and threatened resident and migratory birds that depend on the Island of Hispaniola. American Bird Conservancy and its partner Grupo Jaragua prepared the proposal for the Secretaría de Estado de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales to designate the new protected area and conducted the biodiversity inventory work needed to justify the new area.

Bay-breasted Cuckoo. Photo by Lance Woolaver.

“With 30 endemic bird species, Hispaniola ranks high in global importance for bird conservation,” said Dr. George Wallace, American Bird Conservancy’s Vice President of Oceans and Islands. “With forests in Haiti virtually gone and an accelerated rate of forest loss in the Dominican Republic, many of these species face a bleak future—of the 30 species, 14 are ranked by IUCN as globally threatened. That’s why expanding land protected in the vicinity of Sierra de Bahoruco is so important and such a significant accomplishment.”

In addition, over 30 species of Neotropical migratory birds have been recorded there; they form an important component of the biodiversity during the northern winter, making up more than 50% of the bird life in some habitats, particularly pine forests.

“Loma Charco Azul contains populations of several threatened endemic birds and migratory species and, until now, was an unprotected portion of the Sierra de Bahoruco Important Bird Area,” said Yvonne Arias, President of Grupo Jaragua, which has partnered with American Bird Conservancy on the conservation of threatened and migratory birds in the region.. “Key among the endemics there are the Bay-breasted Cuckoo, and a good population of the vulnerable Hispaniolan Parrot. We applaud the action of President Fernández to designate this important new protected area.”

Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, an Alliance for Global Extinction (AZE) site, is the global stronghold for three endangered species—Bay-breasted Cuckoo, La Selle Thrush, and Hispaniolan Crossbill—and five more that are globally vulnerable—Hispaniolan Parrot, Hispaniolan Parakeet, Golden Swallow, Chat Tanager, and White-winged Warbler. Other endangered species such a Bicknell’s Thrush and the Black-capped Petrel are also present. Unfortunately, the park and its environs are under severe threat because some of the dry forest, especially important for the Bay-breasted Cuckoo, adjacent to the park boundaries, has been cleared for an avocado/papaya plantation.

The Bay-breasted Cuckoo is declining around Loma Charco Azul, due to the creeping expansion of this plantation which has destroyed habitat for 5-6 pairs since 2002 according to research by Lance Woolaver, a Canadian graduate student doing his thesis on the species. The new protected area will help to safeguard one of the three most important known populations.

The work to create the new protected area was part of a part of a broader effort to improve the management of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grant program. Other aspects of the project included hiring guards to protect the Park and to establish a monitoring program for migratory, endemic and resident birds. Other important supporters of Grupo Jaragua’s efforts to expand protection in the vicinity of Sierra de Baharuco National park include BirdLife International and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

New Record of CO2 Levels Back 20 Million Years

2009-10-11T15:07:00.001-04:00

A new historical record of carbon dioxide levels suggests current political targets on climate may be "playing with fire", scientists say.Researchers used ocean sediments to plot CO2 levels back 20 million years.

First Vermont Record of Eastern Hognosed Snake

2009-10-11T15:00:00.002-04:00

A Vernon man and his children have reported the first Eastern hog-nosed snake in the Green Mountain State.

Dan Waters found the eight-inch recently hatched snake with his children and their friends at the end of his driveway on Sept. 23. The snake was playing dead at the time, a trick often used by the species when it feels threatened.

Read entire article...

International Bicknell's Thrush Conservation Group Convenes in Quebec City

2009-10-06T20:13:00.008-04:00

The International Bicknell’s Thrush Conservation Group (IBTCG) moved north of the border for its third annual meeting. On 29-30 September, 16 biologists and natural resource managers met (with several others phoning in) at the Canadian Wildlife Service headquarters in Quebec City, where our host Yves Aubry rolled out the red carpet and organized a memorable gathering. Over two days we hammered out a strategy to finalize our near-complete BITH Conservation Action Plan, disseminate and communicate it to diverse target audiences, and make final methodological adjustments to launch Mountain Birdwatch version 2.0 in 2010.

We were an eclectic bunch, hailing from New Brunswick, Quebec, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York. Julie Hart (the Plan’s primary architect) phoned in both afternoons from Wyoming, others from as far distant as Wisconsin and Maryland. Discussions were constructive, often spirited, and the humor quotient high. Yves kept us well-fed and libated with caffeine, and the 6th floor view was commanding. We rolled up our sleeves and made excellent progress on our stated goals, with the following resolutions:

Emily MacKinnon will assume responsibility, via a small contract with CWS, for putting finishing touches on the Action Plan by 31 December
The group agreed on the need to hire a full-time coordinator to communicate and implement the Plan. This will be crucial to maintain IBTCG’s momentum and address the many conservation issues faced by BITH across its migratory range. We hope to secure funding for this position by early 2010.
We must facilitate more active involvement from partners on the wintering grounds, particularly on Hispaniola. An important aspect of the IBTCG coordinator’s role will be forging stronger working connections in the Caribbean.
Towards this goal, we agreed unanimously and enthusiastically to hold our fall 2010 meeting in the Dominican Republic.
We adopted standardized protocols for Mountain Birdwatch 2.0 in both the U.S. and Canada, to be launched in 2010.

Day 3 featured a field trip to Massif-de-Sud, a 915-meter elevation peak where Yves Aubry has conducted BITH field studies for the past several years. We caravanned in two vehicles, eager to visit Yves’ study site, but not fully prepared for the alternating wet snow and rain that greeted us, with temperatures hovering in the upper 30s F. The mountain features a mix of forest habitats, from those in various stages of recovery from past forestry operations and intact patches of boreal fir-spruce. The pranksters among us couldn’t resist playing a practical joke on Yves, sneaking Kent’s iPhone with recorded BITH vocalizations a few meters off the road. It worked like a charm, much to everyone’s (including Yves’) amusement, but Yves had the last laugh when 2 minutes and 100 meters later, 2 BITH came roaring in to Kent’s broadcast calls! That unexpected encounter tied the species’ latest date on record at a known breeding site (Mt. Mansfield being the other). It highlighted to us all just how hardy and unpredictable a creature BITH is, constantly keeping those of us studying it on our toes…

We departed Quebec City with heightened enthusiasm and resolve for our multinational initiative to conserve BITH. The road may be steep and the odds against us, but the forthcoming Action Plan will provide a much-needed road map to guide collaborative efforts across the Americas.

Julie Nicholson Citizen Scientist Award 2009

2009-10-03T19:39:00.005-04:00

This award honors Julie Nicholson's extraordinary passion and commitment to birds and wildlife conservation through her many years of tireless work as a citizen scientist. It is given annually to an individual who exemplifies Julie's dedication to the cause of citizen science and conservation.

The 2009 award is presented with sincere appreciation to Roy Pilcher for his outstanding contributions.

Presentation of the Award at the VCE Annual Meeting

White-nosed Syndrome: Plan Update and VT Report

2009-10-03T10:17:00.000-04:00

USFWS Northeast Regional Director Marvin Moriarty presented the framework for a national plan to manage the national response to white-nose syndrome during a meeting of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sept. 13 to 16 in Austin, Texas. The draft framework for A Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats was prepared in coordination with the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and state agencies. It provides an overview of the expected plan content. Additional agencies, states, organizations and academia will be involved in developing the plan, which will be peer reviewed and available for public review this winter.

The national plan will incorporate recommendations from a structured decision-making process outlining management measures to control the spread and minimize the effects of WNS on bats. The SDM document will be finalized within the next few weeks.

The population of endangered Indiana bats in the Service's Northeast Region dropped 30 percent from 2007 to 2009, according to preliminary estimates from the 2009 count of Indiana bats. The Northeast Region has 12 to 13 percent of the Indiana bat population. We will release final results later this year.

On the evening of Sept. 10, biologists from the FWS and from the State of Vermont met at Elizabeth Mine in Strafford, Vt., for an annual bat survey. In years past the survey has yielded a sample of 900 bats. Last year this number dropped to 300, and this year biologists captured only one bat. Although the survey measures a fraction of the bat population in the mine, it seems to indicate a significant drop in bat numbers.

See the video.

Epilogue: Two nights later, Vermont's Scott Darling returned to the site. It was a perfect night for bats -- warmer than on the 10th and not too bright. Again, he found just one bat.

For the second year, the Service is funding research into the cause, control and treatment of white-nose syndrome in bats. We received 39 grant proposals totaling more than $5 million; $800,000 is available. Our scientists are reviewing the proposals and plan to announce the grant awards in September.

Research projects funded in fiscal year 2008.

More than 70 people working on WNS issues met in Pittsburgh in mid-August. Representatives of federal, state and nongovernment organizations together explored options on surveillance, chemical and biological control, rehabilitation, captive propagation, and bat genetics. More information to come.

Learn more at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html

NH PEREGRINE FALCONS MOVE NESTING AREAS, BUT POST RECORD NUMBER OF YOUNG

2009-09-23T11:56:00.002-04:00

Peregrine falcons in New Hampshire produced 29 young this year, more than in any other breeding season during the past half-century. Territorial peregrines in the state used 15 natural cliffs, one urban building and the area around a major hydroelectric dam as places to live and raise their young in 2009. In Manchester, the state's best-known falcon pair surprised everyone by moving one mile down Elm Street to nest successfully across from City Hall. In the Connecticut River valley, a cave-like nest ledge used for 22 consecutive years was passed over for a new ledge on the same cliff. And another pair of peregrines living in the Seacoast region hopped 100 feet over the border to raise three chicks on the Maine side of the Piscataqua River bridge.

Breeding peregrine numbers in New Hampshire, and across the entire eastern United States, had declined to near zero by the 1960s, when levels of the pesticide DDT in songbirds and other prey items disrupted their ability to hatch viable eggs. After almost two decades without any successful nesting in New England, a peregrine pair nesting in Franconia Notch in 1981 became the first to produce chicks at an historical nesting cliff. Intensive recovery efforts, followed by sustained monitoring and management, led to a gradual peregrine population rebound. As a result, in September 2008, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department upgraded the status of this fastest flying raptor in the state from endangered to threatened.

A record-high 29 young peregrines reached fledging age in New Hampshire in 2009, surpassing the previous high of 27 young fledged last year. Biologists and volunteer observers affiliated with New Hampshire Audubon checked a total of 36 potential breeding sites in the state this year and confirmed 17 occupied territories, down one from 2008. Fifteen of the 17 occupied sites hosted falcon pairs, and two sites supported only single adults. Observers documented incubation behavior by 13 of the state's 15 territorial pairs in 2009, down from 16 of 17 in 2008. Of this year's 13 incubating pairs, 12 (92%) hatched at least one egg. All 12 pairs that hatched eggs successfully fledged young in 2009, also down slightly from a state record-high of 13 successful pairs in 2008.

After eight consecutive years of producing young in a nest box installed on the Brady-Sullivan Tower near the Amoskeag Bridge, Manchester's falcon pair moved one mile down Elm Street to nest on the Citizens Bank building. "We were looking for them in their usual spot, but they weren't there, and the camera showed an empty nest!" said Chris Martin, a N. H. Audubon's raptor specialist, who coordinates the state's peregrine management efforts. "The female falcon laid her eggs on a narrow decorative ledge at Citizens Bank -- right over Elm Street -- and when the chicks were three weeks old, we moved them into a more secure nest box located on the roof." All three chicks ultimately fledged without incident. Juvenile peregrines are considered fledged at six weeks of age, when they first begin to fly to and from the nest.

Holts Ledge in Lyme, N.H., is an historical nesting site with a photo record dating back as far as 1928. Observers monitoring the cliff in 2009 reported that for the first time in 23 years, falcons selected a new nesting ledge, passing over a deep cave that had been used for a nesting each year since peregrines first reoccupied the cliff in 1987.

New Hampshire set a new record high for peregrine fledglings in 2009, in spite of giving up claim to a pair nesting in Portsmouth Harbor. In 2007 and 2008, this pair nested in the bridge's superstructure, using two different hollow vertical beams located on the New Hampshire side of the state line, and fledging one chick each year. In 2009, they used a similar beam, but one located on the Maine side. "Both states can't count the same breeding pair, so we generally credit them to the state where the eggs are laid," said Martin.

Management of the state's recovering peregrine falcon population is carried out by N.H. Audubon, working under contract with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. Management actions include tracking recreational use at cliffs, posting temporary closures on rock climbing routes when needed, and providing technical advice to natural resource agencies and to the public. N.H. Audubon also recruits, trains, and deploys volunteer observers to document peregrine distribution and productivity and to band young.

Martin, aided by several rock-climbing volunteers, accessed six peregrine nests in the state in 2009, examining and banding 15 nestlings and recovering four non-viable eggs. He estimates that roughly 35% of New Hampshire's breeding adult peregrines currently wear color-coded leg-bands. Notable highlights among banded peregrines seen in 2009: a 7-year-old female raised in Dixville Notch that breeds in the Sandwich Range of the White Mountains, but winters in Concord; a 6-year-old female from Milford, Connecticut, that breeds in Lyme, N.H.; and a 2-year-old male from Lyme now nesting just across border in Fairlee, Vermont.

Since the removal of peregrines from the federal Endangered List in 1999, New Hampshire has participated in a national breeding site sampling study to detect any major changes in peregrine breeding populations on a regional scale. Coordinated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the study tracks breeding activity at five peregrine territories on a triennial basis (in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015). Three (60%) of New Hampshire's five sites produced a total of six young in 2009.

KARNER BLUE BUTTERFLIES BACK AFTER BEING WIPED OUT TEN YEARS AGO

2009-09-17T15:09:00.002-04:00

CONCORD, N.H. -- Ten years ago, New Hampshire's official State Butterfly -- the Karner blue - had disappeared from the state. Now, thanks to dedicated conservation and restoration efforts by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and many partners, Karners are being successfully raised in captivity and surviving once again on their own in the wild. Their haunt is the Concord Pine Barrens -- a sandy, wooded area located off Loudon Road, comprised of pitch pine and scrub oak trees and native flowering plants such as New Jersey tea and wild blue lupine that provide essential habitat for Karners and other rare wildlife.

This year marks the fifth straight year that biologists have observed and documented Karner blue butterflies surviving on their own in the wild of the Concord Pine Barrens. Biologists observed Karner blue butterfly eggs and caterpillars and marked approximately 250 adult butterflies hatched in the wild. These observations confirm that Karner blue butterflies are reproducing in the wild.

In addition, biologists continue to raise the butterflies in captivity and release them into the wild. The N.H. Army National Guard provides a nearby location for raising the butterflies. "In April, the National Guard moved the Karner captive rearing facility into a newly renovated building that gives us twice as much space and better opportunities to keep the rooms at the ideal environmental conditions needed to raise Karner blue butterflies," said Lindsay Webb, a biological technician with the N.H. Fish and Game Department's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. "When the butterflies emerge in early summer, we release them every day, weather permitting, and sometimes 2 or 3 times a day depending on how many adults are in the captive rearing facility." In all, over 3,700 adult Karner blue butterflies were released into the wild this summer in New Hampshire.

Restoring Karner blue butterflies to New Hampshire has been largely successful over the years. This gives hope that with continued management of the habitat and the butterfly population that Karner blue butterflies will once again thrive on their own and be a beautiful symbol of the natural diversity of New Hampshire's wildlife.

The public is welcome to visit the easement at the end of Chenell Drive in East Concord, where a trailhead kiosk describes the Karner restoration project. Visitors are asked to not step on any wild lupine plants -- there may be Karner blue eggs or larvae on them. There are no adult butterflies at this time of year.

Funding for the habitat and butterfly restoration project is provided in part by Federal grants, sales of the New Hampshire conservation license plate (moose plates) and through private donations to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's partners in the Karner blue butterfly project include the N.H. Army National Guard, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the City of Concord. To help support the Karner blue butterfly and efforts to conserve other nongame and endangered species in New Hampshire, visit http://www.wildnh.com/Wildlife/nongame_and_endangered_wildlife.htm and download a print-and-mail donation form.

New Research Finds Introduced Rats Killing Thrushes in the Dominiican Republic

2009-09-17T13:49:00.000-04:00

Many studies have demonstrated the deleterious effects of introduced predators on resident populations of island birds, but few have quantified their effect on the survival and space-use behavior of migratory species. We used radio telemetry to investigate the winter survival and roosting patterns of Bicknell’s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) at two sites in the Dominican Republic. Depredation by introduced rats was the only cause of mortality among 53 radio-tagged individuals monitored between January and March over multiple years; five (9%) marked individuals were depredated. Predator trapping revealed the presence of both the black rat (Rattus rattus) and Norway rat (R. norvegicus) and that the density of rats was higher in broadleaf cloud forest than in nearby pine forest. Some thrushes that used cloud forest exclusively during the day roosted at night in adjacent pine habitat. We suggest that introduced rats exert predation pressure on wintering Bicknell’s Thrush in the Dominican Republic and that nocturnal arboreal rat predation could influence the thrush’s space-use strategies.

Townsend, J.M., C.C. Rimmer, J. Brocca, K.P. McFarland, and A. K. Townsend. 2009. Predation of a wintering migratory songbird by introduced rats: can nocturnal roosting behavior serve as predator avoidance? Condor 111(3): 565-569.

Wood Thrush Needs Help from Java Drinkers

2009-09-04T11:09:00.000-04:00

Northern Woodlands | The Outside Story | Wood Thrush Needs Help from Java Drinkers

Marine Important Bird Areas

2009-09-04T10:23:00.000-04:00

BirdLife International has moved toward the identification of Marine Important Bird Areas (mIBAs) for seabirds around the world. “Seabirds have deteriorated in IUCN Red List status faster than any other group of bird species,” said Ben Lascelles, BirdLife’s Global Marine IBA officer. “We urgently need to protect their habitats if we are to stop and reverse these rapid declines.”

BirdLife has established new guidelines for following seabirds and analyzing the data used to identify Marine IBAs, a major step towards establishing a global network of representative protected areas for seabirds.

BirdLife and its partners are now focused on getting the outcomes of these standards endorsed by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at an upcoming meeting in Ottawa, Canada.

For more on mIBAs, see details here:
http://bit.ly/rBN7r