The Birders Report

Photo Courtesy of  Boreal Songbird Initiative

Seattle, WA – Millions of Canada’s migratory birds, representing more than a hundred species, could be at risk when they return this fall to areas in the Gulf of Mexico affected by the oil spill. The Gulf Coast serves as important habitat for hundreds of Canada’s bird species which use the region for wintering grounds and migratory stopover habitat.

“The world’s largest migration occurs every year when billions of birds fly from Canada to areas south, including the Gulf Coast,” said Dr. Jeff Wells, senior scientist at the Boreal Songbird Initiative. “We’re not sure what these birds will face when they return to areas hit by the oil spill, but certainly a large number of birds could be vulnerable to illness or even death.”

The migratory birds of Canada’s Boreal Forest represent a significant percentage of the birds that winter in the Gulf Coast region or stop during their travels further south. Canada’s Boreal Forest is the world’s largest intact forest and is home to more than 300 bird species, including 80 percent of North American waterfowl species, 63 percent of finches and 53 percent of warblers.

“There’s been a lot of attention to oil spill effects on local resident species,” said Wells. “But there’s a lurking time bomb for many waterfowl and shorebirds that breed in Canada’s Boreal Forest and winter or stop in the Gulf.”

Nearly 5 billion of Canada’s migratory birds fly south every fall, Wells adds. He and other experts worry these birds could face both long- and short-term adverse effects to shoreline habitat, necessary winter food sources and health.

The Gulf Coast is vitally important for many wetland bird species. The marshes, beaches and tidal flats provide ideal nesting areas and habitat for millions of waterfowl, seabirds, shorebirds and other water birds. These habitats also house fish, mollusks and other marine life that provide the food supply for many of these birds. The impact on smaller food sources like plankton could have a ripple effect on the entire food chain. There may also be longer-term effects stemming from physiological impacts of ingested oil that could lead to lower breeding success rates.

Currently, nesting birds such as terns, gulls and pelicans are hit hardest by the oil spill. Louisiana’s coast supports an estimated 77 percent of the U.S. breeding population of Sandwich Tern, 52 percent of Forster’s Tern and 44 percent of black skimmer. Many of North America’s most at-risk species also live in the region during a portion of the year, including Yellow Rail, Black Rail, Snowy Plover, Piping Plover, and Short-billed Dowitcher. The oil spill could pose long-term implications for the health of their total populations.

“We’ve really only seen the tip of the iceberg so far,” said Wells. “Species from the Boreal and other areas may encounter habitats and food sources contaminated with oil on their journey south that may cause illness or even mortality. These birds, and the generations to come after them, are endangered by the oil spill’s impact to critical marsh and beach habitat.”

While there isn’t much that can be done to mitigate effects of the oil spill on wildlife, he adds, there are ways to protect bird populations in the future through prevention of habitat loss and fragmentation—one of the leading causes of declining bird populations worldwide.

“By protecting intact ecosystems such as the 1.4 billion acres of Canada’s Boreal Forest,” said Wells, “we can give these critical populations of migratory birds a fighting chance of recovering from devastating occurrences such as the Gulf oil spill.”

The following video is an informational piece from Ducks Unlimited.

Click here to donate to the Boreal Songbird Initiative!

Interviews and Additional Information:

Jeff Wells, Boreal Songbird Initiative, 207.458.8492 mobile, jeffwells@borealbirds.org

About the Boreal Songbird Initiative:

Dr. Jeff Wells is the Science and Policy Director for the Boreal Songbird Initiative (BSI).  BSI is a non-profit organization dedicated to outreach and education about the importance of Canada’s Boreal Forest to North America’s birds.

Mourning Dove Drinking from the Sacramento River photos by Larry Jordan

I was fortunate to get off work a little early the other day and decided to stop by Turtle Bay and see what avian fauna was about.  It was near 100 degrees, in the late afternoon so I didn’t expect much.  I walked across the bridge to the East side of the Sacramento River and positioned myself in the shade to try and catch some Common Mergansers that were feeding along the shore.

The Mourning Dove flew down from a tree above my head to get a drink from the river, shortly after a North American River Otter cruised by.

All of a sudden the distinctive sound of a Belted Kingfisher crackled through the air.  Audio courtesy of Robin Carter (XC1363).  [audio:https://thebirdersreport.com/audio/BeltedKingfisher20050411R010.mp3]

Some of you may know that I have been trying to photograph one of these amazing birds for quite some time.  This photo doesn’t do her justice.

She stayed in the shadows of an inlet near the bridge, fishing.  I tried to follow her but she slipped by me.  So I headed back toward the river and waited.

As I tried to find a place on the steep bank for my tripod, I flushed a Green Heron that was so well hidden, I didn’t even notice it.  I searched for its new location back up the inlet where the Belted Kingfisher, and a Great Egret also, had been fishing.  A bright golden eye gave it away.

I watched this excellent fisher make a catch and swallow it down before I could focus my lens.  Then, to my surprise and increasing excitement, it flew to a perch directly across from me and began preening.

I just watched as he or she arranged all feathers into their proper places.

And then slipped back into the shadows.

If you want to see  a cool video of a Green Heron fishing, check out his previous post.

I will continue my quest for a good Belted Kingfisher photo.  Until then, check out Bird Photography Weekly for more great bird photos.

What makes you a good birder?  Simply the fact that you enjoy watching birds!  According to Kenn Kaufman, “Birding is something that we do for enjoyment; so if you enjoy it, you’re a good birder. If you enjoy it a lot, you’re a great birder.”

I can’t emphasize this enough.  I think that there are many people in our communities that would love to expand their birding experiences beyond their own backyards, but they are afraid to go out on a group bird walk with “experienced birders.”  Afraid they will look foolish (not likely with a group of folks in wide brimmed hats and binoculars hanging around their necks) due to lack of bird knowledge.  Afraid they might not have the right equipment. Maybe simply afraid of meeting new people.

We as birders need to be bird advocates.  The more bird advocates we have on the planet, the more bird conservation, and as an extension, the more nature conservation we will promote.

I want all my readers to go read Laura Kammermeier’s post on “Who Are The Next “Great” Birders?” over at Birds, Words & Websites.  Laura suggests that we all become ambassadors for birds and she gives us a bullet point list for ways we can achieve this goal.

This is so important if we want to advance our cause and enhance our organizations.  It is also important for the conservation of our environment.

I am one of the lucky ones.  I began birding in my own backyard and joined the local Audubon Society where I found many excellent birders, all willing to share their knowledge and expertise with a “newbie.”  Thrilled for me as much as I was thrilled when I got a new “lifer.”

Now I enjoy having my friends and coworkers ask me questions about birds they see in their yards or out in the wild, and I get just as excited when they see a new bird.

We all enjoy birding and that is what makes us good birders.