Author Archives: Amy

Decline Of Large Birds In West African Sahel

by Amy Posted on 3 February 2007

The results of parallel surveys run in the same part of West Africa in 1971 and again in 2004 show an alarming decline in the large bird populations there.

Birds like Arabian Bustards and Lappet-faced Vultures were once numerous in the West African Sahel region, but are virtually extinct today. The ostrich used to be widespread in this area but now is extinct in Africa west of Chad.

The dramatic decline in vultures can be in part attributed to the near extinction of wild antelopes and gazelles in the region, as well as poisoning of predators and intensified use of farmed cattle.

The report which accompanies the survey urges immediate actions including reintroduction of the Ostrich to the area.

Read more about the decline of bird life in West Africa.

Posted in Africa, Endangered | 3 Comments

Eurasian Sparrow-hawk Threatens Sparrows

by Amy Posted on 2 February 2007

The Eurasian Sparrow-hawk has settled in Amsterdam, and this has been bad news for House Sparrows. Ten years ago the sparrow population in Amsterdam was 40,000 birds. Today the number has fallen to around 5400, in large part due to the sparrow-hawks.

Eurasian Sparrow-hawks in Amsterdam find House Sparrows a tasty meal.

Researchers have been keeping track of the sparrow population in Amsterdam for the past two years. The hawks favor the sparrows over other similar birds, like Blue and Great Tits, because the sparrows tend to congregate in the same places over time and they tend to travel in groups. This makes them easier for the Sparrow-hawks to hunt.

Researchers recognized that one hawk could be responsible for up to 400 sparrow deaths in a season. Sparrow-hawks in turn are threatened by hawks in Dutch forests. Many have fled to the cities to feast on sparrows and avoid capture themselves.

The sparrow has been recognized as a threatened species in the Netherlands since 2004.

Source: Sperwer bedreigt huismus

Posted in Netherlands | Leave a comment

Bald Eagles Put On A Show In Indiana

by Amy Posted on 1 February 2007

The water level Starve Hollow Lake in southern Indiana is being lowered and Bald Eagles are showing up to take advantage of the easy fishing. The water level is being lowered to reduce the population of a nuisance fish in the lake.

As many as 17 individual eagles have been spotted on the lake at one time, meaning the area population is healthy at around 25 birds. Birdwatchers from the region have come to the lake to watch the Bald Eagles feasting on fish.

eagle pair 664
eagle pair 664 by pmbell64, Creative Commons on Flickr

The eagles are expected to stay in the area until February.

Read more about the Bald Eagles at Starve Hollow Lake.

Posted in North America | Leave a comment

Meadow Birds Declining In Holland

by Amy Posted on 31 January 2007

The number of meadow birds in the Netherlands continues to decrease. Birds like Godwits and Lapwings are found less and less in the wet areas of Holland. Swans and geese, on the other hand, are doing very well.

The figures were published last week by Wetlands International. According to the foundation, the situation in the Netherlands is worrisome, but not as grave as in other parts of the world. The decline of meadow birds is occurring in more places, but a definitive cause is not known. Without knowing the cause of the decline, the group has difficulty proposing solutions.

It is possible that an increased use of pesticides has decimated the insect population enough to affect the bird population. Geese and swans live on grass and other vegetation, which thrives when pesticides are used.

Globally the numbers of water fowl are not as promising. The global waterfowl population has decreased 44% in the last five years. The situation is especially grim in Asia, where the number of protected areas is declining. Fowl numbers there have decreased by two-thirds.

Sources:
Weidevogels lijden, zwanen en ganzen profiteren
World’s waterbirds in decline, study warns

Posted in Endangered, Europe, Netherlands | Leave a comment

Lost Hornbill Found In Belgium

by Amy Posted on 30 January 2007

An animal protection agency in Belgium has found a lost hornbill in the city of Deurne last weekend. Experts believe the bird was brought to Europe during storms which brought strong winds to the region earlier this month.

It is probable that an aviary was damaged during the storms and the bird was able to escape. Since it is illegal to keep this type of bird captive in Europe, tracing the original owner will be difficult if not impossible.

It is expected that the Dutch Hornbill Foundation will bring the bird back to a natural habitat. Hornbills typically live in Africa south of the Sahara and throughout Asia.

Source: Neushoornvogels de weg kwijt

Posted in Europe, Offbeat | Leave a comment

U.S. Navy Proposes Airfield By Wildlife Refuge

by Amy Posted on 28 January 2007

Record numbers of ducks and geese have been spotted at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina this winter. The U.S. Navy wants to build a landing field nearby, a plan opposed by naturalists.

The lakes are located about 5 miles from the site that the Navy wants to use for the landing strip. Environmentalists believe the proximity of the landing strip to the Refuge will harm wildlife and increase potential for collisions between aircraft and birds.

Read more about the proposed airfield.

Posted in Aside, North America | 1 Comment

Duck, Thought Extinct, Found In Madagascar

by Amy Posted on 27 January 2007

The last Madagascar Pochard, a diving duck, was seen in 1991. This month a group of conservationists discovered a group of at least 25 pochards while searching for a rare hawk on the island.

Most ornithologists believed the duck, Aythya innotata, to be extinct. The living colony of pochards were found by a steep-sided volcanic lake, a different environment than the marshy lakes they were believed to prefer.

Read more about the rediscovered ducks.

Posted in Africa, Aside, Endangered, Extinct | Leave a comment

Netherlands Wildfowl Illegally Shot

by Amy Posted on 25 January 2007

Approximately 25 waterfowl on the Dinkel in Twente, the Netherlands, were found illegally shot last week. The majority of corpses found were those of geese, all of which had been filleted after being shot.

On Monday 15 January, hikers found the cadavers spread over a kilometer along the banks of the Dinkel. The geese and ducks were killed with shot. The killers filleted the birds for their meat and dumped the decimated corpses in or next to the water. The police are seeking witnesses.

Source: Stropers schieten tientallen watervogels in Twente

Posted in Aside, Law, Netherlands | Leave a comment

EU To Ban Wild Bird Trade Permanently

by Amy Posted on 24 January 2007

“The EU Commission has announced that the ban on imports of birds caught in the wild is to be made permanent throughout the European Union later this year.”

“The move comes after a temporary ban was imposed within the EU in October 2005, after birds in a UK quarantine centre were found to have avian influenza.

The ban is to take effect from the 1 July 2007.”

Read more about the ban.

Posted in Aside, Europe, Law | Leave a comment