Category Archives: North America

Conservation Groups Sue U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

by Amy Posted on 3 December 2006

Two conservation groups in Wyoming are suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service for refusing to protect the Mountain Plover under the Endangered Species Act. The two groups, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and Forest Guardians, claim that the Fish and Wildlife Service rejected expert advice on the threat to the Mountain Plover population. The groups claim politics are to blame in the denial of protection for the plovers. Read more about the lawsuit.

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Arctic Gull Spotted In California, Attracts Birders

by Amy Posted on 2 December 2006

A Ross’ Gull sighting earlier this month in California attracted about 150 birders hoping to get a glimpse of the bird normally not seen south of Alaska. The bird was spotted in the Salton Sea, a lake located between Imperial and Riverside counties. It marks the first sighting of the gull, which normally breeds in Siberia or Greenland, in California. Read more about the Ross’ Gull’s southern visit.

Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea)
Ross’s Gull (Rhodostethia rosea) by dominic sherony, Creative Commons on Flickr

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Rare Bird Sighting Boosts Small Town Economy

by Amy Posted on 28 November 2006

The sighting of a Western Reef Heron in Kitttery Point Maine this summer proved to be a boost to the small town’s economy in the last days of the summer tourist season. During the 10 days the bird was known to have been in the area, it is estimated that 300 to 400 birders visited in hopes of catching sight of the heron, whose normal habitat is in Africa. Results of an internet survey showed that the average visiting birder spent 1.38 days in Kittery and spent about $26. Read more about the heron’s impact. Thirty survey respondents said they had no plans to visit Maine before hearing about the rare bird. Read more about the bird’s economical impact.

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Twin Tower Replacement To Keep The Birds In Mind

by Amy Posted on 17 November 2006

Up to one billion birds are killed annually in the U.S. when they crash into glass buildings. The spring and fall migrations are especially treacherous times. Developers of New York’s planned 1,776 foot Freedom Tower, to be built on the former site of the World Trade Center, have enlisted an industrial ornithologist to advise them on making the new building bird-friendly. Recommendations include using less reflective glass and dimming the lights at dusk to avoid nighttime collisions by migrating birds. Read more about the Freedom Tower plans in the article Freedom Tower May Be Lifesaver for Birds.

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Subspecies Of Winter Wren Reunited In Canada

by Amy Posted on 16 November 2006

“Two sub-species of a singing bird have met in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. the first sighting since the eastern and western winter wren split apart during the last Ice Age. Up until last year, scientists weren’t even sure if the two populations co-existed since nobody had ever been able to find their elusive contact zone.” Read about the discovery by zoology professor Darren Irwin at Canada.com.

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Exterminators Stick Pigeons To Store Sign

by Amy Posted on 31 October 2006

Last week rescue crews worked to save about a dozen pigeons from a store sign in Wethersfield, Connecticut after they became stuck. The store had employed a pest control company to keep birds from roosting in their sign. A gel was applied to the sign in order to repel pigeons. When the temperature outside dropped, however, the gel became adhesive and pigeons became affixed to the sign. The birds were in the care of animal control and were expected to make a full recovery. You can read the full story Crews Rescue Stuck Pigeons at WFSB.

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Posted in Aside, North America, Offbeat, Pigeons!, Rehabilitation | 2 Comments

Wading Bird Numbers Up For South Florida

by Amy Posted on 30 October 2006

“An annual survey found nearly 55,000 nests in the Everglades and surrounding nature areas this season — the second time in four years breeding has reached levels approaching the 1940s, when flocks of white ibis, snowy egret and other birds could fill a marsh sky. And that’s a ‘conservative estimate,’ said Mark Cook, a senior environmental scientist with the South Florida Water Management District, which compiles the South Florida Wading Bird Report that was released this week.” Read the full story in the Miami Herald.

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Botulism – Linked To Invasive Species – Killing Lake Michigan Birds

by Amy Posted on 29 October 2006

“Hundreds of loons, grebes, mergansers, cormorants and other migrating birds have been killed in Lake Michigan recently, most likely from bacteria linked to non-native fish and mussels. Biologists at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore estimated this week that 2,600 dead birds have washed up on beaches during the past two months. It is the first large-scale bird die-off in Lake Michigan in decades.” Read the full story in the Star Tribune.

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Anti-Dove Hunting Ads Precede Michigan Vote

by Amy Posted on 20 October 2006

A statewide TV campaign has begun to convince Michigan voters to vote against a proposed bill to allow dove hunting in the state. The birds are shot purely for sport, as they are not a nuisance nor suffer from overpopulation, and they are not eaten after they are shot. The state’s longtime ban on dove shooting was lifted in 2004 but petitioners suspended implementation of the law, leading to the upcoming November 7 vote. Read all about the campaign on M Live.

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