June 9, 2011 Note
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The Solomon Islands
THE SOLOMON ISLANDS 14 SEPTEMBER – 7 OCTOBER 2007 TOUR REPORT LEADER: MARK VAN BEIRS Rain, mud, sweat, steep mountains, shy, skulky birds, shaky logistics and an airline with a dubious reputation, that is what the Solomon Islands tour is all about, but these forgotten islands in the southwest Pacific also hold some very rarely observed birds that very few birders will ever have the privilege to add to their lifelist. Birdquest’s fourth tour to the Solomons went without a hiccup. Solomon Airlines did a great job and never let us down, it rained regularly and we cursed quite a bit on the steep mountain trails, but the birds were out of this world. We birded the islands of Guadalcanal, Rennell, Gizo and Malaita by road, cruised into Ranongga and Vella Lavella by boat, and trekked up into the mountains of Kolombangara, Makira and Santa Isabel. The bird of the tour was the incredible and truly bizarre Solomon Islands Frogmouth that posed so very, very well for us. The fantastic series of endemics ranged from Solomon Sea Eagles, through the many pigeons and doves - including scope views of the very rare Yellow-legged Pigeon and the bizarre Crested Cuckoo- Dove - and parrots, from cockatoos to pygmy parrots, to a biogeographer’s dream array of myzomelas, monarchs and white-eyes. A total of 146 species were seen (and another 5 heard) and included most of the available endemics, but we also enjoyed a close insight into the lifestyle and culture of this traditional Pacific country, and into the complex geography of the beautiful forests and islet-studded reefs. -
Guidelines for Keeping Venomous Snakes in the NT
GUIDELINES FOR KEEPING VENOMOUS SNAKES IN THE NT Venomous snakes are potentially dangerous to humans, and for this reason extreme caution must be exercised when keeping or handling them in captivity. Prospective venomous snake owners should be well informed about the needs and requirements for keeping these animals in captivity. Permits The keeping of protected wildlife in the Northern Territory is regulated by a permit system under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2006 (TPWC Act). Conditions are included on permits, and the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory (“PWCNT”) may issue infringement notices or cancel permits if conditions are breached. A Permit to Keep Protected Wildlife enables people to legally possess native vertebrate animals in captivity in the Northern Territory. The permit system assists the PWCNT to monitor wildlife kept in captivity and to detect any illegal activities associated with the keeping of, and trade in, native wildlife. Venomous snakes are protected throughout the Northern Territory and may not be removed from the wild without the appropriate licences and permits. People are required to hold a Keep Permit (Category 1–3) to legally keep venomous snakes in the Northern Territory. Premises will be inspected by PWCNT staff to evaluate their suitability prior to any Keep Permit (Category 1– 3) being granted. Approvals may also be required from local councils, the Northern Territory Planning Authority, and the Department of Health and Community Services. Consignment of venomous snakes between the Northern Territory and other States and Territories can only be undertaken with an appropriate import / export permit. There are three categories of venomous snake permitted to be kept in captivity in the Northern Territory: Keep Permit (Category 1) – Mildly Dangerous Venomous Keep Permit (Category 2) – Dangerous Venomous Keep Permit (Category 3) – Highly Dangerous Venomous Venomous snakes must be obtained from a legal source (i.e. -
Disaggregation of Bird Families Listed on Cms Appendix Ii
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals 2nd Meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council (ScC-SC2) Bonn, Germany, 10 – 14 July 2017 UNEP/CMS/ScC-SC2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II (Prepared by the Appointed Councillors for Birds) Summary: The first meeting of the Sessional Committee of the Scientific Council identified the adoption of a new standard reference for avian taxonomy as an opportunity to disaggregate the higher-level taxa listed on Appendix II and to identify those that are considered to be migratory species and that have an unfavourable conservation status. The current paper presents an initial analysis of the higher-level disaggregation using the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World Volumes 1 and 2 taxonomy, and identifies the challenges in completing the analysis to identify all of the migratory species and the corresponding Range States. The document has been prepared by the COP Appointed Scientific Councilors for Birds. This is a supplementary paper to COP document UNEP/CMS/COP12/Doc.25.3 on Taxonomy and Nomenclature UNEP/CMS/ScC-Sc2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II 1. Through Resolution 11.19, the Conference of Parties adopted as the standard reference for bird taxonomy and nomenclature for Non-Passerine species the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 1: Non-Passerines, by Josep del Hoyo and Nigel J. Collar (2014); 2. -
Operational Control of the Brown Tree Snake on Guam
OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF THE BROWN TREE SNAKE ON GUAM THOMAS C. HALL, USDA/APHIS/ADC, 2800 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105. ABSTRACT: An operational control program for brown tree snakes (Boiga i"egularis) on Guam began in April 1993. The program focused on minimizing the dispersal of brown tree snakes to other Pacific islands and the U.S. mainland. During the first year of operation, more than 3,000 snakes were caught within a kilometer of high risk port facilities using traps, detector dogs, and spotlighting. Additionally, habitat modifications and prey-base removal were used to reduce the attractiveness of these facilities to brown tree snakes. Public awareness was also an important part of the program such as the education of cargo packers, shippers, and Customs inspectors who could further minimiu brown tree snake dispersal off-island. Initial control efforts in the program became more efficient with the recognition of brown tree snake characteristics, i.e., it was discovered that perimeter trapping a 5 ha patch of jungle was sufficient to remove most snakes instead of saturating the area with traps. KEY WORDS: brown tree snake, snake control Proc. 17th Vertebr. Pest Conf. (R.M. Timm & A.C. Crabb, Eds.) Published at Univ. of Calif., Davis. 1996. INTRODUCTION methods for resolving the problem. Background Brown tree snakes have caused significant information is given here so that the complexity of this environmental and economic impacts since their problem can be understood. inadvertent introduction to the island of Guam in the late 1940s. Other islands in the Pacific and the U.S. -
Stop the Brown Tree- Snake
BROWN TREESNAKES WHAT TO DO FOUND IN HAWAI‘I IF YOU SEE A SNAKE APRIL 1981: A live snake is found crawling in 1. Call the Pest Hotline immediately: 643- the customs area at the Honolulu Airport. PEST. Monitor the snake until trained authorities arrive. If the snake is resting or JULY 1981: A dead snake is found at Barbers hiding in an enclosed area, do not disturb it. Point Naval Air Station. 2. If it is moving and you are unable to contain MAY 1986: A live snake is found on a post it, track its location until authorities arrive. guide-wire at Hickam Air Force Base. 3. If the snake attempts to flee, and it is safe to OCTOBER 1989: A dead snake is found next to do so, kill it by striking the back of its head a cargo jet at Hickam Air Force Base. with a heavy object, or cut it in half with a machete or other implement. SEPTEMBER 1991: A dead snake is found on a runway at Honolulu Airport and a live snake 4. If the snake is dead, put it in a plastic bag is found under a cargo jet at Hickam Air Force labeled with the location, date and time of Base. capture. Store it in the freezer for pick up and examination by authorities. DECEMBER 1994: A live snake is discovered in a warehouse on Schofield Barracks. 5. If you have a pet snake, voluntarily turn it in by calling 643-PEST which offers immunity AUGUST 1998: A dead snake is found in the from prosecution. -
Myths Surrounding Snakes
MYTHS SURROUNDING SNAKES MYTH 1: Bites from baby venomous snakes are more dangerous than those from adults because they always deliver a full dose of venom. The legend goes that young snakes have not yet learned how to control the amount of venom they inject. They are therefore more dangerous than adult snakes, which will restrict the amount of venom they use in a bite or “dry bite”. This is simply untrue and all the evidence points towards bites from adults being more severe. Tests have shown that juvenile snakes can control their venom just as much as adults. Furthermore lets consider the following factors: adults have significantly larger fangs to deliver their venom and considerably more venom available than a juvenile. Therefore if a juvenile has venom glands only big enough to hold a 2ml of venom compared to an adult that can hold 30ml or more, then the bite from an adult will always have the potential to be more severe. I presume the reason this myth came into existence was to dissuade people from having a carefree attitude towards the potential dangers of a juvenile snake. The moral of the story is to treat every snake as a potentially dangerous and never expose your self to a situation where a snake of any size can bite you. MYTH 2: If you see a snake they’ll always be more Although it is possible to see more than one snake, for the most part this statement is untrue. Snakes are solitary animals for most of their lives so generally you will only ever encounter individuals. -
Common Snakes of the Fraser Coast
Chris Muller pictured above Common Snakes of the Fraser Coast By Jenny Watts At the end of an informative and entertaining talk by Chris Muller in front of 35 people I was left feeling how lucky we are to have a such an knowledgeable and reptile passionate person living in our area. We want Chris to come and talk to us more! Chris is currently working in a team contracted by our local council to revegetate natural areas. But he came to talk to us about his passion - snakes – and the association he has that goes back a long way. Chris’s dad was a scientist and Chris grew up around snakes. He was a member of a National Parks and Wildlife crew catching snakes even before he left school! Interspersed with information about the most commonly found snakes in our backyards (he included a legless lizard as well as pythons, tree snakes, freshwater keelbacks and a number of Elapids – venomous snakes) Chris told us hairy stories of snake catching. The most jaw dropping was handling a death adder while driving a tourist bus (“I didn’t realise they were so strong”) and extracting a big brown from under the bonnet of a car (“lucky it was contained by the radiator grill as it was directly under me”). So here are some of those snakes and some information: Burtons Legless Lizard This is a very common reptile found in our backyards where it is an aggressive feeder of small skinks. It is often mistaken for a snake but is a lizard – having ear holes, a broad flat tongue and small vestigial legs. -
Birds New Zealand 28 Dec 2016
COLOUR S Blyth’s Hornbill is one of the largest flying bird species in the Solomon Islands. This is a male at Mt Austen, Guadalcanal. S A Sphinx-like pair of Solomons Nightjars on Tetepare. S The elusive Melanesian Megapode is quite easy to see on Tetepare. Photo supplied by Allan Bero. Photo by Michael Szabo. S The flightless Roviana Rail was not described until 1991. S Female Blyth’s Hornbill at Mt Austen, Guadalcanal. 10 BIRDS NEW ZEALAND ӏ Number 12 December 2016 COLOUR S Solomons Sea Eagle is the apex forest predator S At 9cm Finsch’s Pygmy Parrot is one of the world’s smallest on the main Solomon Islands. parrots – even smaller than the New Zealand Rock Wren. S The endemic Rennell Shrikebill is frequently seen on S The Yellow-bibbed Lory is endemic to the eastern Solomons, Rennell. This is a male bird. Photo by Angus Hogg. from Guadalcanal to Rennell. Solomon Islands – Giant Eagles and Pygmy Parrots Words by Michael Szabo and Photographs by Lars Petersson I was bewitched by Solomons Nightjars, mesmerised by for bird species to have reached them from New Guinea, while Melanesian Megapodes, and transfixed by the Roviana Rail. the archipelago is fragmented enough for endemic species to You would be captivated, too, if you saw the amazing variety have evolved locally. This helps explain why the major Solomon of birds in the Solomon Islands that I did during a ten-day Islands have been identified as the richest “Endemic Bird Area” in birdwatching tour in July. the world, with 70 restricted-range land bird species. -
Eastern Australia: October-November 2016
Tropical Birding Trip Report Eastern Australia: October-November 2016 A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE tour EASTERN AUSTRALIA: From Top to Bottom 23rd October – 11th November 2016 The bird of the trip, the very impressive POWERFUL OWL Tour Leader: Laurie Ross All photos in this report were taken by Laurie Ross/Tropical Birding. 1 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report Eastern Australia: October-November 2016 INTRODUCTION The Eastern Australia Set Departure Tour introduces a huge amount of new birds and families to the majority of the group. We started the tour in Cairns in Far North Queensland, where we found ourselves surrounded by multiple habitats from the tidal mudflats of the Cairns Esplanade, the Great Barrier Reef and its sandy cays, lush lowland and highland rainforests of the Atherton Tablelands, and we even made it to the edge of the Outback near Mount Carbine; the next leg of the tour took us south to Southeast Queensland where we spent time in temperate rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests within Lamington National Park. The third, and my favorite leg, of the tour took us down to New South Wales, where we birded a huge variety of new habitats from coastal heathland to rocky shorelines and temperate rainforests in Royal National Park, to the mallee and brigalow of Inland New South Wales. The fourth and final leg of the tour saw us on the beautiful island state of Tasmania, where we found all 13 “Tassie” endemics. We had a huge list of highlights, from finding a roosting Lesser Sooty Owl in Malanda; to finding two roosting Powerful Owls near Brisbane; to having an Albert’s Lyrebird walk out in front of us at O Reilly’s; to seeing the rare and endangered Regent Honeyeaters in the Capertee Valley, and finding the endangered Swift Parrot on Bruny Island, in Tasmania. -
Melanesia: Secrets 2017
Melanesia Secrets Solomon Islands and Vanuatu 20th to 31st October 2017 (12 days) Trip Report White-headed Fruit Dove by Stephan Lorenz Trip report compiled by Tour Leader, Stephan Lorenz Rockjumper Birding Tours | Melanesia www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Melanesia - Secrets 2017 2 Tour Summary Starting in the Solomon Islands and finishing in Vanuatu, the cruise explored some true secrets of Melanesia, including visits to incredibly remote islands that harbour many seldom-seen endemics. In total, we covered about 1,200 nautical miles, visited 11 islands with more than a dozen landings, and recorded 118 species of birds, with several rare species of bats also noted. At sea, we enjoyed several hours of excellent pelagic birding. The tour started on Guadalcanal, where we spent a morning in the classic birding spot of Mt Austen, gathering up a fine selection of widespread Solomon endemics, plus a Black-headed Myzomela – a Guadalcanal endemic. From here, we cruised north overnight to land on the rarely-visited and even more rarely birded San Jorge Island, where we caught up with the endemic Solomons Cuckooshrike and White- billed Crow, both sought-after species. The following day, we landed on mysterious Malaita, which holds some of the most remote and inaccessible highland areas in the Solomons. We enjoyed a morning birding Nendo Flying Fox by Stephan Lorenz along an easily accessible logging track, where the very rare Red-vested Myzomela was the highlight of the morning. The island of Makira is home to several endemics, and we set forth finding a good number of them, with Makira Honeyeater, an endemic genus, especially memorable. -
Birding Melanesia 2015 Report by Adam Walleyn
Melanesia Discover and Secrets of Melanesia: Birding Melanesia 2015 Report By Adam Walleyn Cardinal Lory pair. Copyright Adrian Hayward The 2015 Melanesian Birding trip was another great success. The year will probably long be remembered for one of the worst droughts ever and while the dry and windy conditions made birding more difficult than usual, we persevered and ended up with an incredible tally of endemics, many of them amongst the most poorly known birds in the world! This incredible itinerary takes in part of the north coast of Papua New Guinea and all of the main islands of the Bismarcks, Solomons and Vanuatu, along with many of the smaller ones. This region is one of the world’s most avian endemic-rich hotspots and is largely inaccessible and unvisited by birders. Amongst 267 species, highlights this year included Superb Pitta sitting right in the open, an unexpected Manus Fantail, one of the first observations of Mussau Triller, a stunning Solomons Nightjar, and incredible diversity of fruit doves (12 species), imperial pigeons (12 species), myzomelas (11 species) and of course white-eyes (10 species). The trip started off with a nice dinner in Madang and then our first of many early mornings to bird a patch of forest not far from town. Bird activity was great this morning and there were a number of fruiting trees which allowed good views of two species of birds of paradise - Lesser Bird of Paradise and Glossy-mantled Manucode. Other nice birds in the fruiting trees included Orange-bellied and Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Zoe’s Imperial Pigeon, Orange-breasted Fig Parrot, and numerous Golden Myna. -
Distribution of Cane Toads (Rhinella Marina) in Florida and Their Status in Natural Areas
DISTRIBUTION OF CANE TOADS (RHINELLA MARINA) IN FLORIDA AND THEIR STATUS IN NATURAL AREAS By AUDREY C. WILSON A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2016 © 2016 Audrey C. Wilson To my family ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Steve A. Johnson, for his guidance throughout this project and for providing financial support. I am grateful to my committee members, Christina Romagosa and Betsie Rothermel, for their constant support. Jamie Barichivich provided invaluable advice during the planning and analysis of my thesis. The USGS loaned me the equipment necessary for the fieldwork, without which this project would not have been possible. Camila Rodriguez frequently assisted me in the field. James Colee from IFAS statistical consulting helped with analysis. I am also grateful to the faculty, students, and staff of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation for their patience and support. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ 7 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... 8 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................