BIRDCONSERVATION the Magazine of American Bird Conservancy Winter 2015-2016 BIRD’S EYE VIEW from Mountains to Islands, the Journey Is in Every Step

BIRDCONSERVATION The Magazine of American Bird Conservancy Winter 2015-2016 BIRD’S EYE VIEW From Mountains to Islands, the Journey Is in Every Step

asping for breath, I turned one last time on the nearly 14,000-foot Peruvian mountain pass to watch the Mountain Caracara we had seen at eye level an hour Gbefore circling far below. My knees had turned to rubber, and my pounding heart and lungs begged for release. Tino Aucca, president of our partner organization, Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN), breathed easily nearby, smiling at my labored condition.

We had just climbed to the Andean But the real trick of traveling is to pass, known as Abra Malaga, from enjoy it all—meetings and excur- the Polylepis forests on the slopes sions alike. Ralph Waldo Emerson well below. These are the highest said it best: “To finish the moment, forests in the world. Beneath this to find the journey’s end in every stunted forest are soft, rounded, step of the road, to live the greatest deep beds of mosses—Aulacomnuim, number of good hours, is wisdom.” Polytrichum, and a few Sphagnums— that are lovely to see but too wet to In this issue of Bird Conservation, lie on. These small fairylands harbor we are featuring stories of journeys an avifauna unlike any other on to places as varied as the caatinga Earth. of Brazil, the mountain forests of Hispaniola, and remote Laysan I have traveled to the Andes many Island, a Pacific atoll. In these times, but on this day I notched stories, the travel is fun, but the 28 birds I had never seen before: a Stripe-headed Antpitta. Photo by Kazuya Naoki work and the need for conservation remarkable collection of cinclodes, are very real. So journey with us intended to protect these plants. tit-spinetails, canasteros, tit-tyrants, to these and other places. Allow With some repairs, the trees would and even an antpitta found only your mind to imagine being there. continue to grow and expand, creat- in this rare, thin-air habitat. Unlike Envision the birds and habitats ing new fairyland for birds that rely other antpittas I have seen before, benefiting from conservation on Polylepis to survive. this Stripe-headed Antpitta foraged projects developed by ABC and its openly in a streamside meadow Most of my travel is for meetings to partners. And, as an ABC supporter, cropped close by grazing llamas persuade supporters of the impor- enjoy reading about what your and alpacas. tance of their role in conservation; support makes possible! to negotiate actions with partners; We had visited to check on some and to explain ABC’s work to varied Polylepis trees planted a few years ear- audiences. But when I can, I try to lier under the direction of ECOAN. tack on a day to go birding. Those The slow-growing trees slightly days outside are almost as impor- resemble small, gnarled oaks. Most tant as the meetings. I get a chance were faring well, though damage George H. Fenwick to see on-the-ground conservation from grazing and trampling was President, ABC and its attendant problems (such as evident near a break in the fence tree-chewing llamas).

Cover photo: Eastern Screech-Owl by Dan Behm ABC is the Western Hemisphere’s bird conservation specialist—the only organization with a single and steadfast commitment to achieving conservation results for native Winter 2015-2016 wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. BIRDCONSERVATION A copy of the current financial statement and registration filed by the organization may be obtained by contacting: ABC, P.O. Box 249, The Plains, VA 20198. 540-253- Journeys with Birds 5780, or by contacting the following state agencies: Florida: Division of Consumer Services, Epic Adventures toll-free number within the state: 9 800-435-7352. to Save the Millerbird Maryland: For the cost of copies and postage: Office of the Secretary of State, Statehouse, Annapolis, MD 21401. New Jersey: Attorney General, State 15 Quest for the Bay-breasted Cuckoo of New Jersey: 201-504-6259. New York: Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law, Charities Bureau, 20 How to See a Lear's Macaw 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271. Pennsylvania: Department of State, toll-free number within the state: About to Fledge, Plovers Face a Test 800-732-0999. 23 Virginia: State Division of Consumer Affairs, Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 26 Storm-Petrels Return to the Sea 23209. West Virginia: Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. 28 The Ways and Wanderings of Owls Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by any state.

Bird Conservation is the magazine of ABC and is published four times yearly for members. Senior Editor: Libby Sander VP of Communications: Clare Nielsen DEPARTMENTS Graphic Design: Gemma Radko Editors: Chris Farmer, Steve Holmer, Dan Lebbin, Merrie Morrison, Hannah Nevins, 2 Bird’s Eye View Cynthia Palmer, Glenn Phillips, Kacy Ray, Grant Sizemore, George Wallace, David Wiedenfeld 4 On the Wire For more information contact: American Bird Conservancy 34 Final Glimpse 4249 Loudoun Avenue P.O. Box 249 The Plains, VA 20198 540-253-5780 [email protected] Lear’s Macaws landing on a licuri palm. Photo by Ciro Albano Join us online! Top: Snowy Plovers in flight. Photo by Marlin Harms

abcbirds.org BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 3

ON the WIRE

New Refuge Promises Brighter Future for Rare Honduran Hummingbird

he tiny, iridescent Honduran Forestry Department, the property Emerald may be most remark- will preserve dry tropical forests the Table for its rarity: Unrecorded Honduran Emerald needs to survive. for almost 40 years, from 1950 to Cattle ranching is widespread in the 1988, it is now listed as Endangered Agalta Valley, and as a result the on the IUCN Red List of Threatened land is rapidly changing from dry Species. forest to grasslands.

But the future now looks a little Increasing summer temperatures, brighter for the rare humming- declining rainfall, and soil exhaus- bird that lives only in Honduras. tion reduce the quantity and quality Thanks to Honduran organization of milk from cows. Many ranchers La Asociación de Investigación compensate for this by clearing Honduran Emerald. Photo by Larry Thompson para el Desarrollo Ecológico y Socio forest for additional pasture. To Conservation of these forests would Económico (ASIDE), ABC, and other protect the remaining forests, ABC benefit not just the Honduran Emer- groups, the bird will benefit from and ASIDE are working to develop ald but also declining migratory the protection of 147 acres in a Payment for Ecosystem Services birds that winter in the area, such Honduras’ Agalta Valley. program to provide private land- as the Wood Thrush and Golden- owners with an incentive to main- winged Warbler, along with rare Officially designated as El Ciruelo tain and even improve tropical dry plants, reptiles, and other wildlife. Wildlife Refuge by the Honduran forests on their lands.

New York Governor Nixes Feral Cat Support

ew York Governor Andrew native wildlife, and are a potential “By vetoing this proposed legisla- Cuomo has vetoed legisla- source of diseases and parasites, tion, Governor Cuomo has acted Ntion that proposed the use such as rabies and toxoplasmosis. with vision and courage to protect of public funds to support statewide the wildlife of New York,” said Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) programs Grant Sizemore, Director of Invasive for feral cats. Under the proposed Species Programs for ABC, noting legislation, up to 20 percent of the that studies have shown that free- state’s Animal Population Control roaming cats kill billions of birds in Program Fund could have been al- the United States each year. located to TNR. A diverse coalition of groups rallied to oppose the bill, “This bill was an effort to legitimize including ABC, Audubon New York, the systematic abandonment of birders, and animal welfare groups. cats, and to inappropriately require that public funds prop up a failed The governor’s stance is consistent TNR strategy,” Sizemore added. with ABC’s position on this issue: “We hope that other lawmakers TNR programs have been shown to draw inspiration from this decision be unsuccessful at reducing feral cat and recognize TNR is a ‘lose, lose, populations. The programs main- lose’ scenario for cats, wildlife, and tain outdoor colonies where cats A feral cat colony at Jones Beach, N.Y., that people.” is maintained by human caretakers. Photo by are free to prey on birds and other Kathy Baca

4 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016

High in the Andes, a New Reserve for Rare Birds

are birds of the high Andes More than 14,000 feet above sea In addition to protecting and con- will now benefit from nearly level, the reserve will protect several serving these imperiled birds, the R2,500 additional acres of species of endangered birds. The new reserve also safeguards impor- protected land thanks to a new con- Andean Ibis, Yellow-billed Teal, and tant watersheds for the Quechua- servation area created by an indig- Crested Duck use the new area’s speaking people of the Quishuarani enous community in Peru. wetlands, said ECOAN’s Gregorio community. It lies adjacent to the Ferro Meza, while endangered birds Hatum Queuña-Quishuarani Private The Siete Cataratas-Qanchis Paccha such as the White-browed Tit-Spine- Conservation Area, a 580-acre re- Private Conservation Area, named tail and Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant use serve the community formed with for a dramatic system of waterfalls the Polylepis forest. ABC and ECOAN in 2009. within its borders, was officially recognized by the government of The waterfalls for which the Siete Cataratas-Qanchis Paccha Private Conservation Area is named. Peru in August. It is the eighth such Photo by Dan Lebbin, ABC protected area that indigenous communities in the Cusco region have formed since 2009 in collaboration with ABC and our Peruvian partner ECOAN.

With this new addition, local communities now protect and manage more than 18,000 acres in the Vilcanota Reserve Network, which protects critical fragments of remaining Polylepis forest in this area of Peru. The few bird species that eke out a living here are among the rarest on Earth, and as the forests dwindle, so do their hopes for survival.

Dining on Insecticides in Congress

recent study by ABC and the Sixty out of 66 food samples tested While the concentrations were Harvard T.H. Chan School contained neonicotinoid residue. below what the EPA considers A of Public Health has found Cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, dangerous to humans, there is bird- and bee-killing pesticides in 90 and honeydew melons stood out as nonetheless reason for concern. percent of the fruits and vegetables the foods with the highest levels of Neonicotinoids are killing birds, sampled from two cafeterias in the neonicotinoids. Samples of green butterflies, bees, and beetles, which U.S. Congress. bell peppers and fresh squeezed or- sustain American agriculture by ange juice contained as many as five consuming pests and pollinating These pesticides, called distinct types of the insecticide. crops. neonicotinoids, are the nation’s most widely used insecticides and Millions of Americans are already persist in soils for months to years. trying to limit their exposure to They were banned by the European pesticides. Hopefully our Congress Union in 2013 and restricted by will join them—and call on EPA Ontario, Canada in 2015 because of to restrict the use of these harmful their connection to the large-scale pesticides. disappearance of pollinators. Photo by www.BillionPhotos.com, Shutterstock

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 5

ON the WIRE Government Says ‘Epic Collaboration’ Sufficient to Save Sage Grouse

n a closely watched decision work can become a model of coop- ABC has advocated for this type of with far-reaching impact across erative conservation,” Fenwick said. regional approach for several years, Ithe American West, the Depart- “Real success will require constant said Senior Policy Advisor Steve ment of the Interior announced in monitoring and evaluation—and Holmer. As the strategy took shape, September that the Greater Sage- willingness to make needed changes ABC staff worked to make sure Grouse does not currently warrant where we are falling short.” the federal plans followed the best protection under the Endangered available science to be effective in The grouse’s future now depends on Species Act. reversing the grouse’s decline. 98 new conservation plans aimed Citing an “epic collaboration” by at conserving Greater Sage-Grouse In the past year, ABC supporters dozens of partners across 11 western habitat and supporting sustainable have also sent thousands of letters states, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell economic development on portions to Congress in support of the expressed optimism for the grouse of public lands across several west- management plans, and to oppose and its signature ecosystem—largely ern states. an amendment to the National because of extraordinary conserva- Defense Authorization Act that Formally adopted by the Bureau of tion work in recent years to restore would prevent the implementation Land Management and the USDA the grouse’s habitat. of the plans. Forest Service, the plans limit future The breadth and scope of the collab- energy development in the most Now that the plans are formally in orative effort may be unprecedented important grouse habitats, pro- place, they need time to take effect, in the history of bird conservation, vide requirements for sustainable Holmer said. “We’re optimistic. said ABC President George Fenwick. land use, and prioritize new efforts However, we’ll want to see regular to prevent losses of sagebrush to reviews of the species’ population “This gives me hope that momen- wildfire. The plans affect more than trend to learn if the current long- tum can continue, more sagebrush 67 million acres of public lands, in- term decline is reversed. If not, the habitat can be saved, that new sci- cluding 12 million acres where strict listing issue may have to be revisited ence will be continuously employed limits on oil and gas drilling will be in the future.” for better outcomes, and that this enforced.

Greater Sage-Grouse. Photo by Pat Gaines

6 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016

Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, Hawaiian Ecosystems May Receive Federal Protection

he U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- seabird known as ’Ake’ake to native and increased the potential for vice has proposed that a suite Hawaiians that is believed to have landslides, rock falls, or flooding, T of 49 Hawaiian species be list- dwindled to only 240 known pairs. which in turn damages or destroys ed as endangered under the federal native plants and disturbs the Band- Endangered Species Act. Among the In this ecosystem-based approach, rumped Storm-Petrel’s habitat. species put forward for protection the Fish and Wildlife Service is pro- is the Hawaiian population of the posing to list the petrel along with Listing dozens of species that share Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, a small dozens of other species that share coastal habitat and have common the bird’s important and heavily im- threats would allow for managing or pacted habitats of Hawai’i’s coastal, eliminating these threats at an eco- dry cliff, and wet cliff ecosystems. If system level—a more cost-effective the listing is approved, federal legal approach that should lead to better protection would extend to all 49 protection of resources for all native species, including the petrel. species. ABC’s Seabirds Program, meanwhile, continues to advocate Federal officials are urging such for conservation actions—including protection because of destruction protection of the birds’ habitat and and modification of habitat control of predators—for the benefit throughout each of the species’ of Band-rumped Storm-Petrel and ranges. Non-native grazing other Hawaiian seabirds. mammals have exacerbated erosion Band-rumped Storm-Petrel feeding. Photo by Mike Danzenbaker

Interactive Website Offers New Tool to Reduce Seabird Bycatch

undreds of thousands 29 percent of seabird of birds are accidentally species listed in the Hinjured or killed every year International Union in fisheries around the world. A for Conservation dynamic new website created by of Nature (IUCN) ABC and The Pennsylvania State Red List categories University’s Center for Environ- Critically Endangered, mental Informatics puts a wealth of Endangered, and information helpful in reducing this Vulnerable. Black-footed Albatross are often victims of bycatch. bycatch right at the fingertips of Photo by Glen Tepke those who need it most: fishermen, The website features conservationists, and those promot- a database with profiles of all 378 “The volume of information here ing fishery sustainability. seabird species. Users can create used to take months to compile, but fishery area maps and determine now it is all available in a matter of The site (www.fisheryandseabird. which birds occur there; review seconds,” said David Wiedenfeld, info) is designed to help users assess protected status, population size, ABC’s Senior Conservation Scientist the risk for the accidental capture and range maps; produce reports and a lead architect of the site. “We of seabirds in fisheries and take with information such as diving hope this information can be used action to reduce bycatch. Seabirds depth and diet that may indicate the to reduce the number of seabirds be- are among the most threatened risk posed by fishing gear; and find ing killed by commercial fishing.” groups of birds, with approximately resources on how to reduce bycatch.

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 7

ON the WIRE High Hopes for New Colony of Endangered Hawaiian Petrels

project more than 30 years carriers, and climbed back to the in the making took place mountain peaks where the helicop- A in early November on the ters picked them up. After a flight to Hawaiian island of Kaua‘i when 10 the coast, the chicks were driven to endangered Hawaiian Petrel chicks their new home in the Nihoku area were flown by helicopter from their of the refuge, where a predator-proof mountain colonies to create a new, fence has been installed. protected colony within Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. Hawaiian Petrel chicks imprint on their birth colony the first time they Endangered Hawaiian Petrels, or emerge from their burrows and see André Raine from the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird ‘Ua‘u, live only in the Hawaiian the night sky. As adults, they return Recovery Project with a Hawaiian Petrel chick. Islands. They have declined dra- to breed at the same colony. Since Photo by Michael McFarlin/Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project matically due to a number of threats, chicks were removed before this including predation by introduced critical imprinting stage, they will of Land and Natural Resources' cats, rats, and pigs. emerge and imprint on Nihoku and Division of Forestry and Wildlife return to that site as adults. The new (DOFAW) project administered by The translocation played out in colony will be the only fully protect- Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, Kaua‘i’s rugged mountain interior ed colony of federally listed seabirds University of Hawai‘i; and ABC. and along the coast. Helicopters anywhere in the Hawaiian Islands Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative and dropped two teams of wildlife biolo- and represents a huge achievement DOFAW supported predator con- gists onto mountain peaks in the in recovering this species. early morning. The biologists hiked trol within Hono O Na Pali Natural down to 10 nest burrows they had The effort was led on the ground by Area Reserve. The National Tropical monitored throughout the breed- Pacific Rim Conservation; the U.S. Botanical Garden provided important ing season, and carefully removed Fish and Wildlife Service, Kilauea assistance with vegetation restoration the chicks from their burrows. They Point National Wildlife Refuge; at the translocation site. The National placed the young birds into pet Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recov- Fish and Wildlife Foundation pro- ery Project, a Hawai‘i Department vided critial funding support. New ABC Campaign Recommends Bird-Smart Glass Products

ollisions with buildings “With bird-friendly design Products featured in our Bird-Smart kill hundreds of millions requirements in over a dozen U.S. Glass program must have docu- Cof birds each year in the cities, it is more important than ever mented evidence that prove their United States, but simple solutions to get the word out about effective effectiveness, either through con- are available. These can include materials to save birds’ lives,” says trolled tests or field studies. patterned glass, window films and Christine Sheppard, ABC’s Bird The materials listed on our website tapes, and external screens, netting, Collision Campaign Manager. as bird-smart have all been docu- and louvers. Our new Bird-Smart Glass program mented to reduce collisions, and the makes it easy for homeowners and list continues to grow as more man- architects to discover effective solu- ufacturers of glass, window films, tions to stop birds from dying at and external screening systems cre- windows. These choices fit every ate new products or document the style, budget, and climate. Although effectiveness of existing products. no material can be guaranteed to eliminate all collisions, these prod- Visit abcbirds.org to learn more. ucts are among the best available.

8 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016

An elusive Millerbird. Photo by Megan Dalton Life on Laysan Epic Adventures to Save the Millerbird

n the summer of 2014, Barbara Heindl spent 90 days on a 1,022-acre speck of land in the Pacific Ocean called Laysan Island. Heindl was there to monitor endangered Millerbirds, Iwhich ABC and its partners had translocated to the island in 2011 and 2012 from Nihoa Island to establish a second population. But for Heindl and her research partners Megan Dalton and Robby Kohley, the summer involved far more than searching for the tiny birds.

By Barbara Heindl Lifestyle-wise, we were also in work. Where did this pumpkin the groove. Although the islands custard come from? Beet salad? Halfway into our 90-day tour on in Papah naumoku kea Marine Delightful! Mango lassies? How Laysan, we had seen nearly all of the ā ā National Monument have strict refreshing! Living was good 103 Millerbirds that were banded bioquarantine protocols—including on Laysan. by the end of the previous monitor- no fresh vegetables—to prevent the ing season in September 2013. And introductions of new species, I had It was in the midst of this rhythm despite all the time we had already stopped thinking about all the fresh that we got the news: Two tropical spent in “NIMI Land”—our affec- foods I was missing during meal- storms the rest of the team in the tionate name for the Nihoa Miller- time. I was constantly delighted by main Hawaiian Islands had been bird breeding ground in the north- new creations that my campmates keeping an eye on had turned into ern part of the island—we were still seemed to produce from the wood- three and were headed our way. seeing new, unbanded birds.

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 9 Life on Laysan

little unsettling. Regardless, we met them with a smile, and started pass- ing over our buckets.

As we sped past the reef surrounding Laysan toward the large ship, I looked back to see our tiny island disappearing over the horizon. That view was one I hadn’t remembered getting when we were dropped off, and it was a hard view to take in not knowing whether we would return—and if we did, what shape the island would be in.

The U.S.S. Comstock. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jason Swink Finally we were alongside the gi- ant windowless wall of the U.S.S. We learned the U.S.S. Comstock, us. Operation Jackpot—the Navy’s Comstock. A rope ladder hung down a naval vessel in the area, would term for the mission, not ours— from a platform somewhere about evacuate us within 24 hours. From was underway. halfway up the eight-story ship. there, where they would take us was still anyone’s guess, but it would ‘Don’t Look Down’ Where was the safety briefing on this? most likely be the ship’s current After some searching, we noticed I wondered. I tried to time jumping destination of Hong Kong. two vessels speeding toward the onto the rope ladder with the peak swell of the waves to avoid being We immediately started backing up island. The smaller of the two boats pinned between our small boat and our data and preparing camp not navigated to the beach, skillfully the huge vessel we were boarding. only for our imminent departure, giving wide birth to a young monk As I clambered to the top, I did my but for the potential beatdown from seal swimming in the bay. “Hey! best to ignore someone shouting the forecasted storms. Early the next You guys want a lift?” came the from below, “Don’t look down!” morning we sadly trudged down to greeting. “We just happen to be in the beach with our buckets of sup- the area if you do.” Once on board, we learned our plies and waited to hear from the We appreciated their humor, but final destination: Midway Atoll. ship. Eventually we spotted it on it was a hard question. We were Given the possibilities, hearing that the horizon, and got word that the happy to be safe, yes, but our work we were headed to Midway was a ship was four miles away and had on Laysan was definitely not done, relief. From there we would be able deployed two small boats to retrieve and to be leaving prematurely felt a to enter and proof our Millerbird

Waiting on the beach for the U.S.S. Comstock, buckets in tow. From left to right: Whitney Taylor, NOAA Hawaiian monk seal research team; Hope Ronco, NOAA Hawaiian monk seal research team; Robby Kohley, ABC Millerbird monitoring team; and Megan Dalton, ABC Millerbird monitoring team. Photo by Barbara Heindl, 2014

10 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 Millerbird on Laysan. Photo by Megan Dalton

Unpredictable weather like this is one of the many reasons Millerbirds were translocated from Nihoa to Laysan. Fewer than 1,000 Millerbirds remain on Nihoa, so having multiple populations helps to ensure that one storm doesn’t take out all the remaining Millerbirds on the planet.

data, assist the Midway biologists hug. She also gave us numerous ju- taken over our camp, tackling surveying local Laysan Ducks, and venile Laysan Finches, Wedge-tailed moths on the screen doors to our enjoy their coveted soft serve ice and Christmas Shearwaters, Brown tents. Often multiple finches would cream machine while we waited for and Black Noddies, and Millerbirds seize upon a single moth, tear it to the next flight to Honolulu. galore. The only noticeable change pieces and then look for more. You was an unusually high debris line, might think it would resemble the The entire evacuation really dem- indicating large swells from the hur- iconic scene from “Lady and the onstrated how remote and exposed ricanes. Otherwise, the island was Tramp”: two dogs slurping up a we had been on Laysan. Even with more or less just how we left it. single piece of spaghetti, meeting in a naval vessel able to detour and the center for a kiss. Rest assured, it help us—and that was mostly by Inland, the albatrosses were all was nothing as graceful or charming chance—it took 30 hours from the gone, fledged and now foraging in as that. moment we heard the Navy was on the Aleutians. They wisely missed the way until we set foot on Mid- out on the heat and large incoming The fearless juvenile finches were way. No other scenario would have swells, which would have been dif- so numerous that every entry into a had us off the island sooner. ficult for any new flyers to master. weatherport—a pipe-framed shelter We missed the albatrosses. But the with vinyl fabric walls—required Back to Laysan island was by no means quiet. a finch check to prevent the eager birds from getting trapped indoors. After 10 days on Midway, a week Young Laysan Finches that had Any finches perched on bottom in Honolulu, and several more days fledged while we were gone had of the door? No. Top of the door? on a NOAA research vessel heading back through the Northwestern Ha- waiian Islands, we finally returned to Laysan. There we discovered the best possible news: None of the storms had hit our little island. Laysan, thankfully, had lucked out.

Within 48 hours of our return, Lay- san welcomed us back the only way she knew how: with a big, sweaty Brown Noddies on the beach. Photo by feathercollector, Shutterstock

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 11 Life on Laysan

No. On the handle to the door? Millerbirds Come Out to Play Much of our work on Millerbirds No. Perched on anything next to involved re-sighting color-banded Further inland in the core Millerbird the door? No. Did any land on you birds. The birds were marked with habitat, we were delighted to see while you were doing the check? a unique set of color bands on their the Millerbirds out in full action. No. Now check all around the door legs so we could follow individuals By early October, we finally had one more time just to be sure. and get a better idea of their breed- a population estimate: about 160 ing history and movements. Re- Millerbirds on Laysan, more than Underground, the Wedge-tailed sighting birds is not an easy task three times the number originally Shearwater burrows that held eggs with any species, but because of translocated from Nihoa! before we left now contained small, Millerbirds’ secretive nature and the fluffy chicks. The Red-footed Booby dense, bushy naupaka shrubs they chicks that were white fluff before frequent, it was particularly difficult we left had become a sleek gray— By early October, we on Laysan. almost handsome. The Brown Noddies that were hatching as we finally had a population Most mornings involved waking up before dawn and arriving in NIMI left were now vocal, begging to their estimate: about 160 parents at all hours of the day and Land just after sunrise. In contrast night, and tap dancing on rooftops Millerbirds on Laysan, to our earlier stay on Laysan, the while the human occupants inside birds were particularly vocal now. tried to sleep. more than three times But there were still some stealthy the number originally translocated from Nihoa! The dense, bushy naupaka shrubs on Laysan favored by the Millerbirds make them very difficult to locate. Photo by George Wallace, ABC

12 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 A color-banded Millerbird trying to avoid detection on Laysan. Photo by Megan Dalton individuals who made us work to earn a re-sight. More often than not, I carefully navigated to a shrub where I had heard a single chip note, only to arrive to silence: no rustling in the undergrowth, no fluttering, nothing.

Moving ever so slightly to gain another view into the undergrowth, I looked to the left, then to the right. Finally I saw it in a small opening no bigger than my thumb: a small, wide-eyed Millerbird.

We had no way of knowing which individual bird it was—or anything about its history or status—until we got a clear look at its legs. At that point, I gingerly lay down on my stomach to try to get an eye-level view into the undergrowth where Millerbirds usually hung out. Megan Dalton and Millerbird on Laysan Island. Photo by Robby Kohley, 2014

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 13 Life on Laysan

An adult Millerbird tending to its nest and chicks Welcome to the Underbelly naupaka leaf. Definitely a bird. on Laysan. Photo by Megan Dalton Then a leg slipped out from the The underbrush was a completely edge of the leaf—the black, stocky took note of this, watched them different world. A Red-tailed leg of a Laysan Finch. Not what I for a second longer, and then they Tropicbird chortled lightly, letting was looking for. were gone—out of sight like it never me know that if I came any closer, happened. it would let out a shriek so intense Hesitating for just a second, I settled I might have temporary heart back in. And then a chip note, and palpitations. before I could even process where 2015 Update: The U.S. Fish and it came from, a bird fluttered into Wildlife Service no longer maintains a The vegetation was thick. Choos- view not more than a foot away field camp on Laysan due to budget ing where to place my face for the from my nose: an unbanded Miller- limitations, and two evacuations this optimal view was a difficult deci- bird. Only a moment later I heard, fall—from a tsunami warning and a sion. Changing positions was costly, just farther back from the Millerbird tropical storm—thwarted ABC’s brief noisy, and difficult to pull off while in view, a male singing lightly. attempt to survey the Millerbirds. wedged between shrubby branches. However, the abbreviated field effort He came into view, briefly found that the Millerbirds seemed A couple of seconds felt like several displaying his color bands. The healthy and were increasing their minutes. My flesh started to crawl unbanded bird began fluttering its range on the island. as flies settled onto every uncov- wings and “churring,” suggesting ered piece of skin. Twenty seconds the unbanded bird was a female, Learn more about the Millerbird: passed. And then I heard it, a rustle and these two birds were a pair. I abcbirds.org/bird/millerbird just to the right, coming closer. Light hopping sounds. Was it a Millerbird? A skink? A crab? Barbara Heindl is an avian ecologist. In addition to her research on Laysan in 2014, she has worked in the Alaskan tundra, Jamaican Trying not to flush it the wrong mangrove forests, and spent five years in the Hawaiian cloud forest. direction, I held my breath, blink- She holds bachelor’s degrees in wildlife ecology and conservation biology ing one eye at a time. Something in from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and is currently working on the periphery darted behind a broad Ruffed Grouse in central Wisconsin.

14 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 LOCO for CUCKOOS A Conservationist’s Search for the Bay-breasted Cuckoo By Andrew Rothman

early everyone involved in bird conservation has an unseen bird that haunts them—a “ghost bird,” so to speak. My ghost bird, for years, was the Bay- N breasted Cuckoo, also known as the “Cua” for its cooing call. Like most other cuckoos, this bird is exceptionally furtive, but also beautiful, with big eyes and a long, barred tail. Unlike many other cuckoos, it is Endangered, and is only found on Hispaniola, the Caribbean island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

There are no Bay-breasted Cuckoos Symbol of Disappearing During this particular visit in 2013, left in Haiti, where the mid-eleva- Landscapes I was an International Conservation tion forests these birds inhabit have Officer at ABC. I had come to meet There are many rare birds in the been ravaged by excessive logging, with representatives of the govern- forests of the Dominican Republic farming, and other problems linked ment’s Ministry of the Environment that ABC would like to conserve, to poverty and human popula- and with our partners at the Domini- but the Cua is one that’s come to tion growth. As a result, all of the can organization SOH Conservation. symbolize our effort to preserve world’s remaining Cuas now live these wild landscapes. Despite this, in the Dominican Republic, where We had a lot to discuss: getting and despite five trips to the country ABC and partner groups are work- more equipment to park guards to develop conservation projects ing to preserve the last remain- for improved enforcement, that benefit this species, the total ing fragments of the forests that and finding ways to draw more number of Cuas I had seen stood at sustain it. tourists to protected forests near precisely zero. the country’s western border so

(Top) Bay-breasted Cuckoo calling. Photo by Jorge Brocca

Puerto Escondido, within the Sierra de Bahoruco Mountains, is near the entrance to Loma Charco Azul Biological Reserve, and one of the places where Bay-breasted Cuckoos may still be found. Photo by Andrew Rothman, ABC local communities could reap the that it looked like the mountains economic benefits. And we talked had been shaved. about ongoing efforts to protect Cua If we found the bird Upon reaching Río Limpio, we habitat by reducing illegal charcoal here— outside the park’s production, a serious threat to the checked into the Centro Ecoturis- Dominican Republic’s forests that boundaries and along a tico de Nalga de Maco, one of two involves cutting trees into small establishments used by tourists visit- pieces and baking them in earthen watershed that encom- ing the area. Early the next morn- pyres. ing, we set out to survey for the Cua passes both the park and in some woodlands near the oddly There were signs of progress in and named Nalga de Maco (“Frog Butt”) a nearby community—it near these precious forests. In a National Park. remote farm town on the border of would help us develop two national protected areas, the As usual, I brought along my copy park administrator reported that future projects that would of Birds of the Dominican Republic dozens of charcoal pyres had been and Haiti and a checklist and GPS found and destroyed. I also helped help birds and people. to identify and record the location to inaugurate a welcome center of important birds we observed. that ABC had supported to provide And as usual, there was no record additional tourism and education of the Bay-breasted Cuckoo. While I resources for the local community. certainly had a personal interest in seeing the bird, the conservationist The Quest Begins—Again in me began to worry about its mere existence. Soon after the inauguration, I went to the nearby forests of the Sierra Success—Times Six de Bahoruco National Park and the We had two days left to find a Bay- Loma Charco Azul Biological breasted Cuckoo and determine if Reserve. The time had come to we should consider investing in resume my search for the Cua. conservation efforts here. During The previous year, I had trailed the surveys the second morning, we echoing coo of a Cua through the thought we heard the sound of a Bay-breasted Cuckoo. Photo by Jorge Brocca mature trees found on the Bosque Cua retreating into the forest. That was a good sign, but, predictably, I Ensueño nature trail ABC and SOH elusive Western Chat-Tanager. But did not see the bird itself. had created within the reserve. we neither saw nor heard a Cua. Scanning with my binoculars The next day was my last before After a few days of work in the through clumps of Spanish moss returning to the States. We got up Bahoruco mountains, I drove north that make these forests like some- especially early and picked a couple with Jorge Brocca, Executive Direc- thing from a fairy tale, I had hoped of final areas to survey along a key tor of SOH. Our destination was the for just a glimpse of the cuckoo. But waterway that links Nalga de Maco tucked-away town of Río Limpio that bird disappeared before I man- to Río Limpio and feeds the com- and the forests that surround it— aged to see it, and so I was back in munity’s aqueduct. Bahoruco trying once again. forests widely thought to support one of the most important remain- As part of our survey protocol, we And failing again, despite the best ing populations of the Bay-breasted used “playback”—recordings of the efforts of two expert guides from Cuckoo. Getting there meant driv- birds’ calls—to stimulate responses SOH. The long list of endemic and ing for 12 hours on the nasty road from the species whose presence migratory birds that we did see that forms the border between Haiti we needed to confirm. If we found in these forests was impressive, I (out the driver’s-side window) and the bird here, outside the park’s should add: It included the color- the DR (out the passenger side). boundaries and along a watershed ful Hispaniolan Trogon, the plump Before we were done we had passed that encompasses both the park and robin-like Le Selle’s Thrush, and an through areas so thoroughly logged a nearby community, that would

16 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 Bay-breasted Cuckoo. Photo by Cesar Abrill be valuable information. It would But this was no ordinary cuckoo. For a number of years, ABC has help us develop future projects that She drove other cuckoos crazy: supported the Dominican Republic’s would help birds and people. In response to her calls, a second Ministry of the Environment in cuckoo landed in a nearby tree and the government’s goal of providing Despite our best early-morning replied with a coo. Seconds later, better support to a number of the efforts, we saw little. By early from a different spot in the same country’s national protected areas. afternoon, we had pretty much tree, two more cuckoos sounded off. It’s not an easy task: We need to given up on the idea that this area Cuuaa! Cuuaa! mark boundaries that have never was one of the Cua’s last haunts. been outwardly identified, and I stopped playing the recording of This was seriously awesome; I was make sure there is sufficient staff the Cua call and started playing a thrilled. We saw a fifth cuckoo on and equipment to conduct patrols. recording of an Antillean Euphonia. our walk back to the truck. Then, And we need to educate and engage (Dazzling, but not a Cua.) improbably, a sixth, perched in communities in the protection of a tree near the front door of my their own natural resources, which Then, at the top of the trees just in cabin. Hard to believe—but true. provide fresh water and so many front of me, I saw a bird move. Too other benefits. big to be a euphonia. Just the right Unfinished Work size for a Cua. Raising my bin- Seeing the Cua was unforgettable. After years of trying to see this bird oculars, I saw part of a long-tailed, But for me, it was also a reminder I was working to conserve, finally big-eyed something. As calmly as of how much work we still have left I had succeeded. But that was the possible, I called to Jorge. to do to protect this bird and the easy part. The hard part will be sav- forests it needs to survive. “Come here. What is that?” ing it. For that, we need all the help we can get. Video: How ABC protects rare birds “Sí, es ella,” Jorge said. “Yup, that’s like the Cua: abcbirds.org/video- her.” As we watched, the Cua crept protect-the-rarest/ out onto a branch so we could see her in all of her glory. Then she started issuing a series of loud, Andrew Rothman was an international conservation officer for ABC from 2010 to 2013 and now serves as director of ABC’s Migratory Birds rattling “cuuaahh” calls. I had Program. He has now been to the Dominican Republic a total of seven seen my ghost bird! times—but hasn’t seen another Bay-breasted Cuckoo.

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 17 Why we go the extra mile

e are humbled by the beauty, We do it also because birds need our boldness, and endurance help in a increasingly complex world. If Wof hummingbirds. These we expect birds to continue to provide fantastic creatures, weighing only us with such pleasure and inspiration, slightly more than a penny, go the we need to go the extra mile for them. extra mile. Many travel 600+ miles ABC has set very ambitious across the Gulf of Mexico to share conservation goals this year, and their lives with us. we are close to meeting them through ABC goes the extra mile for these and hard work, smart partnerships, and all birds because they represent so persistence. We have program funding much of what is great in life, includ- holes to fill, however, to finish the year ing the bird stories we love to tell—like strong and not miss a beat going those in this magazine. into 2016.

(TOP) Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Photo by Bonnie Taylor Barry, Shutterstock (RIGHT) Veery. Photo by Cephas, wikimedia

18 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016

Double the value of your tax-deductible gift to ABC today! Donate online at support.abcbirds.org/donate or use the enclosed envelope. Remember, this challenge expires on December 31, 2015.

Songbirds, raptors, gamebirds, shorebirds—they are all important to ABC. No matter what bird experience turned you into a conservationist—the mesmerizing sky dance of the American Woodcock; the downward-spiraling “liquid silver” song of the Veery; feisty hummingbirds at a feeder; or sitting in a cold blind watching the sun come up over water dotted with ducks—ABC and our partners work to preserve the species, the habitat, and the experience.

This fall, we're offering to match every dollar you contribute to help us go the extra mile for birds. Please act now!

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BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 19 HOW to SEE a

LEAR’S MACAW Photo by Eduardo Figueiredo By David Younkman

f you ever find yourself in north- Before you see the birds themselves, then 10 or more land on a sunlit eastern Brazil, go see one of the check into an isolated lodge run cactus: large, bright blue, with Iwonders of the bird world: Lear’s by Biodiversitas and built with the golden eye rings and cheeks. In Macaws emerging by the hundreds support of ABC’s donors. Then you the meantime, you see more flocks from the crannies of a windswept sleep, but not for long. Well before emerging from the pockmarked cliff cliff face. Thirty years ago, this spe- the sun comes up, you rouse your- face, circling and then landing in cies seemed to be on the verge of self and stagger to the car that takes nearby trees. After a few minutes extinction, with only 60 left in the you to the cliffs where these birds they will rise, some flying for more wild. Now there are more than a nest. If the skies aren’t cloudy, you than 50 miles to find their food for thousand Lear’s Macaws, thanks to will see a brilliant sea of stars, and the day. conservation programs launched by the curving edges of the Milky Way. groups such as ABC and our Brazil- In the car again, you drive for hours ian partner, Fundação Biodiversitas. After that you wait in the dark un- on rutted, bumpy roads so you can der a tree, until just before the sun spy the feeding birds. Then, back at The only wild home of the Lear’s comes up. That’s when you hear the the lodge, you rest until you realize Macaw is found near the town of first bird call, and then the second, that you must see these birds again. Canudos, in the Brazilian state of and then several more. With your guide, you take a long, Bahia. There, in an endless-looking hot walk through the red rocks and red-dirt landscape called “caatinga Macaws on the Move red sand, crossing what appears to country,” these birds nest and breed be a dried-out river bed with lots of Shadows moving on the cliff start to in wind-blown, dried-out, isolated twisted sandbars. show their colors. Then, all at once, cliffs. Crops and cattle struggle here, an enormous flock of Lear’s Macaws but you’ll still find lots of spindly When you reach the cliffs, you wait explodes out of the cliff, rising as a corn, yucca, and licuri palm, an im- for the returning flocks. In the wan- group—no, several groups— circling portant food of the Lear’s Macaw. ing sunlight everything about these above your head. One, then three, cliffs looks beautiful—the way they

20 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 tower overhead, the patterns of ero- returning Lear’s Macaws. Big, loud sion, the deep shades of red. While The Lear’s Macaw is voices call out as hundreds of broad waiting, you marvel at the way the shadows fly toward the cliff face Lear’s Macaw digs nest holes in more than an incredibly left open by the parakeets. As they these cliffs, loosening the rocks with beautiful and intelligent land you see the gold parts but you its saliva. cannot see the blue. Bigger, louder bird species. It is also part flocks are coming after this one— Just before the light fails you see do they use the same roosts every flocks of birds you did not see of an amazing spectacle time?—and as darkness falls they that morning—first, small, green start to settle in. Cactus (or Caatinga) Parakeets, with that was once nearly lost. squeaky high-pitched calls. They Back from the Brink flash green across the cliffs before disappearing into foliage. But by The Lear’s Macaw is more than and then circle slowly downwards. then you’re focused on the fast- an incredibly beautiful and intel- Is that a Bat Falcon on the opposite approaching flocks of Blue-crowned ligent bird species. It is also part of cliff? How long has it been there? Parakeets, bigger and deeper-voiced. an amazing spectacle that once was Chattering and pecking, they fill Thirty minutes until nighttime nearly lost. Five hundred years ago, up the cliff face on one side of the now. At this point you’re hoping four species of blue macaws thrived canyon, leaving the other side open. that your guide knows the way in Brazil: the Glaucous Macaw, Spix’s When something spooks them, 50 back. Then, just as the fading light Macaw, Hyacinth Macaw, and Lear’s of these parakeets shoot up as one stops holding colors, you hear the Macaw. But destruction of habitat,

Lear’s Macaws. Photo by João Quental

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 21 hunting, and the illegal pet trade Still, the Lear’s Macaw has a bright come to collect the striking birds have taken a devastating toll. future. Efforts to protect its breed- for the pet trade. Now, the reserve ing and roosting sites are working, provides a safe space for the birds to The last Glaucous Macaws were and the macaw’s population is now breed and sleep—and a spectacular observed in the 1960s. The last increasing: In 2012, scientists esti- sight for visitors to behold. wild Spix’s Macaw disappeared in mated more than 1,200 birds lived 2000, although the species persists in the wild, up from only 60 birds in captivity. The Hyacinth Macaw To learn more about the work that in 1983. Its conservation status was has helped these birds back from and Lear’s Macaw are the only two downlisted in 2009 from Critically of Brazil’s blue macaws that survive the brink of extinction, check out Endangered to Endangered due to abcbirds.org/programs. And if in the wild today. More than 4,000 this increase. wild Hyacinth Macaws exist. you are inspired to visit, check out: Canudos Biological Station is a conservationbirding.org. The Lear’s Macaw continues to face perfect example of why this work Video: The amazing recovery of the a loss of its foraging habitat in licuri is important. These red cliffs used Lear’s Macaw http://abcbirds.org/ palm stands as land is used for the to be a place where poachers would video-lears-macaw/ grazing of livestock. Capture for the pet trade and persecution as a pest in corn fields are also threats. And David Younkman is Vice President, Western Region at ABC. He formerly there is still more work ahead to served as the head of ABC’s international division, which is how he encountered Brazil’s Lear’s Macaws. David has more than 30 years of restore stands of slow-growing experience working for conservation and environmental organizations, licuri palms so the birds have plenty including The Nature Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation. of food.

The Lears Macaw Reserve (lodge in background) is the best place to find these birds. Photo by Ciro Albano

22 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 Poised to Fly

Just days from fledging, two plover chicks face a formidable challenge

s a conservation technician for ABC and Houston Audubon, Kristen Vale monitors key areas along the upper Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico to gather information about imperiled beach-nesting bird species and to educate the public on how to share the beach with the birds. One of Vale’s study sites in the summer of 2014 was Galveston Island’s East Beach. On a late-August morning, she got some surprising news.

As told to Libby Sander Plovers with two chicks. It was I was going to work one morning, East Beach is at the tip of Galveston quite late in the nesting season for and I ran into one of the staff mem- Island. On summer weekends, there to be chicks on the ground; bers for the Galveston Parks Board the beach can hold thousands of most had fledged by this point. The of Trustees. He was familiar with people. East of these crowds, at the chicks were around three weeks me and knew the work I was trying beach adjacent to the Houston Ship old—it would be only a few days to do to protect the beach-nesting Channel shoreline, there are low- or maybe a week until they would birds using that site. He said, “I lying dunes, some sparse vegetation, fledge. The family happened to don’t know if you’re aware, but and a large, sandy area where claim its territory within the sandy there’s going to be a concert right plovers congregate. East Beach parking lot because there here in this East Beach parking lot was some sea rocket and pickleweed this weekend.” At the end of August when the growing there. It was a perfect place breeding season was winding down, to feed on insects and take cover I was worried. It is rare for Snowy there was still one family of Snowy from the hot sun and predators. Plovers to nest on the upper Texas

Snowy Plover. Photo © R. Curtis/VIREO BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 23 A Snowy Plover chick scampers along the sand. Photo by Kristian Bell, Shutterstock The staff member informed the concert crew and other staff coast. When we discovered Snowy about this Snowy Plover family that had set up shop in the Plovers nesting on Galveston Island, we were so ecstatic. It was a great parking lot. They reduced the size of the fenced concert area, sign that this bird is able to nest here on a popular, busy beach with and moved the stage so it wouldn’t cover the vegetation the so many people around. Snowy Plovers were using for protection. But Snowy Plovers—along with Wilson’s Plovers and Least Terns— are imperiled birds. Every family of Wilson’s Plover, Snowy Plover, and Least Tern counts. It’s programmed into their heads to come to this one site and breed here. Many of the reasons for their decline are human-caused threats: increased recreation on the beach, dogs, feral cats. People aren’t aware that beach- nesting birds also use this beach.

The concert was happening just before the birds’ flight feathers were fully grown. They were not able to escape danger by flying away; they relied on running and hiding. So The concert setup was next to an area with vegetation (foreground) the plover family had claimed as I needed to figure out how to buy its territory. Photo by Kristen Vale them an extra week. They were so The morning the crews were setting close to having their flight feathers. in the parking lot. They reduced the size of the fenced concert area, up the concert, the Galveston Park As a partner of ABC and Houston and moved the stage so it wouldn’t Board of Trustees staff member met Audubon, the Galveston Park Board cover the vegetation the Snowy Plo- me around 7 a.m. to help me urge of Trustees is very supportive of vers were using for protection. I was the birds into a safer area. It was our work on the beach. The staff so excited they were willing to help a wrangling effort. Making a wall, member informed the concert crew us. I didn’t think anybody would the two of us would walk toward and other staff about this Snowy purposely want to hurt these fluffy, the birds, encouraging them to Plover family that had set up shop vulnerable chicks. move into the dunes where they’d

24 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 be safe. Then we’d sneak around to adult birds feign injury to lure threats didn’t see anything. I walked past the left, walk backwards, and swing away from a nest or chicks— telling their foraging territory and didn’t around and walk forward again. us to get out of the area. People don’t see anything. I walked a little fur- “Twinkling,” as we call it in the bird understand these signals or know to ther toward their nesting habitat world. We twinkled them into the look for them. They see the signals and didn’t see anything. safety area. too late, or not at all. Then, out of the corner of my eye, But the second we turned our backs, That evening, I knew there was I saw this little thing moving. I the chicks ran back into the parking nothing more I could do. I just had couldn’t believe it. There were the lot. My heart just dropped. This fam- to say, “OK, I’ve done the best I can adults and two chicks, just feeding ily was so determined to be in this to protect these birds. Let’s hope for away, still in the parking lot. They parking lot! That was their territory. the best.” So I went home. had survived. That’s where they wanted to stay. The morning after the concert, I A few days after the concert, I was So the rest of the day, I just sat down didn’t know what I would find. Am able to see the chicks take flight. I in the parking lot to watch the fam- I going to find these plovers dancing hoped they would come back the ily while the crews set up the stage. around their parking lot? Or are following year and raise a family of At this point I just had to hope for they going to be gone? their own. But not in a parking lot! the best. They were so close to fledg- Video: Beach-nesting birds on the ing that if they had dodged all these I knew the concert crew was go- Texas coast: abcbirds.org/video- vehicles so far this summer, hope- ing to be cleaning up, so I tried to plovers-nest-safely-thanks-to-gulf- fully they could dodge the people get there before too many of the partnership/ during the concert. vehicles were zooming around. I walked past the concert area, and The birds have evolved to blend into their surroundings. But our eyes aren’t trained to look down for Kristen Vale holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries science from Texas A&M University and has worked at Canyonlands National Park and chicks, watch for birds calling, or Everglades National Park. She is finishing up her master’s degree in envi- notice a broken-wing display—when ronmental science at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Her thesis is on wintering Piping Plovers on the upper Texas Coast.

Snowy Plover and chick. Photo by J. Michael Wharton, Shutterstock

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 25 Beyond the City Lights Ringed Storm-Petrel Project gives a second chance to grounded seabirds

very year, residents of Lima, has rescued and rehabilitated nearly Peru, find stranded seabirds on 500 grounded seabirds. More than 90 E their city streets. The young percent of the birds are returned to Ringed Storm-Petrels are fledglings the wild after a few days of care. who’ve just left their nesting colonies In helping the storm-petrels find their for the first time and are embarking on way, the project’s leaders, Yovana their maiden journey out to sea. Like Murillo and Betto Delgado, both others of their kind, the young storm- veterinarians, are forging valuable con- petrels are attracted to the bright, nections with residents of the sprawling metropolis—home artificial lights of coastal cities. They become disoriented, to nearly 10 million people—and educating those who find collide with power lines or other structures, circle until and rescue birds on how to reduce light pollution. They they’re exhausted, and finally drop to the ground. are also collecting essential information about an elusive That’s where the Ringed Storm-Petrel Project comes in. seabird scientists still know very little about. ABC’s Libby Since 2013, the project, which receives financial support Sander caught up with Murillo to learn more. from several conservation organizations, including ABC,

Libby Sander: How do you find Facebook page. People like that. YM: We have identified six such the grounded seabirds? They share the post in their own “hot spots.” We presume that light social media networks and feel they Yovana Murillo: Local citizens pollution is greater in these places have made a valuable contribution find these seabirds all over the city. than other parts of city, but it does of time and effort to the conserva- In the street, in their houses, on not always seem to be the case. So tion of these birds. buildings, outside train stations. we are working to understand what makes birds ground in the same They pick up the birds, because they LS: When is the rescue season? area. With ABC’s support, we are think they are pigeons. But when Why are these months so danger- beginning to characterize the build- they look at the birds’ features close- ous for the birds? ly, they see webbed feet and tube- ings, light fixtures, and other struc- YM: Every April to July—the time shaped nostrils. They often find and tures the birds might collide with in of year when these birds leave contact us through our Facebook those areas, such as power lines. their nesting colonies—citizens of page, Golondrina de la Tempestad Lima find the Ringed Storm-Petrels. LS: What do you do with the birds de Collar. May is the month when the great- once they are brought to you? The citizens deliver the birds to est number of fledgling birds are YM: The seabirds come to us Ricardo Palma University, where our grounded. Once stranded on the exhausted, dehydrated, and dirty. In rehabilitation facilities are located ground, the birds cannot get the lift a short rehabilitation period, usually in the Veterinary Medicine School. they need to fly off to sea. less than 24 hours, veterinarians at We give people information about our facility evaluate the seabirds’ LS: You’ve noticed there are some their rescued birds, such as their physical condition. We also collect areas of metropolitan Lima where “pelagic” or open-ocean lifestyle, biometric data and band every citizens repeatedly find grounded and we tell them about the problem bird. We rehydrate and feed them, petrels every year. Why are so of light pollution. We also explain and make sure their feathers are many birds found there? our rescue efforts. Finally, we take a waterproofed. Because birds can land picture of them and post it on our in garbage, oil, or other substances

(TOP) A Ringed Storm-Petrel in hand. 26 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 Photo © PGTC This poster, distributed throughout Lima, says: “I am lost...I am a seabird.” The Beyond the City Lights poster urges people who find downed seabirds to contact the Ringed Storm- Petrel Project for assistance.

Photo © PGTC on the ground, these substances can repeated groundings occur. We can compromise their feathers’ ability to then take that information to the keep the birds dry and warm when municipality and utility companies they go to sea. If they don’t stay to help them initiate actions that waterproofed, they will soon become would reduce light pollution. We hypothermic and die. We can wash would also like to increase the reach their feathers to make sure they are of our rescue network to include ready to go to sea. other coastal cities, where reports of grounded Wilson’s, Markham’s, and LS: Do the birds survive? Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrels have been recorded. Miguel Angel Arce rescued this Ringed Storm- YM: Every season we have the Petrel from the streets of Lima in July, 2015. opportunity to rehabilitate and Photo © PGTC More broadly, we need more work release more than 90 percent of with storm-petrel experts to create the storm-petrels Lima residents a plan for the species’ conservation. cliff above the Pacific Ocean and is rescue. Although the project has a Perhaps our work will ultimately located in the darkest place in the high rehabilitation rate, sometimes help to inform expeditions to de- city. We gently toss the rehabili- we receive birds with traumas and termine the Ringed Storm-Petrel’s tated birds into the wind, one at a lesions, or broken flight feathers. nesting areas and identify its flight time, and they open their wings and These birds don’t survive because it corridors. Knowing this would help take flight—continuing their path is difficult to maintain seabirds in us take action to protect colonies to the open water. captivity for a long time. The longer from light pollution and other po- they are in care, the greater the risk Releasing one of these birds is the tential threats. of catching a fungal infection in culmination of the work of many their lungs. LS: Where do you release the people: the volunteers who take storm-petrels, and how? care of the birds, the veterinarians LS: What do you hope to accom- who do the rehabilitation, and most plish in coming years with this YM: After a short rehabilitation importantly the people who rescue project? period, the storm petrels are ready the birds. All of them give these for release into the wild. We release YM: First, we need to develop a seabirds a second chance to return birds at night because that is the detailed map showing all of the to the sea. time when they are most active. We reports we have collected during the transport the birds to a spot at the last three years of stranded petrels southeastern edge of metropolitan in the cities along the coast of Peru. Video: Yovana Murillo examines a Lima known as el salto del fraile, This way, we can identify hot spots rescued storm-petrel: abcbirds.org/ or “the jump of the priest.” It is a video-saving-seabirds/ in Lima and other focal areas where

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 27 OWL ODYSSEYS The Ways and Wanderings of Mysterious Birds

Owls capture the imagination like no other bird. Usually well-hidden and more often heard than seen, beautiful yet ferocious, they offer a reminder of nature’s mysteries. Even familiar owls are fascinating: Some, like the Snowy Owl, embark on epic journeys, while others, like the Eastern Screech-Owl, are seldom far from home.

>> Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed nocturnal bird, with up to 46 different races described worldwide. The North American form is the largest, weighing more than twice as much as the smallest (Galápagos Islands).

Although young Barn Owls may disperse hundreds of miles from their nest sites, adults don’t seem to migrate seasonally, choosing to stay put through winter even in the northern-most parts of their range.

This bird’s ability to locate prey by sound alone is the best of any animal that has ever been tested.

Photo by duangnapa, Shutterstock

28 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 29 30 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 << Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is famous for its journeys. From a site on Victoria Island in the Canadian Arctic, for instance, one young Snowy Owl flew to Hudson Bay, another to southeastern Ontario, and a third to the east coast of Russia. Adult birds also move seasonally, with some wintering in the northern U.S. each year. During extreme years, however, Snowy Owls travel south as far as Texas and Florida. These far-flying predators are also clever: John James Audubon once saw a Snowy Owl lying at the edge of an ice hole, waiting for fish and catching them with its feet. Photo by Jeffry Weymier, Shutterstock

>> Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) can be found in almost any semi-open habitat between the Arctic and Tierra del Fuego. Most are permanent residents of an established home range, but seasonal irruptions—chiefly due to a shortage of prey—can be striking. Birds resident in Canada have moved from Saskatchewan and Alberta to states including Minnesota and Wisconsin— Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, often corresponding with the seasonal quis nostrud exerci tation ullam movements of Northern Goshawks. rpet iusto odio dignissim qui Photoblandit by Lisapraesent Hagan, luptatum Shutterstock zril delenit augue duis dolore te fugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, cosectetuer adipiscing >> Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euis acadicus) breeds primarily in extensive mod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore forests across northern North America, magna aliquam erat volutpat. with many individuals migrating south or to lower elevations for the winter. Others stay closer to home, remaining in one place year-round. As with some other owl species, periodic irruptions occur, with owls taking flight in greater numbers than usual. Flying at night, these tiny owls use several known routes across the continent, sometimes crossing large expanses of water such as the Great Lakes. Photo by mlorenz, Shutterstock

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 31 << Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), a ground-nesting grassland bird, is one of the most widely distributed owls in the world. While southern birds may not migrate, northern owls often do; Short-eared Owls that breed in Canada move to central and eastern U.S. states in winter. They also are quick to move on from areas low in prey and move into areas with more rodents. In a phenomena known as the “niche switch,” Short-eared Owls take to the air in late afternoon as Northern Harri- ers conclude hunting for the day. Photo by Jim Chagares

>> Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) is a wide-ranging species that nests in forested areas but hunts in open country. On the breeding grounds, older nestlings are called “branchers” because they leave the nest to take up residence in surrounding trees. Reliably migratory and usually traveling at night, some of these owls cover long distances: Individuals banded in the northern U.S. and southern Canada have been recovered in Mexico. Outside of the breeding season, Long- eared Owls can be found congregating in communal roosts of up to 100 birds. Photo by Peter Krejzl, Shutterstock

<< Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) is common east of the Rockies in woods, suburbs, and parks—wherever trees with suitable nest cavities are found. Banding studies of these pint-sized birds have shown that they typically don’t travel far from home, and even juvenile owls departing the nest often move fewer than 20 miles. In suburban areas where food is abundant, screech-owls often travel less than 330 feet to hunt! The birds go farther afield in winter, probably due to reduced availability of prey. Pairs are usually monogamous and remain together for life. Photo by artcphotos, Shutterstock 32 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 This essay was informed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s online Bird Guide (www.allaboutbirds.org) and Bird Cams (www.cams.allaboutbirds.org), and the USDA Forest Service website (www.fs.fed.us/database/ feis/animals/bird/).

BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 33 FINAL GLIMPSE Legal Challenges Threaten a Landmark Law for Migratory Birds

By Darin Schroeder migratory routes, for instance—that could harm huge numbers of birds. early a century ago, in one All a company has to do is say with a of the nation’s early steps straight face, “We didn’t mean to.” Nto protect wildlife, Congress passed the Migratory Bird Treaty This is a dangerous precedent. The Act. The law was a response to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act may have slaughter and commercial trade of a long history. But with many bird birds that contributed to the extinc- populations in decline, the law mat- tion of the Passenger Pigeon and ters just as much now as it did nearly finished off the country’s a century ago. Snowy Egrets, too. And so we are now at an important The Migratory Bird Treaty Act juncture: If we allow court rulings to remains a flagship piece of envi- If we allow court rulings erode the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, ronmental legislation today. Its what protections do birds have from to erode the Migratory language is clear: Without a permit, toxic wastewater ponds and other it is illegal to pursue, hunt, take, Bird Treaty Act, what predictable yet solvable threats? capture, or kill migratory birds “by any means or in any manner.” protections do birds have Migration, after all, is a timeless phenomenon of the natural world. Despite this straightforward man- from toxic wastewater Migratory birds take to the wing date to protect birds during their each fall and spring regardless of journeys, the law is now under at- ponds and other whether companies do the right tack. In September, in United States predictable yet solvable thing. That’s why American Bird v. Citgo Petroleum Corp., the 5th Conservancy works every day to en- U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals—in a threats? sure that birds can safely travel long regrettably narrow interpretation of distances to and from their winter- the Act—overturned the U.S. Fish Oiled Pied-billed Grebe. Photo by USFWS ing and breeding grounds. and Wildlife Service’s successful prosecution of an oil company for Treaty Act, the court held, prohibits We are vigilant amid these challeng- the deaths of ducks in its uncovered only “deliberate acts done directly es to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, wastewater tanks. and intentionally” to kill migratory and we support the government’s birds, like hunting and poaching. right to enforce this crucial law. Toxic wastewater ponds are a foul mix of water, oil, and industrial The 5th Circuit’s decision allows The birds—and their abiding waste. It’s not hard to cover them a variety of corporate practices— journeys—depend on it. with netting to make them safe for building wind turbines along wildlife, and leaving them uncovered is a known invitation to bird deaths: Uncovered pits have killed Darin Schroeder is Vice President of Conservation Advocacy at ABC. He hundreds of thousands of birds. previously served as Wisconsin Offices Manager for U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) from 1993 until 2000 and then joined the staff of U.S. Nevertheless, the appeals court said Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) as Press Secretary, and later became Rep. the oil company wasn’t to blame for Kind's Communications Director and Senior Policy Advisor. the dead ducks. The Migratory Bird

34 BIRD CONSERVATION | WINTER 2015-2016 A Legacy for Birds: Jeff Rusinow

“I’ve loved birds since I was a kid going to wildlife camp in the mountains of West Virginia. By the time I was 20, I had embraced the writings of Emerson, Thoreau, and Muir, and was particularly drawn to Aldo Leopold and his urgings for us to embrace a ‘land ethic.’

“My love of birds, and my interest in protecting them, helps define me, and will hopefully be part of my legacy. As a business guy interested in choosing my charitable donations wisely, it didn’t take long to realize that the best return on investment with respect to protecting birds is with American Bird Conservancy.

“Their reach and overall scope of work is truly impressive. In a complicated ecosystem, made all the more challenging with myriad increasing migratory threats, ABC connects the dots and makes a big difference.”

Black-throated Blue Warbler. Photo by Michael G. McKinne, Shutterstock

You too can leave a legacy for birds when you join ABC’s Legacy Circle with an estate gift through your will, retirement plan, trust, or life insur- ance policy. If you would like more information, or if you have already included ABC in your estate plans, please contact Planned Giving Direc- tor Jack Morrison at 540-253-5780, or at [email protected] NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID P.O. Box 249 PERMIT NO. 2392 MERRIFIELD, VA The Plains, VA 20198 abcbirds.org 540–253–5780 • 888–247–3624

Great Gray Owl. Photo by Jim Chagares