BIRDCONSERVATION The Magazine of American Bird Conservancy Fall 2016 BIRD’S EYE VIEW A Life Shaped By Migration

The years have rolled by, leaving me with many memories touched by migrating birds. Migrations tell the chronicle of my life, made more poignant by their steady lessening through the years.

still remember my first glimmer haunting calls of the cranes and Will the historic development of of understanding of the bird swans together, just out of sight. improved relations between the Imigration phenomenon. I was U.S. and Cuba nonetheless result in The years have rolled by, leaving me nine or ten years old and had the loss of habitats so important to spotted a male Yellow Warbler in with many memories touched by species such as the Black-throated spring plumage. Although I had migrating birds. Tracking a Golden Blue Warbler (page 18)? And will passing familiarity with the year- Eagle with a radio on its back Congress strengthen or weaken the round and wintertime birds at through downtown Milwaukee. Migratory Bird Treaty Act (page home, this springtime beauty was Walking down the Cape May beach 27), America’s most important law new to me. I went to my father for each afternoon to watch the Least protecting migratory birds? an explanation of how I had missed Tern colony. The thrill of seeing this bird before. Dad explained bird “our” migrants leave Colombia to We must address each of these migration, a talk that lit a small pour back north. And, on a recent concerns and a thousand more, fire in me that has never been summer evening, standing outside but we cannot be daunted by their extinguished. my home in Virginia to listen to the complexity. Though I haven’t Wood Thrush songs slowly change space here to explain ABC’s bold A decade later, in 1971, I crawled on to call notes, followed by the silence new plans to bring back the hands and knees up a grassy North that comes with dusk. Migrations migratory birds, know that we are Dakota hillside, trying to sneak up tell the chronicle of my life, made working in key areas—which we on Whistling Swans (as they were more poignant by their steady call “Birdscapes,” short for critical called then) with numbered neck lessening through the years. bird landscapes—and that we will collars. These collars—used decades succeed simply because we must. before today’s tiny geolocators So, here I am at ABC, doing my (see story, page 12)—were the best small part to keep alive the world’s Thanks for being part of the ABC available way to piece together the most astounding migration team, and stand by to hear much migration story for swans. Suddenly phenomenon. We all know the more in the months ahead. the sky was filled with Sandhill threats: mostly loss of habitat due to Cranes; thousands of them, wings unsustainable population growth, set for landing across the hill. I no compounded by overconsumption, longer remember what collars I geopolitics, and sometimes read that day, but I do remember indifference. The articles in this watching the cranes arrive for issue of Bird Conservation reflect the more than an hour, and remaining challenges. Will our beach-breeding another hour listening to the specialists survive the increasing George H. Fenwick pressure on beaches (page 22)? President, ABC

Cover photo: Black Skimmer by Betty Rizzotti TOP: Yellow Warbler by John Abner, Shutterstock ABC is the Western Hemisphere’s bird conservation specialist—the only organization with a single and steadfast commitment to achieving conservation results for native Fall 2016 wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. BIRDCONSERVATION

A copy of the current financial statement and registration filed by the organization Our Quest to Save Migration may be obtained by contacting: ABC, P.O. Box 249, The Plains, VA 20198. 540-253- 5780, or by contacting the following state agencies: Florida: Division of Consumer Services, Science Unlocks the Secrets toll-free number within the state: 12 800-435-7352. Maryland: For the cost of copies and of Migration postage: Office of the Secretary of State, Statehouse, Annapolis, MD 21401. New Jersey: Attorney General, State Cuba: A Hub for Migratory Birds, of New Jersey: 201-504-6259. 18 New York: Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law, Charities Bureau, a Haven for Endemic Species 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271. Pennsylvania: Department of State, toll-free number within the state: Sharing the Beach with Shorebirds 800-732-0999. 22 Virginia: State Division of Consumer Affairs, Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer on the Gulf Coast Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23209. West Virginia: Secretary of State, State 27 The Migratory Bird Treaty Celebrates Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. Registration does not imply endorsement, 100 Years of Conservation 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 Graphic Design: Gemma Radko DEPARTMENTS Contributors: Aditi Desai, Chris Farmer, Audrey Goldfarb, Bennett Hennessey, 2 Bird’s Eye View Steve Holmer, Jennifer Howard, Michael Hutchins, Jeff Larkin, Jack Morrison, Kacy Ray, Andrew Rothman, Kristen Vale, 4 On the Wire EJ Williams For more information contact: 30 Final Glimpse American Bird Conservancy 4249 Loudoun Avenue, P.O. Box 249 The Plains, VA 20198 540-253-5780 • [email protected]

Join us online! Cuban Tody by Alfred Yan

TOP: Palm Warbler by Mark Johnson

abcbirds.org BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 3

ON the WIRE

Rare Parakeet Gains More Protected Habitat in Ecuador

he Ecuadorian nonprofit says Roger Wilson, World Land Fundación Jocotoco, with the Trust's Director of Conservation. T support of ABC and U.K.- “Fundación Jocotoco is to be based international conservation congratulated on successfully group World Land Trust, has expanding this protected area acquired 233 acres of critically and safeguarding the future of its important cloud-forest habitat in endangered species.” Ecuador, home to a rare parrot—the El Oro Parakeet—as well as the El The colorful, highly social, cavity- Oro Tapaculo and other endangered nesting El Oro Parakeet was only species. This acquisition expands discovered in 1980, and its range is the existing Buenaventura Reserve limited to a few areas on the western from 5,583 acres to 5,816 acres and slope of the Andes in southwestern contributes to the creation of an Ecuador. The Buenaventura Reserve, ecological corridor that will connect a stronghold for the birds, is the only Buenventura to three proposed place where they are protected. government reserves, encompassing ABC and World Land Trust each an area 56 miles long. raised half the money to cover the “This corridor is vital because Bue- purchase of the land and related naventura, although a haven for legal costs. More than 200 donors “This corridor is vital numerous endangered species, was supported the Buenaventura expan- becoming isolated within a vast ex- sion, including David and Patricia because Buenaventura, Davidson, David Harrison, Barbara panse of cattle ranches,” says Wendy although a haven for Willis, ABC’s International Conserva- Rizzo, and a matching contribution tion Program Officer. by The Robert W. Wilson Trust. numerous endangered ABC also raised an additional “This is a crucial addition to $15,000 to cover management species, was becoming Buenaventura Reserve,” says costs for the new property, which Martin Schaefer, Executive Director includes guard salaries, fencing, isolated within a of Fundación Jocotoco. “Most and marking boundaries. vast expanse of important, the newly acquired The acquisition enables Fundación property includes one of the last cattle ranches.” remaining forests in the area. Jocotoco to fill in some gaps in a landscape increasingly threatened Protecting it allows us to reduce Wendy Willis, by habitat loss. Less than 10 the largest nonforested gap in the International Conservation percent of the original forests in southern distribution range of the Program Officer, ABC El Oro Parakeet.” Pastureland that the area remain, putting both the is also part of the acquisition will El Oro Parakeet and the El Oro be allowed to regenerate, restoring Tapaculo at risk. That makes the expansion of the forest cover for the rare parakeet and “More than 14 years of intense Buenaventura Reserve and the other birds. research have shown that the creation of an ecological corridor “Until 1999, when Fundación genetic diversity of both species essential to the conservation of Jocotoco stepped in, none of this suffers from ongoing fragmenta- area’s unique species. important habitat was protected,” tion and isolation,” Schaefer says. El Oro Parakeets by Dušan Brinkhuizen

4 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 HELPHELP SAVE MIGRATIONMIGRATION In a single year, Red Knots will twice traverse the entire hemisphere from Patagonia to the Arctic and back. Some birds, such as tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, cross the Gulf of Mexico. Others island- hop across the Caribbean. Millions upon millions more pour north over Central America in spring, then fan out across North America—and then head south again in late summer and fall.

Migratory birds have been making these epic journeys for millennia. But many of these species are in serious decline and need our immediate help. You can help today with your extra gift to ABC!

Loss of breeding, wintering, or stopover habitat is the most threatening issue migratory birds and conservationists face. That’s why ABC is working to tackle the decline of migratory birds on a scale never before attempted. Your support is crucial for this effort.

We must recover and save the extraordinary phenomenon of bird migration in the Western Hemisphere. With your help, we can succeed!

Please use the enclosed envelope to make a gift, or give online at abcbirds.org.

Red Knots by Lloyd Spitalnik

BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 5

ON the WIRE Threatened Birds Recovering Thanks to Endangered Species Act Protection

eventy-eight percent of the “This is a strong signal that the ESA birds listed as threatened works," Holmer says. Sor endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) have But the report also shows populations that are now stable, continuing problems for listed increasing, or have recovered Hawaiian birds, many of which enough to be delisted, according face severe threats. Nine listed to a report published in July by Hawaiian bird species are currently ABC. “The Endangered Species in decline. Overall, the ESA recovery Brown Pelican by David Osborn, Shutterstock Act: A Record of Success” analyzed success rate for Hawaiian birds is population trends and recovery 52 percent, only two-thirds of the The dire situation for Hawaiian success for all U.S.-listed birds, recovery rate for mainland birds. endangered birds is in part a result including those in the Hawaiian of inadequate recovery spending. Islands and U.S. territories. Hawaiian birds account for more than 25 percent of all listed birds, “Thanks to Endangered Species but received only 6.7 percent of Act protection, twice as many federal recovery spending for birds populations of listed birds are in 2014. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife increasing as are decreasing,” says Service has been working diligently Steve Holmer, Senior Policy Advisor to increase its recovery efforts in for ABC and the author of the Hawai‘i and is now spending 18.4 report. "Meanwhile, species such percent of its bird recovery funds on as the Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Hawaiian birds, but the population and Brown Pelican have rebounded trends indicate still more needs to sufficiently to be taken off the list of be done to reverse current declines. endangered species." Peregrine Falcon by Chris Hill, Shutterstock The report also reveals that both mainland and Hawaiian bird populations can recover when UNKNOWN: 2% adequate resources are made available. Endangered Species PRESUMED EXTINCT AFTER LISTING: 7% Act protection has brought about population improvements among Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black- INCREASING: 42% capped Vireo, Steller’s Eider, Millerbird, and Hawaii Creeper since DECLINING: 21% 2006, when ABC produced a similar report on the ESA's effectiveness.

STABLE: 16% To read the report, visit abcbirds. DELISTED: 13% org and search for “Endangered Species Act.”

Population Trends of All U.S. Bird Species Since Listing

6 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016

Proposed Eagle Management Plan Could Have Deadly Consequences

new eagle management had formulated and approved the conservation groups a voice in plan proposed by the federal previous rule violated federal envi- periodic reviews. A government would give ronmental laws. Unfortunately, the All of those flaws will put eagles and wind energy developers 30-year updated rule is just as problematic. permits to “take” or incidentally kill other wildlife in serious jeopardy if protected Bald and Golden Eagles, In a letter sent to FWS in June, ABC the rule is adopted. “Eagles are our without requiring the industry spelled out serious concerns about nation's symbol and are protected to share mortality data with the the revised rule. It would increase by law,” says Dr. Michael Hutchins, public or take into consideration the number of eagles that can be Director of ABC's Bird-Smart Wind such critical factors as proper siting. killed by wind energy and other Energy Campaign. “In the end, The rule, proposed by the U.S. facilities. It's based on insufficient the new rule differs little from its Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), puts data and doesn't require energy previous incarnation and allows many thousands of the nation's companies to be transparent about wind energy companies to continue protected Bald and Golden Eagles at the effects of wind energy on our to kill our nation's iconic eagles unacceptable risk. nation's ecologically significant with little or no consequence.” birds and bats. The rule doesn't call ABC successfully sued the govern- for proper siting and regulation of ABC supports the development of ment over a previous version of the wind energy development. And clean, renewable sources of energy rule, and last year a federal judge it allows for 30-year take permits such as wind and solar power to agreed that the way in which FWS without giving the public and address climate change, but believes such development must be done responsibly. When it comes to wind energy, proper siting is the most important consideration.

The proposed rule is especially worrisome for Golden Eagles. Uncertainty about Golden Eagle populations—especially the small Eastern population of the birds—and the lack of knowledge about their behavior, migratory movements, and habitat use are, in ABC's view, the rule's biggest weaknesses.

The rule spells bad news for Bald Eagles as well. Bald Eagles have just recently come off the Endangered Species List and are nowhere near their pre-DDT numbers. As wind turbines go up near freshwater lakes and large river systems and on- and offshore in marine coastal areas, however—all areas heavily used by the birds—Bald Eagle mortality is certain to increase.

Golden Eagle by Pat Gaines

BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 7

ON the WIRE Endangered Nēnē at Risk from Disease Spread by Feral Cats

study published in the T. gondii relies on cats to complete Journal of Wildlife Diseases its life cycle and is excreted into A has documented evidence of the environment through cat feces. “widespread contamination of habi- A single cat may shed hundreds of tat” in Hawai‘i caused by feral cats. millions of infectious eggs. This latest research has alarming implications for endangered Hawai- Nēnē on the island of Moloka‘i had the highest infection rate (48 ian Geese (Nēnē) and other animals found throughout the Hawaiian percent), followed by 23 percent Islands. on Maui and 21 percent on Kaua‘i. According to the authors, the higher The peer-reviewed study evaluated rate on Moloka‘i may have been due Nēnē by Steve Oehlenschlager, Shutterstock the prevalence of infection with to “a conspicuously consistent pres- “Although we appreciate cats as pets Toxoplasma gondii among N n , ence of feral cats.” ē ē and acknowledge the important role Hawai‘i’s state bird. T. gondii is pet cats play in many people's lives, a protozoan parasite that causes Hawaiian Geese are not the only it is clear that the continued pres- toxoplasmosis in humans and Hawaiian wildlife to test positive for ence of feral cats in our parks and wildlife and is the most commonly T. gondii. Other birds, such as the neighborhoods is harming people encountered infectious disease in endangered Hawaiian Crow (‘Alala), and wildlife,” says Grant Sizemore, N n , the study reports. and mammals, such as endangered ē ē Hawaiian monk seals, are suscep- Director of Invasive Species Pro- tible and have died from infection. grams at ABC.

Wind Turbines on the Great Lakes Threaten Migratory Birds

study released in July by The FWS currently recommends the U.S. Fish and Wildlife that no wind turbines be built A Service (FWS) provides stark within three miles of the Great evidence that wind turbines on the Lakes’ shorelines. However, this Great Lakes pose an unacceptably new radar study suggests that the high risk to migratory birds and minimum should be extended even other wildlife. Yet the region of New farther, perhaps as far as 10 miles. York at issue in the study has been Unfortunately, the wind industry targeted for enormous wind energy is eager to build in these sensitive projects, including the proposed areas. If the Lighthouse project is Lighthouse Wind facility—one approved, up to 71 turbines would of the nation's 10 worst for birds, Wind turbines on the Great be built along the south shore of according to an earlier ABC report. Lake Ontario in the middle of a Lakes pose an unacceptably migratory corridor used by millions The FWS study monitored four of birds annually. The 570-foot-tall high risk to migratory birds sites using radar along the shore of turbines would extend 4.5 miles Lake Ontario, scanning 24 hours and other wildlife. inland along a 12-mile stretch. a day in vertical and horizontal planes to capture movement. At Given the findings of the FWS all sites, the radar recorded high especially high at night, a finding radar study, ABC remains highly levels of bird and bat activity in or that largely invalidates the use of concerned about the size and near the “rotor-swept zone” that daytime visual surveys often used location of the proposed Lighthouse wind turbines would occupy if built by wind energy developers to assess project, and will continue to along the lakeshore. Activity was risks to birds. monitor the situation closely.

8 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 Wind turbines by Galushko Sergey, Shutterstock

Rapid 'Ohi'a Death Threatens Habitat for Hawai'i's Forest Birds

awai‘i’s native forest birds Birds and many other species de- are in danger of losing a key- pend upon the ‘ohi‘a tree to survive. Hstone tree species in most of It provides food and nesting sites their remaining habitat as a virulent for many of Hawai‘i’s forest birds, disease wipes out tens of thousands including federally endangered spe- of acres of mature ‘ohi‘a trees. cies such as the Hawai‘i ‘Akepa and Hawai‘i Creeper. With the majority The disease, known as rapid ‘ohi‘a of Hawai‘i’s endemic birds at risk of death, is caused by the fungus extinction, losing the dominant tree Ceratocystis fimbriata. The current from their remaining habitat makes Hawai‘i ‘Akepa in ‘ohi‘a tree by Jack Jeffrey infestation has so far affected these birds even more vulnerable, 34,000 acres on Hawai‘i Island—also particularly if the fungus spreads to invasive trees and shrubs would known as the Big Island—and has additional islands. cause the loss of many birds, snails, killed more than 100,000 ‘ohi‘a arthropods, and other native plants trees. Scientists suspect many more As this disease wipes out ‘ohi‘a found nowhere else in the world.” trees are infected but haven't yet trees, an integral part of Hawaiian died. ecosystems, non-native invasive Scientists don’t know how rapid weeds most often take their place, ‘ohi‘a death got to Hawai‘i, and The ‘ohi‘a tree, also called the says Chris Farmer, ABC’s Hawai‘i there appears to be no cure. The ‘ohi‘a lehua tree, has deep roots in Program Director. main objective now, experts say, Hawai‘i’s history and culture, and is to stop the spread of the disease plays a key role in its ecosystems. “Hawai‘i’s birds have already before beginning to restore the The tree and its lehua flower are pre- suffered massive habitat loss, and ravaged forests. cious to the Hawaiian people; even most are now confined to small plucking the flower from the tree is fragments of remaining native The Hawai‘i Department of Agricul- taboo in accordance with Hawaiian forest,” he says. “Since ‘ohi‘a makes ture has imposed a quarantine that folklore. Many consider it to be the up approximately 80 percent of our prohibits movement of all ‘ohi‘a most important tree in the state. native forests, replacing that with plants or plant parts, and is also advising landowners to cut down infected trees.

Rapid ‘ohi‘a death is yet another challenge for Hawai‘i’s birds, along with non-native predators like cats, pigs, goats, and sheep; avian diseases; and the effects of climate change, ABC’s Farmer says.

“There are strategies and solutions for all these issues, and ABC is work- ing hard with our partners across the state to address the threats facing Hawai‘i’s endemic birds,” he says. “We can save the remain- ing birds, and ABC is committed to making it happen.”

A stand of trees devastated by rapid ‘ohi‘a death. Photo by JB Friday, University of Hawai‘i

BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 9

ON the WIRE New Trail Opens in Hawai‘i to Celebrate Palila

he Palila, a highly The mile-long loop takes hikers about the area’s plants and animals endangered Hawaiian through Mauna Kea’s unique, as well as threats and efforts to T honeycreeper, is one of the high-elevation dry forest. Four protect them. world’s most isolated birds. It lives informational kiosks provide Palila were once found across only in a small area of māmane historical, cultural, and ecological forest on the western slope of information about what makes the state, but habitat loss and Mauna Kea volcano on Hawai‘i this forest so special. In addition, invasive species have decimated Island. But now, with the opening 20 small identification signs with their numbers. Only about 2,000 in late July of the Palila Forest QR codes are distributed at key of the birds remain, all on Mauna Discovery Trail, visitors will have a locations along the trail. Hikers can Kea. “As with many of Hawai‘i’s better chance of seeing Palila and use their smartphones to learn more unique species, not enough people other native species that call this are aware of the Palila’s precarious distinctive ecosystem home. situation and the need for urgent action,” says Chris Farmer, ABC’s The Hawai‘i Department of Land Hawai‘i Program Director. and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife's Mauna “Educating people about the Kea Forest Restoration and ABC importance of this species, and teamed up to build the trail. This raising awareness about the threats was possible thanks to the generous we are managing today, will build support of the Laura Jane Musser local and national support for the Fund Environmental Initiative actions necessary to preserve this Program and other community bird for future generations,” sponsors and volunteers. Farmer says.

An interpretive sign along the trail. Hawaii DLNR

Some of the first hikers using the Palila Forest Discovery Trail, August 2016. Photo: Hawaii DLNR

10 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016

White-winged Cotinga’s Presence Indicates a Patch of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest is Recovering

Brazilian ornithologist has recorded two White-winged A Cotingas at northeast Brazil’s Serro do Urubu reserve, heralding great news for this threatened Atlantic Forest habitat. The birds’ presence in Serra do Urubu signals that the forest there, heavily disturbed before the area was protected, is recuperating.

The ornithologist, Dante Buzzetti, spent a week at the reserve last November, drawn there by the chance to study birds found in the area. Run by ABC partner SAVE Brasil, Serro do Urubu protects one of two remaining healthy fragments groups who have visited the of Atlantic Forest in this part of The birds have been reserve. No one had ever seen Brazil. using areas of Atlantic the White-winged Cotinga there. Over time, as the Atlantic Forest Males of this large, fruit-eating bird became fragmented and degraded Forest that were once sport distinctive white wings and because of intensive sugarcane contrasting purplish-black plumage. production and other human activ- highly disturbed—more The species is listed as endangered by the IUCN and requires healthy ity, Serro do Urubu has emerged as evidence that protecting a last stronghold for many species, Atlantic Forest habitat to survive. even those once thought common. sensitive habitat and The White-winged Cotinga isn’t It’s home to 260 bird species, 10 of the only species to have established them globally threatened, including allowing it to regenerate a presence at Serra do Urubu. In Golden-tailed Parrotlet, Orange- can be an effective way the last seven years, SAVE Brasil bellied Antwren, Pinto’s Spinetail, has recorded many bird species, Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant, and to bring back threatened several of them threatened, moving Seven-colored Tanager. birds. into the recuperating forest. The In the last 15 years, SAVE Brasil birds have been using areas of has coordinated with many Atlantic Forest that were once ornithologists and bird-watching highly disturbed—more evidence that protecting sensitive habitat and allowing it to regenerate can be an effective way to bring back threatened birds.

ABC supports SAVE Brasil’s conservation work at Serra do Urubu. Together we’re exploring the possibility of expanding this critical protected area for the long-term benefit of its unique biodiversity. (LEFT) Pinto’s Spinetail; (RIGHT) Seven-colored Tanager. Photos by Ciro Albano (TOP) White-winged Cotinga by Ciro Albano

BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 11 To Catch a Warbler

His breath visible in the early-morning spring air, Doug Raybuck ticks off the names of furtive forest residents with ease: Chestnut-sided Warbler. Scarlet Tanager. American Redstart. Distinct birdsongs surround him, suggesting the whereabouts of migratory birds just recently arrived from Latin America.

He pauses and listens. A faint “zee zee zee zizizizi eeet” whispers through the trees in this corner of Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forest. Binoculars raised to the sky, Raybuck searches for the source.

A Cerulean Warbler wearing a geolocator. Photo by Aditi Desai, ABC

12 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 America to his summer residence in northwestern Penn- Tiny songbirds are sylvania. He makes this epic journey twice every year, in the spring and in the fall. helping scientists Until now, Elmer’s migratory route and winter destina- tion had been a mystery. Only sporadic data and obser- unlock the secrets vations connected the dots. But technology is finally catching up with nature. Soon Elmer and others like of migration him will help unlock the secrets of migration. In May 2015, Raybuck and researchers from Arkansas State University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) attached tiny tracking devices called geolocators By Aditi Desai to Elmer and 18 other Cerulean Warblers in the area. Weighing less than half a gram, they harnessed the geolocator to Elmer’s body like a miniature backpack housing a personal warbler-sized computer. The device records light data that helps researchers map Elmer’s journey across states, countries, and oceans.

Warblers tend to come back to the same nesting sites year after year, giving researchers an opportunity to relocate the birds and recover the devices. Now, a year later, Raybuck and Morgan Slevin, both graduate stu- dents in biology at Arkansas State, are on a mission to recover that device and the precious data it contains.

Having spotted their bird, Raybuck and Slevin spring into action. Tackle box—check. Net—check. Portable speakers—check. The two researchers roll down their sleeves in deference to the chilly temperatures and get to work.

To untrained eyes, the slight movement of birds flitting between tree branches could be mistaken for leaves rus- tling in the breeze. Thick forest cover and deep shadows hide the birds’ bold plumage. But Raybuck knows what to look and listen for. With ears tuned to nature’s pod- cast—the spring edition—he spies his guy.

The bird he calls Elmer is back. And Raybuck plans to catch him.

The Mystery of Migration Named after the elm tree in which researchers found him nesting, Elmer is a Cerulean Warbler. He weighs less than two nickels, and yet this small songbird flies Doug Raybuck, a graduate student in biology at Arkansas State University, puts up a mist net to recapture Cerulean Warblers returning to their nesting thousands of miles from his winter home in Latin habitat in Allegheny National Forest. Photo by Aditi Desai

BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 13 Raybuck embeds a telescoping pole into the moist forest 70 percent, making it one of North America’s most ground. Slevin sets up another pole about 20 feet away threatened migratory songbirds. and quickly attaches a mist net between the two. They hope this structure, not unlike a volleyball net, will Larkin and Than Boves, an assistant professor of ecology catch Elmer. Now all the scientists need to do is lure at Arkansas State, are principal investigators of the study. him in. They work closely with Raybuck and other researchers to collect data that, in the long-term, will inform critical Cerulean Warblers are territorial. They defend their conservation decisions. nesting sites from other trespassing ceruleans with fierce determination. Raybuck and Slevin are banking on Knowing where a bird is in the summer isn't enough, these defensive characteristics to draw the bird closer. though. Migratory songbirds such as Cerulean Warblers Raybuck places speakers on both sides of the net to need protection in all of their different homes: north, play the call of a Cerulean Warbler. By tricking Elmer south, and in between. Data makes it possible for con- into thinking another cerulean is servation actions to be more strate- intruding on his turf, the biologists gic. Technology and a small army of hope the bird will come after the In the past 40 years, dedicated scientists, in fact, may be the best hope these tiny birds have supposed intruder and fly into the the Cerulean Warbler’s net—and into their waiting hands. to survive and thrive. population has declined “We could create the best habitat in Not Easy Being Blue by 70 percent, making it the world here, they could love it Catching a warbler takes skill, time, here, they could thrive here,” Larkin and money. Why go to such lengths one of North America’s says of the Pennsylvania breeding to figure out where a bird travels? Jeff grounds. But if they suffer during Larkin, a professor of wildlife ecology most threatened migration or experience declines on their wintering grounds, he says, and conservation at IUP, has a simple migratory songbirds. answer: conservation. “then ultimately, what we do up here is for naught.” “If we’re going to bring back the birds, we need to know what those birds really need,” Other Warblers in The Wilds says Larkin, who also serves as ABC’s Eastern Forest Habitat Coordinator. “Where do they go? How do The Golden-winged Warbler is also choosy about find- breeding and wintering populations connect? Where ing just the right nesting habitat. And like the Cerulean are important migratory stopover areas?” After synthe- Warbler, it has also suffered a steep population decline sizing these research findings, Larkin says he and his in recent decades. It’s another priority species that will team can then provide ABC’s on-the-ground partners benefit from close examination of its flight patterns and with management guidelines or conservation recom- needs. mendations that will help the birds most. Just as with the Cerulean Warbler, understanding the Cerulean Warblers are more selective than many other data from geolocators will be crucial to the golden- bird species. Not just any type of forest will do: To woo wing’s survival. On a crisp spring morning, Larkin, mates, nest, and raise their young, these birds need three graduate students, and a field technician head mature trees with openings in the canopy cover nearby. into The Wilds in central Pennsylvania. Poles over their The housing market can be competitive as they jockey shoulders and a tackle box in hand, from a distance with other birds for prime nesting real estate. they could easily be mistaken for a group of friends gone fishing. Meanwhile, they also confront habitat loss and poor forest management, which limit their options even The researchers head into scrubby, young forest dense further. Along with threats during migration—including with patches of prickly shrubs. Like a gentler version storms, collisions with glass and communication of barbed wire, the shrubs cut through them, leaving towers, and attacks from free-roaming cats—these behind scratches and bits of clothing. Glaring sun and birds have a tenuous existence. In the past 40 years, wind also make their jobs difficult. (Searching for war- the Cerulean Warbler’s population has declined by blers, it turns out, is quite different from fishing.)

14 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 One of the graduate students, Cameron Fiss, stops “Go get him!” Larkin shouts. Fiss runs to the net and to listen. “Bee-bz-bz.” The unmistakable sound of a gently extracts the warbler. Together he and the team Golden-winged Warbler. Encouraged, the team checks gently snip off the geolocator and place it in a bag. That out the area—this spot might work, this one won’t, not tiny device contains hope for the species. After record- enough trees, too much sunlight—until they find a spot ing the bird’s weight and a few other measurements, that will do. Darin James McNeil Jr., another graduate student, lets him go. “Good work, little buddy,” he says softly. The bird is trickier to catch than expected. Sun and wind make the mist net conspicuous, and the wary golden-wing isn’t falling for the recorded birdsong used by the researchers. After trying multiple times, the team decides to move the location of the net. Within min- utes, the bird swoops in.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A Golden-winged Warbler wearing a geolocator; Darin James McNeil Jr. releases a Golden-winged Warbler after removing its geolocator; Jeff Larkin and crew head into young forest in search of Golden-winged Warblers. Photos by Aditi Desai BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 15

Farther South, More Clues About Migration

by Audrey Goldfarb

s conservationists mobilize to create and protect rapidly disappearing Golden-winged Warbler Abreeding habitat, a crucial starting point for their work is more than 4,000 miles away, in the tropical forests of Central America.

The north-south coordination is critical, says Jeff Larkin of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. “It’s important El Jaguar, Nicaragua, provides crucial wintering habitat for Golden-winged Warbler and other neotropical migrants. Photo by Andrew Rothman, ABC to make sure conservation efforts on the wintering grounds and the breeding grounds align” in order for Duriaux remodeled their organic coffee farm to a shade the species to benefit most, he says. crop to promote biodiversity. The ABC-supported Earlier this year, researchers attached geolocators to reserve is now a sanctuary for the warblers and many 146 wintering Golden-winged Warblers in nine focal other migrant and resident birds, as deforestation con- conservation areas in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, tinues to deplete wintering habitat elsewhere. Honduras, Belize, and Guatemala. This fall, when the The landscape on the golden-wings’ wintering grounds birds return, researchers will recover the devices and is rugged, steep, and teeming with biodiversity. Dense obtain valuable information about where the golden- vegetation is broken up by the occasional bean, potato, wings spent their breeding season—and how they got corn, or coffee crop. The calls of hundreds of species echo there and back. through the trees, producing an endless symphony.

Once researchers recover the geolocators this fall, they will download and analyze those data and share the information with the conservation community so that it can be put to use. With this new information on Golden-winged Warbler migratory connectivity, con- servationists will be able to identify key wintering and breeding grounds linkages and important migratory stopover areas.

The research is already providing valuable data. A 2015 pilot project revealed that six Golden-winged Warblers traveled from El Jaguar, their wintertime sanctuary, to breed in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin—where ABC staff are working with partners to restore and maintain the young forest habitat this bird requires LEFT TO RIGHT: Researchers and students Fabiola Rodriguez (IUP), Dr. to nest. Amber Roth (University of Maine), and Kirsten Johnson (IUP) at El Jaguar. Photo by Jeff Larkin Audrey Goldfarb was ABC's writing/ On their wintering grounds, golden-wings can be found communications intern during the summer of in a diversity of conditions from dense primary cloud 2016. She is currently an undergraduate at the forests to fairly open woodlands and agroforests, which University of Rochester, where she is pursuing a are created by incorporating trees and shrubs into bachelor's degree in molecular genetics. agricultural landscapes. One such site is an agroforest in Nicaragua called El Jaguar Reserve. Lili and Georges

16 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 Elmer's Journey Back in Allegheny National Forest, Raybuck and Slevin hide near trees on opposite ends of their mist net and PENNSYLVANIA play the call of the Cerulean Warbler. In an instant, El- mer moves down from the treetops to protect his patch Atlantic of forest. Darting in to attack the pretend intruder, May Ocean 3 Elmer flies right into the net.

TENNESSEE Like the Golden-winged Warbler team, Raybuck and

ALABAMA Slevin remove the geolocator and measure and weigh Elmer. With the device safely in hand, Slevin releases the tiny bird. “I’m sure he feels a little bit lighter now,” Raybuck says. Holding the key to your species’ future Gulf of Mexico must be a heavy burden.

Elmer’s geolocator will soon reveal his journey. But first, Raybuck needs to interpret the data. Connecting the geolocator to his computer, Raybuck runs the raw Apr 5 data of dates, times, and light levels through a soft- ware program. Based on daily sunrise and sunset times NICARAGUA calculated from the light data, Raybuck can connect the GUATEMALA dots and estimate where Elmer went using approximate locations. COSTA Mar 20 RICA This diminutive songbird took an epic trip. From his winter home in northeast Colombia, Elmer took off COLOMBIA on March 20. His first stop: Costa Rica and Nicaragua, for a brief two-week respite. Around April 5, he visited Guatemala for three weeks before flying nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico.

After resting and refueling in central Tennessee for a week, Elmer set off on the final leg of his journey. On The tiny songbird flew from Tennessee May 3, the tiny songbird flew from Tennessee back to his elm tree in Pennsylvania—and into the wait- back to his elm tree in Pennsylvania—and ing hands of scientists ready to map his migration and into the waiting hands of scientists ready chart a brighter future for his species. to map his migration and chart a brighter Funding for these research efforts was provided by the Penn- sylvania Game Commission, U.S.D.A. Natural Resources future for his species. Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and National Science Foundation.

To watch a video about scientists' efforts to understand migration, go to abcbirds.org/MappingMigration.

Aditi Desai is ABC’s Assistant Director of Communications and Senior Producer. She spent six days this spring with Jeff Larkin and other biologists braving the wilds of Pennsylvania to learn about warblers, migration, and advancing science through the use of tech- nology. She also got to hold her first Golden-winged Warbler. Darin James McNeil Jr

BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 17 Travels in CUBA

A key site for migratory birds, the island is poised for still more visitors

By Libby Sander

In late summer and early autumn, the skies above Cuba become flyways for hundreds of thousands of birds migrating from their breeding grounds to points south. Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean region, and its vast expanses of mountains, forests, wetlands, and low-lying coastal islands (known as cays, or cayos) make the country an important stopover site for migrating birds.

Cuba boasts 373 species of birds, most of them migratory; 26 are found nowhere else on the planet. Arturo Kirkconnell, Curator of Ornithology of the National Museum of Natural History in Cuba and author of A Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba, has spent most of his career as an ornithologist studying the island’s birds. He also has led birding tours for nearly three decades.

Arturo Kirkconnell photo by Hannah Nevins, ABC (TOP) Black-throated Blue Warbler by Frode Jacobsen

18 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 Now that diplomatic relations 260 species, and about 87 percent Black-whiskered Vireo and Greater between the United States and of Cuban endemic birds. The main Antillean Nighthawk. Cuba are warming and the country goal of my tours is to watch the is welcoming more visitors from endemics and enjoy their beauty, LS: What are some of Cuba’s the U.S., many conservationists are but also to watch the many other most important landscapes for wondering: What will be the impact colorful permanent residents and of migratory birds? on Cuba’s wildlife? We asked course migratory birds, too. My field AK: Migratory birds occur in many Kirkconnell to tell us more about slogan is, enjoy the birds! different habitats. Landbirds—such Cuba’s birds, and what Americans as many species of warblers and can do to support ecotourism and LS: Why is Cuba so important for vireos—are more abundant in semi- conservation across the island. migratory birds? deciduous, evergreen, and swampy AK: Accounting for approximately forests, and in dry coastal scrub. Libby Sander: How did you half of all of the land in the become interested in birds? West Indies, Cuba is also located Among the most important bird Arturo Kirkconnell: When I started immediately south of Florida and habitats are natural wetlands. Shore- my career, I had studied mostly east of the Yucatan Peninsula. So it birds, herons, and ducks make up invertebrates—mainly land snails. has huge areas of suitable wintering the largest percentage of migrants in Then I asked a friend and colleague and stopover habitat right at the these aquatic ecosystems, which in who studied birds to teach me about crossroads of major migration Cuba include beach and coastline, them. The first two birds I saw were pathways. mangroves, marshes, lakes, and Northern Parula and American reservoirs. Most mudflats are in the Redstart, and this was enough. I was For some migratory species, Cuba is southern part of the Cuban archi- hooked. Some Cuban land snails are their major wintering ground. For pelago, including Zapata Swamp. very colorful creatures, but nothing Palm Warbler, Black-throated Blue Most of the large cays are crucial like birds. Their behavior, their Warbler, and Piping Plover, Cuba is wintering grounds for nearctic wad- calls, and their beauty—what else I the most important winter quarters ers [waders that nest in the United could ask for? In my first year as a in the West Indies. Other migratory States or Canada and migrate south birder I was without binoculars, just species that regularly winter in Cuba for the winter] and are important watching with my eyes, till I got are American Redstart, Northern stopover sites for passage migrants my first pair of old, heavy Russian Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, as well. Rice fields are spectacular binoculars! Common Yellowthroat, Cape May Warbler, Prairie Warbler, and Indigo feeding sites for birds where many LS: Where is your favorite place Bunting, among others. Bachman's species gather in great numbers. to go birding—and lead birding Warbler, now believed to be extinct, LS: Cuba has dozens of bird tours—in Cuba? wintered only here. species that occur nowhere else in AK: My favorite place is the Zapata About a dozen neotropical species the world. Describe a few of these Peninsula, where you can see the come to Cuba from southern endemic birds for us. greatest diversity of birds, about regions to breed, too, including

Cuba has huge areas of suitable wintering and stopover habitat for birds like Piping Plovers.

Piping Plovers by Ed Konrad

BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 19 The Cuban Trogon is the country’s national bird because its colors match the Cuban flag.

AK: The Blue-headed Quail-Dove is a very beautiful bird, and is rare and vulnerable. It is a ground dweller found in the dense forest. The Cu- ban Tody is another striking endem- ic and is common throughout Cuba. This bird emits a rattling sound with its wings in flight, which helps you find it among the green foliage. The Cuban Trogon is the country’s national bird, because its colors match the Cuban flag. And the Bee Hummingbird is the world’s small- est bird. Males like to sing in the highest bare twigs while flashing their red-pink gorgets to other males and females.

LS: What conservation threats do Cuban birds face? AK: Habitat destruction, hunting, the introduction of exotic species, and illegal cage bird trade all have an adverse impact on Cuba’s birds and their habitats.

The northern cays are among the most disturbed areas, mainly as a re- sult of development for tourism. In these cays a few species occur only in small numbers and are therefore highly threatened, including the Bahama Mockingbird, Thick-billed Vireo, and Zapata Sparrow.

For sport hunting, there are official regulations regarding species, seasons, places, and bag limits, but both hunters and wardens frequently disregard these. Poachers persistently violate official restrictions and use not only guns but also several kinds of traps. Cuban Trogon by Arturo Kirkconnell

20 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 The Blue-winged Teal and West The cage bird trade has become a AK: There are several ways to help. Indian Whistling-Duck are among way of life for some people. Several For starters, visiting the island will the species that are vulnerable to thousand birds are captured every help to develop ecotourism and will hunting and poaching. year on the island, including the encourage international conserva- Painted Bunting, which is one tion organizations and people to Like other islands in the Antilles, of the most-wanted cage birds support bird conservation in Cuba. Cuba is plagued by the accidental because of its beauty. This is a huge Supporting environmental educa- and intentional introduction of problem, and I do not see a solution tion and crafting environmental non-native species. Rats, feral in the near future to stop it. agreements between both countries pigs, cats, and dogs are now in the will help to minimize damage to most remote and virgin forests, LS: As Cuba begins to welcome bird habitats and stop the commer- along with the mongoose. Walking more visitors from the U.S., what cial trade of migratory and endemic catfish are the worst of all—a real challenges and opportunities does species. ecological disaster. They have this present for bird conservation? spread into many lakes and rivers AK: More visitors will bring Also helpful would be providing in Cuba. In Zapata Swamp, they are more development, and more funding and technology to try eating everything, including native development will result in habitat to eradicate invasive species, waterbirds, probably including the destruction in pristine areas like the and cooperating in projects to critically endangered Zapata Rail. cays surrounding Cuba’s mainland. recover the rarest and threatened Protecting these places is a big bird species. Finally, by joining LS: As you mentioned, the expeditions to study the natural domestic cage bird trade in Cuba challenge for all conservation institutions and organizations. One history of Cuban birds, Americans is a major threat for birds. Tell us can support bird conservation and more about that. of the species most affected is the Piping Plover, which likes quiet, help to develop Cuban science. AK: The Cuban Parrot is the species pristine beaches as its wintering LS: This might be an unfair most affected by illegal commerce. grounds. The number of Piping Chicks are taken from the wild by question, but do you have a Plovers wintering in the cays is favorite Cuban bird? felling their nesting trees and then declining dramatically, undoubtedly reared by hand until they are fully due to human disturbance. AK: My favorite bird is the Cuban developed. No doubt hundreds have Tody (Todus multicolor). It is easy to been smuggled out of the country LS: Given the limitations under guess why—just take a look at its in a drugged state, simply hidden the ongoing embargo, how can scientific name! inside the pockets of travelers. people in the U.S. or U.S.-based Other species known to have been organizations help Cubans with For more information on Arturo smuggled out of the country are the bird conservation? Kirkconnell’s birding tours in Cuba, Cuban Grassquit, Cuban Bullfinch, visit kirkconnellbirds.com or send and Cuban Parakeet. him an email: a.kirkconnell59@ gmail.com.

Cuban Parrot (left) is the species most affected by illegal commerce. Cuban Bullfinch (right) is also smuggled out of the country.

Cuban Parrot by Elliotte Rusty Harold, Shutterstock; Cuban Bullfinch by Sergey Uryadnikov, Shutterstock

BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 21 Saving Gulf Coast Birds, One Beach at a Time

From Florida to Texas, ABC helps migratory shorebirds and seabirds breed in safety

By Libby Sander

22 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 risten Vale stands on the she could tell the birds, This side of shore of the Gulf of Mexico, the fence is safer. Lay your eggs here. K toward the end of the Bo- livar Peninsula, trying to solve a Vale, who is ABC’s Coastal Program dilemma. Wilson’s Plovers and Least Coordinator for Texas, comes here to Terns come to this coastal area each Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary ev- spring to nest and breed after spend- ery week during the breeding season. ing the winter in Central and South It’s one of two sites on the upper America. But high tides and too Texas coast where she and a field much rain have washed away the technician collect scientific data on eggs that the birds had recently laid the birds, protect their nesting sites, in the sand. and talk with beachgoers to explain ABC’s Gulf Conservation how to give the birds the space they Her challenge on this day: to figure need to breed successfully. Program began in 2011 out where to replace the washed-out fencing that instructs beachgoers Two fishermen approach, laden as a way to help bird with gear, curious about what Vale not to trespass into the birds’ nest- populations—specifically ing territory. is doing. She tells them she’s put- ting up signs to protect the birds’ Wilson’s and Snowy Plovers, Nearby, two or three Wilson’s Plo- fragile nesting areas. vers scamper about, keeping a safe Least Tern, and Black “They’re encroaching on my fish- distance from us and one another, Skimmer—recover from the watchful. One bird perches on a ing!” says one of the anglers. It’s slight rise of sand to survey his ter- hard to tell if he’s serious or jesting. twin traumas of the oil spill ritory like a pitcher on a mound. But Vale is firm. “Hey,” she says, Acrobatic Least Terns chatter in the polite but no-nonsense, “we have to and its aftermath. air, males offering females small, share the beach.” silvery fish in a gesture of courtship. Vale knows this behavior means A Region in Recovery gleaming white fluffy sand dunes in Alabama and Florida. The color the birds will lay their eggs any day Bolivar Flats is a spit of land right of the water shifts, too, from a now. She has to act quickly. on the Gulf of Mexico. On this day dark, murky blue-green to vibrant in late April, two American Avocets It’s hardly a simple maneuver. She turquoise. and a Marbled Godwit pick deli- gauges tide lines, wrack lines, and cately at the water’s edge, in full the behavior of the birds. A matter Many of these coastal areas were breeding plumage. Flocks of Brown of inches can determine whether devastated by the BP Deepwater Ho- Pelicans feed on a school of fish the next round of eggs are protected rizon oil spill in 2010. By some esti- nearby, splashing into the water from foot traffic and vehicles or mates, the millions of gallons of oil by the dozens. Beyond them, large likely to be smashed. that spewed into the Gulf of Mexico tankers and freighters crawl toward killed 800,000 birds in coastal and She settles on a spot and prepares to the Houston Ship Channel, a nar- offshore waters. But for beach- string the rope just below waist level, row body of water that separates nesting birds, the cleanup efforts so people won’t duck under. “I’m re- the quiet peninsula from the city of were disruptive at best. Vehicles, an ally nervous about these terns,” she Galveston and its crowded beaches. influx of people, and heavy machin- says, pounding a post deep into the ery descended on Gulf beaches in Travel east along the Gulf Coast ground. It’s happened before where well-intentioned but chaotic masses from Bolivar Flats and the scenery Vale has replaced all of the fencing just in time for nesting season, lead- changes again and again. The after a washout only to discover, a ing to dismal reproductive rates for packed brown sand of the upper day or two later, that the birds had these birds. Texas coast gradually gives way chosen spots just inches beyond the at the other end to beaches of unprotected side of the fence. If only (TOP) Snowy Plover chick by Ray Hennessy, Shutterstock

(OPPOSITE) Wilson’s Plover by Norman Bateman, Shutterstock BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 23 other main threat we address is the Audubon Louisiana, Coastal Bend people threat,” Ray says. “We’re Bays and Estuaries Program, and trying to strike the balance between Gulf Coast Bird Observatory carry protecting habitat for the birds so out the work on the ground with they can raise their young, and still field technicians and volunteers. providing access to the public to en- joy the beach. It’s a real fine line.” Dianne Ingram credits ABC’s program with bringing some The work got started with a grant much-needed cohesion to the from the National Fish and Wild- decentralized efforts across the life Foundation’s BP Recovered Oil region to help beach-nesting birds. Funds. As the program matured, its scope broadened. The goal to “Shorebird work is all over the maintain or increase populations of place,” says Ingram, a biologist with beach-nesting birds is now three- the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s fold: protect the birds during their Alabama Field Office. “It all needs to critical breeding season; conduct come together into a big effort where everyone’s aware and everyone’s Kristen Vale putting up a sign at the Bolivar Flats scientific monitoring to obtain Shorebird Sanctuary in Texas. Photo by Libby valuable data on these species; and working toward the same thing.” Sander, ABC educate beachgoers and local com- With this gradual coordination of munities on the importance of shar- regional partnerships, she says, “I ABC’s Gulf Conservation Program ing the beach with the birds. feel like it’s starting to happen.” began in 2011 as a way to help these bird populations—specifically The program now includes work at ‘Expect the Unexpected’ Wilson’s and Snowy Plovers, Least 21 locations in Florida, Alabama, The birds need the help. During the Tern, and Black Skimmer—recover Louisiana, and Texas. The sites are summer months, people unwittingly from the twin traumas of the oil all over the map—busy beaches, drive over nests and chicks; trample spill and its aftermath, says Kacy remote barrier islands, sand flats, on them; or allow unleashed dogs Ray, ABC’s Gulf Conservation marshes, and pristine dunes. With to root around, destroying eggs and Program Manager. financial support and strategic coordination from ABC, nearly killing chicks and adults. In more “We’re still trying to help birds 20 partner organizations such as remote locations, people are less recover from this disaster, but the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, of a problem, but an imbalance

24 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 (TOP) Least Tern and chicks by Ray Hennessy, Shutterstock of predators such as coyotes or Ray says her goal as the program’s universities in Baton Rouge and feral hogs can wreak havoc on manager—she regularly travels New Orleans,” he says. “There was nesting sites. Climate change and from her home office in Florida to nobody really working on these seasonal flooding, meanwhile, add the opposite end of the Gulf and birds.” complexity nearly everywhere, back again, making stops at all the affecting sea level and the severity of sites along the way—is to foster a This year, with support from storms and flooding. sense of agility that matches the ABC, Johnson and a team of three tremendous variability that coastal seasonal biologists are monitoring As a result, shorebirds are declining ecosystems experience from one about 50 miles of beachfront in at a faster rate than many other spe- year to the next. four parishes. Together, the 50 cies groups: The 2016 State of the miles of beach encompass about Birds report indicates that migratory “We have to be dynamic like the 15 percent of the state population shorebirds are in steep decline, with coast is dynamic,” she says. “We’ve of Least Tern and Wilson’s Plover, a 70 percent reduction in popula- got to be ready for a rainy season, or he says. Meanwhile, over the tions since 1970. The Fish and Wild- for an influx of predators. We’ve got course of the past five field seasons life Service, meanwhile, considers to be ready on holidays to be out in of collaborating with ABC, the Wilson’s Plover, Snowy Plover, Least numbers so we can educate people Wilson’s Plover population on Tern, and Black Skimmer to be spe- and protect the birds. We have to Grand Isle—Louisiana’s only cies of conservation concern. expect the unexpected.” inhabited barrier island—has tripled, up to about 18 to 20 pairs The program takes a similar ap- The Quest for Data from just five or six. proach at every site—scientific monitoring, nest protection, and The Louisiana coast is one of the The consistent monitoring is begin- educational outreach—but the work program’s most isolated stretches ning to pay off. “We’re just now is very much tailored to the needs of of habitat. This remoteness meant starting to get an idea of what the each particular spot. On the Ala- that for years, data was scarce on primary threats to populations are bama coast, for instance, the great- the birds that needed it most, and where these threats are most se- est human disturbance comes not says Erik Johnson, Director of vere,” Johnson says. “We can really from locals who regularly frequent Bird Conservation with Audubon start to focus conservation efforts the same beach spots weekend after Louisiana. “There are a lot of barrier on the sites and the concentrations weekend, year after year. It’s a tourist islands out there, far away from the of birds that need it most.” area, and so every week in the high season comes a new batch of out-of- town visitors—some of whom have never been to the beach before. The education process often starts afresh with every conversation.

“Conservation is 80 percent about people,” says Susan Heath, an Avian Conservation Biologist with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, who with ABC support has been monitoring two sites on the Texas coast where Wilson’s Plovers nest in relatively strong numbers. “So if we can’t educate the public about what the birds need, it’s just so much more difficult to get the job done.”

Royal Terns on a Florida Gulf Coast beach. Photo by Levranii, Shutterstock

BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 25 Six hundred miles away, in Corpus and sediment in new places. And Christi, Texas, David Newstead then, of course, there are the beach- has reached a similar conclusion. goers. Every week Vale must weigh Newstead, who is the Director of the needs of people—“all beaches the Coastal Bird Program at Coastal are open to the public, and we have Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, Inc., to respect this,” she says—and birds. has been collaborating with ABC since 2012. And so on this day early in the season, Vale works her way down The partnership with ABC, he says, the beach, finishing up the fencing has enabled Coastal Bend Bays as the terns and plovers supervise. and Estuaries to communicate We walk about a half-mile to the more persuasively to landowners The partnership with ABC very end of the beach. This is new and managers about the need for habitat created by the recent storm protective measures for the birds. has enabled Coastal Bend surge. Sand has washed over the “We’ve got data now that we can Bays and Estuaries to com- beach grasses, creating ideal nest- rely on and point to, and we can ing spots. make people understand that these municate more persuasively sites need to be protected,” he says. “Storms create, storms destroy,” to landowners and managers Vale says. “We just have to balance Data is becoming increasingly the natural disturbance with the hu- valuable in informing conservation about the need for protective man disturbance.” There will surely work, Newstead says. During a year measures for the birds. be more storms, more flooding, and like this one, with “crazy” tides more unforeseen challenges. But and flooding, for instance, data this storm, she says, was a blessing helps to quantify what biologists to be doing donuts around the in disguise: at least no chicks had might already expect—that birds signs? But this year, hardly anybody hatched yet. won’t be raising as many chicks. In trespasses. “It’s been this beautiful Least Terns are still darting and flirt- years to come, still more data will transition where people are finally ing over our heads. The sun peeks allow conservationists to consider starting to catch on,” she says. other key variables such as climate out for a few brief moments behind change and sea level rise, he says. Still, Vale prefers the tranquility of rain clouds building in the west, “We’ll be able to incorporate these Bolivar Flats. Quiet, with few people turning the Gulf into a shimmering data and see if the birds will have a and plenty of space, she imagines ribbon of gently lapping waves. Vale place to go.” it to be an earthy paradise for the continues pounding the stakes into birds. But even here the conditions the sand. “I’m looking at all these A Beautiful Transition are unpredictable. Least Terns and I’m so happy,” she says. “This is a good spot for them.” Across the channel from Bolivar The shoreline changes with every Flats is Galveston’s sprawling East storm. In some areas, this actually Learn more about this program: Beach. This is Vale’s third season creates better habitat for the nesting www.helpgulfbirds.org working at the popular recreational birds, as shifting waters deposit sand site. Wilson’s Plovers nest on the beach and in the dunes, and in early spring Black Skimmers often congre- gate in the middle of a giant sand Libby Sander is Senior Writer and Editor at ABC. A journalist for 13 years parking lot. before joining ABC, she wrote news stories and award-winning features for The New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Chronicle of It used to be that Vale would arrive Higher Education. In April, she spent four days on the upper Texas coast, and wonder, Who’s going to cut the sharing the beach with plovers, terns, and countless other shorebirds. strings of the fencing? Who’s going

26 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 (TOP) Black Skimmer by Dennis W. Donohue, Shutterstock A Pact that Transcends Borders

For 100 years, the Migratory Bird Treaty has brought countries together for conservation

By Jennifer Howard Lapham's Quarterly story. "The more flamboyant ladies flaunted not just n February 1886, a young New feathers but also the eyes, wings, York ornithologist named Frank and in some cases, entire bodies of IChapman set out on an unusual birds carefully arranged with other birding expedition. Chapman did natural accessories like leaves and not head for meadows or forests moss." All in all, Chapman counted outside the city. He staked out 40 different bird species that had the wilds of uptown Manhattan, made the ultimate sacrifice for counting the number of ladies’ fashion. hats adorned with feathers and other bird parts. Plumage was Today it’s more fashionable to

all the rage among fashionistas Library of Congress watch birds than to wear them. of the day, and wild birds of the But in the late 19th and early 20th Plumage was all the rage Americas and elsewhere were century, the hunger for decorative paying the price. among fashionistas of the plumage brought some species, including the Snowy Egret, to the His survey indicated how high day, and wild birds of the brink of extinction. At the same that price was. "Chapman counted time, the Passenger Pigeon famously 542 hats adorned with 174 whole Americas and elsewhere met its fate, a victim of unregulated birds or their disembodied parts," hunting. Adee Braun wrote in a 2013 were paying the price.

(TOP) Snowy Egret by Ivan Kuzmin, Shutterstock BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 27 Terrible as it was, the indiscriminate Hemenway and Hall’s parlor The act provides sweeping slaughter of birds led to one of the movement became a political protections for many species, United States’ earliest and most one, and Congress eventually making it illegal “by any means or important environmental laws. The took notice. In 1900, it passed the in any manner” to “pursue, hunt, Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, Lacey Act, the nation’s first law take, capture, kill, attempt to take, which turned a landmark 1916 to protect wildlife, which banned capture or kill, possess, offer for sale, treaty with Canada into federal law, the illegal trade of wild animals, sell, offer to purchase, purchase,” has since proven to be a lifesaver including birds. When the Lacey Act ship, or receive birds or bird parts, for more than a thousand species of failed to shut down the interstate nests, or eggs from listed species birds. feather trade, Congress adopted without a federal permit. (The the Weeks-McLean Migratory Bird list of protected birds is adjusted A century after the treaty was Act of 1913. Ambitiously, the law periodically and does not cover signed, the law continues to inform sought to protect “all wild geese, non-native species and resident American Bird Conservancy’s work wild swans, brant, wild ducks, game birds, such as Wild Turkeys or to protect birds throughout the snipe, plover, woodcock, rail, wild quail, which are managed directly Americas. But, like the birds it was pigeons, and all other migratory by state wildlife agencies.) designed to safeguard, the Migratory game and insectivorous birds” from Bird Treaty Act still needs our unregulated hunting. With international protections protection. in place, once-imperiled species The Weeks-McLean Act didn’t began to rebound on both sides Birds on the Rebound survive challenges in court. But in of the border. Snowy Egrets made August 1916, the United States and a remarkable comeback once the We have two Boston socialites, Canada entered into a treaty that feather trade came to a halt, even Harriet Hemenway and Minna spelled out uniform protections for extending their historic range— Hall, to thank for the activism that many migratory birds, “in order though the species still faces threats eventually led to the Migratory Bird to assure the preservation of spe- from habitat loss and other factors Treaty and halted the avian mas- cies either harmless or beneficial to today. And Trumpeter Swans, which sacre. Once the two women learned man.” Two years later, in 1918, the had dwindled to a population of about the impacts of unrestricted Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) about 70 birds in the mid-1930s, hunting, they organized a boycott turned the treaty into law. The recovered enough to be taken off among the chic set. Conservation United States later struck similar Canada’s endangered list in 1996. groups, including early Audubon agreements with Mexico, Japan, chapters, began to spring up. and Russia. “The Migratory Bird Treaty Act stopped the wholesale slaughter

If Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall were alive today, they would join the ranks of bird lovers working to make sure the Migratory Bird Treaty Act remains strong enough to protect birds for the next 100 years.

28 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 Harriet Hemenway in her garden: Mass Audubon of migratory birds for ornamental urgent that we put in place practices Although many of North America’s feathers and the unregulated we already know will save birds migratory bird species owe their hunting of waterfowl,” says Steve from needless deaths.” This includes very existence to the Migratory Bird Holmer, Senior Policy Advisor for capping open pipes that trap birds Treaty Act, relatively few people ABC. “As a result, populations of and other wildlife, for instance, know about it—and that’s a serious most affected bird species have and making sure that wind energy threat in its own right, says Mike recovered, and waterfowl hunting development avoids sensitive bird Parr, Vice President and Chief in the U.S. is now sustainable and areas such as migration corridors. Conservation Officer at ABC. benefits conservation.” If Harriet Hemenway and Minna “People interested in birds need to A Shared Responsibility Hall were alive today, they would know that their government once join the ranks of bird lovers working cared enough about them—the As bird populations began to to make sure the Migratory Bird value they bring to our lives and the rebound thanks to the law, bird Treaty Act remains strong enough ecological services they perform—to conservation also began to flourish, to protect birds for the next 100 protect them with a federal law,” taking on a cross-border importance years. That means keeping pressure Parr says. it had earlier lacked. on Congress not to weaken the act through riders that make it harder Migratory birds face enough natural The MBTA “really was the start of all to enforce. challenges as they make their the collaborative, cooperative work remarkable spring and fall journeys. we do to conserve migratory birds,” Last year, for instance, the House of It’s up to us to guard the birds and says Emily Jo Williams, ABC’s Vice Representatives passed an appropria- the law that protects them from President for North American Birds tions amendment that would have human-caused threats. As we mark and Habitats. “The recognition that kept the Department of Justice from the centennial of the 1916 treaty birds are international resources or enforcing the law. That amendment and the law that soon followed, treasures established the basis for ultimately failed, but the threat together we can make sure they all of us to work together across remains. Keeping the act strong protect our native birds for many international boundaries. It set the also means not allowing those who decades to come. stage for that shared responsibility." oppose it to make it difficult for fed- eral agencies to limit the incidental Protect migratory birds and Even though the MBTA has “take,” or killing, of protected species the Migratory Bird Treaty Act: supported remarkable success for such as the Bald Eagle. support.abcbirds.org/ProtectMBTA birds and bird conservationists, Holmer cautions that we can’t rest

easy. “We need the act now more Jennifer Howard is Director of Public Relations at ABC. She was a writer and than ever to address the dozens of reporter with The Chronicle of Higher Education for 10 years and before threats facing migratory birds,” he that was a contributing editor and columnist with The Washington Post. says. “Forty percent of all migratory Follow Jen on Twitter at @JenHoward. bird species are in decline, so it is

Trumpeter Swans by MCarter, Shutterstock BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 29 FINAL GLIMPSE Across the Hemisphere, We Go Where the Birds Go

By Andrew Rothman

y the time you read this, We identify the land-use changes will be afoot in your changes and challenges birds Bbackyard or local woods. Many birds have stopped sing- face, and we put solutions ing. They’ve raised their chicks. The lucky ones have fledged and into action where they will are poised to make their first long journey to their wintering grounds make the most impact—in in Latin America. Many birds are new and creative ways. already heading south.

Imagine packing up your young one to embark on a 3,000-mile journey. ABC’s Migratory Bird Program is birds use certain habitats. We need What will be there when these birds headed. We go where the birds go. to understand the economics, arrive? Will the forest in Honduras We identify the land-use changes management, and market chains of that was there last year await them and challenges birds face, and we put products as well. again this year, or will the trees have solutions into action where they will Migration—of the human kind— been torn down to make way for a make the most impact—in new and and the economy are hot topics in palm oil plantation instead? Will creative ways. our current geopolitical landscape. they find cover in a healthy mix of Despite this, and the fact that trees and coffee bushes or cacao trees In Nicaragua, for instance, we have geopolitics and the global economy in Costa Rica, or encounter a mono- worked with more than 200 land- directly affect their survival, migra- culture of pineapple? owners to plant additional trees in their coffee plantations and in their tory birds ignore borders. It’s up to The forests and farms of Central and cattle pastures to make better winter us to pay attention to our role in South America can seem distant. But homes for birds. In Mexico, we have the global economy and make bird- the goods produced there have a improved rotational grazing practices friendly consumer choices if direct link to the birds who just left to ensure higher-quality grassland we want to help them. the feeder in your yard. The global habitat for both livestock and birds. Perhaps these natural gems offer economy plays out on a local level And in the Dominican Republic, we us an opportunity to do more than in places like Guatemala, Honduras, are using environmental payment simply admire their beauty. Maybe Costa Rica, and Colombia, affecting incentives to support the protection in the effort to conserve birds, we how land—bird habitat—is used. of remnant habitat on small family- can find a harmony between our Coffee, chocolate, rubber, black owned farms near protected areas. economy and the natural world. Not pepper, beef, pineapple, palm oil, only do migratory birds depend on bananas, and more all impact the In every case, to influence land it, but our own survival might just availability and quality of habitat for use within targeted geographies, depend on it too. migratory birds during their non- we have to know not just how breeding season.

To make sure our colorful visitors Andrew Rothman is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and holds degrees in Biology and Wildlife Management. Andrew have a place to go after they leave was an international conservation officer for ABC from 2010 to 2013, our yards each year, we have to make and now serves as Director of ABC’s Migratory Birds program. production methods of these goods friendlier for birds. This is where Bay-breasted Warbler wintering in the El Paujil Reserve, Colombia. Photo by Fundación ProAves 30 BIRD CONSERVATION | FALL 2016 Your Living Legacy

Since the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed nearly 100 years ago, fashion has changed—thankfully, bird-feathered hats are no longer in vogue—but what hasn’t changed is the need to be vigilant for birds. You can help protect birds for generations to come by including ABC in your estate plans.

Just as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act helped bring back Trumpeter Swans, Snowy Egrets, and many other birds from the brink of extinction, your estate gift can help ABC protect threatened birds for the next 100 years. In doing so, you will create your own legacy of bird conservation.

If you would like more information on how to join ABC’s Legacy Circle with an estate gift, or if you have already included ABC in your estate plans, please contact Jack Morrison, ABC Planned Giving Director, at 540-253-5780, or [email protected]

Great Blue Herons by FloridaStock, Shutterstock 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

The Blue-headed Quail-Dove, a rare and elusive Cuban endemic. Photo by Glenn Bartley