Category: Conservation

Birds and Light Pollution

Happy World Migratory Bird Day! I hope you are able to get out and enjoy watching the birds today. The 2022 theme for World Migratory Bird Day is light pollution.

Many bird species migrate at night, so light pollution from populated areas disorients their navigation, disturbs their internal clocks, and cause numerous collisions every year. In the United States alone, 100 millions birds die annually from collisions with buildings. Building collisions can happen during the day too, but the lights at night add an extra threat by attracting birds to the area, in the same way that your porch light attracts moths.

A study published in the journal Nature in 2020 found that light pollution is starting to impact breeding habits of some birds species as well. The researchers analyzed how noise and light pollution impacted breeding success of 58,506 nests from 142 North American species. They found that light pollution leads species of open habitats such as grasslands to breed up to a month earlier and 18 days earlier in forested environments. In forested habitats noise pollution was more disruptive than for open habitat birds, causing some species to delay breeding. These changes in breeding habits can cause temporal mismatch which could lead to higher mortality rates due to weather events and difficulties finding food sources.

Bird Mortality from Collisions (Bishop, 2018)

According to the World Migratory Bird Day website, artificial light is increasing by 2% each year globally. While that may not seem that much, this increase is having adverse effects not only on birds, but other species including humans. There are 4 components to light pollution: glare (excessive uncomfortable brightness), clutter (bright confusing groupings), skyglow (brightening of the night sky in inhabited areas), and light trespassing (light in unwanted or not intended areas). According to the International Dark-Sky Association, 80% of the global population lives under skyglow and up to 99% of the public in Europe and the United States can’t experience natural night! Industrial civilization is the root cause of light pollution. Light pollution also affects melatonin production, discombobulates circadian rhythms, disrupts ecosystems, and increases energy consumption.

Lights Outs is a program created by the National Audubon Society to combat light pollution. The program encourages building managers and owners to turn off excess lighting during migration season to make it easier for birds to travel. Lights Out has found success in many cities throughout the United States and is becoming more popular over time. Individuals can participate in Lights Out events too.

So what can be done to help birds and reduce light pollution? Here are some simple steps you can take:

  • Turn off unnecessary lights. Only use lighting if needed.
  • Set lights on a timer or motion detector
  • Keep blinds closed to keep light inside.
  • Participate in citizen science projects to measure light pollution such as Globe at Night , Cities at Night, or track on your smartphone using apps such as The Dark Sky Meter app. Check out the “Measuring Light Pollution” page at The Dark-Sky Association website for more information to get involved.
  • Support programs such as Lights Out
  • Spread the word about light pollution to you friends and family. Knowledge is power!

References

Global Big Day/World Migratory Bird Day 2022

Tomorrow, 5/14/2022 is World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) and Global Big Day (GBD). The purpose of World Migratory Bird Day is to raise awareness about the ecological role migratory birds play, the threats they face, and the importance of conserving birds and their habitats. International cooperation in conserving habitats birds depend on is another goal of WMBD. This year’s WMBD is light pollution. Check out the World Migratory Bird Day website for more info.

 ©️Omar Custodio – World Migratory Bird Day

May 14 is also Global Big Day. Created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Global Big Day is an event that encourages everyone to go out and count birds. The goal is to count as many birds as possible in one day. Participating is easy! Count as many birds as you can for as long as you want from anywhere and add your observations on eBird. Scientists use the data you submit to track where birds are during their spring migration. You can learn more information at the eBird website.

Last year, 4 new birding records were set on Global Big Day:

  1. Most birders participating in one day (51, 816 people)
  2. Most countries participating in one day (192 countries)
  3. highest number of species and eBird checklists in a single day (7,234 species and 133,887 checklists submitted)
  4. 1 billion bird observations reported on eBird

I can’t wait to see what 2022 brings! We will be doing some birding in the morning, so I will let you know how it goes. If you are on social media make sure to use the hashtags #GlobalBigDay, #WMBD2022, and #WorldMigratoryBirdDay to check out updates around the world in real time. Happy birding!

Are you participating in GBD/WMBD tomorrow? Tell me about your experience in the comments!

References

World Albatross Day 2021

June 19th is World Albatross Day!

The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) began World Albatross Day in 2020 to honor these amazing seabirds while educating the world about the conservation issues they face. June 19th was chosen because it was the date the Agreement was signed in 2001. 2020’s theme was “Eradicating Island Pests”. 2021’s theme is “Ensuring Albatross-friendly Fisheries”.

There are 22 albatross species in the world. According to the IUNC Red List of Threatened Species, 6 species are vunerable, 6 are near threatened, 7 are endangered, and 2 are critically endangered. Only one 1 species out of the 22, the Black-browed Albatross, is considered a least concern due to an increasing population trend. Currently the two of most threaten species are the Tristan and Waved Albatrosses, which are being featured by the ACAP in 2021.

Albatrosses, like many other species of seabirds, are facing considerable challenges that threaten their survival. One of the main issues is plastic pollution and marine debris which is accidentally being ingested by the birds at an alarming rate. Longline fisheries are perhaps the albatrosses’ great threat. Lured in by the bait, approximately 100,000 albatrosses are killed by longline fisheries each year. Invasive species and lead paint are also issues that are harming albatrosses.

There are many actions we can take to help albatrosses and other seabirds. These include:

We have the power to make great changes that can benefit our planet. If we all take action, even if it is something small, then we can make a difference and help not only albatrosses and seabirds but other species as well.

What is your favorite species of albatrosses? Tell me in the comments! (Mine is the Laysan Albatross)

Sources:

Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. (2021). Introduction to World Albatross Day. Retrieved from https://www.acap.aq/world-albatross-day/introduction-to-world-albatross-day

American Bird Conservancy. (n.d.) Seabirds Challenges. Retrieved from https://abcbirds.org/program/seabirds/challenges/

BirdLife International. 2018. Thalassarche melanophris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22698375A132643647. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22698375A132643647.en. Downloaded on 19 June 2021.

Greenpeace. (n.d.). Albatross. Retrieved from https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/oceans/wildlife-facts/albatross/

IUNC Red List. 2021. Albatrosses. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Albatrosses&searchType=species

Great Backyard Bird Count 2020!

This weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count! Are you ready to count some birds?

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a citizen science project run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. This 4-day event occurs in February every year and people all over the world participate. The 2020 GBBC goes from February 14-17. Participating is fun and easy!

  1. Create an eBird account if you don’t already have one (it’s free!).
  2. Go outside for at least 15 minutes and count every bird you can identify. You can go birding anywhere you want!
  3. Submit your checklists on eBird.

Go birding as many times as you want within the 4 days to participate. All the data you contribute is used by scientists to track bird populations.

This year will be our first time doing the GBBC in New Hampshire. We are in for some pretty cold temperatures the first half of this weekend (or as some of my students would probably say: wicked cold! lol)., so it’ll be interesting to see how many birds we’ll find. Sunday will warm up a little, so I plan on heading out to the Seacoast. I’ll keep you updated!

I hope you are able to participate in the count! Have fun!

International Vulture Awareness Day

The first Saturday of September is International Vulture Awareness Day. There are 23 species of vultures in the world, and many of them are considered threatened or endangered, with a few classified as critically endangered. Without effective conservation initiatives, some vulture species can become extinct within our lifetime.

Unfortunately, vultures are very misunderstood. Vultures eat carrion (dead animals), so many people associate them with death or think they are dirty animals. However, vultures are critically important to healthy ecosystems. They clean carcasses bare before diseases can spread. Vultures can be separated into two main groups: Old World (Africa, Europe, and Asia) and New World (South America and North America). All vultures are facing threats, but the crisis is especially bad in Africa.

Threats facing vultures including:

  • Poisoning due to lead ammunition left by hunters, agricultural pesticides, and poachers trying to get vultures for illegal trade
  • Electrocution due to power lines
  • Vehicle collisions and wind farm collisions
  • Starvation when carcasses are removed before vultures are able to find them
  • Persecution. Many people think that vultures are a sign of death and that they harm healthy livestock. Both of these beliefs are untrue.
  • Habitation fragmentation

Things you can do to help vultures include:

  • Supporting conservation organizations who are working to help save vultures
  • Avoiding lead ammunition if you hunt and retrieving spent ammunition so birds are not able to consume it
  • Driving carefully, especially around roadkill, to avoid accidentally colliding with vultures
  • Spreading the word about how important vulture are and celebrating International Vulture Awareness Day

Our health and the health of ecosystems all over the world depend on vultures. Vultures are amazing birds who need our help, so please spread the word!

If you want to learn some reasons why vultures are awesome, check out my post from May 2016 called Nature’s Sanitation Crew.(It’s one of my favorite posts that I’ve written lol!)

You can also check out these resources:

The Vulture Crisis from BirdLife International

The Vulture Conservation Foundation

African Wildlife Foundation

World Oceans Day 2018

June 8th is World Oceans Day.

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Logo via worldoceansday.org

Humans and animals depend on the ocean for survival. 75% of the planet is covered by oceans. Not only do oceans generate our climate, but they regulate oxygen and supply us with food and medicine.

The oceans are one of the few places left on Earth where there are still new things being discovered all the time. It’s estimated that there are between 700,000 to a million species living in the ocean, many which have yet to be described or named. A healthy ocean is imperative to survival on Earth.

There’s a major problem though: plastic pollution. Plastic pollution is the theme for 2018’s World Ocean Day.

Plastic has literally changed our world. Yes, there are benefits of plastic, but the negatives are truly detrimental.

It’s estimated that over 8 million metric tons of plastic are thrown into our oceans each year. But it gets worse- 236,000 tons are considered microplastics, which are smaller than 5 mm long. Many seabirds and marine animals can not distinguish these pieces of microplastics from food, so they end up being ingested. According to National Geographic, almost every species of seabirds will be eating plastic by 2050. Production of plastics have increased exponentially, and the more produced, the worse the dilemma gets.

What can be done about this critical problem? Making our oceans healthier is an extremely challenging global issue. If we want our oceans to ever improve, even a little, the problem needs to be tackled worldwide. There are many organizations and scientists working on solutions for removing plastic from the oceans. In the meantime, we can all do something to reduce our impact. Every little bit counts, and even each individual taking small steps to reduce their plastic waste can make a huge difference in the long term.

  • Avoid single-use plastics. Examples of single-use plastics include straws, plastic bags, beverage bottles, and coffee stirrers. There are many reusable items that can be used instead of single-use plastics.
  • Recycle plastics properly. Educate yourself on the different types of plastic and how to recycle them in your area. Improper recycling can be just as damaging as not recycling.
  • Spread the word. Inform your family and friends about plastic pollution and how they can help.

Our oceans are fascinating places that are brimming with life. It’s up to us to take care of them so we can continue to enjoy them. Together we can make a difference.

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Image by BirdNation

If you’d like to learn more about  World Oceans Day/oceans in general/plastic pollution check out the following websites.

World Oceans Day website: http://www.worldoceansday.org/

NOAA’s National Ocean Service: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/

National Geographic Planet or Plastic? (has links to many sources I used for this article): https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/planetorplastic/

To read an article I wrote a few years ago about Plastics and Laysan Albatrosses check out Trouble in Paradise 

Piping Plover Update/Banding

Hi friends!

Yesterday I e-mailed some people from USFWS regarding 2 banded Piping Plovers at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. I heard back about the plovers today.

It turns out they are the park’s resident pair: Pete and Phoebe 😁❤️! They also sent me a link to the Exit 63 Blog so I can learn more about the birds.

This is Phoebe:

Piping Plover #1
Phoebe (Image by BirdNation)

“Phoebe Cates” is a second year female. This is her first year mating with Pete. When I saw her she was sitting on a nest will a few eggs.

This is Pete:

Piping Plover #2 “Pete McLain” is a male who in 2016 was one of the first Piping Plovers in years to nest at Island Beach State Park, right across Barnegat Inlet. He returned in 2017 and successfully raised a chick with his partner “Diane”. In 2018, Pete started spending time at Barnegat Light instead of Island Beach. Pete ended up meeting Phoebe and she accepted his courtship displays.

I highly recommend going to Exit 63’s blog and reading their description of these events. The writing is really entertaining and fun. They even have a video of Phoebe and Pete doing the courtship display/mating.

If you see a banded Piping Plover while at the beach, you should report it if possible. Reporting banded birds helps the scientific community keep track of the threatened birds, learn about their life history, and use this information to aid in their recovery/conservation.

The most important thing to look for/take note of is band location/colors. Taking photographs if possible is always helpful. Once you gather as much information as you can about the Piping Plover, you can use the following link to submit your data to the appropriate conservation group.

https://www.fws.gov/northeast/pipingplover/report_bands.html

To learn identification tips, check out this slideshow from Sidney Maddock of Virginia Tech.

https://www.fws.gov/charleston/pdf/PIPL_Band_Identification_Training.pdf

You can also check out the Piping Plover fact sheet to learn more about the species:

https://www.fws.gov/northeast/pipingplover/pdf/plover.pdf

Reporting banded Piping Plovers is not the only way you can help this threatened species. These guidelines can really apply to any bird you encounter on the beach.

  • Respect all fenced off or posted areas. Many shorebird species’ eggs blend in with the landscape, so the roped off areas should not be crossed.
  • Watch the birds from a distance to avoid disturbing them.
  • Don’t leave trash on the beach since it can attract predators.
  • If there are signs restricting dogs on the beach during a certain time of the year, please follow them. These restrictions are set for a reason. I can’t tell you how many people I see with dogs on the beach that is covered by “NO DOGS” signs that are clearly visible. If dogs are allowed, please keep them on a leash. Also, please keep your cats indoors, for the safety of both your cat and the local wildlife.

Mission: Red Knots

Hi friends! Sorry for the disappearance…hectic few weeks. Of course we squeezed in some birding amidst the chaos. And now back your regularly scheduled blog posts 🙂

In October 2016, I wrote a post about Deborah Cramer’s book, The Narrow Edge: A Tiny Bird, An Ancient Crab, and an Epic Journey. (You can read that post here). Throughout The Narrow Edge, Cramer explores conservation issues by documenting the journey of the Red Knot.

Red Knots are fascinating little shorebirds. They make one of the longest yearly migrations of any bird. The Calidris Canutus rufa, one of the Red Knot subspecies, travels up the Atlantic Flyway from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina to their Arctic breeding grounds. The round-trip of a Rufa migration comes out to around 19,000 miles in a single year. One of the stopover sites on their journey happens to be Delaware Bay, less than an hour from where we live. So our mission this Memorial Day weekend: to find Red Knots.

Red Knots touch down in Delaware Bay mid-May. They only stay in the region long to refuel by feasting on Horseshoe Crab eggs for about 2-3 weeks. Red Knots are considered endangered in New Jersey and are declining in many areas throughout their range. Last year, 17,000 Red Knots were counted along Delaware Bay, with around 10,000 on the New Jersey side (and the rest being in Delaware). This year numbers are up: around 34,500 birds with about 26,000 in New Jersey.

This doesn’t necessarily mean Red Knot numbers in general are up, but it is a good sign. The Red Knots are staying longer and with a better Horseshoe Crab spawning season, gaining more weight. These factors allow the Red Knots to leave the area in better condition to make it to the Arctic and breed.

Today we decided to look for Red Knots at Fortescue Beach in Cumberland County. It ended up raining while we were there, but we were in no way disappointed. The goal was Red Knots, and well…mission accomplished!

We didn’t find the Red Knots right away. First there were the Laughing Gulls. Hundreds of obnoxiously loud Laughing Gulls. The video below (which was shot on my Iphone 7 at a far distance, so please excuse the bad quality!), barely captures the volume of the bird sounds, but it gives you a little idea of how loud they were. You can also see the Greenhead flies, which are unfortunately out in full force already.

The amount of shorebirds was amazing, even considering peak numbers were about a week ago. There were over 1,000 Semipalmated Sandpipers, and hundreds each of Red Knots, Dunlins, and Ruddy Turnstones. We even saw the occasional Willet and Herring Gull. I’ve never seen so many shorebirds and Laughing Gulls in one place. Behind us were the sounds of Yellow Warblers, Marsh Wrens, and Red-winged Blackbirds. On the way to and from the beach we saw at least 8 Ospreys.

Horseshoe Crab (Image by BirdNation)
Semipalmated Sandpipers (Image by BirdNation)
Shorebirds and Gulls 1 (Image by David Horowitz)
Shorebirds and Gulls 2 (Image by David Horowitz)
Laughing Gulls (Image by BirdNation)

Our last top of the day was Stone Harbor Point in Cape May County. We only saw a handful of Red Knots, but more variety of species. Species included American Oystercatchers, a Little Blue Heron, Dunlins, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plovers, Sanderlings, Barn Swallows, Least Terns, Willets, and a Boat-tailed Grackle.

Stone Harbor Beach (Image by BirdNation)

Stone Harbor Point (Image by BirdNation)

I wanted to see Red Knots ever since I read The Narrow Edge. I feel so fortunate that Dave and I were able to experience these birds on their epic journey north. The Red Knot also marks my 198th life list entry. Only 2 more until 200!

If you want to learn more about the Red Knots in Delaware Bay this year, check out this article from the Press of Atlantic City: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/science_nature/red-knots-numbers-weight-up-this-year/article_24bef445-6669-5371-85e8-630ba79bee5a.html

Happy World Penguin Day!

Happy World Penguin Day! There are 18 species of penguins in the world, so in honor of World Penguin Day, here is a fact for each penguin species.  (If you want to learn facts about penguins in general, check out our World Penguin Day post from last year.)

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  • Adélie Penguins breed further south than any other bird in the world.
  • African Penguins use a donkey-like braying sound to communicate, earning them the nickname “Jackass Penguin”.
  • 99% of a Chinstrap Penguin’s diet is Antarctic krill.

Chinstrap-Penguin
Chinstrap Penguin (Image via bioexplorer.net)

  • The largest of all penguins is the Emperor Penguin. Emperors can dive up to 1,850 feet, the deepest of all birds. A single dive can last up to 20 minutes.
  • Erect-crested Penguins are endemic to New Zealand. They have most extreme egg dimorphism of all birds. The second egg of a clutch tends to be around 81% bigger than the first egg.
  • It’s rare to find a Fiordland Penguin during the day. Since they are so timid, they tend to be more active at night.
  • Galápagos Penguins are the only penguins found north of the Equator.
  • Unlike their closest relatives, the Adélies and Chinstraps, Gentoo Penguins typically remain on their breeding grounds year-round.
  • Humboldt Penguins aren’t only black and white, they’re also pink! They have pink patches of bare skin on their face and under their wings to help keep them cool in their warm environment.

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Humboldt Penguin (Image via Santa Barbara Zoo, sbzoo.org)

  • King Penguins take 14 to 16 months to fledge a single chick, which is the longest breeding cycle of all birds.
  • Little Penguins are also known as Little Blue or Fairy Penguins. These nocturnal penguins are only 13-15 inches tall.
  • The largest of all crested penguins, Macaroni Penguins spend up to 6 months foraging at sea.
  • Magellanic Penguins are the only off-shore foraging and migratory penguins of the genus Spheniscus. Other penguins in the genus Spheniscus include African, Humboldt, and Galápagos.
  • Not only are Northern Rockhopper Penguins extremely feisty, they are highly social and live in dense colonies.

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Northern Rockhopper Penguin By Arjan Haverkamp [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Northern and Southern Rockhopper Penguins used to be considered the same species, but it turns out they are genetically different. Southern Rockhoppers are the smallest of the crested penguins, standing only slightly taller than Little Blues.
  • Royal Penguins are perhaps the most colorful of all the penguins. They have thick orange bills with pink around the base. Their crest is orange, yellow, and black. Yellow feathers can be found above the bill, forehead and eyes. They also have beige claws and light pink feet.
  • Snares Penguins are closely related to Fiordland Penguins. Both species have thick red short bills, but Snares have a pink patch at the base of the bill. They are found on the Snares Islands of New Zealand.
  • Yellow-eyed Penguins are known to the Maori of New Zealand as Hoiho, or “noisy shouter”. They are one of the rarest and most endangered penguins in the world, with estimates of only 4,000 individuals.


This photo of Penguin Place is courtesy of TripAdvisor

What’s your favorite penguin species? Tell me about it in the comments! (My favorite species is the Little Blue 🙂 )

2018 Arctic Birding Challenge

Have you heard about the Great American Arctic Birding Challenge?

Each year, birds from all over the United States as well as the other continents spend the summer at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is an extremely important sanctuary for all wildlife, but many birds rely on this habitat for breeding, raising young, and molting.

Audubon Alaska has set up the Arctic Birding Challenge to allow birders from all over the United States to celebrate the importance of the Arctic. It’s really easy to participate:

  • Create a team of up to 6 birders.
  • Print out the GAABC checklist.
  • Go birding as many time as you want between March 1-June 1. If at least 2 birders on your team see/hear a bird, check it off your list.
  • Submit your results to Audubon Alaska by June 1 (or have it postmarked by June 1).

The two winning teams will receive Audubon Alaska Bird of the Year hats and all teams that have checked off 10 or more birds (that are asterisked) will receive Bird of the Year stickers. The bird of the year is the Pacific Golden-Plover.

It’s that simple!

Of course, Dave and I are participating as Team Bird Nation. We’ve had a great time so far finding birds for our checklist. If you haven’t started participating yet, what are you waiting for? Have fun with the Arctic Birding Challenge! 🙂

To find out more and to print your checklist click on this link: Audubon Alaska GAABC

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(Image via https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Arctic/about.html)