State of the Birds 2010

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has released the  2010 State of the Birds report, a joint effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, and others. The report examines the impact that climate change can be expected to have on avian species.  While the analysis showed that climate change is predicted to disrupt birds in every habitat, seabirds and Hawaiian birds are projected to be the hardest hit (seems like this is always the case).

Ken Rosenberg, who helped lead the report’s science team, says that the assessment indicates that many birds of conservation concern will face even greater challenges than they currently endure.

Visit the site for details and a wealth of other information. While the text is generally discouraging, there are some very cool pictures of birds, so the experience is not entirely demoralizing.

Featured Beach: ME_53

Aimee Moffitt-Mercer on Lucia Beach February 28, 2010 after a storm that left seaweed “bales” full of sand, fist sized stones and man made debris.

We are very pleased at our burgeoning ranks of Maine Seanetters, and here’s another of our relatively new recruits: Aimee Moffitt-Mercer who walks (with son, Randy Mercer) on Lucia Beach in Birch Point State Park, Owl’s Head, Maine. The beach is a mostly sandy stretch popular with dogs and their walkers, swimmers (in season) and even guys driving little remote controlled buggies.

After relentless haranguing by the SEANET blogger, Aimee very kindly furnished us with the following volunteer profile:

12 year old Randy Mercer on data-recording duty.

“Aimee is 47 years of age and works half time as a Unitarian Universalist Church Administrator on Midcoast Maine. Aimee was born and grew up in Maine and has no intention to stray further than Maine. Not only that but she is landlubber; only enjoying flying vicariously through the birds she has gradually developed an affinity for over the past 25 years. The first bird that really captured her imagination was an indigo bunting (who wouldn’t be captivated huh) flying to and fro while she occupied a very small apartment in 1984 where there wasn’t much to do except enjoy the birds in the field. Since then she has lightly dabbled in birding, occasionally traveling short distances to surround herself, and be absorbed into, a flock of bird aficionados; wildlife biologists, and naturalists or attending programs sponsored by the local chapter of the Audubon society. Aimee has just begun to shuttle injured birds to Avian Haven, in Freedom, Maine. Avian Haven is a non-profit wild bird rehabilitation center dedicated to the return of injured and orphaned wild birds of all species to natural roles in the wild. Volunteering for the Citizen Science SEANET program is a great opportunity for her, as an ordinary citizen to give back and an opportunity to develop her sea bird vocabulary.

Randy, her 12 year old son, is her good natured companion who through osmosis, and no fault of his own, possesses a flair for bird identification that may become ever more apparent as the years go by.

Lew McGregor amidst the post-storm wreckage last month.

Lew McGregor is also pictured  and is often on the SEANUT outings. There was a storm in the midcoast Maine area over the course of three days or so at the end of February that produced many blow downs and he is pictured here with a few “tip-ups”, perhaps new habitat for a family of winter wrens!”

SEANET thanks all three of you for your enthusiasm and dedication–keep up the good work!

Toward a more perfect SEANET

The ideal Seanetter?

There will soon be one more field to fill out when submitting SEANET data: we have discovered that having a dog along during walks can drastically increase a Seanetter’s likelihood of finding carcasses. This comes as no surprise, since, while human Seanetters are intrigued by dead birds, dogs love them so much that they will happily roll in one.

In order to capture the influence a canine companion has on the carcass discovery rate, we need to know who is walking with a dog, and when. Ultimately this will be a simple checkbox in our online data entry form, but until we get that feature up and running, please indicate if you had a dog with you by noting it in the “comments” field when you enter your data.

As always, thank you Seanetters!

Dead Bird Quiz

We got an almost instantaneous correct answer from John “Quick Draw” Stanton, and another set of correct answers shortly thereafter from Mary “Dark Horse” Wright (who fired a shot across Doug Suitor’s bow in the last quiz). OK, the idiomatic expressions are getting out of hand, so why don’t we move on to the Quiz.

"Bird" A was really just the partial wing of a Wild Turkey

Bird A is, as John and Mary asserted, a Wild Turkey. Note: Libby Rock also cringingly offered her guess of Wild Turkey and seemed to worry that the idea was so absurd that the SEANET blogger might smack her with a rolled up newspaper. But you were correct, Libby!

In the picture here, you can see the bold striping on the outstretched wing of this tom turkey, strutting about in embarrassing fashion as usual. The lesson here is to consider all possible bird species, and not to be blindered by SEANET’s particular affinity for seabirds. One might find just about anything out there, and SEANET is interested in reports on all dead avians. Wild Turkey, once nearly extirpated, now range far and wide throughout all of SEANET’s territory, so any Seanetter might chance upon such a find, whether in Maine or Florida.

Bird B is, as John and Mary both knew, a Lesser Scaup. When presented with the photos, the SEANET bird consultant, Marshall Iliff, answered that the combination of all that white in the secondary feathers on the wing, and the white feathers on the back with fine vermiculations (all that black barring) identify it as a scaup. From there, it can be difficult to say whether the bird is a Greater or Lesser. Some birders swear by head shape, or the sheen on the head feathers, or the bill shape.

Bird B was a Lesser Scaup

We Seanetters have some advantages over those who attempt to identify live birds–we have the luxury of measurements, and we can examine the outstretched wing in some detail. The Lesser Scaup is, not surprisingly, smaller than its Greater cousin, and the culmen length reported for this specimen was well below the 40-48mm range of the Greater. Additionally, one may be able to appreciate that the white in the secondaries of our Bird B does not extend into the primaries. This is characteristic of the Lesser Scaup. The Greater Scaup shows an extensive white patch in the primaries as well as the secondaries.

Thanks for playing! Oh, and a programming note: Seanetter Ray Bosse has recommended that we check out “Addicted to Plastic,” a documentary on plastic’s impact on the global environment, marine and otherwise. It will air on the Sundance Channel this Sunday (March 7) at 11am. Though not likely to be a feel-good film, the SEANET blogger has set her DVR to record it so she may view it when she is feeling particularly resilient. We recommend that you check it out too.

See you back here next week, Seanetters!

Dead Bird Quiz: North-South Edition

Here it is, folks, the latest Dead Bird Quiz. Bring on the guesses and confident assertions. I’m hoping this is a tough one!

Bird A: Found by Jenette Kerr on Cape Cod on February 21st.

Bird B: Found by Melissa Buhler of Florida in February.

Bird B: Ventral view.

SEANET is a blockbuster in Maine!

A great turn out for last week's training in Maine!

Our own Dr. Julie Ellis, intrepid SEANET Director, drove up to Falmouth Maine last week to hold a training for prospective Seanetters at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center. Though it was blowing a gale here in New England (the SEANET blogger would like to point out that she lost power for 30 hours), about 30 hardy souls came out to learn about SEANET and how they might help. The group even included a Biology Club from a local high school eager to get started on a beach!

SEANET has already been deluged with follow-up emails requesting beach assignments, and we are very excited to work with our newest volunteers! We are also looking forward to a working with the Friends of Casco Bay and their Citizen Stewards Coordinator, Peter Milholland, who was indispensible in organizing this presentation and getting people to attend.

SEANET also wants to thank Gilsland Farm’s staff naturalist, Eric Hynes, for hosting the meeting, staying late, and being all together most helpful.

SEANET also would like to point out the attendance of Doug Suitor, whom many of you know as our Dead Bird Quiz all time champion. Doug was in attendance with his daughter, who, we are happy to hear, will be starting a beach of her own next to Doug’s! Also at the presentation was long time Seanetter Nancy Schwarzel who came out in the horrible weather and provided a voice of experience from someone  familiar with the trials and tribulations of beach walking.

Thanks to all who attended, and welcome to all our new recruits; we look forward to seeing what your beaches turn up!

Featured Beach: ME_58

Thanks to a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, SEANET has been increasing its presence in Maine. We are gaining new volunteers by the day, and Dr. Julie Ellis is actually giving a presentation this evening in Falmouth, Maine to recruit yet more Seanetters. In today’s post, we welcome Ron Poulin and his daughter Bridget, who have recently joined our ranks. Ron and Bridget walk Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine.

The beach is a sandy stretch within a State Park near the mouth of the Kennebec River. Lobstering goes on offshore, and, in season, sportsmen fish for bluefish along the shore. The beach is a popular one with vacationers in Summer, and the tourist element may explain why the locals have been meeting to discuss how to address some recent erosion of the beach. SEANET will be keen to find out what the locals decide since many “beach stabilization” activities can substantially affect the likelihood of finding bird carcasses.

New Seanetter, Bridget Poulin, in full winter plumage on ME_58

As for our new Seanetters, Ron prefers to shine the biographical spotlight on daughter, Bridget, writing, “[She's] a biology major at UMaine with an emphasis on cellular biology.  She’s scheduled to graduate Spring 2011 and hopes to attend medical school.  She was such a Seanet trooper to do the walk seeing how she had the flu bug and it was Valentine’s Day.  Her fiancé loaned her the “winter plumage” minus the hat.  I told her a few times prior to the trip she should stay home and I would do it alone.  She insisted on doing the walk.  Bridget said afterwards she looks forward to the next walk minus the flu bug coming along too.”

We already knew that Mainers are tough, and we’re glad to have these two joining us. Anyone willing to join SEANET in northern New England in February is ok in our book. Welcome Ron and Bridget!

The pitfalls of Seanetting: a tale by Jerry Golub

Being a Seanetter can be isolating work–out on the beaches in cold, wind, driven snow and sleet; even the most intrepid Seanetter can sometimes start to feel a bit uncertain of herself and her bird i.d. skills. We hope that our Dead Bird Quizzes help you all to feel like part of a larger community of dead bird seekers who often feel at a loss when faced with a carcass.

The scene in New Jersey--the "faux hawk" (made of rock) is here, as is an actual Peregrine falcon

Here, Seanetter Jerry Golub (New Jersey) has been selfless enough to share this tale of his most recent foibles out on the madness making winter shores. The subject line of his email: “Double Embarrassment”

“The weather relented and I was able to survey my beach today.  It was 38 & overcast, but no wind.  After only finding half of a dead RBGU and not very interesting live birds, I was almost back at my car when I saw a large falcon fly toward a jetty and harass a gull or pigeon.  I was pretty certain it was a Peregrine, but wanted to get closer for a better view and picture.

Do you see a bird in the lower half of the picture?  I thought I saw a hawk with a dark back and light face & underparts.  I approached and took pictures until I realized it was a rock!  I then relocated the Peregrine and took some pictures.

After photographing the Peregrine I returned to my car and a large white mass I must have passed an hour earlier turned out to be a dead GBBG!

I ID’ed a rock as a bird and missed a large dead bird!”

The "RockHawk" (circled in yellow) drew Jerry's attention, while a real Peregrine Falcon (red) wonders "What am I, chopped liver?"

Truly, we are all in this together, Seanetters. And the beaches and the birds will conspire to bewilder and confuse. Even the rocks, as Jerry now knows, will taunt you. So thank you for sticking with it, Seanetters. We couldn’t do it without you!

Buried under snow, SEANET blogger is preoccupied with California

Your Seanetter blogger is pining away here at the SEANET office, for our own Dr. Julie Ellis is off at a meeting in Long Beach, California. Julie is at the Pacific Seabird Group’s Annual Meeting, presenting on SEANET’s research into Common Eider die-offs on Cape Cod. While this endeavor has obvious scientific merit, the SEANET blogger would like to point out that the meeting is in LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, while your blogger was buried under 8 inches of snow yesterday.

Moving on from self-pity, and in tribute to Julie’s great California adventure, a bit of depressing seabird news out of that great state:

Over the past month, at least 1,000 Brown Pelicans have beached along the California coast. Some of the birds appear to be soiled with a dingy looking substance which does not appear to be oil, but may be some sort of algal byproduct. There has been at least one seabird die-off in California previously that was attributed to an algal bloom that stripped the birds of their waterproofing. Additionally, numerous storms have hit the California coast of late, and storm water runoff has also been suggested as a potential source of contamination for these unfortunate birds.

In the present case, necropsies on a handful of birds have shown that the pelicans were turning to prey they normally do not eat, like squid. This has prompted speculation that the El Nino event this year may be at play in altering the availability of food.

The birds treated at wildlife rehabilitation centers have responded well to washing and supportive care, suggesting perhaps that there is not an underlying disease process going on.

In any case, California generally does a very good job of investigating die-offs and disseminating their findings, so SEANET will share those with you if and as they become available.

And of course, we are all very very happy for Dr. Julie Ellis and her strictly professional and not at all fun trip to California.

Dead Bird Quiz Answers

New Jersey is just about as far south as one might expect to see a Dovekie in winter.

Ding Ding Ding! Mary Wright nailed the Dead Bird Quiz with her responses of A)Dovekie and B)Long-Tailed Duck. Has a challenger emerged to the primacy of Doug Suitor? Doug himself tipped his cap to Mary, who astutely noted the diminutive size of the headless alcid.

While Dovekies are not unheard of in the waters off New Jersey, author/super-birder Kenn Kaufman describes their distribution thus, “Small numbers come as far south as New England waters in winter, rarely farther, but the vast majority remain farther north.” While there’s no way to say from whence this particular Dovekie came, or how it met its demise, it does seem likely that this bird is part of the overall influx of alcids into the northeast which was detailed in an earlier post.

The Long-tailed Duck found on the Cape, on the other hand, is a common winter resident around the Cape and islands, but does not commonly turn up on SEANET beaches. These northern breeders congregate in dense groups over the winter, and are a particularly vocal species. The one found by Mary Myers is a male; while some of the characteristic facial markings are somewhat obscured by sand and general bedragglement, the pink stripe on the bill is rather distinctive.

A rather livelier looking male Long-tailed Duck in winter plumage (photo by Michael Daniel Ho).

The SEANET blogger would like to point out that the photo shown here of the Long-Tailed Duck is by the talented photographer Michael Daniel Ho. Check out his other great bird photos at his website. Michael has been kind enough to grant SEANET permission to use his photos on the blog as an educational aid, and we are most grateful for that favor.

Finally, a note from the Department of Shameless Self-Promotion. After SEANET’s plea for blog visits to put us over the top on the Nature Blog Network stats, we actually dropped in our ranking! Is this a cosmic rebuke for making such an open plea? We hope not. We also want to thank blog reader Dawn Fine who tweeted about us on Twitter to help get the word out; we appreciate it, Dawn! And we humbly beseech the blogo-verse to forgive us our transgression and to raise our stats once again if it sees fit.