Monroe's swifts stayed away this year due to predator threat

By MICHAEL WHITNEY
Published September 25, 2019

MONROE — Predatory merlins have frightened away the Vaux’s swifts from their popular roosting spot in Frank Wagner Elementary’s chimney.

Now the question is whether the birds will ever come back.

Their practical no-show this year is evident in observers’ nightly logs: Zero. Zero. Zero.

No swifts entered the chimney starting from Aug. 26 through most of September. The numbers plummeted after the first night’s count on Aug. 21.

Usually, a few thousand swifts would dive in each night. Last fall’s cumulative count at Wagner surpassed 140,000.

The Vaux’s swifts are winging down the West Coast, moving from Canada to Mexico. They’ll do the reverse in the spring. The little birds cover 150 or more miles in a day before collectively swooping into select chimneys and trees for nighttime rest.

“The swifts have abandoned the chimney. This is serious,” said Larry Schwitters, the nation’s pre-eminent Vaux’s swifts expert, with clear disappointment.

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Climate change is disturbing hundreds of bird species, including our beloved osprey

By John Hopewell October 25

There are many epic animal migrations in nature, and one is currently underway in the D.C. area. Millions of birds are in the process of escaping the cold, polar air and flocking south, some to as far away as Brazil. Today, Washington, D.C., sits in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway, but climate change will greatly alter avian ranges and migration patterns.

Even more alarming — recent reports have presented disturbing findings on the potential demise of entire bird populations. Over 300 species are “on the brink,” according to the Audubon Society, including the D.C. area’s beloved osprey.

The osprey, famous for building massive nests on channel markers in the Chesapeake Bay, is in particular danger. The Audubon Society predicts the beautiful bird could lose 79 percent of its current summer range — where the bird lives and feeds — by 2080. The society notes that the osprey can live in warm climates like Florida year-round, but they worry whether the birds will find enough fish to survive.

 

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Starving seabirds washing up dead on Washington beaches

By JOHN RYAN • JUL 16, 2016

Seabirds have been washing up dead on beaches in Washington and British Columbia this summer, and scientists can't say why.

Rhinoceros auklets are one of the most common birds in the network of inland waterways shared by Washington and British Columbia. Since May, volunteer "citizen scientists" on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula and across the water in Victoria, British Columbia, have found dozens of the puffin-like birds washed ashore.

It's a tiny toll compared to the dieoffs of other species of seabirds in 2014 and 2015. Common murres and Cassin's auklets washed up by the hundreds of thousands up and down North America's west coast.

But scientists are concerned nonetheless.

"There's something larger going on here," University of Washington biologist Julia Parrish said. “If we ignore it and only pay attention when it’s really dire, then it’s often too late to do anything about it.”

Parrish runs the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, whose volunteer beachwalkers help scientists keep tabs on seabirds and garbage floating ashore in five western states.  

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Power lines restrict sage grouse movement in Washington

Date: August 24, 2015

Source: University of Washington

Summary: Transmission lines that funnel power from hydroelectric dams and wind turbines across Eastern Washington affect greater sage grouse habitat by isolating fragile populations and limiting movement, a new study finds.

The paper, which looks at how features in the landscape limit the species' distribution and gene flow, is the first to show that power-line corridors are an obstacle for sage grouse as they move across the landscape to feed and reproduce. The study was published early online this summer in the journalLandscape Ecology.

Power lines and future development across the Columbia Plateau could further weaken the species, which is listed as threatened in Washington state. The entire U.S. population that spans 11 western states is up for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act and a decision on whether to officially designate the population as endangered is expected by the end of September.

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Fight not flight: Magnificent bald eagles wage war in mid-air as one bird of prey swoops in to steal fish from the talons of another

The impressive birds took to the skies in a grapple over fishing rights 

One Bald eagle swept in to snatch a hapless fish from another 

A Malaysian photographer snapped the shots while on a visit to Seabeck in Washington

The magnificent birds of prey have a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres

By IMOGEN CALDERWOOD FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 11:23, 14 June 2015 | UPDATED: 11:41, 14 June 2015

These bald eagles waged war in the skies with talons locked in a vicious mid-air grapple over fishing rights.

The action-packed shots show one of the magnificent birds of prey swooping in to snatch a hapless fish from the claws of another.

Programme manager Phoo Chan, 50, from Kelantan, Malaysia managed to snap the shots on a U.S. visit to Seabeck in Washington. 

Quick grab: Although the normally target injured or dying prey, the birds are opportunistic hunters and are willing to fight for their food

The bald eagle - which has a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres - is the national animal of the United States, appearing on the nation's seal.

The bird of prey was on the brink of extinction within the United States in the late 20th century but populations have recovered in recent years.

The species was removed from the government's list of endangered species in July 1995. It was further removed from the list of threatened species in June 2007.

Read more: 

Overrun with crows, desperate Yakima Co. town tries 'bird bombs'

By Jackie DelPilar, KIMA-TV News Published: Nov 28, 2014 at 11:07 AM PST

SUNNYSIDE, Wash. - Crows are everywhere in the Yakima County town of Sunnyside.

And now Sunnyside has had enough.

"They create a mess. Obviously, it's a problem for the community," says Officer Samuel Ramos.

City leaders have looked at different ways to get rid of the thousands of crows that nest there and plaster city sidewalks with their messy droppings.

The problem has been growing over the past four years, and now city officials say it's time for them to go. 

In the past, officers used shotguns to kill the pesky birds. They're trying a different method for the first time - nonlethal "bird bomb" flare guns.

"It's more humane to push them away than to obviously kill them," says Ramos.

During the day, the birds feast on cow feed at the local farms. At night, they find dense trees to nest in.

"Our biggest areas right now are in the downtown area near the banks and close to city hall," Ramos said.

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Hawk chicks rescued from nests near Sea-Tac runways

by GLENN FARLEY / KING 5 News

NWCN.com

Posted on May 21, 2014 at 6:17 PM

Updated Wednesday, May 21 at 6:47 PM

SEA-TAC INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Wash. — Imagine being 100 feet up in a tree and pulling chicks out of a nest. That may sound harsh, but it could keep your next flight at Sea-Tac from crashing.

Another spring, another pair of red tailed hawk chicks are rescued from a nest. Why? Because the birds are too close to Sea-Tac Airport’s runways.

Collisions are dangerous for people on planes and really bad for the birds.

John Mayet is an arborist – a tree guy, but he’s been handling these retrieval duties for years on behalf of biologists.

“We’ll take these (chicks) up north, we tag them all and that way we know if they’ve come back to the airport,” said Mayet.

Mikki Viehoffer is with the Port of Seattle’s wildlife program.

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PROTECTED BIRD SPECIES: Official: 2 bald eagles shot, killed in Wash.

Updated 9:21 pm, Wednesday, March 19, 2014

PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) — A Washington Fish and Wildlife Department officer says two male bald eagles found dead east of Forks were fatally shot.

The Peninsula Daily News reports (http://is.gd/3sI80P) the birds found Saturday were an adult and an older juvenile. Wildlife Sgt. Eric Anderson said Wednesday the birds were shot with a rifle, apparently while perched on a branch near the Calawah River.

Anderson says it appears "the person simply shot them to kill them," rather than for feathers or body parts.

Fish and Wildlife is offering a maximum reward of $2,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

Bald eagles were removed from the list of threatened or endangered species in 2007, but the bird is still protected under Washington state and federal law.

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Information from: Peninsula Daily News, http://www.peninsuladailynews.com

Population of threatened Marbled Murrelet down almost 30 percent in last ten years

Rare birds declining due to habitat loss
December 2012. US Federal conservation efforts haven't come close to reversing or even halting the decline of the Marbled Murrelet, a seabird that nests in old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. That's the conclusion of a major new peer-reviewed study of the status of the Marbled Murrelet, which was prepared by scientists from the US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Crescent Research, a private research firm.The study found that Marbled Murrelet numbers in five different study areas fell sharply between 2001 and 2010, from a total count of roughly 22,200 to a total count of roughly 16,700. The five study areas encompass all but one of the Marbled Murrelet conservation zones identified in the federal Marbled Murrelet Recovery Plan.

"This study confirms the fears that many conservationists have held for years," said Steve Holmer, Senior Policy Analyst for American Bird Conservancy. "By showing that the Marbled Murrelet is still in sharp decline, the study emphasizes the need for stronger, more aggressive conservation measures."

Nest in tall trees
Marbled Murrelets nest in tall trees found in forests in Washington, Oregon and California. The authors of the study cite the loss of nesting habitat as a major cause of the murrelet's decline over the past century; they add that it still may be a contributing factor, thanks to major fires, logging and big wind storms.

Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/marbled-murrelet012.html

Feds look other way as wind farms kill birds -- but haul oil and gas firms to court

Washington –  Lights left on during a foggy night last year at a West Virginia wind farm are thought to be behind the grizzly deaths of nearly 500 songbirds. 

It was the third time it happened -- and each time, the federal government looked the other way. 

Fast forward to last week. Following the deaths of a dozen migratory birds in Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska several years back, a Denver-based oil company was fined $22,500. The company was also ordered to make an additional $7,500 payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  

The disconnect demonstrates what critics call a blatant double standard that has to change. While the federal government aggressively pursues oil and gas companies for wildlife deaths, it often gives wind producers a pass. 

Proponents say going soft on the wind industry allows it to compete. But environmentalists say, in this instance, it’s unacceptable. 

“The playing field is not leveled,” American Bird Conservancy spokesman Bill Johns told FoxNews.com, recalling the West Virginia incident. “If there had been a serious consequence the first time, there wouldn’t have been a second time and a third time. All they do now is go, ‘Whoops, my bad’ and it’s forgiven.”

The most recent mass bird kill in West Virginia didn’t involve collisions with wind turbines at the sprawling 61-tower complex but instead resulted from a combination of exhaustion and collisions with the substation as the Connecticut warblers, yellow-billed cuckoos and Virginia rails got trapped in the light’s glare and circled in mass confusion before dying.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/17/us-wind-farms-under-fire-for-bird-kills/#ixzz2FPLpfDU5

Birdbrain gets six months for stabbing parrot to death with a fork

A Washington man will spend six months in prison for killing his girlfriend's pet parrot. 

A Washington man will spend six months in prison for stabbing his girlfriend’s parrot to death with a fork, a court ruled.

In a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, a defense lawyer said that Richard J. Atkinson, 63, of Everett, north of Seattle, was blacked out drunk and didn’t remember attacking the bird at the couple’s home in August, the Herald Newspaper reported.

Atkinson mixed whiskey with anti-anxiety medication before stabbing the bird with a serving fork and then trashing his gal’s belongings, his lawyer said.

"He felt horrible," defense lawyer William Steffener said.

Atkinson pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and domestic violence charges last month.

Superior Court Judge George Appel slammed Atkinson as “depraved” and “barbaric,” and ordered him to undergo psychiatric treatment as well as pay for his girlfriend’s trashed belongings, thenewspaper reported.

The bird killer is also barred from coming in contact with any pets for five years.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/6-months-killing-bird-article-1.1209526#ixzz2Dcqvjtgq

Falconer Uses Birds to Give Young People Hope

Rodney Stotts is passionate about birds of prey. He once preyed on others as a drug dealer. But he gave up drugs and now works with conservation groups. Stotts regularly returns to Anacostia, the poor Washington neighborhood where he grew up to teach young people about birds of prey and the importance of protecting the environment.   

Rodney Stotts says he found his calling through birds of prey.

“I love my birds like I love life. They’re part of my family," said Stotts.

Working with birds, he says, helped the former drug dealer turn his life around.

“That quick, easy money leads to a quick, easy death. I don’t know any drug dealer that has retired," he said.

But Stotts retired in his 20's. He says attending the funerals of 33 drug dealers in just one year was a wake-up call. He found work with Earth Conservation Corps, a local environmental group helping disadvantaged youth like him. He began rehabilitating injured birds of prey, to give them - he says - "a new life".

"And I think that’s what I was given. I was that bird that had to go through rehabilitation, and once I was rehabilitated, I was released back into the wild with more knowledge than before," said Stotts.

He became a licensed falconer, hunting small prey with raptors. At this event in his old neighborhood, he talks about birds of prey and the importance of cleaning up the polluted Anacostia River.  

Read on and watch video:  http://www.voanews.com/content/falconer-uses-birds-to-give-young-people-hope/1529308.html