Female Great Indian Bustard, one of estimated 7, dies in Kutch

Forest officers of Kutch circle said that the bird died while foraging near Bhanada, around 15 km south of the GIB Sanctuary located near Naliya, the headquarters of Nakhatrana taluka of Kutch district.

By: Express News Service | Rajkot | Published: February 27, 2020 1:54:02 am

Two days after the 13th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (COP13 CMS), a global body functioning under the aegis of the United Nations, included the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) on its Appendix-I and called for concerted action for its conservation, a female GIB died in Kutch on Tuesday after a lizard was stuck in its throat.

Unofficial estimates suggest that with Tuesday’s death, the number of GIB individuals has plunged to just six GIBs in Kutch, all of them females. As many as 25 birds were counted during the great Indian bustard census conducted in Gujarat in 2016.

Forest officers of Kutch circle said that the bird died while foraging near Bhanada, around 15 km south of the GIB Sanctuary located near Naliya, the headquarters of Nakhatrana taluka of Kutch district. The area falls in the jurisdiction of Kutch (west) forest division.

“This is an extremely rare phenomenon. Prima facie, the reptile tried to escape after being preyed on by the bird and in the process, choked the trachea of the bird,” said Tushar Patel, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Kutch (West).

With this, the number of GIBs in Kutch has declined further. “One of our watchmen saw the bird exhibiting unusual behavior. The bird sat awkwardly for a rather long time. The watchman tried to check on the bird but when he reached the spot, it had died. We do not have present population estimation of the birds, but the incident means one bird less” the CCF said.

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Bird found dead in Scotland was UK’s oldest Arctic tern

SCOTSMAN REPORTER

Published: 06:00Monday 08 July 2019

A seabird found dead on a nature reserve has been named the UK’s oldest ever recorded Arctic tern – beating the previous record by nearly two years.

First ringed as a chick at Buddon Ness in Angus, the tern was discovered at the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Forvie National Nature Reserve in Aberdeenshire.

The bird was found to be 32 years old, almost to the day, when it died, which is more than double the average
tern lifespan of around 13 years.

The previous record holder was a tern recaptured on the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland, in 2010, just over 30 years after being ringed as a chick.

Arctic terns are among the most remarkable birds that visit Scottish shores. Their pole-to-pole migration is the longest known annual journey by any animal.

By moving continually between Arctic summer and the Antarctic summer, terns see more daylight than any other creature on earth.

Clocking up up to 44,000 miles each year, the record-breaking bird may have flown up to 1.408 million miles during its lifetime.

Daryl Short, Reserve Officer at Forvie, who found the deceased bird, said: “It’s incredible to think that the bird I found flew the equivalent of to the moon and back, and then back to the moon and some way home again.

“Arctic terns are amazing animals. The birds are currently protecting their chicks at Forvie and other nature reserves around the country and they’re not afraid to give you a bump on the back of the head if you get too close to their nests.

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Trevor, world's loneliest duck, dies on Pacific island of Niue

Mallard who lived in a roadside puddle is found dead after being attacked by dogs

Australian Associated Press in Wellington

Mon 28 Jan 2019 13.55 GMTLast modified on Mon 28 Jan 2019 17.40 GMT

 Trevor the duck, whose tale of loneliness on the tiny Pacific island nation of Niue made him a local celebrity and captured headlines last year, has died.

He was found dead in the bush after being attacked by dogs, according to a social media page dedicated to the drake.

The mallard is thought to have been blown on to the island during a storm about a year ago. He came to global prominence after an article by the New Zealand Herald that chronicled his life in a roadside puddle due to an absence of wetlands or ponds across Niue.

He was named Trevor, after New Zealand’s parliamentary speaker, Trevor Mallard. “Deepest sympathy to the people of Niue from the parliament of New Zealand,” Mallard posted on social media on Monday.

Rae Findlay, Niue’s chamber of commerce chief, said Trevor’s death would be a loss for the nation. “He captured many hearts and even the rooster, the chicken and the weka were looking a little forlorn today wandering around near the dry puddle,” Findlay told ABC.

The remote Pacific atoll of Niue, a three-and-a-half hour flight from Auckland, has a population of 1,600. Nicknamed the rock of the Pacific, it has no suitable habitats for ducks. Local firefighters topped up Trevor’s puddle after New Zealand’s former high commissioner began feeding him.

Source

Sadness as ‘tragic error’ by RSPB kills baby osprey in Aberdeenshire

by Ben Hendry

 July 23, 2018, 6:09 am

A “tragic error” resulted in a baby bird of prey dying while a wildlife charity attempted to tag it.

RSPB staff were trying to attach a tag to an osprey chick near Huntly, to track its movements throughout its life, when the bird fell from the top of its tree and died.

The organisation has now released a statement explaining the accident and pledging to learn from the mistake.

The message, posted on the RSPB’s website, stated: “We are extremely sad to report an unfortunate accident that occurred recently when two members of staff were ringing an osprey chick in the Huntly area of Aberdeenshire.

“A tragic error at the top of the tree led to a chick falling to the ground from the nest, resulting in the death of the bird.”

The RSPB statement added that the incident was only the second of its kind to take place in more than 50 years of ringing osprey chicks across Scotland.

The message also stressed that the three staff members involved were all “highly experienced” and were following strict protocol as ordered by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).

It added: “This heartbreaking accident has left everyone involved distraught and upset by the loss of this chick.

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Golden eagle found dead on Barra killed by rival bird

19 March 2018

A golden eagle found dead in the Western Isles died from injuries inflicted by another eagle, Police Scotland has said.

Members of the public found the dead bird of prey on Barra on 12 March.

Following a post-mortem examination, police said there were no suspicious circumstances.

Wildlife crime officer Constable Daniel Sutherland said the prompt reporting of the discovery of the eagle helped the work to establish the cause of death.

He said: "It has been established that this bird succumbed to injuries which are consistent with being inflicted by another eagle.

"I would like to thank members of the public who reported this incident for their vigilance and bringing this to our attention."

The officer added: "The importance, not only for the police, but for our veterinary colleagues in building up a picture of the natural causes of death of birds is very useful.

"I would encourage anyone who finds the remains of a bird of prey and has concerns about it to contact us so the circumstances can be assessed."

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Bearded Vulture Larzac found dead in northern Germany

The young male bearded vulture - named Larzac – that left the Grands Causses several weeks ago to make a complete tour of the Netherlands, and that had disappeared in northern Germany, has now been found dead.

After spending some time in the Netherlands and Belgium, Larzac flew to northern Germany on the 2nd of July. He reached the island of Fehman before he turned around and flew back to the mainland. The last data from his GPS tag was received on the 4th of July, in the Schleswig-Holstein region.

Local birders checked the place of the last GPS position, but they could not find Larzac, nor the transmitter. Soon after, we have mobilized German colleagues to spread the news about Larzac´s disappearance. Conservation organizations such as NABU, BUND, OAG (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ornithologische Schleswig-Holstein), and all rehabilitation centers in the region were contacted. And the news spread quickly. Several articles about Larzac were published in specialized and generalist press - so much so that we have received two possible observations of Larzac, on the 13th and 20th of July 2016. These observations were very approximate and hardly credible but gave us hope.

Unfortunately, the corpse of Larzac was found on Monday 25th of July 2016 by a NABU volunteer. The body was underneath a non-electrified line (pending removal after being buried!). Considering the state of decomposition of the corpse of Larzac, we can assume that his death goes back to the beginning of July.

The rests are now being sent to France for comprehensive post-mortem analysis, so that we try to determine the exact cause of death.

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Rare owl found dead, hanging in a tree

Alison Morrow, KING 5 News8:04 p.m. PST January 11, 2016

Bird enthusiasts are furious about the death of a rare, protected owl over the weekend. Now the Colville Tribe is investigating.

"It was a superb bird, a very beautiful bird," Jon Houghton remembered.

Houghton's seen a lot of birds in 70 years. Last week, he learned a unique Northern Hawk Owl was spotted in Okanagan County. Bird watchers sounded the call and a migration of people flocked to see it.

For Houghton, it was worth the four-hour drive, but he'd heard from others that the landowner was unhappy about the attention. Though bird watchers stayed on a public road, the bird was on private property. An online comment describes a sign warning "no photographs."

Then Saturday, a couple who saw the bird alive heard a gunshot after driving away, then returned to see the owl hanging by one foot. Another bird watcher showed up Sunday, unaware the owl was dead, and took a picture.

"This bird appears to have been shot. His talons were still hanging onto the branch," Houghton described. "The bird was inverted with its wings hanging down - its head hanging down."

Northern Hawk Owls are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Act. They're also hardly ever seen outside Canada and Alaska.

"Even the most common owls are rare and difficult to find. This is one of the rarest owls," explained author Paul Bannick.

Bannick chose the Northern Hawk Owl for one of his book covers. He's spent years living among them, taking their pictures and studying their behavior.

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Young hen harrier which was fitted with satellite tracking tag dies

STV 

10 November 2015 13:41 GMT

A young hen harrier which was fitted with a satellite tag as part of a project to track the rare birds has died.

Holly, who was tagged by the RSPB, left her nest in August this year and the device allowed bird lovers to track her movement around Scotland online.

The nest Holly hatched from was located on high security land at the MOD's Coulport facility, and she was initially tagged in June with the assistance of the MOD Police.

The RSPB announced on the project's website that Holly died. Though experts have yet to recover her body the circumstances of Holly's death are not thought to be linked to wildlife crime.

The Hen Harrier Life+ project aimed to gain a better understanding of the threats facing hen harriers. Illegal hunting and poisoning is preventing a recovery of the rare birds' population, which stands at around 662 breeding pairs across the UK.

A spokesman for the RSPB said: "At the moment we're speculating it's natural causes.

"Quite often young chicks tend to be more vulnerable to predation. It may itself have been preyed upon by a larger bird."

Holly's nest was featured on BBC Scotland's Landward programme in June, and she was named after a member of the production team.

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Endangered Philippine eagle killed by falling branch

MANILA, Philippines—A rare Philippine eagle, whose species is on the brink of extinction, was killed inside a conservation group’s breeding center when a branch fell on its cage, the center said Saturday.

The 15-year-old male bird, named ‘Arakan’, was one of about 250 adult Philippine eagles remaining according to the Swiss-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which lists the species as “critically endangered”.

Days of non-stop rain caused the huge branch of a tree to fall on Arakan’s cage at the Philippine Eagle Foundation’s center in the southern island of Mindanao, crushing the raptor on January 18, the foundation said.

Numerous large trees are planted inside the center because the conservation group is “trying to simulate the natural environment of the eagles,” said the foundation’s communications officer Beauxy Auxtero.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/569145/endangered-philippine-eagle-killed-by-falling-branch#ixzz2rY2XJPC0

Dead Condor Found in Tehachapis Had Rare Upbringing

There's an update on the condor that was found dead in a water tank in the Tehachapi Mountains last Wednesday, and it's sad news: the victim was one of very few adult condors that were hatched and reared entirely in the wild.

Condor 630, a female who hatched in June 2011, was found dead by first responder crews practicing during an earthquake readiness drill near Bear Valley Springs in the Tehachapis. She was floating in a "dip tank," a water tank used to supply firefighting helicopters.

Of the 424 California condors known to exist worldwide at the end of August, only 30 adults were hatched and reared in the wild without direct human intervention. Condors are not reproducing well in the wild, and without the continual release of captive-reared birds to boost the population the species would be in even bigger trouble than it is at present.

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Swedish man dies of rare parrot fever, eight others infected

A man in the southern region of Sweden has died of parrot fever, a rare disease. Several people who spent time with the man during his illness are now also reported to have been infected.

A Swedish man recently died in the southern region of the country of a rare disease known as Psittacosis, or parrot fever.

Normally, it is passed from birds to other birds, but humans handling various types of birds or their droppings are sometimes infected.

While the bird-to-human form is rare, even rarer is human-to-human transmission.

Since the 75-year-old man's passing in March 2013, at least eight other people have become infected. All of the individuals, including his caretakers, had reportedly spent time with the man, according to The Local.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/355324#ixzz2aWkfP7b9

Endangered bird dies entangled in fishing line

An endangered Pied Oystercatcher has been found dead on the NSW South Coast, entangled in fishing line that had almost severed both its feet.

The bird was discovered by a paddler on Mogareeka Inlet, near Tathra, and has led to renewed appeals for fishers to leave no trace of line, hooks, or any other equipment.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Ranger for Ben Boyd National Park George Malolakis asked fishers to be wildlife aware.

“When fishing, try and cast away from foraging birds and make sure you collect any discarded fishing line or other fishing gear,” Mr Malolakis said.

“Death by entanglement is not humane and while most fishers have great respect for the environment, a thoughtless few can do serious harm

“The shortest piece of line or the smallest hook or lead weight left behind can injure or kill wildlife.

“If you do inadvertently hook a bird please don’t panic and do not cut your line.

“Gently reel the bird in and place a towel or shirt over the bird’s head, then very gently try to remove the hook or line.

“Do not release the bird if hooks have been swallowed or are too difficult to remove, instead call your local wildlife care group.

“This entangled bird carcass was delivered to WIRES and, while nothing could be done, this was the right thing to do.

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Harrier deaths renew calls for continued windfarm monitoring

Last modified: 21 December 2012

RSPB Scotland has today ( 21st  December 2012)  confirmed that  an adult male hen harrier was found dead at a Perthshire wind farm, with a second bird found injured three weeks later. Hen harriers are a scarce species that hunt over rough grazings and moorland.

The birds were discovered on separate occasions earlier this Spring, in the same section of the Griffin Wind Farm, near Aberfeldy. The area had been forestry that was clear felled to aid the wind farms construction and operation.

RSPB Scotland is now able to confirm that no further hen harriers appear to have been affected at the windfarm during 2012. RSPB Scotland staff have been working closely with operators SSE to avoid any repeat tragedies. This has included visits to the site and advice to increase post-construction monitoring. This will enable staff to understand how the birds use the site, particularly during the species’ display period.

The Griffin Wind farm, comprising 68 turbines, was granted permission in 2009. It was switched on in two phases, starting in March and becoming fully operational in July 2012.

The first hen harrier was discovered by engineers below a turbine on the 18th April, just three weeks later a second male was found unable to take off close to the same turbine. The bird was found to have an injured wing and sadly later died.

Aedán Smith, head of planning and development at RSPB Scotland said : “This is a tragic situation and is likely to have had an impact on the local breeding success of this vulnerable species. Sustained persecution has placed the hen harrier under significant pressure, with the raptor teetering on the brink of extinction in England.  However, wind farm collisions, the apparent reason for the death of these two birds, remain very rare events indeed.

Continued:  http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/336895-harrier-deaths-renew-calls-for-continued-windfarm-monitoring