Black-necked stork spotted, rescue op on

Jun 12, 2018, 12:57 AM; last updated: Jun 12, 2018, 12:57 AM (IST)

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 11

Rescue teams have spotted the black-necked stork with a plastic ring stuck around its beak in the Basai wetland in a daylong attempt at sighting. The bird is reported it to be in good health despite its inability to eat or drink, raising fears of dehydration due to severe heat.

Three rescue teams are coordinating operations to trap the bird so that the ring is removed before it is too late. Additional Principal Conservator of Forests Vinod Kumar said the teams had moved closer to their rescue mission, that was suspended on Monday evening and would resume on Tuesday.

Environment Minister Vipul Goel assured all help to various teams involved in the rescue. He instructed officials to leave nothing to chance and involve other experts, if required, in saving the life of the bird. He said the government was considering serious action against the plastic dump owner whose negligence and violation of pollution norms had endangered wildlife.

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Seabirds ingesting plastic pollution warn scientists

20 September 2017

Most of the seabirds examined for a study of the effects of marine plastic pollution had swallowed plastic.

Researchers, including scientists from North Highland College UHI's Environmental Research Institute in Thurso, investigated 34 species.

They found 74% of them had ingested plastic.

The research involved seabird colonies in northern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia, Greenland, Svalbard, the Faroes and Iceland.

Species with the highest levels of plastic ingestion included northern fulmar, Manx shearwater and herring gull.

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Volunteers needed for annual survey of pollution on South West’s beaches

Media release

FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION

Volunteers needed for annual survey of pollution on South West’s beaches

The RSPB needs more volunteers to walk the South West’s beaches to help with its annual survey of seabird deaths caused by marine pollution.

The National Beached Bird Survey has been monitoring how seabirds and beaches are affected by oil and other pollutants since 1971, providing valuable information on the state of our seas.

This year’s survey takes place on the weekend of 25/26 February, and about 250 volunteers will walk the strandline of many of the South West’s beaches recording beached birds, and other indicators of marine pollution.

Volunteers are needed to help in all the South West’s coastal counties, in particular Devon and Cornwall. You will need to have basic seabird identification skills, be able to map read, and be sufficiently fit and mobile to walk the allocated beach.

Detailed guidance will be given on safety and on biosecurity, in the light of recent cases of avian flu. The survey does not involve handling dead birds.

The RSPB’s Natasha Laverick, co-ordinating the survey in the South West, said: “This simple but important survey was first organised by the RSPB in England in 1971 and is a proven way of monitoring trends in oil and other pollution affecting seabirds and beaches.

“There are a number of accessible beaches still without a surveyor and this is a great way of contributing valuable information that will help us conserve the marine environment.”

Although chronic oil pollution is not as common as it once was, major incidents do occur, such as the Napoli oil spill of 2007, while plastics are increasingly a problem. In the event of a major incident, or large numbers of seabirds dying because of so-called ‘wrecks’ caused by prolonged bad weather, the RSPB organises emergency beached bird surveys.

Anybody who would like to volunteer should contact Natasha Laverick on 01392 453766 or by email at: natasha.laverick@rspb.org.uk

Survey packs will be sent to volunteers and survey beaches allocated. The National Beached Bird Survey takes place on the weekend of the 25/26 February although beaches can be walked one week either side.

Ends

For further information, images, or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Chris Baker, RSPB Communications Officer, 01392 453299 / 07701 050010

Notes:

Volunteers should have basic seabird identification skills. For example be able to tell a razorbill from a guillemot, or a herring gull from a kittiwake, and be familiar with seabirds commonly encountered at sea or on shore. Familiarity with winter plumages would be an advantage too.

The survey does not involve rock climbing or scrambling but volunteers should be fit enough to walk their allocated beach, which could involve a distance of three to four miles.

The survey may involve encountering dead or injured seabirds.

Volunteers will be briefed on what to do if dead birds are seen, which adheres to government guidance on avian flu.

The RSPB is NOT an animal welfare organisation but we will liaise with the RSPCA if necessary if surveyors encounter injured seabirds.

The National Beached Bird Survey was launched in 1971 and has existed in its current format since 1991.

Chris Baker
Communications Officer
Tel: 01392 453299
Mobile: 07701 050010

South West Regional Office, 4th Floor (North Block), Broadwalk House, Southernhay West, Exeter, Devon, EX1 1TS

www.rspb.org.uk Let's give nature a home

The RSPB is the country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so our towns, coast and countryside will teem with life once again. We play a leading role in BirdLife International, a worldwide partnership of nature conservation organisations.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654

Birds turning up dead on Gulf Coast beaches

Posted: September 13, 2016 - 11:53pm  |  Updated: September 14, 2016 - 12:05am

By Associated Press

 

ST. PETE BEACH — Dozens of juvenile seabirds called black skimmers have been found dead along Gulf Coast beaches over the past six weeks, and experts say the deaths could be linked to pollution.

The Tampa Bay Times reports volunteers who have been monitoring the die-off suspect the dumping of more than 1 million gallons of municipal sewage into Boca Ciega Bay in Pinellas County has something to do with it. Forty-six birds have been found dead.

Heavy rains in August prompted a number of Pinellas County cities to dump sewage into area waterways.

Experts say the cause of death could be salmonella, a virus or even red tide. Each of those potential causes could be related to the dumping of sewage.

Gulfport dumped 302,400 gallons into Boca Ciega Bay on Aug. 8.

Hurricane Hermine exacerbated the problem when its rains lashed the Florida peninsula earlier this month. An additional 892,500 gallons spilled Sept. 2, according to Gulfport public works director Don Sopak. That’s when the storm made landfall in North Florida.

The sewage issue could worsen as the region grapples with the amount of waste that was spilled onto streets and waterways. St. Petersburg officials on Monday estimated that the city dumped about 70 million gallons of sewage into the waters of Tampa Bay. That brings the official total that local cities and counties dumped to 135.1 million gallons — a number that continues to rise.

Read on 

Rare Indian Skimmer faces extinction as rising pollution and illegal sand mining destroy its habitat

The Indian Skimmer, a fresh water bird whose colonies are now confined to the banks of the Chambal river, is facing the threat of extinction because of rising pollution, illegal sand mining and encroachment on its habitat. 

The colourful bird, with a black cap and orange bill, was once widely found in major rivers and estuaries. But it is now mainly seen in and around the National Chambal (Gharial) Wildlife Sanctuary, spread across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. 

Experts say the Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) may soon become extinct if corrective measures are not taken immediately. It has already been categorised as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list.

A decade ago, these birds could be seen in colonies of hundreds of breeding birds on the banks and islands of the Chambal, but now their numbers have reduced drastically, according to Rajpal Singh, a member of the state board for wildlife, and Tejvir Singh of NGO Tanuj Trust who illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal is driving the rare bird away. 

"At one time where more than 500 pairs could be seen breeding, only eight to 10 breeding pairs were found on a stretch of 30km in Dholpur, including four in Rajghat area," they pointed out.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2316749/Rare-Indian-Skimmer-faces-extinction-rising-pollution-illegal-sand-mining-destroy-habitat.html#ixzz2S33cLzAK

'Sticky substance' birds rescued in Devon and Cornwall

More birds have been washed up on the south coast of Cornwall and Devon covered in a sticky substance.

Twelve guillemots have been collected on beaches from Mevagissey to Whitsand Bay and Plymouth.

The RSPCA said they were covered in "what appears to be the same white, sticky substance" that killed hundreds of sea birds in February.

A spokesman said: "There is no indication of where the pollution is coming from."

He added: "Five of the birds have been taken to the RSPCA West Hatch wildlife centre in Taunton, Somerset, where unfortunately due to their extremely poor condition, they have been put to sleep."

In February more than 300 birds, mainly guillemots and some razorbills, were taken in by the RSPCA after being found covered in glue-like polyisobutene (PIB).

The birds were found in Dorset, Cornwall, Hampshire and Sussex.

Staff used washing up liquid and margarine to clean the animals.

The RSPB has called for PIB, which can be released legally under certain conditions, to be reclassified and discharges outlawed.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency launched an investigation into the first spill, but has since said it had been unable to trace the source of the pollution and confirmed it had closed the investigation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-22104261

Pollution, oil spills threaten Stanley Park birds

Conservation group says several species have declined over last decade.

Chronic industrial pollution and small spills from oil tankers moving through Burrard Inlet are contributing to declining numbers of birds in Stanley Park, according to the conservation program manager for the Stanley Park Ecology Society.

Robyn Worcester said in the past decade conservation group Bird Studies Canada has found a decline in the number of loons and grebes that rely on small fish in the intertidal areas for their food. Birds also feed on the Pacific blue mussels and barnacles that live close to shore.

Worcester said minor oil spills aren’t the only cause of the declines, but they do play a role along with other factors, such as climate change and fluctuating ocean temperatures.

“We’re seeing declines of these birds,” she said. “Maybe there is stress on their food supply, which is the small fish. Instead of increasing the amount of pollution, I think we have to focus on making things better.”

Worcester is one of three panelists at a discussion Monday on the effects of oil spills on Stanley Park.

The ecology society is holding the discussion to raise the public profile of environmental issues in Stanley Park related to Kinder Morgan’s proposal to expand its pipeline from Alberta to the Westridge Terminal in Burnaby. The energy company wants to more than double its capacity from 300,000 barrels a day to 750,000. The number of tankers going through Burrard Inlet, the company says, would increase from 96 a year to as many as 300.

Many bird species, including great blue herons, that populated Stanley Park are threatened by industrial pollution and small oil spills affecting Burrard Inlet, according the Stanley Park Ecology Society.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Pollution+spills+threaten+Stanley+Park+birds/7424078/story.html#ixzz2A2SLNA00

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

Rare birds’ annual trip to Mavinakere tank

Little Cormorants, Gadwall ducks and other rare species of birds that have arrived at the historical Mavinakere tank here. Their arrival has presented bird lovers with a treat. One can hear unique sounds of birds, as one passes the tank.

Though the birds have flocked to the tank in large numbers, the spirit of bird enthusiasts this year had been low.

As Mavinakere tank is polluted and as parts of the tank are being used as a dumpyard, bird enthusiasts have had a tough time seeing birds. Unable to bear sweltering temperatures, birds have been migrating to Mavinakere tank, Manchalapura tank, Haaru Budhi Honda and Maliyabad tank in the district.

These birds reside in the region between October and January. “If the pollution of the tank is not checked, it may affect the migratory pattern of the birds,” said a bird lover.


http://www.deccanherald.com/content/283545/rare-birds-annual-trip-mavinakere.html

Restaurant Faces $2000 Fine for Washing Away Bird Poop

A restaurant owner in Corpus Christi, Texas is furious after city officials threatened him with a $2,000 fine for using a garden hose to wash away bird droppings on the sidewalk in front of his business.

“They told me I can’t wash it off because I’m polluting,” said John Webb, general manager of Crawdaddy’s, a family-owned restaurant in downtown. “It’s like they want me to go out of business.”

Webb told Fox News that his troubles began a few days ago when a city official showed up and demanded he stop washing away the bird droppings. The restaurant is just a few blocks from the waterfront on a dead-end street.

“For the last 18 years we’ve just been washing it off with a water hose,” he said. “But a guy from the city came out here and told me if I washed my sidewalk off again I was going to get a fine.”

Continued: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/restaurant-faces-2000-fine-for-washing-away-bird-poop.html