If you farm coffee in this unnamed country, you have permission to slack off and take a few short cuts with your mulching.

A friend sent me this:

Scott's Bird Seed Voluntary Recall

Major manufacturer of wild bird seed and animal food products, The Scotts Company LLC announced a voluntary recall of certain varieties of Morning Song, Scotts, Country Pride and various private label branded wild bird (Royal Wing from Tractor Supply) and animal food products due to the use of unapproved pesticides.  The store recall is for seed and suet products packaged on or before March 12, 2008.  The Scotts Company replacement of the products at distributors is currently underway.  The company has received fewer than 10 calls in the last two years regarding a possible connection between these products and bird mortalities at feeders.  There is no evidence, however, demonstrating any harm caused to humans, pets, wild birds or other wildlife. The company's Niger Thistle Seed products are not effected.

I think the spin the company statement put on this was, hmm, interesting; bolding is mine:

Dear Fellow Bird Lover,

You might find that your favorite Scotts, Morning Song or Country Pride wild bird or wild animal food isn't available where you normally buy it.

We are in the process of replacing these products because we determined that we needed to stop applying certain insect controls. These controls were used to make sure that our bird and animal food wasn't infested with moths and other problem-causing insects.

The insect controls that we had used are EPA-approved for use on some stored grains, including grains that may be turned into human food. However, the insect controls are not EPA-approved for wild bird food or wild animal food.

We believe that the wild bird food and wild animal food did not constitute a significant health risk to wild birds, small animals or humans who handle the food.

We have discontinued use of the unapproved insect controls.

Personally, I don't buy bird seed that is distributed by a company that in 2007 had $2.8 billion in net sales of lawn products and pesticides, especially one that has such an unflattering corporate profile.  I get my seed from a locally owned business or feed store.

 And while you are not bolstering Scott's profits via bird seed purchases, check out the Beyond Pesticides web site for a host of reasons not to buy most of the other stuff they push.  They have downloadable fact sheets such as the health and environmental effects of commonly used lawn pesticides. Pesticides and birds don't mix.

Birding Girl tagged me with the 6-word birding meme. I have resisted all the 6-word memes that have been circulating for the last several months because at the keyboard, I am not a person of few words.

In the upper Midwest, nearly 1000 Canvasbacks and Redheads have been found dead along Lake St. Clair (often referred to as "the sixth Great Lake"). This is a conservative number, considering how many may have died out in the lake that were not detected by shoreline observers. Toxicology reports have been coming back negative. The die-off has been attributed to malnutrition due to a larger-than-usual number of ducks wintering in the lake because it didn't freeze over as early as it usually does. Diving ducks that typically feed on invertebrates or mollusks (Bufflehead, scaup) don't seem to be impacted, while plant-eating Canvasbacks and to a lesser extend Redheads are most effected. My husband took this photo of a dead Canvasback on the Detroit River, where he's seen a few every weekend the past month. This phenomena has been occurring for at least several years, although perhaps not at this scale.

This situation has provoked kind of an odd reaction on the local bird forums, with people saying that they really hope it is malnutrion and not botulism, which also periodically claims a lot of waterfowl in the Great Lakes. I have to say I disagree, since botulism only occurs under certain circumstances and is often self-limiting. On the other hand, if malnutrition is is really due to too many ducks overwintering on Lake St. Clair (and other Great Lakes), we are likely in for a chronic and increasing problem.

A recent paper [1] looked at trends in ice duration in 65 waterbodies in the Great Lakes and found average rates of change in ice freeze and breakup dates were 5.8 and 3.3 times faster, respectively, than historical rates from 1846 to 1995 for the Northern Hemisphere.  The following chart [2] looks specifically at ice trends from the three basins of Lake Erie.

Since around 1990, the central and eastern basins of the lake have not been freezing over until later than they have since the late 1950s. The western basin is much shallower and tends to freeze earlier, and is most comparable to Lake St. Clair.

If migrating waterfowl increasingly encounter open water during fall migration, this may cause higher numbers to overwinter in these areas.  I have heard anecdotal reports to this effect, but was unable to put my hands on much hard data. I produced the chart below using numbers from the annual early-fall survey of Canvasbacks done by the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources [3]. These numbers only represent the Michigan side of the lake, but indicate increasing numbers of Canvasbacks on the lake in early November.

The trend for wintering Canvasbacks on a portion of the Detroit River near Lake Erie, from the Rockwood (MI-ON) Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which is held annually in mid-December, is also positive and significant. These data are in conflict with the long-term (1966-2003) population trends for Canvasbacks determined by the North American Breeding Bird Survey and continental CBCs, both of which show declines (although significant only for the CBCs) [4].

The idea being floated is that more Canvasbacks (and other waterfowl) are staying in the Great Lakes, and when the lakes do freeze up, they are unable to obtain food and starve to death. This seems to me to be only part of the story. The following chart looks at the number of days Lake Erie stays frozen.

Since the 1980s, the trend for the number of days the entire lake has ice cover has been steadily decreasing. It seems possible to me that the increased number of waterfowl might in fact have ice-free foraging areas, but too much competition for too little food.  Canvasbacks rely on aquatic vegetation more than any other food source in winter — especially wild celery (Vallisneria americana) [5].

Wild celery did increase in the Detroit River (and Lake St. Clair) in the 1990s. But something else has been increasing in the region since the wild celery has been recovering — Mute Swans. The chart below shows CBC trends on the Detroit River CBC, held annually on January 1. And a little further downriver, the situation is the same on the previously mentioned Rockwood CBC.

Mute Swans also feed on submerged vegetation, up to 8 pounds a day. This added competition for food just compounds the problem, and in fact, some Mute Swans have also been found dead. Mute Swans are resident (although in this area they retreat to inland marshes to nest), and consume submerged vegetation year round, eventually damaging the reproductive capacity of the plants.

This could be a perfect storm of climate change contributing to less ice cover, attracting more overwintering Canvasbacks, combining with a population explosion of non-native Mute Swans to create a substantial alteration in food availability. If that's the case, things will likely only get worse, not better.

[continue reading…]

I’ve long intended on writing something about mountaintop removal mining, ever since reading Erik Reece’s article in Harper’s in 2005 (Ted Williams also wrote a great article in Audubon). This coal-extraction method is unbelievably environmentally devastating in many ways. The American Bird Conservancy has a whole page on how this mining threatens birds, including the declining Cerulean Warbler, whose core breeding range coincides with coal mining areas where this horrendous activity takes place.

The World’s Fair has a whole series of posts on mountaintop removal mining, and has most recently posted a link to a fantastic resource: What is My Connection to Mountaintop Removal? Plug in your zip code, and it will show you the nearest coal-fired power plants to you (from which your electricity likely comes from) with full descriptions, and the direct connections to the mines where coal from that plant has come from. On the resulting Google Map, you can click on one of the mines and get photos and a description.

My grid revealed connections to six mines. The closest one, for illustrative purposes, is in Beckley, WV. The Google Map is staggering: an enormous raped area. It made me sick.

The web site also has many suggestions about what you can do to help, including a quick and easy letter to your local power company. As in all these issues, conservation is the most immediate and effective action we can take. Type in your zip above, and see if this doesn’t prod you into action.

People complain when all I have from my travels are insect photos. Hey, I watch birds, I photograph insects. In fact, although I carry a point-and-shoot, I only have a macro lens on my good camera. It was so windy most days here, I didn’t get to photo many bugs. So I attempted to photograph a few birds.

How about this this Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis) at the Quinta Matzalan World Birding Center in McAllen, Texas. It was breathtaking through a scope. We also heard many and saw one during a long evening walk at Bentsen.

I think Least Grebes are very cute, and small enough to hold in your hand. Even cuter, their fluffy butts. This was one of a half dozen or so at Sabal Palm Audubon Center in Brownsville.

Every catch basin should have its own Burrowing Owl. Unfortunately, when this development in Mission is finished, out go the owls. I have been coming to the Valley for 10 years, and I cannot believe how much development has accelerated here.

One bug pic. This is a Sickle-winged Skipper, also at Sabal Palm.

"All this birding is making me hungry."

"You’re not kidding. I’m so hungry, I could eat a small goat."

The the Partners in Flight (PIF) conference in south Texas has just wound down. It was an interesting three days catching up on bird conservation research, good birds, and old friends. “New” friends, too. Here I am apparently throttling a blow-up doll while Birdchaser Rob Fergus naughtily puts a finger on the original conference artwork, clearly marked DO NOT TOUCH. Rob had already been photographed with many other women: he ran into a group of retired ladies doing the Great Backyard Bird Count at a local nature center who were thrilled to meet Audubon’s face of the GBBC. They invited him back to their trailer park RV park mobile home community for lunch and photo ops.

Rob and I have communicated for a long time, but this is the first time we met. We went out to dinner later, along with Rob’s advisor from the University of Texas-Austin, Robin Doughty, and two of Rob’s friends. We left the blow-up doll behind, although we spent some time speculating on its origin. We thought perhaps someone had celebrated the Valentine’s Day decision by Texas to overturn an old law by bringing it along to the meeting. We engaged in a little “birder blogger smack-down”, gossiping about the other bloggers we knew, then the conversation then took a scatalogical turn (related to birds and work…sort of) and never really recovered. We had a great time.

Rob is off to Austin, and Kingfisher and I are going to spend a couple days birding here, as the Rio Grande Valley is one of our favorite spots. More later.

It’s been a long while since I’ve reviewed a book here. In fact, it’s been a long while since I’ve read an entire book, especially a novel. I received The Conjurer’s Bird as a gift, and found it great bedtime reading.

A British academic, a former expert on extinct birds, is contacted by a former colleague. This colleague has hooked up with a modern-day treasure hunter of sorts who is interested in finding the Mysterious Bird of Ulieta. The bird was originally discovered by Captain James Cook’s second South Seas expedition in 1772, and known only from a painting, as the specimen is presumed lost. The story develops as several people believe the specimen can be relocated.

Concurrently, in alternating chapters, author Martin Davies tells the story of the naturalist Joseph Banks, who once possessed the Ulieta bird in his collections. Usually, I find back-and-forth narratives tedious, particularly if they leap from one era to another. Davies handled this well, however, and of course we await for clues to fall into place in history to solve the mystery of the present. As I read, I thought the story of Banks and his young mistress fairly improbable. I have a bad habit of reading all the author’s notes and acknowledgments before I finish a book. I happened not to do that this time, and when I finished the book and read the section on the historical background for the book, I learned that there is indeed a Mysterious Bird of Ulieta, and that Davies firmly rooted this book in fact — including the story of Banks and his mistress. His weaving of fiction around these facts was actually a great and plausible explanation for historical events. I enjoyed the book on its own, but once I learned how it meshed with actual events, I found myself delighted and impressed. It prompted me to crack open my copy of Errol Fuller’s excellent volume Extinct Birds and read up on this and other birds we have lost to time…or just plain lost!

The Conjurer’s Bird will appeal to mystery lovers, natural history buffs, and fans of historical fiction (I am all of the above). It’s also currently bargain priced at Amazon: a can’t miss buy.

Ever since I began drinking coffee, I have been a strong and vocal advocate of what is known as “shade-grown” coffee, but what I like to call “sustainable coffee.” If there is one thing coffee-drinking birders can do to help preserve biodiversity, it is to carefully choose their coffee. Unfortunately, this isn’t quite as easy as picking a coffee with a seal on the bag. Many eco-friendly coffee farms cannot afford certification. Different certifications have various environmental criteria. As there is no legal definition of “shade-grown,” many producers and suppliers play fast and loose with this labelling. The best first step is to stop buying cheap supermarket coffee, responsible for an incredible amount of environmental damage. I get really pissed off when people who profess to being green consumers and nature lovers tell me that they know they shouldn’t drink Folger’s, but… But what? Too lazy to give up the convenience and do a little research, too cheap to spend the same amount on a cup of coffee as they would a can of Coke. If you’d like to know more about this topic, head on over to Coffee & Conservation for these posts:

• What is shade-grown coffee?
• Problems with sun coffee.
• Birds and coffee plantations.
• Top 5 indicators of sustainable coffee.
• The coffee crisis (economics of cheap supermarket coffee and impacts)

So in Panama, I wanted to see for myself how coffee was grown and the differences in biodiversity with different management types. On two days, we visited Finca Hartmann, a coffee farm near Santa Clara, Panama. We also spent a morning hiking through a farm that at one time supplied Starbucks, and because coffee was everywhere, we also had an opportunity to take a look at many other farms.

Finca Hartmann (aside from housing and other human infastructure) is a
mix of remnant and regenerating forest, pasture, and coffee. One thing we discovered was that coffee farms are far from homogenous. At Finca Hartmann, coffee occurs in plots ranging from 1 to 15 ha, and itself grows intermixed with native vegetation and/or crops such as citrus and bananas. The higher elevation part of the farm is directly adjacent to the La Amistad International Park, and we could have walked to Costa Rica through the forest trails. Some of these trails were made by Smithsonian researchers; the Hartmann’s welcome ecologists and students.

Here I am in the forested area of the upper part of the farm.

And standing (not sitting!) among the streamside forest on the lower portion.

Nearly 300 species of birds have been recorded at Finca Hartmann. Although we really only explored for 6 or 7 hours over the two days, were working without a guide, and spent equal amounts of time looking at insects, we observed around 80 species of birds at Finca Hartmann.

The most common North American migrant species we saw in coffee farms were Wilson’s Warblers (right), Tennessee Warblers, and Summer Tanagers. These were also common in the lower part of Finca Hartmann, along with Golden-winged, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Black-and-White, and Mourning Warblers, and American Redstart.

Because coffee at Finca Hartmann is grown in small plots amongst remnant vegetation and under various types of shade trees, birds that were more forest-dependent were also found even in the mixed forest-coffee habitats –White-ruffed Manakin, Blue-crowned Motmot, and Mountain Robin, for example. At the higher elevation portion, we had many species of forest birds, such as White-throated Spadebill, Red-headed Barbet (left), Eye-ringed Flatbill, Lesser Greenlet, and Wedge-billed Woodcreeper.

In contrast, in the farms that had larger patches of coffee under fewer shade trees and/or less frequently intermixed with remnant forest, we had much less diversity. Our hike was about 3 hours, and we had 29 species. Most common birds were those that preferred more open or edge habitats: lots of Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Silver-throated Tanagers, (right) and Clay-colored Robins. Where there was adjacent forest, we did see species like Emerald Toucanet. This farm was not really a “sun coffee” farm, but it was more intensively managed than Finca Hartmann. Even so, our experience underscored the importance of having forest on the farm, and a variety of vegetation in, around, or near the coffee.

Our visit to Finca Hartmann was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had — the birds, the coffee education (not just birding in the coffee, but a great tour of their small mill as they processed this year’s crop), and the hospitality of the Hartmann family.  We will certainly return there. It’s one of many small producers that deserve our support. Finca Hartmann coffee is often available from specialty roasters. Part of last year’s crop won 8th place in the 2007 Best of Panama coffee competition. I can recommend a great roaster that carries Finca Hartmann coffee: Novo Coffee.

Wilson’s Warbler photo by my friend Gavan Watson, Red-headed Barbet by PrincessRuffian, Silver-throated Tanager by Mitchmcc. Thanks to all for publishing under a Creative Common license.