In an increasingly divided world, GivingTuesday represents a new global ritual based in joy and hope, proving that acts of kindness and goodwill can transcend country, race, religion and political ideals, and create connections between people.
GivingTuesday, taking place December 3rd, is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage giving and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Every year, on GivingTuesday, millions of people across the globe mobilize to show up, give back, and change their communities. The goal is to create a massive wave of generosity that lasts well beyond that day, and touches every person on the planet.
Final regulations diminish science-based decision-making and will reduce protections for birds
WASHINGTON – The final Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulatory reform package, released today by the Departments of the Interior and Commerce, fails the most important measure of any changes to a bedrock environmental law by marginalizing science-based protections for wildlife.
“As a whole, the rule changes are political, unwise, and will only increase litigation. They tip the balance in decision-making against vulnerable wildlife and undermine incentives for effective conservation,” said Sarah Greenberger, senior vice president for conservation policy at the National Audubon Society.
While some of the new rules are reasonable – including making it easier to direct resources to conservation projects by speeding up consultation requirements for federal projects that are beneficial to species – other changes would severely weaken protections for imperiled species.
The most egregious of the new changes would allow the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to consider the economic costs of listing a species – something expressly prohibited under existing law. Other changes will make it much more difficult to provide any protections to newly listed “threatened species” or to designate the “critical habitat” species need to recover. The new rules also allow the FWS to ignore the dire effects of climate change on imperiled species – effects we are seeing with greater regularity, such as hurricanes that jeopardize the Piping Plover.
“While Audubon could have supported some changes that may improve implementation while speeding up support for at-risk wildlife, these damaging new rules will weaken protections for imperiled species and include language that is wholly contrary to the law,” said Greenberger.
The ESA is our nation’s most powerful tool for protecting wildlife. Protections provided by the Act have succeeded in preventing the extinction of 99 percent of the species listed and benefitted many others that depend on the landscapes it’s helped to protect. The ESA has helped numerous species recover, including the Peregrine Falcon, Bald Eagle, and Brown Pelican, and set many other species on the path to recovery.
Weakened Wildlife Protections May Lead to Loss of Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo
(Washington, D.C., December 18, 2018) The current Administration is on the cusp of finalizing a set of rules to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and a new report out today lists ten animals threatened by the Administration’s existing and proposed policies. The Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, as well as the California Condor, the West Indian Manatee and other mammals, two sea turtles, an amphibian, and a rare bumble bee, are listed in the report, “Extinction Plan,” released by the Endangered Species Coalition, American Bird Conservancy, and partners.
The Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo is found in increasingly isolated patches of habitat in 12 western states, from the West Coast east to Texas. Unlike Old World cuckoos, which are nest parasites that lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo raises its own young, and both parents participate equally in chick-rearing.
Estimated to have a population of fewer than 2,000 individuals, the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo was listed as a Threatened species under the ESA in 2014. But loss of nesting habitat along rivers and streams continues, even as the Administration proposes to remove the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo from the endangered species list.
“In spite of the 2014 addition of the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo to the ESA, no critical habitat has ever been designated to support the bird’s recovery, and the population has not had a chance to recover to a safe level,” said Steve Holmer, Vice President of Policy for American Bird Conservancy. “Meanwhile, water diversions, housing developments, and pesticide spraying on fields near breeding habitat continue to endanger the remaining birds. It is crucial that ESA protection remain in place and that critical habitat is protected or restored.”
The Administration’s proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act would affect the cuckoo and all listed species, as well as those that might require ESA listing in the future. For example, the changes would:
Make it much more difficult to protect species impacted by climate change.
Make it harder to list a new species and easier to remove those now on the list.
Make it harder to designate critical habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife.
Reduce protections for threatened species.
Although the Administration and some members of Congress have sought to weaken the Act, public opinion research indicates that the law continues to maintain broad, bipartisan public support. A 2015 poll conducted by Tulchin Research found that 90 percent of American voters across all political, regional, and demographic lines support the Endangered Species Act.
The ESA was a landmark conservation law that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support: 92-0 in the Senate, and 394-4 in the House, and signed by President Richard Nixon 45 years ago on December 28.
In 2017, American Bird Conservancy and more than 400 other organizations signed a letter to members of Congress opposing efforts to weaken the ESA, noting that the law has a 99 percent success rate and has brought back species from the Bald Eagle to the Humpback Whale. ABC’s report on the success of the ESA is available here.
Endangered Species Coalition’s member groups nominated species for the “Extinction Plan” report. A committee of distinguished scientists reviewed the nominations, and decided which species should be included. Please see the full report, along with photos and additional species information.
The Endangered Species Coalition produces a “Top 10” report annually, focusing on a different theme each year. Previous years’ reports are also available on the Coalition’s website.
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American Bird Conservancy is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership, we take on the greatest problems facing birds today, innovating and building on rapid advancements in science to halt extinctions, protect habitats, eliminate threats, and build capacity for bird conservation. Find us on abcbirds.org, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ABCbirds).
One of the best things about our annual Lassen Park campout is that we get to see several species of birds that are rarely, if ever, seen in the valley. Many of those species also nest in the park. According to their website, Lassen Volcanic National Park provides habitat for approximately 216 species of birds in which 96 have been known to actually breed in the park.
For those of you that have never been to Lassen Volcanic National Park, I thought I would post some photos I have taken inside the park of some of the bird and animal species we may encounter during our annual campout.
One of my favorite species is the Water Ouzel, more commonly known now as the American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus). This is a photo I took at King’s Creek picnic area of an adult feeding its nestlings. Click on photos for full sized images.
and a short video of the nestlings begging for food and being fed.
Of course, LVNP has a great variety of woodpeckers on their bird list, eight of them known to nest in the area, including the White-headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus.) This is a male with some treats for the youngsters.
and a short video of the adults feeding the nestling and drumming.
We will hopefully see the rare Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) as well.
and maybe hear it drum!
There are Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) that hang out just adjacent to our campground in an old burn.
And Red-breasted Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus ruber) are common.
Near Summit Lake we have been able to witness Williamson’s Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) raising their young in a snag near the campground. The handsome male…
and the not as recognizable female.
Another of my favorite Lassen Park nesting birds is the Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)…
This is a video of the nesting activity of a pair of Brown Creepers at Summit Lake. Their nest is concealed in the narrow space behind loose bark on a tree.
Mountain Chickadees (Poecile sclateri) are one of the many secondary cavity nesters at the park. This is a nestling waiting to be fed at Hat Lake.
Also seen at Hat Creek, Red-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) tending their nestlings.
And the video accompaniment.
Other secondary cavity nesters at the park include the Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)…
the Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides), the male seen here…
and the Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola).
Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of the few places that this incredible cavity nesting duck breeds in Northern California.
This is a video of a female Bufflehead searching Manzanita Lake for a cavity to nest in for the following nesting season. She is in a snag, at least forty feet up!
American Coots (Fulica americana) raise their young at the park also. If you have never seen a American Coot chick, Manzanita Lake is a good spot to find them.
Since we’re checking out the youngsters of the park, I found this juvenile Clark’s Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) at Bumpass Hell. Note the remaining flesh colored gape below the eye at the corner of the beak.
Other species that nest at the park include the Cassin’s Finch (Carpodacus cassinii). The male seen here…
and the female.
You would be hard pressed to miss the boisterous Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
But if you are really lucky, you might find a young Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) at Hat Lake!
You gotta see this…
Or a Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) that also nests here.
Of course there are more than just birds at Lassen Volcanic National Park. The park is home to approximately 57 species of mammals ranging is size from the tiny shrew to the North American black bear. We are most likely to see the Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis)…
the American Pika (Ochotona princeps)…
and the Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris).
I hope this post intrigues you enough to consider joining us this year at Lassen Volcanic National Park for our 2018 annual campout. As always we will be camping with our friends and fellow Audubon members from other Northern California chapters. As with all of our activities, the Lassen Park Campout is posted on our calendar for more information. You are welcome to campout beginning Friday, July 27th, anytime past noon, or drive up Saturday morning to join us for the hike around Manzanita Lake.
Want more information on Lassen Volcanic National Park? Visit their website! And here is an interactive map of the park.
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park sits on the eastern edge of the Cascade Range between two active volcanoes, Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak. The Cascade Range, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, extends from Northern California to Southern British Columbia.
The park’s landscape was created by volcanic activity as well as erosion from weather and streams. This volcanic region is covered by black volcanic rock known as basalt. Created over a million years ago, the layered, porous basalt retains rainwater and snow melt forming huge subterranean rivers and reservoirs. One of these underground aquifers feeds Burney Creek and in turn Burney Falls, giving it a consistent flow of over 100 million gallons a day all year long.
Undoubtedly one of the most interesting aspects of Burney Falls for birders is that it is one of the few locations in California where nesting Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger) can be found.
Photo from Wikipedia Commons taken by Terry Gray
Even though the Black Swift occurs widely throughout western North America in summer, with its breeding range extending as far north as southeastern Alaska, as far east as central Colorado, and south through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica, with additional populations in the West Indies, only about 80 specific nesting localities have been documented1.
The Black Swift is considered a Species of Special Concern in California. Even though the overall breeding range remains largely unchanged from that in the 1940’s, the entire coastal population has been in recent severe decline. The entire California population appears to be composed of perhaps 200 pairs at 40 to 45 sites2.
Fortunately, Black Swifts have high nest site fidelity and traditional nest-site use by swifts is common. Most Black Swift nest sites are regularly, if not always, occupied year after year though the recent declines in the coastal populations has been a mystery.
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park offers close viewing of these birds as well as interpretive signs throughout the park.
All of the following photos of Black Swifts were taken at Burney Falls by Glen Tepke who graciously gave me permission to use them (click on photos for full sized images).
Fortunately for me the Burney Falls Black Swift contingent consists of five to twenty pairs annually2. They can usually be seen foraging above the falls in the morning.
When I was there the first Black Swift I spotted was above the highest part of the falls heading down stream. It was obviously foraging on flying insects as it maneuvered through the air like a giant swallow with quick turns at the end of smooth arcing flights.
Apparently Black Swifts are in continuous flight when awake except when at or near the nest. I was closely observing this particular bird as it appeared and disappeared from my view until, all of a sudden, it appeared much lower and, banking down into the gorge, disappeared behind the falls into a small nest cave about a foot or two across.
These nest caves are described as “a niche on sheer rock cliffs, shaded and bathed in mist from the frigid splash of a nearby cascade often behind a rushing torrent of falling water and abundant spray1.”
This photo shows the location of the nest in relation to the full face of the falls.
Moss is the primary and sometimes only component used as nesting material by the Black Swift in inland locations. Pairs will also reuse the same nest in consecutive years, adding only a small amount of material to the nest.
The ecological requirements for Black Swifts to breed restrict them to a very limited supply of nesting locations.
Plus the fact that they only lay one egg per season which is incubated for about four weeks and the chicks don’t fledge for another fifty days gives you some notion as to why these birds are a Species of Special Concern.
This Black Swift with the white feather tips, photographed by Glen on the same day as the others above (July 5th), could be a juvenile or adult female but considering that they don’t usually begin nesting until the middle of May, it is most probably an adult female.
Of course Black Swifts are not the only reason to visit McArthur-Burney Memorial State Park. Over 130 bird species have been observed on the five miles of hiking trails that wind through evergreen and hardwood forests. The Pacific Crest Trail also passes through the park.
Burney Creek Trail follows Burney Creek through a forest of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, incense cedar and a variety of oaks where American Dipper, White-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Hermit, Black-throated Gray, McGillivray’s, Wilson’s, Nashville, Yellow-rumped and Yellow Warblers, Western Tanager, Cassin’s Vireo, Western Wood-Pewee, Evening Grosbeak, Steller’s Jay, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Mountain Chickadee, Common Raven, Red-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, and Osprey can be seen, just to name a few.
A little over a mile from the falls, Burney Creek Trail terminates at a peninsula separating Burney Creek Cove from the main body of Lake Britton (see map above). This part of Lake Britton is actually part of the park and includes a boat launch facility at the cove and a sandy beach and swimming area on the lake.
Birds observed here include Common Merganser, Pied-billed, Western and Clark’s Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Bald and Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk and Common Loon.
Nesting Purple Martins can also be found on the northwestern side of the lake and Vaux’s Swifts can be seen above the tree tops over the highway outside the park.
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