Salem-News.com Birds articles

Secretary Jewell Announces Mitigation Strategy that Offers Hope for Threatened Birds

Plan calls for landscape planning and mitigating the impacts of energy development

(WASHINGTON DC) - The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced a new strategy to avoid and mitigate the impact of energy projects on federal lands that should benefit imperiled species such as the Greater Sage-Grouse.

The “Strategy for Improving the Mitigation Policies and Practices of the Department of the Interior” stems from Secretarial Order Number 3330 issued by DOI Secretary Jewell in October 2013, which seeks to shift from project-by-project mitigation to landscape-level planning.

Letter to Feds Charges Wind Industry with Ignoring Voluntary Federal Guidelines

Bird Groups Raise Alarms over Wind Industry Installation of Six Giant Wind Turbines in Critical Great Lakes Bird Migration Corridor

(WASHINGTON, DC) - American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) charge that millions of migrating and federally protected birds, including an active Bald Eagle nest, will be threatened by an Ohio wind development currently under construction.

The concern was raised in a letter sent this week to federal officials.

A Line under the Parrot`s Nest

“The problem is that the (checkpoint) sets off alarm bells, not only here but in the region.” - Zihuatanejo Public Safety Director Leonardo Evangelista

(LAS CRUCES, NM) - Nestled off the Acapulco-Zihuatanejo highway in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, shade blankets the village entrance to San Miguelito like a soothing layer of relief from the incessant tropical sun.

On a recent day, men snacked on freshly-shaken fruit under a sentry post of tall trees...

Up to One Billion Birds May Be Killed Annually in Building Collisions, New Study Says

Low-Rise Buildings and Residences Pose Bigger Mortality Threat than Skyscrapers.

(WASHINGTON, DC) - The most comprehensive study of its kind has been completed, involving the review and analysis of almost two dozen studies and over 92,000 records involving bird death.

Federal scientists have found that between 365 and 988 million birds are likely killed in the United States each year as a result of collisions with buildings.

The Vatican (Still) At The Crossroads

When you come to a fork in the road, take it. -Yogi Berra

(DAYTONA BEACH) - News item: The Vatican - Two large seagulls attacked white doves released from a balcony by Pope Francis during his weekly Angelus prayer in front of tens of thousands of worshippers gathered in St. Peter's Square.

The peace gesture followed the Pope's prayer for Ukraine, where at least three people were killed during clashes that have left Kiev in flames.

Threatened Listing Proposal Not Enough to Conserve Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Aggressive Habitat Protection, Ending Threats from Tower Collisions and Pesticides Urgently Needed

(WASHINGTON, DC) - American Bird Conservancy (ABC), one of the nation's leading bird conservation groups, says that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposal to list the western population of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act falls short of providing the necessary protections for the imperiled bird species whose numbers have plummeted in recent decades.

Sen. Wyden`s Logging Bill Threatens Listed Birds, Integrity of the Northwest Forest Plan

Sen. Wyden’s plan ignores a large number of recent scientific studies and government rulemakings indicating additional wildlife habitat conservation is needed in Oregon.

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has released a legislative proposal to greatly increase logging on over two million acres of federal forests in Oregon by truncating or eliminating environmental reviews and protections for endangered species.

“Logging mature forests that are now protected would come at too a high a price in terms of lost habitat to endangered species such as the Marbled Murrelet...” said Steve Holmer, senior policy advisor with American Bird Conservancy.

Stunning Creativity by Virginia Artists Saving Birds at the Virginia Zoo

Collisions Prevented by Innovative Use of ABC BirdTape...

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Three artists from Virginia have taken a very practical product called ABC BirdTape, which is designed to prevent birds from fatally crashing into buildings or home windows, and turned it into spectacular artwork at the Virginia Zoo that maintains its functionality but brings breathtaking imagery to the task.

The three volunteer artists—Jacqueline Ehle Inglefield, Lizz Klaras, and Molly Lombard—were selected for the project and created unique works of art using BirdTape at the zoo's tiger pool and otter-gibbon viewing areas.

Wisconsin`s 2011 Blow-Down Area Provides Benefits for Imperiled Species

Storm Left Counties Buried in Wood but Created a Home for Declining Warbler

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Not far from the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, a massive 2011 wind storm struck and leveled trees for miles across northwestern Wisconsin, causing a variety of widespread problems, which for some are still an issue today.

Yet out of the wind-strewn wreckage comes a happy “re-start” for the tiny Golden-winged Warbler, one of the most threatened, non-federally listed bird species in eastern North America.

Orphan Snowy Plover Chicks and Adult Set for Release on Oregon Coast

The western snowy plover is a native shore bird that lives on the beach year-round.

(NEWPORT, OR) - Five abandoned snowy plover chicks and a rehabilitated adult male are being released back to the wild by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners.

The birds, federally and state listed as threatened, were rescued in early July by plover monitors from the Institute for Natural Resources, Portland State University and U.S. Forest Service staff.