DC Audubon Society -

Book Reading: Nature's Engraver: A Life of Thomas Bewick

John Beetham — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:01:58 -0500

May 19th, 2008 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Jenny Uglow, author of Nature's Engraver: A Life of Thomas Bewick, 2007 winner of the National Award for Arts Writing, will give a reading and book talk at The Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I Street NW, Washington, DC. (202) 331-7282, ext. 15. Use Foggy Bottom or Farragut North Metro stop.

Nature's Engraver (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) recounts the life and achievements of the man who produced, in early 19th century Britain, the first Field Guide to birds for ordinary people, illustrated with woodcuts of remarkable accuracy and beauty. These woodcuts, in turn, influenced book illustration for all time. Living and working at a time of rapid social change and industrialization, Bewick was a fascinating man: working class, liberal (even radical in some of his politics), and amazingly talented. His evocations of birds helped to widen appreciation for the natural world, and the preservation of land, among people of all classes.

The judges wrote, “Nature’s Engraver is engaging, subtle and instructive. Uglow’s plain, richly elegant sentences present a career that, fascinating in itself, becomes a way of thinking about all art: the tools, the materials, the personality and the surroundings, all interacting with the artist’s craving to make a new reality. Uglow’s insightful treatments of material like the life of apprentices, the nature of early children’s books, the fashion for 'peasant poets' make this vivid biography a work of cultural history as well.”

Jenny Uglow is an editor at Chatto & Windus and lives in Canterbury, England. Her book The Lunar Men: The Friends who Made the Future 1730–1810 won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography in 2002 and the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for history from International PEN in 2003. Her biographies Elizabeth Gaskell: A Habit of Stories and Hogarth: A Life and a World were both finalists for the Whitbread Prize for biography. She will come to the Arts Club having just been inducted into the Order of the British Empire by the Queen of England on May 16.

Location

The Arts Club of Washington

2017 I Street NW, Washington

See map: Google Maps

U.S. Ranks Last in Green Habits

John Beetham — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:36:00 -0500

Americans ranked last in a worldwide survey of environmental practices:

Americans were least likely to choose the greener option in three out of four categories — housing, transportation and consumer goods_ according to the assessment. In the fourth category, food, Americans ranked ahead of Japanese consumers, who eat more meat and seafood.
The rankings, called "Greendex," are the first to compare the lifestyles and behaviors of consumers in multiple countries, according to the National Geographic Society....
India and Brazil tied for the highest score — 60 points out of a hundred. U.S. consumers scored 44.9.
In between, China scored 56.1, Mexico 54.2, Hungary 53.2, Russia 52.4, Great Britain 50.2, Germany 50.2, Australia 50.2, Spain 50, Japan 49.1, France 48.7 and Canada 48.5.
Results are based on 1,000 online respondents per country interviewed in January and February by GlobeScan, an international polling firm based in Toronto.

If you are curious how you would score, National Geographic provides a simplified calculator. I filled out the calculator and scored a 56. My score would probably be slightly higher for summer months, when more of my food comes from local sources, and slightly lower in the winter, when it has to be transported greater distances.

Little Bennett

John Beetham — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:59:29 -0500

June 1st, 2008 7:00 am to 1:00 pm

On Sunday, June 1, 2008 DC Audubon will be fielding a birding trip to Little Bennett with Ted Vawter as group leader. Little Bennett is one of the better area parks in terms of breeding bird diversity (Veery, Kentucky and Blue-Wing Warbler, Yellow Throated Vireo among possibles) despite the fact that the area is undergoing a period of heavy development which has impacted species variety. Species such as Grasshopper Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark, among others have become more difficult to find.

It is one of my favorite birding spots in the metro area and has produced birds such as Blue Grosbeak, Northern Goshawk, Summer Tanager and several owl species in my past explorations. We will meet at the Kingsley Trail Parking Lot promptly at 7 AM. I will be traveling from Alexandria, VA and would be glad to transport anyone from that area going to the park. Please contact me if you are interested in participating in the trip at my home telephone (Ted Vawter) (703) 566-0478 from 6pm to 9pm or (leave a message for me should I not answer) at work at (202) 272-8466 and let me know if you need a ride or are willing to carpool. You can also attach a message to this notice or e-mail me at tedvawter@earthlink.net.

We will do all possible not to leave anyone behind.

The following are directions to this location:

Directions: from I-270, roughly 15 mi. n. of Beltway, exit on Clarksburg Road east (exit 18). Go 2.7 miles (do not turn on Md. 355 to Park HQ), to where Hyattstown Mill road is on left, and Kingsley Trail parking area on right. There has been lots of construction in the area so be sure to follow road signs. If you are unfamiliar with the area, please consult a map, since odometer readings may vary.

Ban on Exotic Snakes to Protect Native Birds

John Beetham — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:18:00 -0500

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may ban the importation or sale of large exotic snakes such as pythons and boas. It has authority to do this under the Lacey Act.

Long-lived snake species with high reproductive output, such as the Burmese python, have great potential to proliferate rapidly, and quickly expand from their place of introduction. They represent a potential ecological and economic disaster with the capacity to quickly overtake even the most far-reaching eradication efforts to protect endangered species. Recently released climate maps by the U.S. Geological Survey indicate that the Burmese python could find extensive suitable habitat, comparable to the size of its native range in Asia, in the southern one-third of the lower 48 States. Should these snakes become more widely established they will further exacerbate the threat they already pose to the health and abundance of many bird species.
According to a recent study of the stomach and lower gastro-intestinal tracts of 56 Burmese pythons captured in or adjacent to Everglades National Park, 50 were found to have eaten many bird species, including Anhinga, American Coot, Pied-billed Grebe, Limpkin, King Rail, Purple Gallinule, Great Blue Heron, White Ibis, Red-winged Blackbird, Virginia Rail, Great Egret, Magnificent Frigatebird, Clapper Rail, and House Wren. The White Ibis and Limpkin are Florida Species of Conservation Concern, and the King Rail and the Clapper Rail are on the ABC/Audubon WatchList of species in need of immediate conservation attention.

field_report from "Pennyfield Lock" on 05/03/2008 - 7:00am

pdeanna — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:01:58 -0500

Field report for: Pennyfield Lock from 05/03/2008 - 7:00am to 05/03/2008 - 12:00pm

Field Trip Report

Pennyfield Lock, Saturday, May 3, 2008

By Paul DeAnna

A full complement of 18 participants met leader Paul DeAnna for the 10^th anniversary of DC Audubon’s annual Spring visit to the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park at Pennyfield Lock. Despite some problematic weather forecasts earlier in the week, we stuck with our original date, and this turned out to be a good decision. While it was a bit cool and cloudy at first, the sun broke through and it turned into a brilliant day, with gentle southerly breezes and bright blue skies, perfect conditions for birding.

Even though our walk here traditionally extends only a shade more than a mile along the towpath, it always takes the group hours to travel that short distance, because Pennyfield packs such a lot of varied habitat in such a small space, and yields such a wide variety of species that the birder is kept fully occupied. The wide, flat, stumble-proof towpath is an asset, as is the canal itself, here restored and fully watered (which is not the case everywhere). In addition to its scenic charm, the canal offers water-loving species a more tranquil alternative to the nearby river. It also creates a broader gateway between the trees that allows one a better chance to see the birds, instead of the usual close woodland trail, where they only see you. Last but not least, it’s a step back into a quieter past, when travel and the pace of life generally was more leisurely, and invites the visitor to slow down and enjoy the sights.

Our birding got off to a great start right in the parking lot, with a singing Prothonotary Warbler giving us excellent views. This beautiful golden bird is fairly uncommon in our area; it’s a real habitat specialist, nesting only in tree cavities in swampy bottomland forests—in fact, it actually prefers to nest over water. (Interestingly, like the Cardinal, the Prothonotary was named for an official of the Catholic Church, in this case the Pope’s secretary, or Papal nuncio, who wears a bright yellow robe). This warbler was shortly followed by another, a female Northern Parula foraging relatively low in the trees and allowing closer than normal observation. Like the Prothonotary, this species is a local breeder, but normally patrols the tops of the tallest trees, and can be hard to spot, though one is bound to hear its high pitched ‘zeeee-up’ call all along the towpath.

At the Lock bridge, we saw an Eastern Phoebe, one of the flycatchers, perched on a sign and bobbing its tail as this species is wont to do. It’s possible this bird has a nest right under the bridge (in fact, we saw her fly under it a few times). An unusual sighting from the bridge was a piebald deer, brown with large white spots, crossing the canal just a few yards downstream, along with a group of more normal coloration. Could this be a sign of excessive inbreeding in the local White-tailed Deer population? (We are absolutely sure it was not a cow).

We set off up canal (West) along the towpath, and shortly thereafter one sharp-eyed member of our party found us a Barred Owl lurking in the adjacent woods. These wary birds are not usually found in the open much past dawn, so this was one of the benefits of a slightly cloudy start to our day—and also one of the benefits of birding with a group, since there are more eyes watching out. Soon after, another flycatcher, the Great Crested Flycatcher, put in an appearance. This is a striking bird, with an olive back, gray head and throat, bright yellow belly and rufous tail. It is the only Myiarchus species regularly found in the East. Perhaps this is fortunate, since the various genera are very difficult to separate in the field. Not long after, two Eastern Kingbirds (another flycatcher species) passed overhead.

Further along, we encountered a singing Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a stunning bird (featured on the cover of many field guides). Unfortunately, he’s most likely just passing through, since this is not a species that normally stays to breed this far South. We made up for this, though, by catching up with a variety of newly-arrived breeders, such as Goldfinch, Baltimore Oriole and Orchard Oriole, the latter in first-summer plumage quite different from full adult livery. It’s a treat to see the orioles’ basket-shaped nests, usually suspended high over the canal, but today it appeared they had not yet gotten down to the business of nest-building. However, we did witness a territorial battle or two, so it appears the property lines are in the process of being worked out. We also saw Ruby-throated Hummingbirds buzzing about—they’ll be nesting shortly as well. Only once have I been lucky enough to see one of their tiny nests at close range. One would be hard-pressed to place a penny inside, the diameter is so small; the eggs are about the size of a small pea.

About a quarter mile up, at milepost 20, there is a small impoundment which turned out to be perfect habitat for some migrating shorebirds. Here we saw several Solitary Sandpipers together with a couple of Spotted Sandpipers feeding at the edge of shallow muddy puddles left by the recent rains. Rough-winged Swallows, Tree Swallows and Chimney Swifts all coursed over the wet meadow, catching insects on the wing. The side path here leads to a river view, where we picked up some fast-flying Common Mergansers, as well as a Double-crested Cormorant in somewhat more leisurely flight. Wood Ducks were heard, but unfortunately not seen. They likely have young out of the nest at this point and so have become quite secretive. We saw our first Indigo Bunting of the day here as well. This species has just enough variety in its lengthy song so that, incompletely heard, it can fool even the most experienced birder. Not far off, an Acadian Flycatcher gave its short but distinctive, two-noted call, an explosive ‘piz-za!’ The Acadian belongs to the genus Empidonax, whose members are nearly impossible to separate except by their distinctive vocalizations.

Further along, opposite the second impoundment, which held much more water, we saw our first Common Yellowthroat skulking in a thicket just across the canal. Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen in the area as well, and a few others, including Black-throated Green, were heard but not seen. Some managed to see a Louisiana Waterthrush as we passed the pipeline clearing, but most had to content themselves with its liquid song. The little warblers, ‘butterflies of the bird world,’ can be hard to spot—it takes a lot of patience and experience with their songs to locate these tiny birds behind such a lot of big leaves. Also across the canal, but easier to see, was a Green Heron actively fishing—and being quite successful at it, too. A few steps further on, a Great Blue Heron held an unusual Cormorant-like posture, wings droopily held to its sides, as though sun-bathing. Perhaps it had spent most of the morning wading the still cold water and just needed to warm up.

Our walk proceeded at a slow saunter, as usual, what I call ‘Art Museum pace’ (which is appropriate, I think) until we reached milepost 21, our turnaround point at the famous ‘Seneca Breaks.’ Here the Potomac makes a wide bend from the South to the East as it struggles to find its way through more resistant rock, creating a series of rapids and riffles popular with kayakers, canoeists and fishermen, but usually too rugged for outboard motors (fortunately). The river was rather high this day, however, so the whitewater wasn’t really visible. A stone wall a short distance beyond post 21 is a good spot to take a break and enjoy the scenery and a snack, which we did, although the louder-than-normal river made it hard to pick up birdsong. Even so, we did hear our fifth flycatcher species of the day, the Wood Pewee.

The return trip was quieter, as is typical of the later morning, but we did find Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks soaring overhead, and occasionally squabbling with one another. As we returned to the parking lot around noon, an Osprey went over, but only a few hardy souls remained in our group by this time. Similarly, I think yours truly was the only one to catch a glimpse of a Bald Eagle passing nearby shortly afterwards. In any case, it was a fitting end to a nice morning of birding in a beautiful natural area. Be sure to visit Pennyfield again soon on your own, as well as other spots along the Canal, such as Violette’s Lock, Seneca (Riley’s Lock), and Sycamore Landing, which are not far upstream. The migration is just beginning!

[The old C&O Canal has a fascinating history, and the story of its rise, fall, and eventual preservation as a National Park stretching 184 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland has been told many times. Visit the Park’s website for an overview: http://www.nps.gov/choh/.]

List of species identified (by sight or sound):

1. Double-crested Cormorant

2. Great Blue Heron

3. Green Heron

4. Black Vulture

5. Turkey Vulture

6. Canada Goose

7. Wood Duck

8. Mallard

9. Common Merganser

10. Osprey

11. Bald Eagle

12. Red-shouldered Hawk

13. Red-tailed Hawk

14. Solitary Sandpiper

15. Spotted Sandpiper

16. Mourning Dove

17. Barred Owl

18. Chimney Swift

19. Ruby-throated Hummingbird

20. Belted Kingfisher

21. Red-bellied Woodpecker

22. Downy Woodpecker

23. Hairy Woodpecker

24. Northern Flicker

25. Pileated Woodpecker

26. Eastern Wood-Pewee

27. Acadian Flycatcher

28. Eastern Phoebe

29. Great Crested Flycatcher

30. Eastern Kingbird

31. Red-eyed Vireo

32. Blue Jay

33. American Crow

34. Tree Swallow

35. Northern Rough-winged Swallow

36. Carolina Chickadee

37. Tufted Titmouse

38. White-breasted Nuthatch

39. Carolina Wren

40. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

41. Eastern Bluebird

42. Wood Thrush

43. Gray Catbird

44. European Starling

45. Nashville Warbler

46. Northern Parula

47. Black-throated Blue Warbler

48. Yellow-rumped Warbler

49. Black-throated Green Warbler

50. American Redstart

51. Prothonotary Warbler

52. Ovenbird

53. Louisiana Waterthrush

54. Common Yellowthroat

55. Scarlet Tanager

56. White-throated Sparrow

57. Northern Cardinal

58. Rose-breasted Grosbeak

59. Indigo Bunting

60. Red-winged Blackbird

61. Common Grackle

62. Brown-headed Cowbird

63. Orchard Oriole

64. Baltimore Oriole

65. American Goldfinch

500 Ducks Trapped in Oil Waste

John Beetham — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:28:09 -0500

The Alberta Tar Sands mining projects have long been identified as a threat to boreal birds by the Boreal Songbird Initiative. Extraction of oil from tar sands requires an energy and water-intensive development process, which releases large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Since much of the tar sands sit underneath the boreal forest, their extraction also involves habitat destruction. This week, an incident showed another type of environmental harm when 500 ducks landed and drowned in a pond filled with oil waste. Few birds survived.

"A completely oiled bird would likely sink immediately. We've recovered the ones that we could," said Steve Gaudet, a Syncrude staff member managing the recovery effort.

The company has said it normally has bird deterrents deployed on the three-kilometre-wide lake of waste from early spring until late fall. But the noisemakers and scarecrows were not in place because of the harsh winter weather last week, officials said.

The ducks involved were not identified to species in the article. A picture accompanying the article appears to be of an Anas sp. If anyone knows more about their identity, please leave a comment.

See also Ducks Per Gallon for more context.

Update: This is not the first time that birds have been found dead at a tar sands tailings pond:

-At least 15 species of waterfowl have already been documented as having been killed on Syncrude Tar Sands tailings ponds along with an amazing 22 species of non-waterfowl.
-Research at tailings ponds in the late 1970's based on once a week surveys of two Syncrude tailings ponds observed at least 100-300 birds killed annually. Since this was based only on birds observed floating or on the sides of the ponds once a week there was clearly a larger number of birds that sunk or were unobservable so these numbers represent a minimum mortality from only two tailings ponds.
-At single tailings pond sites, research has documented tens of thousands of waterfowl and other wetland-dependent birds migrating over in periods of weeks during spring and fall migration.
-Based on research at the Alberta tar sands tailings ponds it is well documented that birds are most likely to land on the ponds at night, under weather conditions that restrict visiblity and when surrounding natural lakes and ponds are frozen under such conditions there is a very high risk of large numbers of casualties because waterfowl and shorebirds and other wetland dependent birds normally travel in flocks that can regularly number into the hundreds and sometimes into the thousands or tens of thousands. The conditions under which these large mortality events are likely to occur are also periods when it is unlikely that the ponds are monitored in order to observe mortality events. Because of this it is highly likely that mortality events like this may have occurred more frequently than reported.

For a Healthy Chesapeake, Use Less Chemicals

John Beetham — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:25:21 -0500

Maryland's Department of Agriculture has launched a campaign to persuade the state's homeowners to change how they use chemicals around their homes. Fertilizers contain nitrogen and phosphorus. When these wash into the watershed during rainstorms, they contribute to the Chesapeake Bay's summer dead zones.

Maryland still has more fields than lawns, with about 1.4 million acres in agricultural use and 775,000 acres of lawns. But state officials say fertilizer use in the state is almost equally shared between agriculture and lawn care -- which means home gardeners could learn a thing or two about conservation from farmers.

"Gardeners are using more fertilizer, and farmers are using less," explained Buddy Hance, an assistant secretary at the Department of Agriculture, which invited reporters to its Annapolis headquarters today to show off conservation practices farmers use that translate to backyard use.

It is possible to reduce or eliminate fertilizer use and still have a healthy lawn or garden. One alternative is to use homemade compost, which also reduces the amount of trash going into landfills. See the linked article for more suggestions for reducing impact on the bay.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

John Beetham — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:11:04 -0500

May 10th, 2008 7:30 am to 12:00 pm

On Saturday, May 10, join trip leader Dhananjaya Katju for a morning of birding at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day. Participants should meet in the parking lot at 7:30 am.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens has lily ponds, restored marsh with a boardwalk, a woodland river trail and a visitor center. We can expect a good selection of resident and migratory land and water birds. The marsh at KAG is one of the best places in the District to observe migratory herons and shorebirds.

On May 10, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens will open early at 6:30 am for birders.

Directions from most DC points: take New York Ave. east. Just after crossing the Anacostia River (before the road becomes the B-W Pkwy.), right exit to 295 south (Kenilworth Ave. south), and you will almost immediately see a brown sign for KAG. Follow the signs, exiting right onto the Kenilworth Ave. frontage road, turning right on Douglass Avenue, and right on Anacostia Ave. to the parking lot entrance. From downtown, SE, or SW, you can take Independence or Constitution Aves. east past RFK Stadium, over the Whitney Young Bridge, and exit right to 295 at the end of the bridge. Bear left on the ramp to Kenilworth Ave. north, and take the fourth exit, Quarles Street. Bear left and complete the U-turn onto Kenilworth Ave. frontage road. Go one long block to Douglass Street. This route is also signed for KAG. Metrobus (not rail) is also possible, ending with the V-2 bus from Deanwood station to Douglass Street.

Ferreting Out Predators

John Beetham — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:15:18 -0500

When we think of animals with a good sense of smell, we typically think of the Class Mammalia. Dogs, for example, are well-known for their ability to pick up and follow scents over long distances. With the exception of some vultures, birds generally are not known for this ability. The conventional understanding is that birds have only a weak sense of smell.

Some new research may change that understanding. Smell could provide a useful tool to lower the risk of predation, if birds could use it. Such a smell would be especially helpful during breeding season to warn of potential nest predators. To find out whether birds use a sense of smell, researchers studied a colony of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) in Spain.

The researchers carried out an experiment with a population of blue tits that raise their young in nest boxes in Miraflores de la Sierra in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, in Madrid province. The researchers placed the scent of mustelids (ferrets) inside the nest boxes when the chicks were eight days old, and “the parents took longer to enter the boxes to feed their chicks, and they approached the boxes more often without going inside,” Ms. Amo de Paz told SINC.
Thanks to the images captured by a video camera located several metres from the nest box, the scientists were able to work out the number of times the chicks were fed, and deduced that the birds did not feed their chicks on fewer occasions, although “they spent less time inside the nest while feeding their babies,” according to the biologist. By spending less time in the nest box, the parents lessened the risk of predator attack while still feeding their chicks.

As a control, the researches also added a quail scent to some nest boxes and water to other boxes. The quail scent and water did not deter the parent tits to the same extent as the ferret scent. The researchers later checked all the nestlings again to see if the presence of a "predator" had impaired their physical development. The ones in the ferret-scented boxes were just as healthy as the ones in other boxes, so their development did not suffer as a result.

So does this new information have implications for helping baby birds? There is a common concern that picking up a baby bird or handling its nest might cause the bird's parents to abandon their young. Typical advice reassures people that this is not the case, sometimes with a comment that birds will not smell their touch.

In light of this study, the latter part seems mistaken; at least some birds use their sense of smell to avoid predators. However, the basic advice is correct. Even though the tits in the study sensed the presence of potential predators and were more cautious around the nest, their urge to care for their young was stronger, and they still fed the baby birds. The brief handling necessary to place a nest back into a tree or move a fledgling out of harm's way is unlikely to discourage parent birds from returning.

Six Things Birders Can Do to Help the Earth

John Beetham — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:03:57 -0500

Since today is Earth Day, many newspapers and websites are publishing lists of things that people can do to help the environment. Birders can do plenty of things to help the birds we love and reduce our contribution to global warming. Here are a few.

If you own property, convert as much as you can to wildlife habitat, following the suggestions of Audubon at Home and the National Wildlife Federation. At the very least, do not use artificial fertilizers and pesticides or overwater your lawn. Runoff from these chemicals harms our bays and estuaries and has been a major cause of the Chesapeake Bay's decline.
Drink shade coffee instead mass-market coffee to preserve winter habitat for migratory birds. (See the informative Coffee and Conservation blog for more about this.)
Become politically active. Birder's World suggests contacting legislators about some current issues, including the destructive border wall. Get involved in local environmental issues as well.
Reduce electric power consumption. Much of our electricity comes from burning coal, the extraction of which destroys habitat.
Bird locally and use public transportation where possible.
Carry your purchases in reusable bags instead of plastic bags.

If you are looking for other options, see this sustainability primer or the newly revised 50 Simple Things.