Holiday Gift Ideas for Bird Conservationists

The onslaught of the holiday shopping season has begun and you might be wondering what gift is just right for a loved one. Save yourself some time and energy and use the American Avian Conservation Association’s holiday gift guide below to help you choose the perfect gift for the birdwatcher in your life.

•Bird-feeders and bags of bird-seed are always appreciated by novice and expert birdwatchers alike. A standard hopper feeder is always a safe bet, but if you're more familiar with feeder types you may want to try platform feeders for ground-feeding birds, like sparrows and dove, or more specialized feeders like those designed specifically for finches. Droll Yankee makes quality feeders. For a unique and whimsical gift, a bird-seed wreathe can be a great holiday gift. Pipestem Creek is one such company that makes some beautiful and functional wreaths that can provide a unique holiday accent to your home and feed the birds at the same time.

•Nest boxes can provide opportunities for entertainment and learning for birdwatchers; young and old alike. If your birdwatcher lives in a city or suburb you might try purchasing a wren or chickadee nest box for them. The smaller holes of these boxes make it difficult for non-native House Sparrows, which are often abundant in human habitats, to gain access to them. For more rural homes a bluebird box or even a Screech-owl box can make a wonderful gift.

•Books are valuable tools for people looking for tips and techniques on everything from choosing seed and feeder types, to building and installing bird houses, to choosing landscaping plants to attract birds. Look for them in your local bookstore.

•Gift memberships to bird conservation organizations can make a wonderful gift because the recipient can join a local and nationwide network of people who share their passion about the conservation of birds and other wildlife. You also have the satisfaction that your gift is going to support the work that these organizations do to protect birds and their habitats.

•A gift that is both an attractive piece of art and supports conservation is a habitat stamp. The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (a.k.a. "The Duck Stamp") can make a wonderful gift for the birdwatcher in your life. $0.98 of every dollar spent on a "Duck Stamp" goes into leasing or purchasing land in the National Wildlife Refuge System, which provides critical habitat for many species of birds throughout the country. "Duck Stamps" are so named because they often depict species of waterfowl. Art for the stamps are chosen through a competitive contest. The stamps can be purchased in most post offices and outdoor sporting goods stores. You can get more information about how to purchase a stamp at 1-800-782-6724.

•Gift certificates to native plant nurseries can be a great gift for someone who likes to garden or landscape for birds, butterflies, or other wildlife. Native plants are better for birds for a variety of reasons, including as a more nutritious food source and safer nesting habitat.

•If your birdwatcher enjoys a good cup of coffee in the morning while checking out the birds on their feeders, you might want to consider purchasing some bird-friendly coffee for them. Bird-friendly coffee is grown in a manner that both preserves habitat for migratory and resident birds in central and South America, and does not involve pesticides and fertilizers. As a result the coffee is often certified as being organically grown. You can usually find bird-friendly coffee in the organic section of your local grocery store or your favorite local bird-specialty store. For a great-tasting bird-friendly coffee check out Good Migrations coffee. Learn more about bird-friendly coffee for birds by visiting the Coffee and Conservation web-site.

•For the high-tech birdwatcher an mp3 player with portable external speakers can be a good way of cataloging and condensing all of those bird song cds into one spot for quick reference. BirdJam customizes Apple iPod mp3 players with bird song cds and software already loaded and organized for quick and easy playback. These can be a great tool for helping someone learn their bird song identification.

•On those days when the weather is less than cooperative and the birds have sought shelter elsewhere, a good bird DVD might be in order. Popular movies like "Winged Migration," "March of the Penguins," "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill," and “Happy Feet” can provide hours of learning and entertainment. Other movies like the 10-part documentary "The Life of Birds" by David Attenborough can be a great source of information about the ecology and identification of birds.

•For a truly unique and memorable gift for the birdwatcher in your life a bird-watching eco-tour vacation might be in order. Bird-watching eco-tours can be a great way to explore the world, see birds as well as other wildlife, learn about new cultures, and support the protection of natural habitats. National Geographic offers a wide array of tour destinations with a variety of different purposes.

Helping Birds For the Holidays

This is the the time of year when people send out dozens of holiday cards, but those holiday cards come with a price (literally & figuratively).

According to 2005 U.S. Census values, every year U.S. citizens send 1.9 Billion Christmas cards during the Winter holiday season. Much of the paper for those cards comes from trees logged in the boreal forests of Canada. The boreal forests are considered North America's bird nursery because so many neotropical birds breed and raise their young there, making it an important habitat for many bird species.

To help reduce paper consumption and protect the boreal forest for birds, the American Avian Conservation Association is making free electronic cards (e-cards) available for you to send to your friends and loved ones this holiday season. You can download a pdf card by clicking on an icon below. There are several different bird species to choose from, and two different messages.

To learn more about the boreal forest and it's importance for birds, be sure to check out the Boreal Songbird Initiative web-site.

The Election is Over...Now What?

The mud-slinging has ceased and the ballots are counted (mostly). Now it's time to think about what to do with all of the flyers, signs, posters, and other products sent out by the various politicians and their respective political parties.

Many of the various paper-based products can be recycled via recylcing bins, but plastic signs may need to be taken to a recycling center. You can find a recycling center near you by visiting the Earth911 website.

You may also want to consider new and creative ways to use the various products. For example could flyers be used for a children's art project?

Recycling your political products can prevent more waste accumulating in landfills, and also helps protect forests for birds.

Immediate Impacts of Climate Change on Birds

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the average number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes has increased over the last 30 years due to a changing climate. Additionally, as our climate changes further these storms may become more intense with greater wind speeds and more intense precipitation.

What will this mean for birds? The recent absence of migratory birds along the Texas Gulf Coast following the habitat destruction caused by Hurricane Ike might be foreshadowing of what's in store for the future. Further loss of migratory stopover habitats due to more frequent and intense tropical hurricane events may mean the loss of many of our neotropical migrant bird species.

You can read more about the devastation of High Island following Hurricane Ike here.

There are some basic things you can do immediately to start countering climate change:

1.) Calculate and reduce your Carbon Footprint

2.) Conduct an energy audit of your home and work to improve its energy efficiency

3.) Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact flourescent bulbs

4.) Use water wisely around the home and office

5.) Drive Greener & Smarter

6.) Shop Locally by supporting community supported agriculture (CSA's)

7.) Green up your lawn

8.) Reduce, Re-Use, & Recycle

9.) Plant Trees--urban trees can sequester 772 million tons of carbon annually.

10.) Protect Native Forests--Global forests are predicted to sequester 1-3 Gigatons of carbon annually. Native forest habitats are also important as stopover and breeding habitat for many neotropical migratory bird species.

11.) Protect and Restore Habitats--Restoring degraded habitats can potentially increase the amount of habitat available for migratory and breeding birds.

12.) Help monitor birds through Citizen Science projects.

13.) Consider voluntourism for your next vacation--rather than taking a typical carbon-intensive birding trip, consider volunteering somewhere to help restore bird habitats. It could be your favorite local birding sites or a favorite birding destination, like locations along the Texas Coastal Birding Trail.

Department of Interior Proposes Changes to Endangered Species Act

Proposed Changes Potentially Weakens ESA

In an effort to cripple attempts by environmentalists to use the Endangered Species Act as a tool for regulating gases responsible for climate change Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, proposed changes to the ESA that would minimize the necessity for federal agencies to seek US Fish and Wildlife Service consultation about the impact of proposed projects on endangered species.

Kempthorne’s proposal was precipitated by the recent listing of Polar Bears as an endangered species that resulted from a lawsuit by environmentalist groups.

A press release from the Office of the Department of Interior states, “These changes are designed to reduce the number of unnecessary consultations under the ESA so that more time and resources can be devoted to the protection of the most vulnerable species. Under the proposed rule, agency actions that could cause an adverse impact to listed species are still subject to the consultation requirement.”

“The proposed rule is consistent with the FWS current understanding that it is not possible to draw a direct causal link between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and distant observations of impacts affecting species. As a result, it is inappropriate to consult on a remote agency action involving the contribution of emissions to global warming because it is not possible to link the emissions to impacts on specific listed species such as polar bears.”

Beyond greenhouse gas regulation the proposed ruling may also impact decision-making related to a variety of development projects including oil and gas drilling, road construction projects, and actions on private lands, which could impact a variety of species through disturbance and habitat loss.

The National Wildlife Federation summarizes the proposed changes as follows:

•Eliminate informal consultations. Currently, federal agencies seeking to carry out, fund or permit an action must enter into either formal or informal consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service if the action is found to have any affect whatsoever on a listed species. The Bush Administration wants to significantly reduce informal consultations by allowing proponents of federal projects to decide unilaterally whether projects have adverse effects on listed species. This would eliminate the ability of the Service to review projects and employ its expert scientific judgment about what is needed to protect species and habitats unless an agency requests an informal consultation.

•Reduce the number of formal consultations. These are the in-depth reviews that lead to the preparation of a biological opinion, in which the Service determines whether a project will jeopardize listed species or adversely modify its critical habitat and, if so, how the project must be modified to avoid harm. The proposed changes eliminate the requirement for formal consultation any time that an agency unilaterally determines that a project will have no adverse effect on listed species.

•Avoid or minimize consultations based on "Lack of Causation" arguments. Under this rule, agencies could avoid consultation if they determine their action will have only a “marginal” impact on a listed species, ignoring the fact that the cumulative effect of “marginal” piecemeal destruction of habitat quantity and quality is one of the main causes of species decline and extinction.

•Impose an arbitrary deadline on the consultation process. Perhaps most outrageously, the Administration proposes to impose a 60-day deadline on the Service to respond to an agency’s request for consultation and, if this deadline is not met, to allow the project to go forward regardless of the impacts of the project on listed species.

While these rules will be formally presented in the coming weeks, which will be accompanied by a 60-day comment period, the Associated Press was able to obtain a draft copy of the proposed changes. You can also download a pdf draft copy of the proposed changes here.

To read more about the proposed changes check out the National Wildlife Federation’s web-site or read the Associated Press article.

The National Wildlife Federation has established an e-action statement to enable people to voice their opinion. Click here to make your voice heard.

Keeping Birds Safe While Fighting Mosquitoes

It’s mosquito season once again and health departments are spraying insecticides in neighborhoods in an attempt to control adult mosquitoes in an attempt to prevent the spread of diseases like West Nile Virus.

Unfortunately, these spraying programs pose some potential problems. First, they only knock down adult mosquitoes and does little to impact larval mosquitoes which means there are more mosquitoes capable of emerging after the insecticide has dispersed from the air. Secondly, many of the insecticides that are used, like permethrin, are non-specific insecticides and can kill beneficial insects, like bees needed for pollination or other insects that are food for birds.

There are some simple, bird-friendly actions everyone can take to help reduce their own exposure to mosquitoes that may potentially carry West Nile, as well as help reduce mosquito populations around homes and in communities which reduces the potential number of mosquitoes that can bite birds and pass along the disease to humans.

Preventing Individual Exposure:

1.) Wear DEET, or another effective mosquito repellent, when working outside.

-many people do not like wearing DEET because they do not like the greasy feel or the fact that it’s a plasticizer (it dissolves plastic), or that it’s synthetic. DEET however has been around for long time and was designed to be used on human skin. Though the body does absorb DEET through the skin, the repellent is entirely flushed out of the body in about 12 hours. (DEET is a repellent, not an insecticide (it discourages insects, but doesn’t kill them the way an insecticide does).

-the higher the amount of DEET the longer it lasts, however effectiveness drops off around 40% (i.e. a solution containing 40% DEET is just as effective and lasts just as long as 100% DEET).

-Two new chemicals that the CDC began recommending in 2005 are Picaridin, which is effective at high concentrations (but not available in high concentrations in the US) and oil of lemon eucalyptus.

2.) If you do not like using chemicals on your skin you can wear clothing that covers up your skin. Even more effective is new clothing called Insect Shield.

-Insect Shield clothing incorporates insect repellent into the fabric of the clothing itself. So in addition to the protection afforded by the clothing itself, you have an additional layer of protection with the repellent.

Reducing Mosquito Populations Around your Home:

1.) Eliminate Standing Water—This can be done in a number of different manners.

-Obviously old tires, flower pots, children’s toys etc. can be over turned or covered to prevent pooling of stagnant water.

-Adding a bubbler aeration device (like those found in fish tanks), fountain, or even a drip device can potentially be enough to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in bird baths. The added benefit to this is that it provides a clean source of water for birds during the heat of summer where they won’t be exposed to mosquitoes, and birds are attracted to the sound of moving water.


2.) In areas that you are unable to cover or dump (like a man-made backyard pond) try adding Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) dunks to the water. This will help reduce mosquito larvae.

-It’s important to not add Bt dunks to natural ponds, wetlands, or ephemeral woodland wetlands. While these may be breeding sites for mosquitoes, the mosquito larvae are a source of food for other species like tadpoles, salamanders, small fish, and even other insects.


3.) Attract more birds to your yard

-Try reducing mosquitoes by attracting more insectivorous birds, like swallows to your yard. If you have a backyard pond try attracting Purple Martins. If you live near a field you may want to attract Eastern Bluebirds and/or Tree Swallows. You can also attract other species like wrens, thrushes and flycatchers. To attract these birds try providing nesting structures for them. Birds need more protein during the breeding season for themselves, and for their young. Mosquitoes and other insects can be an important source of protein for young birds and their parents because mosquitoes have a tendency to be abundant and therefore easier to find and catch.

These few simple things can be an easy and effective way of reducing your exposure to mosquitoes and easily benefiting birds and other wildlife visiting your yard or community.For more information about West Nile Virus or controlling mosquitoes around your home check out the following links:

Beyond Pesticides: Backyard Mosquito Management (pdf download)

Center for Disease Control:Fight The Bite!

AACA working to protect bird habitats from threat of urban sprawl

The American Avian Conservation Association, through outreach efforts, is working to promote urban re-development in Columbus, Ohio to protect natural and agricultural habitats in central Ohio from being developed, thereby protecting critical habitats for birds.

A Columbus based investment company has proposed to re-develop Cooper Stadium, a local baseball stadium, into a a motor raceway. Unfortunately, this has brought criticisms and challenges from local community members and groups, who are mainly concerned about potential noise from the proposed raceway.

The site is also near several urban birding sites. Not surprisingly, several organizations and community groups have raised concerns about how noise may impact birds in these urban habitats and have threatened to block re-development efforts.

In a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, called "The Other Paper", the American Avian Conservation Association (AACA) addressed several concerns about potential noise impacts to urban birds. A number of studies have shown that bird species residing in urban habitats have the capability to adapt to loud noises, common in urban habitats, by varying the frequency, volume, and timing of their songs.

Interestingly, this is not the first time noise concerns have been used in an attempt to block construction at the site. When the stadium was initially set to begin construction in 1931 local community groups raised concerns about noise impacts and filed petitions with the Columbus City Council. In spite of these concerns and petitions construction of the stadium proceeded, it opened in 1932, and is regarded today as a local landmark.

The AACA also corrected several omisssions and incorrect statements that had been published in the original story regarding the re-development project, including the fact that other well-known birding sites around the country can also be found near noise-intense development projects including an airport in Philadelphia and the Indianapolis motor raceway in Indiana.

People who support bird conservation should work to advocate for urban re-development as a means of protecting critical bird habitats.

Re-development of land in urban areas is important for reducing the spread of urban sprawl and the continued loss of bird habitats in Ohio. Developed land in Ohio accounts for anywhere from 12.9-14.6% of land use in the state, and developed lands in Ohio have increased 38.5% in just 20 years.

A number of bird species in Ohio may face population declines as a result of urban sprawl and the loss of habitats including grassland species like Grasshopper Sparrows and Oak-Hickory-Savannah species like Red-headed Woodpeckers.

Contact the AACA to join or support our conservation efforts (see e-mail address on the right-hand side of this page).