Conserving Three Bird Species at Risk in Saskatchewan

Promoting regional conservation of three species of birds at risk in Saskatchewan will be continued with funding assistance from the United States.

The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act program managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently awarded Nature Saskatchewan a grant of $50,000, that will be matched with $475,000 provided by project partners, including the Government of Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, SaskPower, Saskatchewan Environment - Fish and Wildlife Development Fund, The EJLB Foundation, Alliance Pipeline Community Program, and Saskatchewan Environment Sustainable Communities Grant and SaskEnergy through the Prairie Conservation Action Plan.

Additional partners are SaskPower’s Shand Greenhouse, the Prairie Conservation Action Plan, Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre, Burrowing Owl Researchers and the Moose Jaw River Watershed Stewards.

The grant funding will support "increasing awareness about species at risk through landowner visits and tradeshows, and increasing habitat for species at risk through our pasture expansion program,” said Michelle Yaskowich, Habitat Stewardship Coordinator with Nature Saskatchewan, a non-governmental group.

"The NMBCA funds are greatly appreciated as these contribute to Nature Saskatchewan's ability to deliver our conservation programming to preserve a valuable and meaningful natural heritage for future generations," Yaskowich said. "The vast populations of neotropical migrants have a significant influence and impact in boreal areas, on the prairies, and on migration and in wintering areas. Surveys such as Breeding Bird Surveys and our Operation Burrowing Owl program indicate that many species are in serious decline and in need of conservation actions."

The funding will allow the group to continue to "build on the awareness about habitat for grassland birds, species at risk, and other wildlife as well as the mutual benefits of biodiversity and agriculture that is increasing due to our program activities," Yaskowich said in an email. Grant funding "will allow us to start our initiatives at the beginning of May and continue to deliver awareness and outreach activities throughout the year."

Landowner with sign showing their participation in the Operation Burrowing Owl program. Images courtesy of Nature Saskatchewan.

Grant funds will be used for the Stewards of Saskatchewan (SOS) Bird Species At Risk (BSAR) project, according to Yaskowich. This consists of three voluntary stewardship programs:

1) Operation Burrowing Owl (since 1987), for the endangered Burrowing Owl;

2) Shrubs For Shrikes (since 2003), for the threatened Prairie Loggerhead Shrike; and

3) Plovers On Shore (initiated in May 2008), for the endangered Piping Plover.

"There are currently 479 participants in the two established programs, conserving 63,843 hectares of habitat at 638 sites," Yaskowich said. "The owl and shrike populations are monitored at known occurrence sites each spring in an annual census sent to BSAR participants, who record the number of these two species that return to their land. The neotropical grant fund will also help in the development and delivery of the new Plovers On Shore stewardship program."

"These programs increase awareness, conserve or enhance habitat and identify sites and monitor populations of these three species," Yaskowich said.

"Awareness is increased through on-site personal visits to landowners with any of these species to distribute our conservation toolboxes, as well as through attendance at tradeshows/events where outreach materials on the target species and programs are available for landowners and interested urban and rural residents, advertisements and articles in rural newspapers, our 'Wanted' posters and magnets, and our Steward Appreciation Day workshops.

"Habitat conservation is accomplished by engaging landowners in stewardship commitment through signed voluntary agreements - without an expiration date - where the landowner agrees not to destroy habitat, nor harm these species."

The Bird Species at Risk "project also provides 50% cost share funding to landowners for a pasture expansion program to seed cultivated areas to grassland (invasive species excluded) as well as shrub planting, fencing and alternate water developments. This enhances and increases available Burrowing Owl and Loggerhead Shrike habitat as projects occur near existing pastures. Identification of sites is done through landowners and urban and rural residents who call our toll-free number to report sightings, and when Nature Saskatchewan staff are out on the road."

Participants in the Shrubs for Shrikes program.

“The support of private landowners is essential to these projects,” Yaskowich explained. "As of 2000, only 20% of former grasslands in Saskatchewan remained as natural habitat, according to published research. With 85% of southern Saskatchewan's remaining grasslands being privately owned, conservation of this precious landscape would not happen without the help and concern from these landowners, who also make their living off this land. It is because of these environmentally aware landowners that Operation Burrowing Owl, Shrubs For Shrikes and Plovers On Shore exist."

Yaskowich pointed out the importance of international cooperation to conserve birds.

"As birds do not recognize international borders, for bird conservation to be effective countries that share bird species and individuals must work cooperatively and share resources including expertise and funds. For our project, the Burrowing Owls, Loggerhead Shrikes and Piping Plovers that are summer residents on the Canadian prairies are winter residents in the U.S., or pass through on their way to Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico (Piping Plovers). Because individuals and populations are shared, it is crucial that Canada and the United States work together for conservation of these species at risk and their habitat. Cooperation on conservation for these species results in benefits for all prairie species, most of which are migrants to or through the U.S."

Founded in 1949, Nature Saskatchewan is a "member-based, non-profit registered charity dedicated to protecting nature, its diversity, and the processes that sustain it. Their vision is 'Humanity in Harmony with Nature,' with a mission to promote appreciation and understanding of our natural environment through education and to protect and preserve natural ecosystems and their biodiversity through conservation and research."

More than 1,300 individuals from the Prairie Provinces, and other regions of North America are members. There are eleven local affiliates.

Conserving Neotropical Migrants in the Choco Region Forest

Birds in need of conservation will benefit from efforts to protect forest habitats in the Choco biogeographic region of northwest Ecuador and western Columbia.

"The Chocó biogeographic zone is an internationally recognized conservation priority," according to the summary for a grant recently awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "However, use of these forests as wintering habitat by these priority species is poorly understood. In Ecuador, over 96% of original Chocó forests were already cut by 1996 and much of what does remain is not well protected."

Project goals are to:

1) Identify priority habitats for conservation of neotropical migrants by surveying a series of chronically understudied and critically threatened habitats.

2) Build in-country capacity by training local residents, university students, and professional biologists via direct participation in research and education efforts.

3) Provide environmental education on neotropical migrants and their conservation needs to local adults and children.

4) Create and preserve habitat for neotropical migrants by establishing community forest reserves and reforestation of over 600 hectares.

Funding - nearly $572,000 - comes from a National Migratory Bird Conservation Act federal grant provided by the Fish and Wildlife Service, along with matching funds that provided $452,000 of the total amount, from partners including the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund, Conservation, Food, and Health Foundation, University of California, Los Angeles, Jatun Sacha Foundation, and a private donor to the University of California, Los Angeles.

"The work is coordinated with and supported by the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment, and undertaken in collaboration with Ecuadorian non-governmental organizations and universities and is explicitly coordinated with BirdLife International's Important Bird Area program," according to the grant summary.

"The Chocó biogeographical region spans about 100,000 square kilometers of humid forest in western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador, and is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world," according to Dr. Jordan Karubian, with the Center for Tropical Research at the University of California at Los Angeles. "Surveys have revealed exceptional diversity and endemism in plants, reptiles, amphibians, birds and butterflies, and the area is widely recognized as one of 17 'Hot Spots' for biodiversity. In terms of migratory birds, for example, the Chocó supports wintering populations at least 70 potential Neotropical migrants," according to data from Birdlife International, "including 20 species listed as conservation priorities in Birds of Conservation Concern, and five of the top ten priority species listed in the Partners in Flight, North American Landbird Conservation Plan: the Cerulean Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Canada Warbler, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and American Swallow-tailed Kite."

The project will "identify priority areas in the Choco region, and will be implemented in three large, Important Birding Area's: 1), the Mache-Chindul Reserve (120,000 hectares, 100-700 meters of elevation); 2), Mataje-Cayapas-Santiago (68,000 ha., 0-35 m. elev.); and, 3), Reserva Ecologica Cotacachi-Cayapas (350,000 ha., 80 - 5,000 m. elev)," Karubian explained in an email. "These IBAs in the provinces of Esmeraldas and Manabi, are government-recognized reserves and contain some of the largest tracts of pristine Chocó forests in Ecuador, and were selected for intensive study because of their importance for neotropical migratory bird populations and conservation in general. They also capture much of the variation in elevation within the Ecuadorian Chocó, ranging from sea level to 4,300 m. elevation, and extending to the extreme northern, southern, eastern and western extents of Chocó habitat in Ecuador. The bird sampling regime will include the entire range of elevation, rainfall, and temperature regimes found in the Ecuadorian Chocó. Additionally, the three are priorities for additional data collection because of current low levels of data available for each site.

"These sites also include most major demographic groups in the Ecuadorian Chocó, including indigenous Chachi and Awa peoples, as well as Afro-Ecuadorians and more recent colonists. Most communities subsist on agriculture, livestock, hunting, and/or timber extraction, though many patches of primary forest remain intact.

"The main challenge is to conserve habitat," according to Karubian. "This is challenging for a number of reasons, not least of which is that we have a relatively poor understanding of what habitats are critical for priority species. The key is to work with local residents to (1) educate them about the importance of these habitats and species and (2) provide economically viable alternatives to habitat destruction. These are both challenging, though the second point is the toughest!

"Education is key to local conservation, and we will expand two highly successful models for local education that we developed in the Mache Chindul IBA. The local residents who receive training as field biologists will also be trained to make public presentations to local communities in and around the IBA's in which we work. These Powerpoint presentations will be given using a digital video projector in combination with a portable laptop computer. The general format will be to discuss Chocó habitat; the phenomenon of migration and migratory birds; the importance of the Chocó for migratory birds; our research project on migratory birds including methods and results; and finally the need to conserve remaining habitat. The presentations will be directed toward adults. We have found that local residents are much more effective at conveying a conservation message than people from outside the communities could ever hope to be. An average of one presentation per month will be presented in each of the IBA's, each to a different community (54 total presentations). Community members will be trained in methods such as extracting birds from mist nets, bird identification, and taking blood samples, morphological measures, and habitat samples. These individuals will then receive full time employment as field biologists while working on this project. A model system for this proposed training is already underway in the Mache-Chindul Reserve. Building in-country scientific capacity is key to conservation in Ecuador. We will leverage the strong collaborative relationships that has been developed with Universidad San Francisco de Quito and Universidad Central in Quito, Ecuador to train a total of six promising young biologists.

"One of the major challenges facing conservation groups" in the area, Karubian said, is "the lack of communication between universities, non-governmental organizations, and state government. One of our goals at Center for Tropical Research is to bridge this gap, and an explicit goal of this project is to bring together communities, NGO's and universities and government from Ecuador and the United States."

The Center for Tropical Research (CTR) is an inter-disciplinary research group dedicated to conservation through the highest quality scientific research coupled with on-the-ground socioeconomic approaches. CTR operates under the umbrella of the Institute of the Environment at UCLA and is led by Director Dr. Thomas B. Smith and Dr. Jordan Karubian, who maintained a full-time presence in Ecuador from 2001 - 2005. Our goal is to implement research, conservation, and training projects with collaborators from local communities, universities, government departments, and NGOs.

This project will take place from July 2008 to July 1010.

Banding With a Message the Focus for a Nebraska Birder

Bird banding with a focus on educating people of all ages about the importance of birds in the environment has been the focus for Ruth Green, a Nebraska birder for more than three decades.

"I work to change people's attitude to one where they value and appreciate birds," she said. "My greatest joy is teaching kids about birds in the environment," Green said. "Banding is how to get children involved. Children are always interested to some extent. Adults are more interested and concerned with the use of chemicals such as pesticides."

Besides regular banding programs, an important teaching opportunity has been at 36 different Elderhostel events, both in Nebraska and elsewhere in the U.S. Introductory birding classes have also been taught at the local natural resources district.

Master bander Ruth Green at a banding/educational program at Schramm Park.

Green's teaching skills were honed by 35 years as a teacher, with 26 years in Bellevue, until her retirement in 1988. Much of her time is now devoted to banding spreading the word on the value of birds.

Green first learned about banding from Mr. and Mrs. Fitzhugh Diggs, of Hamburg Iowa. After seeing them banding birds, she knew this was something she wanted to do, and got started in 1966, helped along by a scholarship to attend a six-week class in nature study.

"I went from there," she said, starting as a volunteer at Fontenelle Forest - a wonderful haven for birds along the Missouri River in eastern Nebraska, near her Bellevue home. She kept doing this for 26 years, and banded there for twenty years.

Kris Hammond has been learning the necessities and skills of banding from master bander Green, since 2001. Also learning the necessary skills from Green are Penny Zahurones, a young man from Council Bluffs, and occasionally someone from Kansas.

There have been many instances where birds have been found to have tumors. Robins and Blue Jays have been noted with overgrown, malformed beaks. When three birds with this abnormality were captured one morning in the same area, Green evaluated the situation to determine how chemical runoff from a sod farm into a stream where the birds drank, was the likely culprit.

"An environment that isn't safe for birds, isn't safe for you," she tells people during her volunteer banding programs.

On a recent Saturday morning at Schramm state park, Green and her assistants banded Harris's Sparrow, Black-capped Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch and Purple Finch.

During her comments to the group - including two Boy Scout troops - present on a recent Saturday morning, she often referred to the importance of birds as environmental indicators. The impacts are explained with banding of the songbirds captured in the mist nets so they can receive a band.

With a dainty Black-capped Chickadee in hand and being used as a teaching aide, it can provide an opportunity to discuss West Nile virus and how the number of little chickadees has varied in recent years, since this species is dramatically impacted by the extent of the virus.

Holding up an Eastern Bluebird, for the crowd to appreciate.

Roaming cats were especially mentioned, as Green took the time - asking the crowd to listen closely - to explain that cats' should not be let out around towns and in the wild where the roaming predators kill many birds. Even at the unsettled environs of Halsey Forest, cats are known to eat young bobwhite quail.

"Cat's kept in the house don't destroy our song birds," she said.

A couple of times a bird was held close to someone's ears, so they could hear its fast, beating heart.

Among the lessons in the natural history of birds were how they are adapted for flight, Green taking time to explain how wings, lightweight feathers and hollow bones each are essential for this ability. Other birdly knowledge shared with the visitors was how a bird's bill shape determines the type of food eaten, when and where different species nest, the field marks essential for proper identification, and resident versus migratory species.

The lessons were cleverly done to keep the youngsters interested. Facts were shared, and the kids were asked questions to help them learn and recall what they had heard. Their interest was obvious with the many hand's excitedly held high to be the one chosen to provide an answer.

During the informal presentation, the strictures of banding were explained, so the crowd could understand the importance of keeping accurate records, aging the bird, understanding of band sizes and other essential details of the endeavor. Banding is managed by the Bird Banding Laboratory of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The legal status of birds was even a part of the message, told through the point that birds should not be killed - especially not being shot with a youngster's bb-gun - and that it was not legal to possess feathers or nests.

A different youngster was allowed to carefully hold and release the birds back outdoors, once they received their special leg band.

The bird banding program is "good education for the children," said Jill Fulfs, present with her two young children. "Birds are a good place to start" for them to learn about nature and the outdoors.

Penny Zahurones holding a male Eastern Bluebird prior to its release.

A special hit for the group was a male Eastern Bluebird. It had been the goal of Penny Zahurones to capture and band this vibrant species. A male with its vivid breeding plumage of spring, was captured and received quite a bit of attention. As it was banded, Green explained a bit about the plight of the species as its populations had declined due to loss of cavities it had formerly used for nesting, and the value of bluebird trails with numerous nest boxes which have helped the species to thrive. The beautiful bird was carefully held while being photographed numerous times, after it got its leg band.

Zahurones banded the bluebird, giving the moment special importance in recognition of a friend's 50th birthday.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker was also a favorite with the visitors, drawing great attention as its image was captured in photographs.

Rare or unusual species - or a bird with notable features - are documented by a photograph, and she has many images of her banding work. The pictures are very helpful for a class she teaches, called "Things Your Field Guides Don't Tell You." The images show a chickadee with an odd brown coloration, the coloration of hybrid flickers at Halsey, a Mourning Dove with rare gold iridescence, or the traits of different subspecies or races.

"Pictures can prove the skeptics wrong," Green added.

Not all her pictures are bird related, as she also enjoys taking other types of photographs, including scenic views and flora. She started the camera club at Shramm fifteen years ago, and the members now have an annual photography contest, and have an annual show at the park aquarium.

During a lull in the banding, Green mentioned some of the highlights of her bird banding since 1978, especially some unusual occurrences of species, including:

• a Curve-billed Thrasher at Scottsbluff
• a Hammond's Flycatcher at Halsey Forest
• a Black-throated Sparrow at South Omaha

She shared a picture showing a rare black-and-white House Finch, the odd coloration revealing leucosistic and melanastic traits on the same bird.

Returns from bands are an important tool to learn about migration patterns. For example, a Pine Siskin banded at Chadron in April, was recaptured in December at a bird feeder at Springfield, Oregon. A Gray Catbird caught in the net in Nebraska, had been banded eleven years earlier in Rhode Island.

An important place where Green has banded is at the 4-H camp at Halsey National Forest, with its planted tree haven in the intrepid Sand Hills. She occasionally teaches classes here, on birds for kids from area towns, and is often present at some of the annual meetings of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union that are held at this manmade forest.

Banding about 100,000 birds has exposed Green to many interesting details of different birds, mentioning an apparent greater variation in plumage of different species now, when compared to the past, the changes due to some environmental influence.

"People now are much better educated in the value of birds," than in the past, Green said. "Nebraska is ahead in some ways, with excellent natures centers teaching people about the value of birds in the environment. These places do a superb job."

Challenges for birds will continue to worsen with the changes always occurring in the environment, Green said. One of the biggest threats is the ongoing loss of the natural habitats essential for birds to survive.

Impacts to habitats even occur as more corn is grown for use in ethanol fuel, with the crop production altering land use, consuming large amounts of water from the valuable Ogallala aquifer that creates wetlands and nourishes streams and rivers, and application of chemicals used to grow crops and can cause water quality problems.

Light pollution is also affecting how birds migrate, especially passerine species. During her many years of banding at Halsey, a notable change has been seeing species more typical of other regions.

"Birds are seeking new migratory routes," Green said. "Eastern and western species are pushing into the dark corridor still present in central Nebraska," she said. The explanation is the light pollution that extends from Council Bluffs, westward to the Grand Island and Kearney area that is obvious on a night light map of the United States. There is then a dark corridor, and the night skies are bright again in the high plains of western Nebraska and Colorado.

Bird banding is a regular event the first Saturday morning of the month, from September through May, at 9:00 to 12:00 A.M. at Schramm Park, along the Platte River hills. Green has been conducting this volunteer effort for 15 years.