Birdly Wonders at Hummel Park

With an intent and purpose on a Wednesday morning, two birders with an interest in habitat conservation ventured forth on an onerous task, about the northern extent of Hummel Park.

It was warm and humid - as fog clouds were dissipating moment to moment - and remained. Biting sorts of bugs were not pesky enough to be troublesome. The greatest bother were the many spider webs slung hither and yon, at a scene mostly undisturbed by walkers for weeks as the access roads to the park are closed due to adjacent flooding along the Missouri River.

The duo visiting this day parked in the lot north of Ponca Creek, then walked into the northern hills, along the creek again and finished up at the point of origin, near the hilltop shelter and picnic grounds. The time expended for this task was much longer than this account might convey.

Summer Wonders

For a mid-August day, there was a fine variety of bird species. The morning's tally included:

Photogenic turkey vulture.

• Wild Turkey - flock with three adult females comprised at least 14, including large juveniles
• Turkey Vulture - two were consistently seen soaring above the park, and near the end of the outing, the reason for their ongoing presence became obvious. A juvenile which could only fly short distances was seen. It was resplendent in its downy gray-colored neck feathers. It was trusting enough to allow a close approach to get a portrait. It seems that due to the lack of human visitors to the park - because of no access for vehicular traffic - that the vultures were able to successfully nest. Best wishes to this youngster which should be able to get along well until it can safely fly from any local disturbance.
• Cooper's Hawk - the reason crows and blue jays were adamant in expressing their displeasure.
• Broad-winged Hawk - three were noted soaring above the hills; one was an obvious juvenile. With the regular sightings of this species in this vicinity earlier in the season (i.e., mid-May when vehicular access was still allowed), this raptor was able to raise its young. This is the first known instance of confirmed breeding.
• Mourning Dove - a couple seen, but more readily noted just to the east in a mown field adjacent to the water-covered floodplain
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo - a few readily heard in the hills and along Ponca Creek
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird - flitting about the hills and along the creek
• Belted Kingfisher - heard just eastward of the park, probably fishing along the east side of river road
• Red-bellied Woodpecker - load and boisterous during their day
• Downy Woodpecker - sublime in their expression
• Eastern Wood-Pewee - notable for its call at the picnic ground hilltop
• Yellow-throated Vireo - heard
• Red-eyed Vireo - various calls indicated this bird was about
• Blue Jay - unmistakable in its vociferous manner
• American Crow - expressive in their own way about something they did not like
• Purple Martin - calls heard above the hills
• Barn Swallow - near the day camp grounds where the contractors drive in to construct the new nature center building
• Black-capped Chickadee - a few groups with indications of young of the year
• Tufted Titmouse - especially expressive near the hilltop, with an interesting array of calls, indicating an expectation that a small group of at least four included young of the year
• White-breasted Nuthatch - always a welcomed sound in the forest
• Carolina Wren - exuberantly singing along Ponca Creek
• House Wren - sublime in its voice this late in the season, as noted along the creek and in the hills
• American Robin - worthy of a mention
• Gray Catbird - a "meow" heard
• Brown Thrasher - seen once among the shrubbery of the north hills
• Summer Tanager - heard along Ponca Creek; on 5 August 2003, a juvenile bird was noted, so it is very possible that the bird noted today was the parent of some silent youngster
• Scarlet Tanager - those seen along the creek included a juvenile; this was the first notation for this species in 2011; on 6 August 2003, a pair with a juvenile were noted in the park, a known haven for the species since 1990
• Chipping Sparrow - near the north side parking lot
• Northern Cardinal - some itty-bits of red colored hues flitting through the trees were reminders for these colorful songsters
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak - heard along Ponca Creek
• Indigo Bunting - several noted along the creek
• Baltimore Oriole - among the arboreal splendor of the creek
• American Goldfinch - characteristic in their expression as they coursed through the park's air space

The 33 species noted during the four-hour outing is nothing especially grand for the variety of species noted. What was significant and knowingly appreciated was the obvious expression by several species which confirm their breeding success.

An undisturbed park setting was an obvious factor - based upon knowledge and decades of focused learning - for the breeding bird observations made this late in the breeding season.

A final image - shown below - conveys what the future may portend for this park, once the roads are clear and the disc golf "gang" continues their focused effort to unknowingly destroy or ruin forest features so important to birds in what is - for a final season - an undisturbed natural setting.

Barbie does not like the OMDGA because they are ruining the forest!

A salute to the birds and their season so vividly expressed to a couple of two-legged visitors on an August day.

Zesto Design Includes Bird Hazards

The design for a new Zesto in north downtown Omaha includes design features which are known to be hazardous to migratory birds.

A courtesy image shows basically a glass exterior with separated by brick columns for one portion of the structure, apparently on the northeast corner. The glass extends for more than one floor. There is also the exterior vegetation which will attract birds. The trees are placed at just the right distance to cause reflections in the glass and which have been repeatedly shown to cause bird strikes. Also, having green foliage (i.e., trees) visible "through the glass" will confuse birds which would think they could fly directly from one to the other. But there will be glass panes in the way.

There have been hundreds of bird strikes in this vicinity, including several along the street where this building is to be constructed.

It is quite ironic that will other buildings have been required to alter their facade to reduce bird strikes, Omaha architects continue to design and promote structures will features that are known hazards.

The Zesto building does not appear to be a structure that will be bird-friendly. And thus it will not meet the criteria to be a "green building."

The building is expected to open in March, just in time for spring bird migration.

The same architectural firm that designed this building, also designed the Slowdown complex, where bird-strikes have been documented. They were also the firm that added the north glass facade to Criss Library, and which is now a place of danger to migratory birds, as their lifeless carcasses have been found in the garden. The firms notes the glass with provides "an abundance of natural light" as a special feature of the building.

In a perverse sense, the recent construction of the parking lot complex to the west of this building - which removed much of the plant growth - has led to fewer strikes.

With ongoing construction of buildings with features known to be hazardous to migratory birds, it is difficult to make any progress in reducing their extent in metro Omaha.

Naturalistic Perspectives Threatened at Carter Lake

This is a view of Carter Lake from where the Sandy Griswold bird sanctuary sign should be placed.

Notice how it presents a basically unadulterated view, similar to what the place might have looked at the time when Griswold was active in bird conservation efforts. It even looks somewhat similar to what the river channel may have looked like in former times, before the lake was cutoff from the river channel, by natural water action, not because of any human influence.

This sort of view is seriously threatened by the so-called "lake improvement" efforts supported by government officials, some with "single-purpose" attitudes, rather than a comprehensive approach. As plans are now it would not be possible, once the work occurs, to ever get a naturalistic scene to enjoy because the banks will be covered with rocks and senseless groins - because people don't like to fish from the bank - will intrude into the water space.

Now is the time to enjoy this sort of a scene at the lake because as soon as public officials can, they will alter it forever.

This is a view of Canada geese on the industrial lawn at Levi Carter Park. The picture has been altered just as public officials have and will continue to drastically alter the place and the lake.

Colorful Phantasm of Martins Midtown

An evening's interlude once again led to the medical center campus midtown. Approaching from Carthage and then Dundee, the prime light of a setting sun lit the buildings in a palette of expression sufficient to capture an observant's imagination. The coloration was sublime, requiring stops along the way to absorb the varied hues.

On the scene of the regular martinfest this season, the first subjects of focus were notably just to the north above the trees. More bugs there because of the arboreal foliage.

The first Purple Martin was at the roost site by 330 South at 7:45 p.m. Others then arrived at their suitable time, languid in flight among the unseen currents of the sky space.

Additional bits of birdlife were present during the prelude to the grand spectacle.

Cedar Waxwings went one direction then another, and back again. A flock of four turned three towards the great north. There then went south anyway after a brief time.

Gradually the birds concentration above the hard streets of urban Omaha. Big-sized martins close by. Little martins high in the sky. A dragonfly drone nearby were all parts of the place.

Martins soar in such a casual manner. Adults and season's young traverse hither and yonder over there as their congregation gathers on a Friday eve of no special significance - except for the martins which know what is important for them, as expressed year after year.

Each bird has their own part of space. With a dip or a dash, or with a quick flash of flight, they pass wing-to-wing.

There was an Eastern Kingbird atop the tree near a hard-concrete vantage point. How unexpected. It may have thought the same as it was gone within a minute or two.

Martins continued to gather. And get together in a spectacle of their own concern and importance.

There were a few watchers, the first noted this season. One man north of Farnam was bedecked in outdoorsman garb, including a broad hat for protection from nonexistent sunlight. An obviously comfortable group of three had lawn chairs and other accouterments on the lawn.

With the descent of dusk, birds overwhelmed the scene on the street, once again at this place.

Noisy bunches of starlings arrived. In came the more boisterous grackles. These were lesser birds in more ways than one.

A pungence from birdly droppings was obvious in the moist air of the evening.

Doves dashed around. Swifts twittered above.

A miasma of tendrils can be imagined in a phantasmagoria manner in the sky from the flight patterns of 35,000 individual martins gathered in an unsurpassed spectacle. Their flight displays are appreciated only by observation. An observer could scribe an account which might be expressive, but would still not be sufficient for the actual experience of time and place sensations created by the birds.

The actual view can be so easily enjoyed, and so comfortably, so experience is the best way to experience the event..

A party of three arrived late, missing much of the event, but the "main man" was expressive - as overheard - in expressing views based upon some sort of bias, as some bird people are prone to do.

This Friday evening started - based upon known intent - in silence. It ended with distinct sounds of exquisite chatter by the gathered throng of martins.

The finale of the 12th was done by 8:45 p.m. so its important to not be late to get the best look, especially when the light is right and the moon would be so bright.

Mid-morning gathering of martins on a powerline at the Florence Waterworks. August 13, 2011.

Saturday Evening Sequel

Phenomenal views not experienced in four years of watching occurred. The martin vortex came in low and thousands of them swirled just feet above the eleven viewers present.

It was one of the best evenings ever for watching the spectacle.

A mature couple "dressed to kill" for earlier evening events, got recognition for being the best dressed. They have a martin office at their residence in Pacific Heights, and came down to see where their martins had gone. They had visited last season as well.

One juvenile martin struck the glass of the walkway, but was only temporarily stunned and flew away when approached after most of the other martins were at their night's roost.

Wiegand Comments - Wind Energy Guidelines

Courtesy of Jim Wiegand of Redding, California.

August 2, 2011

RE: Wind Energy Guidelines - Comments

Dear Sir or Madam:

I have reviewed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Revised, Draft Guidelines for Land-Based Wind Energy Projects. The influence by the wind industry upon the recommendations made by the Wind Turbine Guidelines Federal Advisory Committee, are obvious.

I found the guidelines to be nothing more than a device whose sole purpose is to castrate the USFWS from its duties and absolve the wind industry from accountability. The use of the word Guidelines is also misleading because there really are no guidelines. The guidelines are all voluntary and allow the industry to be self regulating. If adopted, the guidelines will handcuff the USFWS so there is no hindrance by this agency from the destruction to wildlife and their habitats being done by the wind industry.

I believe the proposed guidelines will also be used as a foundation for the wind industry to steamroll across any habitat, National Park, refuge or mountain range they want, with virtually no oversight.

If one compares both the 2003 Voluntary USFWS guidelines and newly proposed guidelines they will find that both are really quite absurd. They in essence, give the wind industry the privilege of diplomatic immunity. With these new guidelines project developers are just "encouraged" to comply and the guidelines are only "intended to promote" compliance. The language in the Guidelines is riddled with examples of ambiguous language, language that will leave the industry with very few rules or regulations for the development of wind projects. The bottom line is that if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Revised, Draft Guidelines for Land- Based Wind Energy Projects are put in place, America will just have to rely on the moral conduct or good conscience of the wind industry.

Looking back, what have the 2003 USFWS voluntary guidelines really accomplished? I have seen what the good conscience of this industry has brought to America. There are now thousands of lethal wind turbines in California condor and whooping crane habitat, with thousands more on the way. Where there is wind, they will build. If there is an impact from a project to a critical species, there mercenary biologists will create bogus documents to predict minimal impacts. Then after the projects are installed, protected species killed by the turbines are routinely hidden. I encourage the USFWS to show me any wind industry impact report and I will show you deception, incompetence, omissions or fraud. Since 2003, the industry has become a runaway train.

If the primary mission of the USFWS "is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people", the USFWS should explain exactly how any of these so called guidelines could ever conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats when there is no transparency. I must remind the USFWS that the fish and wildlife in this country do not belong to the wind industry.

Imagine a District Attorney trying to prosecute a murder case if there were state laws/guidelines in place that were written in the same manner as these guidelines. The District Attorney would encounter language similar to this. "We encourage everyone to show restraint when angry and recommend minimizing all hostility in an attempt to avoid the taking of a life". Sadly, this illustrates just how ridiculous these guidelines are. Of course the courts would be empty and this brings up another underlying purpose of these guidelines.

The USFWS needs to return to it roots. You should put these guidelines in the dumpster and get back protecting the wildlife in this country. For starters the USFWS should be sure to address the wind industry's contrived baseline studies and its pattern of looking for target species and behavior at the wrong time and places for a predetermined outcome. A list of all those involved in the bogus documents should be noted in a special incompetence file. For this task, I would be happy to assist the USFWS.

Secondly, in order to get a real grasp on the damage being done to the thousands of protected species killed daily by the wind industry, the USFWS service should require with consequences, that every wind project save and report all fatalities starting from day one of operation. Without accurate knowledge it is impossible to properly manage the impacts caused by this industry. Analysis and significance of the fatalities should be left to experts completely unrelated to the wind industry. Additionally there is also no need for the wind industry to conduct their own post construction studies. They have demonstrated over and over, they can not be trusted.

Thirdly, it is time to take another look at Altamont Pass, the grandfather of all wind farms. An accurate raptor survey is badly needed taking into account the numbers of, or lack of, permanent raptors living in the habitat in and around the wind turbines of Altamont Pass. Instead of just counting bodies under the turbines there needs to be a meaningful raptor nest inventories and aerial surveys study that looks at the actual ongoing impacts to the populations living in the Altamont Pass region. It may very well be that many of the permanent resident raptors have been killed off and now you are dealing mostly with raptors dispersing from other regions., I guarantee that with an honest study, the 59 pairs on nesting golden eagles once claimed to be living within a 19 mile radius of this wind farm, will not be found. I also suspect that any study area of several hundred square miles would clearly show more raptors residing per square mile in similar habitat the further away one gets from Altamont pass. The 25 year impact of killing raptors at Altamont Pass should be documented.

The USFWS has made it clear that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Revised, Draft Guidelines for Land-Based Wind Energy Projects are intended to address the potential negative effects of wind energy development on fish, wildlife, and their habitats. If this is true, then my suggestions will be put in place and the lack of wind farm transparency will end. Otherwise none of these guidelines will be worth the paper they are printed on.

While on the subject of Land Based Wind Projects, I would also suggest that the USFWS look into the possibility that some of the drought conditions in Texas and Oklahoma could possibly be due in part to the many thousands of huge wind turbines installed in these two states. There is a possibility that there could be an atmospheric influence from the wall of thousands turbines to the north and northwest of Austin and the wall of turbines being built to the south along the coast. I suspect that the air turbulence and infrasound (ELF Waves) given off by the new generation of large wind turbines is having an influence on the normal mixing of cooler air coming from the north with the gulf air movements from the south. ELF waves are known to travel great distances and bend while moving upward into the atmosphere. These waves are known to have an impact on water vapor. It may explain the lack of rainfall in this report coming out of Mongolia.

In conclusion I would like to remind everyone that the lack or regulations, and enforcement has already cost this country dearly. Two recent examples are the Minerals Management Service and its relationship to the Gulf oil spill and the Fed's lack of oversight of the banking system. With these newly proposed guidelines, a new disaster for wildlife is in the making.

Jim Wiegand

Wildlife Biologist and raptor expert

Vulture Campus Gathering

Turkey vultures continue to gather at their midtown roost. A peak in the numbers was noted on 9 August, and it was also a fine morning to get a picture of the birds drying their feathers and waiting for thermals so they could be on their way for the day.

Comments on Draft Wind-Energy Guidelines

Comments in response to the details given in the draft Land-based Wind Energy Guidelines

Submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via email on August 3, 2011

There should be no incidental take permits allowed for federal and state listed threatened or endangered species.

Wind farms should be sited away from habitats known to regularly used by threatened or endangered species, especially and certainly including the Whooping Crane and within its known migratory corridor.

Wind farms should not be allowed to be placed in association with wetland habitats/areas. All effort should be made to ensure they are sited on "disturbed land" and do not get placed within areas of native habitats such as prairies or woodland tracts.

If incidental take for birds that are not threatened or endangered is allowed, there should be mitigation required that will conserve/manage habitat nearby for the benefit of migratory birds. This requirement should not be fulfilled by obtaining a conservation easement. Mitigation efforts should occur within ten miles of the project site. A specific limit to incidental take should be established, and if the project should exceed the designated limit, it should remove the troublesome turbine(s) or take other measures to reduce the take - killing of birds or bats.

Turbine farms should not be allowed within a particular distance of known breeding areas for sensitive birds or species in peril.

No turbine farms should be allowed within any national wildlife refuge or other wildlife lands owned by the FWS.

Every effort possible should be made to avoid the ruination of important scenic vistas, along scenic rivers or other sensitive and unique lands.

Presite evaluation should be required for turbine farms at areas known to harbor numerous migratory birds with a valid scientific evaluation done to ensure there will be no or minimal impact to migratory birds.

Developers should be required to bear the cost of a suitable analysis, as a proper environmental review is a cost of doing business. The burden should not be placed on the regulatory agency. The cost of energy obviously includes its impact on the environment and natural resources.

There should also be an opportunity for the public to know of FWS involvement in the process, preferably through an online site which presents pertinent details such as project name, FWS contact, project size, stage in review process, potential impacts and findings. This information could be easily presented in a data-format where it is kept timely and available, which is an advantage of using an internet format.

The FWS should promote wind energy at sites close to where the energy developed would be put to use and do not require extensive construction of transportation wires. This would mean near urban centers and not out in the rural countryside where the power would have to be transported long distances. Developers should be required to adhere to particular aspects of the guidelines before they will receive authorization for a project. If a developer chooses to build a project without authorization and there is "incidental take," they should be fined (i.e., Migratory Bird Treaty Act) and the turbines shut down until they suitably adhere to required measures.

Wind energy can provide power for America, but it needs to be developed in a safe and responsible manner which does not harm migratory species, especially those in peril. The proposed guidelines should be implemented as soon as possible.