Cuckoos Movement Shown by Omaha Building Strikes

The early season southward movement of Yellow-billed Cuckoos is being shown by instances of dead birds found in downtown Omaha in the past few days.

A carcass was found on the 9th on the north side of the First National Bank tower, on the sidewalk by the atrium. This atrium is glass-enclosed and has large obvious plants. The setting is a prime example of what not to do to provide a bird-safe setting.

Frazzled carcass of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo at the First National Bank tower.

Although there is usually someone picking up trash around this structure on a regular basis each morning - to keep the place clean - the bird carcass still remains, as it was just pushed into the space around a planted tree, where it would not be obvious. It is quite a mess of feathers and bones now!

On the 13th, the very fresh carcass of another cuckoo was found on the east side of the south tower at Central Park Plaza. The colors and characteristics of this bird were quite dramatic, though the situation was forlorn.

Carcass and scene of Yellow-billed Cuckoo killed by striking a hazardous building, the Central Park Plaza south tower. July 13, 2009.

Fall migration for this species is usually not thought to occur until a couple of weeks later this month. These two birds may not have had any success raising a brood, and left to return to other havens, and then in another tragedy, were killed by a building hazard in Omaha.

There are five known instances of building strikes occurrences by the Yellow-billed Cuckoo thus far this year in Omaha.

Each death is a violation of the taking clause of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Each instance was document with a photographs, which in these two cases are shown above.

Misplaced Maternal Mallard a Midtown Success

Mallards have come and some other mallards have flown away time and again from a midtown park, but this year there has been a particular hen mallard which has been a magnificent success living in a metropolitan setting a magnitude of miles from any marsh or wetland where most of her clan might spend the breeding season after the usual period of migration.

During the now forgotten winter at a local park of some inconsiderate magnitude, there have been different mallards present in various numbers, especially when the frigid winds of winter freeze the water at most other places, except perhaps for the minute Shadow Lake. During mid-January this year, there were a bunch, including about 55 on one winter's day when the temperature was in the minus-degrees, or a few meaningful marks below zero in degrees. Numbers of these waterfowl continued to occur through early February and even into early and mid-March.

Then their numbers dropped into the single digits - eventually more than the temperatures of weather - and by mid-April, there were just two remaining as a pair. A drake and his better half were noted, then last seen along Wood Creek, just south of the arterial Dodge Street thoroughfare through the city, west beyond the muddy Missouri river, at the end of April's mighty spring splendor. They next couple of weeks, only the gaudy male was noted in the park environs, and the reason became apparent in a short time, because the hen Mallard had other duties which required her utmost attention, so she preferred to be unseen at the park scene because of her maternal duties.

Her set of eggs had to be carefully nurtured and cared for in a place wrought with a multitude of dangers. There were people that could disturb her care without knowing what their actions might mean. Dangerous dogs of so many varieties would be running loose - without being on a leash as required by a city ordinance - and might lunge at any wild fowl, which could certainly cause more than minimal harm, perhaps even death or fatal injury. Raccoons would also appreciate finding some fresh eggs as the orbs would be an especially tasty treat to eat, as these predators would consume whatever might be found during a night's marauding.

Each of these events might not be any match for what a brooding Mallard would prefer.

Momentum of time and ongoing avian moments unknown meandered along and soon there was a profound measure of success for a hen Mallard that so finely nurtured a nest carefully hidden among the vegetation along the so slightly meandering Wood Creek, a slight sliver of woods through midtown.

On the morning of May 23rd, the female Mallard was seen with six itty-bitty ducklings and they were swimming up the creek, seemingly on their way to somewhere. There were mighty obstacles in their path, yet what might this mean?

Nature can make many miscellaneous decisions on the fate of a dedicated duck and her brood so few yet immensely important.

A week later, the duck's destination became apparent and was obvious, as the whole bunch was swimmingly and subtly enjoying the green-covered waters of Shadow Lake, when on May 30, the mother Mallard and her young were all seen at the scene, trying to be somewhat inconspicuous among the haunts, along the shore and among some of the woody snags that occur at this bit of a special wetland.

This was the ongoing local haven for Mrs. Mallard and her brood. The mighty seven were noted again in June, on the 4th, the 12th, the 18th and 29th.

It was obvious on the last date for the first month of this summer among many, why this was such an especial place to raise some ducklings that would not know what hazardous measures life could throw forth. The growing ducks were partially covered in green ... because as they ate the nourishing bits of seemingly microscopic pondweed - without melodrama - so pervasive and dramatic in magnanimous yet subtle color, some of the plant-life clung onto them in more than one way. The vegetation stuck to the birds' feathers as they submersed their heads to feed.

Heh mallards, there is some pondweed clinging to your head!

In an appropriate, and subtle birdly celebration for the July 4th holiday weekend this year, the mallard family had splintered, separating and making time at two places.

On the morning of the 5th of July, there were only two juvenile Mallards at Shadow Lake. Where were the others?

Maybe they had moved on, perhaps in a flight of featherly appreciation after their special care by a mom of an avian sort?

Then, after a bundle of moments filled with measurable ponderings, the remainder of the family was seen, moving about so mellifluous on the creek, near a place called wood duck point. Mom and her four juvenile ducklings were doing fine and did not fly away or react in a manner to convey mayhem or any type of miscreant aspect on the part of a momentary watcher. The merry Wood Ducks acted in a similar manner.

May your moments continue as you mature and metamorphose into adult Mallards, and might your meanders mean more time for your mother to mind her brood and nurture them onward, perhaps till they might migrate. Though it seems that the local environs can provide the minutiae necessary for survival in midtown, among so many people oblivious to the magnificent wonders which the success of a maternal Mallard can mean.

There has not been a drake Mallard seen during this entire period. Mr. Mallard must have moved elsewhere so he is not a part of this memoir from a metropolis.

The moments must mean so much to the Mallards. Their mighty saga - this is no myth of unknown splendor - is worthy of some music on the scale of a Mahler or Mozart musical symphony.

New Facility at Audubon Refuge to be Energy Efficient and Bird-Safe

A new administrative office and visitor facility planned for Audubon National Wildlife Refuge near Coleharbor, North Dakota will be energy efficient and built in a manner so it is also safe for migratory birds.

Concept elevations for Audubon National Wildlife Refuge Office and Visitor Facility. Image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“This facility will be a prime example of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and will strive for the gold certification level, which incorporates many environmentally sustainable construction methods including the use of solar energy, vertical axis wind generation, geothermal heating and cooling system, and the use of many recycled materials,” according to federal officials.

The building design has also been modified to address the possibility for any bird strikes to occur.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in conjunction with our design/build team have discussed the issue of bird collisions and have created a facility as bird-safe/friendly as we feel possible, while maintaining our gold LEED certification,” said Jackie Jacobson, Outdoor Recreation Planner at the refuge.

“Our team has already made changes to this facility in order to avoid potential bird collisions. Some of these changes include lowering the lobby (initial design had more of a glass tower lobby), removing cupolas that contained glass windows, breaking up the roof line, utilizing vertical axis wind turbine rather than a horizontal blade, and installing horizontal blinds on windows so glass face is more noticeable.”

“The building will be constructed in an open grassland area away from woodland areas (our current facility is amongst several shelterbelt areas where we do have many species of birds utilizing this habitat - this building will be demolished, reducing impacts we currently have here).”

“The newly constructed visitor center will allow staff to build a stronger and more expansive environmental education and visitation program for the public,” according to officials. “An exhibit hall will house dioramas, murals, and hands-on features that focus on the importance of wetlands and grasslands for migratory birds and other wildlife. An educational classroom will provide a means for gathering youth and adults to increase their knowledge about the functions and values of these important habitats, prior to visiting the Outdoor Wildlife Learning Site, which is connected to the building via a trail system.”

“The administrative office will house fifteen permanent employees and up to 25 seasonal employees. The additional space will allow for expansion of youth employment through the Youth Conservation Corp program and Student Temporary Education Program which provide opportunities for young adults to gain experience in environmental stewardship and explore careers with the Service.”

“A primary objective of the visitor center at Audubon will be focusing on these important wetlands and grasslands and the tremendous benefits they offer to wildlife,” said Lloyd Jones, refuge manager at Audubon NWR, which has about 29,000 visitors each year.

The new facility - to be built using $6.1 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - will be “designed and built by Keplin/Gracon JV from Rolette, North Dakota. Design will begin in June 2009 and construction will conclude in November 2010.”

Invasive House Crow Eradicated from Socotra Island

The House Crow Corvus splendens has been successfully removed from the island of Socotra, after ten years of work by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Socotra Archipelago Conservation and Development Programme (SCDP).

"Eradication of the House Crow from Socotra has removed the risk posed to our native fauna", said Nadim Taleb - the National coordinator for the GEF, Governance and Biodiversity Mainstreaming Project.

House Crow accidentally arrived on Socotra via boat in the latter 1990s, and built up a breeding population of over ten pairs, posing a threat to native biodiversity of the island, designated a world natural heritage site in July 2008.

"The numbers of crows rose to 28 but a count in February 2004 found only 14, all in the capital, Hadibu," according to Richard Porter. Repeated attempts to trap the crows failed, so there was too much other food available.

An alternate to control and reduce the specie's population was successful.

Children were "paid YR1000 for each young crow they find. Eggs are not taken but left in the nest until they hatch and then the young collected," according to a published report by Porter. By 2004, "over 153 young" had been destroyed. "In addition YR2000 is paid for an adult crow, which encourages boys to kill them with catapults."

The nests containing young were taken to the Socotra Archipelago Conservation and Development Programme, according to Birdlife International. "The last birds were killed by a marksman this spring," according to Birdlife International.

"The Invasive Species Control Group freed Socotra from the invasive House Crow", said Omar Al Saghier, National Coordinator for GEF-Small Grant programme. The work was undertaken by the Invasive Species Control Group, the EPA and SADP using GEF-Small Grant programme funds.

Hawaiian Feather Cloaks Repaired by Textile Students

Intricate repair work on three culturally significant Hawaiian feather cloaks has made them ready for public display later this summer.

Under the supervision of Valerie Free, Museum Conservator of the Bishop Museum at Honolulu, Hawaii, two graduate student interns, Aimee Ducey, from New York University, and Elizabeth Nunan, from Buffalo State College, completed treatment and mounting of three feather cloaks.

The project was supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

"Known as ‘ahu ‘ula, the cloaks were worn by male members of the Hawaiian ali’i, the chiefly or royal class in traditional Hawaiian society," according to a project profile on the IMLS website. " Each magnificent cloak, one of which dates back to the mid-18th century, is made of bundles of tiny red and yellow feathers of now-extinct birds secured to a net foundation. The cloaks, are eight feet wide and weigh 20 to 30 pounds each.

"The cloaks were cleaned, broken netting repaired, loose feather bundles reattached, holes stabilized, and fragile sections reinforced with support materials. The treatments for the cloaks and the development and construction of the cloak mounting system were fully documented in written reports and extensive digital photo documentation."

An article "The Conservation of Three Hawaiian Feather Cloaks," coauthored with Elizabeth Nunan, and published in the journal of the Textile Society of America, "describes in detail the manufacture of the cloaks," said Ducey. "In brief, they were constructed from netted supports made from a local plant. Tiny bundles of feathers were then tied to the netting in overlapping rows to create the richly colored patterns of the surface. The techniques that the Hawaiians used to make the cloaks can be taught today, but few people have the skill to make such finely knotted nets. Also, the significance of the different patterns on the cloaks is not known today which is a great loss to our understanding of this culture. The cloaks are therefore vivid but enigmatic symbols of the people and place that produced them."

"At the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts (NYU) I studied objects conservation, the grouping that we use in the field to differentiate this type of conservation from the paper and paintings specialties," said Aimee Ducey, currently studying objects conservation specializing in modern, contemporary, and ethnographic art as a graduate student at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU. "As a result, I was exposed to the properties of a variety of materials, including feathers. Based on this broad range of experience, artifacts that employ feathers are particularly fragile and difficult to conserve. Damage and deterioration of feathers is almost impossible to reverse or to repair."

Aimee Ducey, removing accretion from the Chapman feathered cloak. Image courtesy of IMLS, and used via a link to their website.

"The project to conserve the Hawaiian Ahu'ula was a unique opportunity, and the sacred nature of the cloaks to Hawaiian culture was always present in my mind as we worked on them," Ducey said. "The fact that the feathers also come from birds that are now extinct is also an important part of their history and how they are interpreted in the present. It is a sign of the impact of colonization on the Hawaiian Islands, and the difference in value systems between the native population and the newcomers."

"The most commonly used feathers in the ahu’ula are from the o’o, the mamo, and the i’iwi birds. The brilliant yellow tufts of the Hawaiian o’o were plucked from beneath the wings and rump of the bird," according to the journal article. "The color is described as lemony-yellow, and the barbs of the feather are long and wispy. The o’o was over a foot in length including its long tail, and though some accounts tell of the feathers being plucked and then the bird being set free, others mention that it was eaten as a delicacy. The o’o was virtually extinct in Hawai`i by the 1920’s. The Hawaiian mamo was already extremely rare by 1888, with the last sighting in 1898. As compared to the o’o, the mamo feather is warmer and described as crocus-yellow. The feather shape is shorter and more elliptical than the o’o. The i’iwi is a honeycreeper that is still found in the forests of Hawai`i, with the females being of a deeper red color than the males. The downy feathers of the head and chest were used in the cloaks, allowing more feathers to be collected per bird as compared to the yellow o’o and mamo."

"The feathers are very fragile. Although the preservation of the cloaks involved repairing the netting material to which the feathers are attached, handling of these large and heavy garments must be carefully undertaken in order not to damage the feather surface."

Both students were recruited for the project, and once accepted, were flown to Hawaii, provided with stipends for living expenses, housing and bus transportation for the internship period during June-August 2007. As part of their internship, they both attended workshops on related topics, and went on field trips to pertinent cultural sites.

"It was an honor to be given the opportunity to conserve such finely constructed artifacts and because of their powerful meaning within Hawaiian culture," Ducey said. "The highlight was of course at the end of the summer, when the repaired cloaks were placed on the museum mounts designed to display them. The project was an important step in preserving the cloaks."

The repaired cloaks will be displayed at the Bishop Museum when it reopens the renovated Hawaiian Hall in August.

Positive Changes for Rat Island Following Rat Removal

Nesting by a variety of birds at Rat Island are "early signs" that the removal of unwanted Norway rats has made the Aleutian Island a more suitable place for the local avifauna.

"Early signs of positive ecosystem change were documented" during a recent visit by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials and other partners involved with the project. "Nests and chicks of black oystercatchers, glaucous-winged gulls, and common eiders were observed, in addition to a first-time record of breeding seabirds on an offshore rock previously inhabited by rats."

"Reports from the camp indicate that all bird species on the island except eagles are present in numbers similar to those found during pre-treatment surveys, according to a press release. "Falcons and gulls were observed successfully nesting on the island, and several observations of live adult and sub-adult eagles were made.

"Species such as murrelets, storm-petrels and puffins are expected to eventually recolonize the island if the rat eradication was successful.

"No living rats have been detected on the island, and the Service and its partners are cautiously optimistic that all of the rodents have been eradicated. If another year passes without a rat sighting, the team can declare the island rat-free for the first time in 229 years" since the rats were introduced due to a shoreline shipwreck.

Rat Island was treated in the fall 2008 with a bait containing the brodifacoum to remove the introduced Norway rats.

"A survey team dispatched to the island this May encountered a higher-than-expected number of carcasses of two non-target species. Biologists found 213 glaucous-winged gulls and 43 bald eagles. The team of biologists has reported no evidence of ongoing mortality on the island.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has received laboratory results on an initial group of bird carcasses collected on Rat Island in late May and early April. Examination of the livers of two bald eagles, two glaucous winged gulls, one peregrine falcon, and one rock sandpiper all tested positive for the rodenticide brodifacoum."

F.W.S. officials are "in the process of analyzing all of the viable bird remains and tissue samples collected, in order to more fully understand the cause of mortalities and more effectively plan future operations in the Aleutians. Results will be released when they are available. In addition, soil and water samples were collected, and will be analyzed to more fully understand the potential movement of the rodenticide into, and degradation from, the ecosystem.

"The Service has no evidence that new mortalities have occurred. The partnership intends to dispatch a second team in early August to continue monitoring on the island."

Purple Martins Gathered on the Wires

With the continued splendor provided by the Purple Martins visiting in midtown Omaha, the evening of July 2nd, was spent enjoying their wondrous antics. About four hundred gathered to perch on the power lines on 41st Street between Farnam and Dodge Streets, which is where the following images were taken, and digitally altered to present an artistic interpretation to enhance and add a personal flair to the pictures which were, by the way, just fine in their original state.

Clouds so Fine it was a Dramatic Sight

Wired Martins With Starlings.

Wired Martins Cloudscape.

Wired Martins Splash.

Later, at the roost site off to the west, there were more martins that gathered with the hundreds of Common Grackles and European Starlings. It was a restless gathering as a group of pedestrians going past decided to yell at the birds in an obvious attempt to bother them. And, when they went past under a couple of roost trees, the human miscreants clapped there hands enough to set the birds to flight.

Add in the fireworks, and the disturbance was quite pervasive. There were at least two times when the loud explosions to the north were sufficient enough to cause the birds to set flight into the cerulean and white dusky sky. Although any disturbance would have been preferable, it did provide an opportunity to get a better count of the martins — with about 750 determined to be present — and to watch their flight behavior. There is a lot more interaction between the birds at this time, than noted when they were visiting last autumn. It is quite fine to watch a couple of the birds swoop around and seemingly play with each other while flitting around town.