Are you still seeing hummingbirds?

Fall migration is underway. The following is courtesy of Journey North/South:

While people in the north were saying their last goodbyes, hummingbird migration reached a peak in the Gulf Coast states last week. Swarms of hungry hummingbirds appeared in backyard feeders as they poured down from the north. "We have had over 100 draining our feeders for the past week," wrote an observer in Louisiana. "I'm using 3 gallons of nectar per day," wrote another. A Texas observer with 7 feeders has room for 56 birds to feed calmly. "Calmly doesn't happen at my feeders," he noted. "I tried to estimate the number of flying, hovering, diving, chirping, squeaking, squawling birds" and came up with exactly 201.

You can read all of the observations that people have made at the following link:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/humm/DataReported.html

You can also report your own observations here:
http://www.learner.org/cgi-bin/jnorth/jn-sightings

Exxon Mobile Guilty of Killing Birds

Last month the E-bulletin focused on PacifiCorp, one of the largest electric utilities in the West, pleading guilty to unlawfully killing Golden Eagles and other raptors and migratory birds in Wyoming:http://www.refugene t.org/birding/ augSBC09. html#TOC07

This month it's ExxonMobil with connections to bird deaths in six states, again mostly in the West (i.e., Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Kansas).ExxonMobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil-and-gas company, pleaded guilty in federal court on August 13 to charges that it killed 85 protected birds, including hawks, owls, and waterfowl.

The company violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) in five states over the last five years. The discovered birds died from exposure to natural gas well reserve pits, oil tanks, and waste water storage facilities at Exxon Mobil drilling and production facilities.The company will pay $400,000 in fines and $200,000 in community service fees to waterfowl rehabilitation and preservation programs. ExxonMobil will also be placed on probation for three years and must implement a plan to minimize future bird deaths.

There are thousands of similar energy facilities across the West, including and beyond ExxonMobil. It is unknown how many bird deaths go undetectedThe $600,000 paid by ExxonMobil may seem substantial. Still, the amount is roughly equal to what the company makes in income in 20 minutes, based on their $8.6 billion earnings for the first half of 2009.

Observations of Fall Migration

It's hard to believe that it's almost time for our birds to leave us and make their journey south for the winter...but it is.

From the Journey North website:

"All but one nest of barn swallows has left our barn for their journey south. I miss them." writes a Michigan observer on 08/29. In the same week, another observer in Florida reported, "The number of barn swallows passing through is just amazing!"

Did YOU know that swallows are among the first migrants in the autumn? Where do you think they go when they leave their breeding grounds in the north? Click here to view the swallow migration map: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/swallow/AnnualAug.html.

Summer 2009 edition of the Newsletter

The Summer 2009 edition of RBG's newsletter is now available online at: http://www.rainforestbiodiversity.org/newsletters/Summer_2009.pdf. This edition details the latest advancements made on the Costa Rican Bird Route project, including updates on how some of the sites are doing on an individual basis.

Enjoy the news!

Birdwatchers No Featherweights in Contributions to Economy

A new report released today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows one of every five Americans watches birds, and in doing so, birdwatchers contributed $36 billion to the U.S. economy in 2006, the most recent year for which economic data are available. The report – Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis –shows that total participation in birdwatching is strong at 48 million, and remaining at a steady 20 percent of the U.S. population since 1996.

Participation rates vary, but are generally greater in the northern half of the country. The five top states with the greatest birding participation rates include Montana (40 percent), Maine (39 percent), Vermont (38 percent), Minnesota (33 percent) and Iowa (33 percent).

A copy of the Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis can be downloaded here: http://library.fws.gov/Pubs/birding_natsurvey06.pdf

Bird-a-Thon Wrap-Up

On May 9th, Rainforest Biodiversity Group held its 3rd annual spring bird-a-thon to raise funds to support the Costa Rican Bird Route project. This year we had the best turn out to date with 17 birders participating, and 56 people who made pledges to those birders. The total money raised for this year was $2,401.10, exceeding our goal of $2,000. This year we decided to reward our birders with a free t-shirt, as well as give a t-shirt to any donor pledging over $50. As a result, 38 t-shirts were printed and distributed, and we want to give a special thanks to Russ Rothman for helping us purchase the t-shirts.

Of the lists submitted, Daniel Schneider had the most birds seen, turning in an impressive list of 114 species! His number gets better every year, so it will be exciting to see how many he can see next year.

If you have an interest in participating in the Bird-a-Thon in 2010, please send us an email at info@rainforestbiodiversity.org with the subject line: 2010 Bird-a-Thon, and we’ll get you the details you need for next year. Remember, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are, anyone can participate in this bird-a-thon!

Thanks to all who participated and made this event a great success for us and the Bird Route project. The money raised will be used to support our staff efforts in Costa Rica as we continue to work with our sites on becoming sustainable tourism destinations.

Rare Blue Parrot Back from the Brink of Extinction

The Lear’s Macaw, a striking blue parrot found in northeastern Brazil, has been downlisted from Critically Endangered (the highest threat category) to Endangered as a direct result of conservation action, revealed the 2009 update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

(Lear Macaw photo by Paul Salaman)

The current population of Lear’s Macaw is estimated to be 960 birds, up from fewer than 100 birds in 1989. American Bird Conservancy and its Brazilian partner Fundação Biodiversitas have worked to save the macaw’s primary nesting and roosting cliffs, and together have purchased and protected nearly 4,000 acres of habitat to help assure the species’ survival.

“The fight to save Lear’s Macaw is far from over, but the news that it is being downgraded from Critically Endangered to Endangered is a clear indication that hard work is paying off,” said George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy. “The overall picture for birds throughout the Americas and the rest of the world continues to be a great cause for concern, but the macaw serves as a shining example of what we can achieve when focused conservation action is backed up by broad cooperation and the required resources.”