tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63317722011-07-31T03:30:57.404-05:00Urban BirdscapesDedicated to the conservation, preservation, and restoration of birds in North American cities.birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comBlogger601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-79582575418342825692010-04-30T00:07:00.002-05:002010-04-30T00:10:26.829-05:00Urban Birdscapes ResurrectedBack in a new improved form, you can find the latest on making cities good for birds and people at UrbanBirdscapes.Com.birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-68323488007461145902008-03-03T17:52:00.003-06:002008-07-07T10:16:19.203-05:00At long last, I'm finally up and running with Audubon Birdscapes, where I can continue publishing the latest news and comments on how to make our yards, neighborhoods, and communities better for birds. So thanks for stopping by, but make sure to head over to Audubon Birdscapes to continue your birdscaping aspirations.birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1117629439532528372005-06-01T07:33:00.000-05:002005-06-01T07:37:19.536-05:00I haven't updated this blog since I took a job coordinating the Audubon At Home program for the National Audubon Society science office. I hope to have an Audubon at Home blog set up at that site this Summer for urban bird conservation news and information. Meanwhile, you can check out my personal birding blog at birdchaser.blogspot.com.birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1098118537114636202004-10-18T11:53:00.000-05:002004-10-18T11:55:37.113-05:00Urban Wildlife Code in Jamaica
According to a recent news report, Jamaica has adopted an Urban Wildlife Code as part of its development process. I'll post on this again when more info is available.birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1096995665651698612004-10-05T11:54:00.000-05:002004-10-05T12:01:05.656-05:00Wildlife and Urban Growth Management in Washington State
Joseph W. Tovar, director of special projects at the Northwest Center for Livable Communities at the University of Washington has an op ed piece in the Seattle Times discussing the history of Washington's growth management act. This legislation gives teeth to regions and communities trying to control growth in ways that can sustain birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1094675522392922612004-09-08T15:29:00.000-05:002004-09-08T15:32:02.393-05:00West Nile Hits Birds in Southern California
A recent Los Angeles Times story details the devestation West Nile is causing to bird populations in Southern California. California Condors have been immunized, but smaller native birds are at risk.birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1094063815235574102004-09-01T13:30:00.000-05:002004-09-01T13:36:55.236-05:00Parakeets Make The Times
Urban Monk Parakeets were featured in yesterday's New York Times. The article discusses the challenges of urban bird congregations such as parakeet colonies on electric structures and Canada geese in parks.birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1093878776243110372004-08-30T10:08:00.000-05:002004-08-30T10:12:56.243-05:00Birds and Sprawl in Southern Oregon
According to a recent report in The Oregonian, residents of the small town of Brookings are concerned about a new urban development that may threaten their way of life and rare Marbled Murrelets. The story illustrates the lengths development companies go to in preparing their site plans, including millions of dollars in studies and site improvements before birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1093613858450968182004-08-27T08:32:00.000-05:002004-08-27T08:37:38.450-05:00Adaptive Conservation Strategies
The Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO) has published DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING AN ADAPTIVE CONSERVATION STRATEGY: A guide for improving adaptive management and sharing the learning among conservation practitioners. The guide features five case studies, as well as information on achieving conservation results, monitoring, partnership building, communication, birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1093465217454746532004-08-25T15:08:00.000-05:002004-08-25T15:20:17.453-05:00Urban Planning for Wildlife in Minnesota
A model urban planning effort involving wildlife is Metro Greenprint: Planning for Nature in the Face of Urban Growth. Published in 1997, this citizen's report offered suggestions on how to plan for greenspace and wildlife in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. In 1998, this effort led to the establishment of a Metro Greenways program run by the Minnesota birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1092490340773256582004-08-14T08:11:00.000-05:002004-08-14T16:13:11.090-05:00Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP)
According to an August 13 story in The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, California):
"The nation’s fastest-growing large county has won approval to protect dozens of threatened and endangered species by locking out developers from a half-million acres of land.
Anti-sprawl groups, environmentalists and builders birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1092420357944203582004-08-13T12:55:00.000-05:002004-08-13T13:05:57.946-05:00Recent News Stories
There have been some interesting recent urban bird conservation stories in newspapers around the country. Joan Lowy of the Scripps Howard News Service has a story out on green lawns and the move to ban or reduce pesticide use on lawns--at least partially spurred on by concerns about birds being killed in residential areas. The Portland Tribune has a story about Portland's birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1091747743460681532004-08-05T17:44:00.000-05:002004-08-05T18:19:03.220-05:00Conservation and Culture
Luis A. Vivanco, assistant professor of anthropology and director of the Latin American Studies Program at the University of Vermont, published an interesting chapter in Reconstructing Conservation: Finding Common Ground (Island Press, 2003).
In "Conservation and Culture, Genuine and Spurious," Vivanco argues that while most of us would now agree that successful birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1091674235178454932004-08-04T21:37:00.000-05:002004-08-04T22:07:49.180-05:00More Condor Trouble for El Tejon Ranch
According to a story in today's The Bakersfield Californian (sign in required):
"Friction between Tejon Ranch Co. and environmentalists opposed to its development plans escalated this week with allegations by an environmental group that the ranch is responsible for the death of a condor killed on its property last year by a hunter.
Attorneys for the Center birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1091573323857064632004-08-03T17:41:00.000-05:002004-08-03T17:48:43.856-05:00Tejon Ranch Development and Condors
A Los Angeles Times story (sign in required/archive story for purchase) recounts attempts to develop part of the 270,000 Tejon Ranch, which is critical habitat for the California Condor. According to the story, "Tejon Ranch has pledged to set aside a preserve for the endangered bird on the ranch's wildest backcountry — about 100 square miles of rugged birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1090518894185919232004-07-22T12:47:00.000-05:002004-07-22T12:54:54.186-05:00Flaming Wildfire Bird
According to news reports (http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/07/19/wildfires/), the recent 5,700 acre Foothill wildfire in Los Angeles County, California was caused when a Red-tailed Hawk flew into a power line and caught fire, falling to the ground and igniting dry vegetation. Powerlines remain a hazard to many birds, and in this case, created a human risk. Earlier this birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1089901718161499072004-07-15T09:24:00.000-05:002004-07-15T10:06:16.426-05:00West Nile Mosquitoes Most Likely To Come From Backyards
A recent news report from Iowa claims that the mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus are more common in polluted water--the kind most commonly found in backyard bird baths, dog dishes, and old discarded tires. West Nile is killing large but unknown numbers of birds, and backyard birds living in proximity to these mosquitoes may be at birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1089743162759254882004-07-13T13:21:00.000-05:002004-07-13T13:26:02.760-05:00BirdPAC
Ever wish you could influence electoral politics for the benefit of birds and wildlife? Tired of hearing how special interests are buying candidates, but you don't have enough money to buy your own? Join with others to support candidates that will do the right thing for birds, wildlife, and the environment by contributing to a new environmental Political Action Committee--BirdPAC.
birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1089314015137824672004-07-08T13:54:00.000-05:002004-07-08T14:13:35.136-05:00Wind Farms Bad For Birds?
The potential use of wind farms as a "green" source of energy remains a controversial topic. While some observers declare that modern windmills are more bird-friendly (also here) than the disastrous Altamont turbines in California that have killed thousands of raptors over the past 20 years, others claim that power companies are hiding the true effects of wind farms on birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1089311880240538002004-07-08T13:22:00.000-05:002004-07-08T13:38:00.240-05:00Birds and Global Warming
Climate change attributable to human urban industrial activity will potentially alter bird distrubutions and abundance in significant ways. Check out the 2000 EPA report and additional articles here, here, here, and here.
Perhaps the best online source of information on global warming and birds is at the American Bird Conservancy's Website. ABC's Jeff Price has been birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1089052893369647322004-07-05T13:32:00.000-05:002004-07-05T13:41:33.370-05:00Nebraska Alliance for All-Bird Conservation
On May 8, 2003, representatives from state agencies and conservation groups met at Platte River State Park for the first meeting of the Nebraska Alliance for All-Bird Conservation. While traditional bird conservation efforts are often imposed by agencies in a top-down fashion, the Nebraska efforts seek to emulate new grassroots, coalition, and birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1087846576920203942004-06-21T14:36:00.000-05:002004-06-21T14:36:16.920-05:00Urban Bird Studies
Cornell University Lab of Ornithology has several different urban bird projects that people can help with, including pigeon studies (see some results), a crow count, and a gull habitat project called Gulls Galore.
The lab's Celebrate Urban Birds program kicks off July 9-18, 2004. Check the website for details on how to participate. birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1087325124375285942004-06-15T13:39:00.000-05:002004-06-15T13:45:24.376-05:00Birds in the Suburban Wilderness
The latest book of nature writing on urban birds is Going Wild: Adventures with Birds in the Suburban Wilderness by Robert Winkler. Selected essays on suburban birds and nature are on his website.
This is a good book for backyard birders, public officials that might be interested in urban nature, or your neighbor. Pick one up for yourself and get another for a birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1084604618176317862004-05-15T01:47:00.000-05:002004-05-15T02:04:30.060-05:00Power Lines
As early as 1876, ornithologist Elliot Coues noted that telegraph wires formed a flight hazard for birds (Coues,E. "The destruction of birds by telegraph wires," American Nature, 10:734, 1876). In 1904, W. Otto Emerson described dozens of shorebirds killed by striking wires running along a road through a salt marsh (Emerson, W. O., "Destruction of birds by wires," Condor 6(2):37-8, birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1084471143887903282004-05-13T12:32:00.000-05:002004-05-13T12:59:03.886-05:00Birdscapes
The first use of the term "birdscaping" that I can find is in the title of Birdscaping Your Yard, a 47 page pamphlet published by the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection in 1972. The term "birdscaping" is not used in the text itself, where the process of creating wildlife habitat in residential yards is termed wildlife gardening or landscaping.
In 1994, Rodalebirdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1084218438618038182004-05-10T14:36:00.000-05:002004-05-10T14:47:18.620-05:00Seattle Urban Nature Project
The Seattle Urban Nature Project is a local non-profit organization dedicated to increasing understanding of Seattle's public natural resources. They have recently mapped the vegetation and wildlife habitat on Seattle's public land, and these maps and data are now available for use and study.
Mapping is the primary activity required for inventorying and modeling birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1083908735883150082004-05-07T00:37:00.000-05:002004-05-07T00:50:35.343-05:00National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitats
In 1973, the National Wildlife Federation started a Backyard Wildlife Habitats program to promote residential landscaping for wildlife. As of April 2004, it had certified 40,300 backyard habitats--up from 22,500 in 1998. While the increasing number of certified habitats is encouraging, it is still a tiny fragment of the more than 68.5 birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1083616036316414982004-05-03T14:35:00.000-05:002004-05-03T15:31:25.060-05:00New Orleans Bird Studies
One of the challenges of protecting local urban birdscapes is the difficulty in getting good information about what birds are present and what factors influence local bird distribution. Birdwatchers may know a lot about locations for finding the local birds, but may not have scientific information to help explain patterns of local bird distribution. Finding a local birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1082766818819197412004-04-23T18:41:00.000-05:002004-04-23T19:38:13.610-05:00Audubon at Home
The Audubon at Home program encourages us all to think about the relationship between ourselves, our yards, and the larger environment. The website includes tips on how to implement five major suggestions for improving the environment of our yards: Reduce Pesticides, Conserve Water, Protect Water Quality, Remove Exotic Plants, and Plant Natives. These five steps can improve our birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1082763637894202642004-04-23T18:37:00.000-05:002004-04-23T18:44:47.060-05:00From the latest Audubon Advisory...
INCREASING PROTECTIONS FOR MIGRATORY SONGBIRDS:
Want to help protect some of the most endangered birds in North America -species like the Kirtland's Warbler, Bicknell's Thrush, Black-capped Vireo, as well as a species of great concern, the Cerulean Warbler? Well one way you can is to encourage the U.S. Congress to fully fund the Neotropical Migratory Bird birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1082650301942182902004-04-22T11:01:00.000-05:002004-04-22T11:15:49.530-05:00Washington, DC Bird Bibliography
A good example of a bibliography useful for local urban bird conservation is this bird bibliography for Washington, DC compiled by Ryan Shepard, Collections Librarian, The Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
This bibliography contains notes on birds dating back to an 1862 Smithsonian report on DC birds and an 1871 John Burroughs piece on birds at the capitol (birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1082509012040669342004-04-20T19:42:00.000-05:002004-04-20T20:19:13.843-05:00Local Bird Atlas Projects
One of the first things that needs to be done in trying to preserve and conserve birds and their habitats in urban areas is to find out where birds are in the city. Local bird atlas projects are a great way to find out what birds are around.
In the United States, most states have published atlas projects, and several are conducting their second round of atlasing. birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1082002627303520072004-04-14T23:02:00.000-05:002004-04-14T23:21:04.496-05:00John Marzluff and Seattle Urban Bird Ecology
John Marzluff is one of the premiere urban bird ecologists in the country. His work with the University of Washington Urban Ecology program (here) is addressing many of the most difficult issues, including population dynamics of birds in fragmented urban landscapes.
A Christian Science Monitior article about his work with American Crows gives anotherbirdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1081548355789960542004-04-09T16:55:00.000-05:002004-04-09T17:12:22.483-05:00Urban Birds on Birdzilla
The Birdzilla World Bird Omnibus website has the complete text of the classic 1937-68 Bent's Life Histories of North American Birds. Until recently, these were the standard life history accounts for most birds in North America, and they still provide a remarkable view of birds--especially urban birds--from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
An easy way to search birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1080962882590711102004-04-02T19:37:00.000-06:002004-04-02T21:32:27.670-06:00Bird Health and Electromagnetic Fields
We've all seen birds perched on electric wires--ever wondered if electromagnetic fields generated by power lines have any effect on birds?
A study of birds nesting under power lines found reduced nesting success in Tree Swallows, but not in House Wrens or Eastern Bluebirds. Recent studies of American Kestrels found electromagnetic fields to effect birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1080677455818589662004-03-30T13:42:00.000-06:002004-03-30T14:14:32.060-06:00Urban Black Vultures
Formidable looking, the large black vulture is often considered a nuisance in residential suburbs of the Southeastern United States. A news report from Virginia indicated that calls complaining of property damage rose from 2 in 1990 to 174 in 2001--making it the third most destructive wild animal in the state.
Though many might consider this a recent phenomenon--with wild birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1079830710915828642004-03-20T18:46:00.000-06:002004-03-20T19:01:53.013-06:00Endangered Domestic Waterfowl
Though domestic birds are not usually considered as conservation priorities, a recent census of domestic duck and waterfowl breeds in the United States finds that many breeds are threatened with extinction. According to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC), 10 domestic duck breeds have populations below 500 individuals, with several breeds reduced to birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1079713020763160602004-03-19T09:43:00.000-06:002004-03-19T10:22:52.890-06:00Acid Rain and Birds
Two years ago, researchers announced that acid rain might be linked to declines in Wood Thrush and other bird populations in the N.E. United States (full report here). Acid rain is produced when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) mix with cloud moisture before falling to the earth as rain. Acid rain has many negative effects, and can only be stopped by reducing birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1079385062359559032004-03-15T15:10:00.000-06:002004-03-15T15:14:18.090-06:00Bird Feeding May Be Killing Birds
According to research (read report here) conducted by Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute biologist Scott Henke, bird feeders may unwittingly poison many of the birds attracted to seed in their yard. The poison is aflatoxin, a harmful chemical produced by Aspergillus fungus commonly found growing on commercially available bird seed--especially mixtures birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1079369924115473932004-03-15T10:27:00.000-06:002004-03-15T11:01:58.920-06:00Artificial Night Lighting and Birds
For over 100 years, observers have noted that artificial lighting caused problems for birds and other wildlife. In his classic text that some see as the start of the modern conservation movement (Mand and Nature, 1864), George Perkins Marsh reported on over 100 birds attracted and killed by the first lighting of the lighthouse on Cape Cod.
A conference birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1079221571928723462004-03-13T17:24:00.000-06:002004-03-13T17:53:06.450-06:00Introduced Species
Urban areas often host exotic bird species that have been introduced deliberately or escaped from pet owners or bird collections. Monk Parakeets are one of the most commonly encountered exotic bird in American cities--they are establised in scattered cities including Chicago, Austin, New York, and Miami. Many other parrot species are common in southern California and Florida-birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1079111442867324272004-03-12T11:02:00.000-06:002004-03-12T11:14:41.640-06:00Farming with the Wild
Yesterday I gave a talk about creating bird habitats in agricultural areas at a Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory workshop with Daniel Imhoff, executive director of Watershed Media and author of Farming with the Wild.
As cities sprawl out into rural areas, they increasingly draw upon distant agricultural areas for their food supply. The pesticide-ridden and soil-depleting birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1078459738552956352004-03-04T21:46:00.000-06:002004-03-04T22:14:15.623-06:00Immigration, Sprawl, and Bird Conservation
Recent reports have highlighted the fact that population growth--with its attendent urban sprawl and habitat loss--is mostly due to immigration rather than human reproduction. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the U.S. population will reach 403,687,000 by 2050. If current immigration continues at this pace, urban areas willl expand and local bird birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1078371340302027512004-03-03T21:22:00.000-06:002004-03-03T21:38:39.576-06:00Urban Birds Bibliography
The Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) near Brighton, Colorado, has an extensive (over 1100 entry) urban birds bibliography--a wealth of information for conservationists working in urban areas. RMBO was founded in 1988 "to address a bird conservation and related public education need in the western U.S." It is a leader in conservation efforts, and this bibliography birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1078362839863254872004-03-03T19:01:00.000-06:002004-04-01T10:08:44.293-06:00Save Birds--Go Vegetarian
Recently, 57% of U.S. corn production has been used for livestock feed--that's 45 million (of 79 million total) acres. An additional 60 million acres are used for growing hay crops. If we were to reduce our meat consumption, we could free up over 100 million acres--over 164 thousand square miles, just larger than the state of California--of corn and hay cropland for birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1078262417744314312004-03-02T15:00:00.000-06:002004-03-02T15:24:46.890-06:00Harmony, FL--Example of Conservation Community
According to an upcoming paper presentation by Geographer Jennifer Wolch, Harmony, Florida "has gone further than any other major conservation community in attempting to implement an alternative philosophy toward human-animal and nature-society relations, and is thus offers insights into the limits to the conservation community model for reshaping birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1078251559344090592004-03-02T11:38:00.000-06:002004-03-02T12:22:16.983-06:00Windows and Birds
An estimated 100 million to 1 billion birds die each year in North America after smacking into our lovely plate glass windows. Websites by the Humane Society of the United States, Wild Birds Unlimited, CNN, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the National Wildlife magazine address this issue, which is probably the number one killer of birds in America.
For those wanting more thanbirdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1077650980638136612004-02-24T13:04:00.000-06:002004-02-24T13:33:40.060-06:00Bananas (and Coffee, Cacao, etc.) For Birds
Urbanites in North America may not think much about how their diet impacts bird populations, but Laura Erickson recently raised a question on the conservation through birding email list linking tropical food production to rain forest destruction and bird habitat loss. Production of coffee, bananas, oranges, and cacao generate huge social and birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1077649230521782552004-02-24T12:31:00.000-06:002004-02-24T13:04:22.216-06:00Global Warming and Urban Birds
A recently prepared report for the U.S. Department of Defense outlines possible problems and global security issues related to global warming. While possibly a worst-case scenario, the report addresses the kids of uncertainty that must be planned for in adaptive managment situations such as urban bird conservation. If U.S. weather patterns and global security birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1077549617663940752004-02-23T09:00:00.000-06:002004-02-23T09:23:04.076-06:00Purple Martins
This past weekend I conducted a workshop for Purple Martin landlords. The Purple Martin Conservation Association (PMCA) has a lot of good information on how to attract and take care these birds--which are often called "America's Most-Wanted Bird." Other national organizations dedicated to these birds are the Purple Martin Society, N.A. and the Nature Society. The Purple Martin birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1076979540553598302004-02-16T17:54:00.011-06:002004-02-16T19:08:47.653-06:00Feeding Ducks
This morning I had to watch my two-year old son for an hour, so I took him for a walk to the University of Texas campus turtle pond. We watched the turtles and fed old bread to pigeons and grackles. This got me thinking about the importance of feeding ducks in urban culture. Most American cities have a place where domestic waterfowl hang out, and most of us have probably taken birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1076381815786571262004-02-09T20:50:00.000-06:002004-02-09T21:03:17.076-06:00Recent Southern California Fires and Endangered Birds
Protecting endangered birds in urban areas requires that enough habitat is present for animals to recover after catastrophic events such as hurricanes or wildfires. According to a recent news story, the fires in southern California last fall destroyed large amounts of critical habitat for endangered California Gnatcatchers and Least Bell's birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1076204398911495792004-02-07T19:39:00.000-06:002004-02-07T19:59:47.216-06:00A nifty website from a course on urban forestry taught by Joseph Murray at Blue Ridge Community College--Overview of Urban Forestry. Good model for getting students to look at urban ecosystems, complete with lecture notes and assignments.birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1076092185554460452004-02-06T12:29:00.000-06:002004-02-06T12:32:08.576-06:00Yesterday I was able to attend a lecture by William Rees, the zoologist and regional planner from British Columbia who created the concept of the ecological footprint--the area of land needed to sustain human activity. Each American needs an average of 22 acres of land to support their post-industrial lifestyles. That is the land needed to grow their food and extract other resources, and to birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1075992004221933082004-02-05T08:25:00.000-06:002004-02-05T08:42:25.653-06:00From Australia, a great urban ecology program in Adelaide. BioCITY Centre for Urban Habitat will, among other things, seek to "bring back the birds" and look at roof-top parks or "bush-tops" as an alternative new habitat for urban centers.
A news story about the project.
Adelaide is way out front on many of these urban habitat issues, with significant official support--see page 1911 of these birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1075592680499436072004-01-31T17:33:00.000-06:002004-01-31T17:46:55.373-06:00I just got back from an amazing landscape architecture symposia sponsored by the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. There were some amazing presentations, including a talk on urban ecology by Steward Pickett, head of the Baltimore Long Term Ecological Research project and a talk by Ann Whiston Spirn, author of the classic urban environmental design text The Granite birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1075331703584306732004-01-28T16:41:00.001-06:002004-01-28T17:17:14.763-06:00This past weekend I conducted an owl ecology and nest box workshop at the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory in Austin, Texas. We had 60 participants and created an online notebook to share ideas and information about owls using human-constructed nesting and roosting boxes. In many parts of the country, urban screech owls will readily nest in boxes provided for them...as will Barred Owls and birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1074365453578688292004-01-17T12:50:00.000-06:002004-01-17T12:57:02.450-06:00This from the latest Audubon Advisory, Audubon's Twice-Monthly Legislative Update, January 16, 2004, (Vol. 2004, Issue 1) online at
Audubon: Issues & Actions:
"URBAN STORMWATER
On November 12th, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee allotted $958 million dollars over six years for nationwide efforts to control pollution from roads, buildings, driveways and lawns - referred to as 'birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1074143940241016852004-01-14T23:19:00.000-06:002004-01-14T23:29:33.890-06:00Conservation Ecology: Biodiversity, Urban Areas, and Agriculture: Locating Priority Ecoregions for Conservation
This recent article by Taylor Ricketts of the World Wildlife Fund and Marc Imhoff of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center combined remotely sensed data on urbanization with species richness measures to determine where urbanization may pose the greatest threats to biodiversity in North birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331772.post-1074128407066973982004-01-14T18:48:00.000-06:002004-01-14T20:24:52.310-06:00Welcome to Urban Birdscapes...musings on wildlife and nature conservation in North American cities from a PhD candidate in Geography at the University of Texas-Austin. This blog is dedicated to urban birds and the people who study, enjoy, and work to protect them.birdchaserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12059679554555819009noreply@blogger.com