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MORE Birding INFORMATION Updated: March 05, 2013. |
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From the "Red Pole" Arctic Audubon Society's newsletterAlaska’s Internet Birding Resources by Dave Shaw, Arctic Audubon & Audubon Alaska BoardIt probably won’t come as a surprise, but people aren’t using the telephone the way they used to. Five or ten years ago, I suspect most birders were getting their rare bird alerts and sightings over the phone, but that has changed. Arctic Audubon has decided that with the rise of internet birding resources, our Birding Hotline might not be needed. So, sadly, the Hotline may be discontinued. For those of you that still use the Hotline and haven’t migrated over to the instant gratification of the internet, here is a guide to the best of Alaska’s internet birding resources. 1. eBird: This is a worldwide database of bird sightings. It is used by many thousands of birders across the globe. eBird is largely a citizen science initiative that uses bird sightings to generate a huge databases of lists. Sign up and explore local bird activity or lists from all over the planet: www.ebird.org 2. Boreal Birder: This Yahoo list serve is the best resource for birders in Interior Alaska. Arctic Audubon’s Birding Hotline has been transcribed onto the site for some time. Check the list or sign up for the email alerts here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BorealBirder/ 3. Alaska Rare Bird Alert: Just as the title implies this site is about rarities. If you want to chase the Siberian Accentor in Seward or be ready the next time the White-winged Tern ends up at Fairbanks’ South Cushman Ponds, this is the place to look: https://lists.alaska.edu/mailman/listinfo/alaskabirds-l 4. Alaska Birding: This is another statewide list worth following: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akbirding/ The following lists are useful if you live or are traveling in other parts of Alaska:
These sites should keep even the most enthusiastic Alaska birders busy for quite some time. If you discover more resources not listed, here, please let us know! Outdoor Cats: Single Greatest Source of Human-Caused Mortality for Birds and Mammals: New Study A new peer-reviewed study authored by scientists from two of the world’s leading science and wildlife organizations – the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) – has found that bird and mammal mortality caused by outdoor cats is much higher than has been widely reported, with annual bird mortality now estimated to be 1.4 to 3.7 billion and mammal mortality likely 6.9 – 20.7 billion individuals. The study, which offers the most comprehensive analysis of information on the issue of outdoor cat predation, was published in the online research journal Nature Communications and is based on a review of more than 90 previous studies. The study was authored by Dr. Peter Marra and Scott Loss, research scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and by Tom Will from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Migratory Birds. It is available at http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/pdf/Loss_et_al_2013.pdf.
JAS Adopts Position Statement on Dogs, Wildlife, and Wildlife Viewing
Free Audubon Guide to North American Birds The Audubon Online Guide to North American Birds is FREE to use on the Audubon.org homepage. This searchable online guide to North American Birds features 750 species of birds in 22 Orders and 74 families. The guide covers all of North America's breeding birds--approximately 580 species--as well as an additional 180 non-breeding species that visit the U.S. and Canada. To take advantage of this great resource, click on the Audubon Online Bird Guide icon on www.audubon.org. Beak Deformities in Alaska Birds
Scientists at the US Geological Survey Alaska Science Center are trying to track the geographic spread of an epizootic of beak deformities in wild birds that appears to have originated in Alaska.
In 1999 and 2000, the USGS conducted a Christmas Bird Count survey of feeder-watchers and found that the beak deformities were clustered primarily around Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley, going as far north as Trapper Creek and Talkeetna. This epizootic appears to be spreading, since there are now regular reports of beak deformities from as far north as Fairbanks, throughout southeast Alaska, and as far south as the Puget Sound area in Washington state. The USGS has now documented 30 different species in Alaska with overgrown or crossed beaks.
To help with this effort, please do the following: Click Here Or, If you are not able to submit this information online, please contact Colleen Handel directly You may also see Northwestern Crows with bands on their legs. Please record what the bands look like (Are they colored? In what order?) and if the bird has an abnormal beak. This information should be reported online or directly to Colleen Handel.
US Geological Survey Beak
Deformity web site:
Click Here Field Observation Report Form (web based): Click Here
Feeder-watch Report Form (web based): Click Here or Download Report Form
Contact Information: Colleen M. Handel USGS Alaska Science Center, 4210 University Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508 (907) 786-7181 cmhandel@usgs.gov
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Earn certificates for identifying 50, 125, 200, and 275 bird species in the state. CHECK OUT e-BIRD 2.0. KEEP YOUR BIRDING RECORDS ON LINE FOR FREE. A SERVICE PROVIDED BY THE CORNELL LABORATORY OF ORNITHOLOGY AND THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY. eBird 2.0, a project of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon, is an updated version of the powerful Internet-based program currently used by thousands of birders. eBird is a free, user-friendly way for birders across North America to record, archive, and share their observations at any hour of the day. It is also an important tool for conservation, providing researchers with a comprehensive picture of the abundance and distribution of birds.
Alaska eBird Alaska eBird is a great way to record your observations, manage your life list, and help contribute to avian monitoring and conservation in Alaska. Visit the Alaska eBird website, which includes photos, interesting birding news and features, as well as observation records: http://ebird.org/content/ak/ |
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