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A SERVICE OF THE OUTDOOR WIRE DIGITAL NETWORK
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2014
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CLOSURES
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The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department announced this week that due to Golden eagle nesting activity, a few of Roxborough State Park's features are closed for all activity until further notice.
CONSERVATION
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Evaluations of population numbers and nesting data performed by Audubon Florida's Everglades Conservation Team throughout 2013 indicate there were significant signs of progress for wading birds in the Everglades during this time.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) on Feb. 28 signed the Range-wide Oil and Gas Industry Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken to undertake conservation action for the species, which is proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
EAGLE EVENTS
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MassWildlife is asking birders and eagle enthusiasts to participate in the statewide Bald Eagle Survey on April 4 in a effort to monItor eagle nesting, breeding and distribution in Massachusetts.
EVENTS
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In appreciation of the San Luis Valley's most memorable wildlife spectacles, area organizations, businesses and wildlife agencies are holding the annual Monte Vista Crane Festival, March 7-9.
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Beginning this week, tickets are available online for the May 17 Great Salt Lake Bird Festival featuring field trips and keynote speaker Tim Boucher.
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Held at the peak of Spring Migration on California's Redwood coast, the 2014 Godwit Days features nearly 100 field trips, workshops, boat excursions, talks and socials.
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Casual and avid bird watchers alike will be drawn to the south shore of Lake Superior May 15-17 for the eighth annual Chequamegon Bay Birding & Nature Festival.
JOBS, JOBS, JOBS
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Golden Gate Audubon Society is seeking a dynamic Executive Director to replace outgoing E.D. Mike Lynes, who is moving to Audubon California.
NEW BOOKS
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Birding Trails Texas: Gulf Coast, a new book by regular Birding Wire photo contributor and outdoors writer, Jim Foster, has just been released by Sandhill Crane Press.
NWR SYSTEM
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On March 14, 1903, President Teddy Roosevelt created the first national wildlife refuge at Pelican Island, Florida, to protect brown pelicans from market hunters.
PARTNERSHIPS
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The annual birding festival known as The Biggest Week in American Birding ("Biggest Week") will this year feature a suggested $10-per-person donation to help create a habitat corridor in a key wintering area in Nicaragua for the rapidly declining Golden-winged Warbler.
PROMOTIONS
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From March 1 to April 30, 2014, outdoors enthusiasts can receive a $25 rebate on the purchase of any Leupold® BX®-1 Rogue® and BX®-2 Acadia® binoculars.
SPECIES
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On late winter and early spring evenings, male American woodcocks perform conspicuous displays, dubbed "sky dances" by naturalist Aldo Leopold. A male begins by giving a buzzy, nasal peent call, turning in a tight circle while calling to broadcast to all nearby females.
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The Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz, which challenges birders to to seek out the elusive Rusty Blackbird throughout its migratory range, kicked off this week.
STATES
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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is alerting users of Pearl River and Sherburne WMAs, including nutria hunters, fishermen, birdwatchers and hikers, that helicopter flyovers and associated gunfire may be experienced during the week of March 10 as agency personnel conduct feral hog population control.
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The birds of the southwestern Panhandle of Nebraska will be highlighted during a two-month series of Watchable Wildlife Tours sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and the Kimball County Tourism Department.
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The Mass Audubon Birders Meeting, cohosted this year with the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the university's Museum of Comparative Zoology, takes place Saturday, March 8, at Bentley University in Waltham.
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Audubon New York is supporting new funding in the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to further the conservation of grassland and shrubland birds by enabling partnerships with private landowners for habitat improvement projects.
WASHINGTON
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Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell this week announced President Obama's fiscal year (FY) 2015 budget request of $11.9 billion for the Department of the Interior, saying it makes key investments to maintain vital funding for Interior's missions.
WIND ENERGY
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American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) contend that millions of migrating and federally protected birds, including an active Bald Eagle nest, will be threatened by an Ohio wind development currently under construction.
The Birding Wire Photo Gallery
Birder and wildlife photographer Ron Spomer of Idaho stalked this late August rock ptarmigan amid autumn tundra west of Kuujjuaq, Nunavik (northern Quebec) in 2007. Canon 20D, Canon 100-400 at 400mm setting, 1/800 second, f- 6.3, ISO 200. See more of Ron's images at ronspomeroutdoors.com/photo/
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To submit an image for consideration for The Birding Wire Photo Gallery, send your photo, along with an identification, description of the location and date, technical photo data to birdingwire@gmail.com.
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Study Reveals Bird-Strike Threat to Helicopters
Rotary-wing military aircraft play vital combat and logistical roles across the U.S. military services, and new research indicates how vulnerable these aircraft can be to bird strikes.
Many types of aircraft - not just helicopters - are susceptible to strikes, however, to date no assessment of strikes to military rotary-wing aircraft had been conducted.
Mid-air collisions between wildlife and military aircraft can lead to costly and potentially fatal accidents, with birds posing the biggest threat to helicopters operated by the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, according the study.
A team of researchers led by Brian Washburn, a biologist at the National Wildlife Research Center in Sandusky, Ohio, utilized military records from 1979 to 2011. Washburn and his colleagues found birds are particularly problematic for military helicopters, which include Apache attack helicopters and huge Chinook vehicles that transport troops, supplies and artillery to and from the battlefield.
The findings were published online Feb. 23 in the journal Wildlife Society Bulletin.
A total of 2,511 strikes were identified across the services. While strikes were recorded in almost all states, Florida, New Mexico and Georgia had the highest number of incidents with 617, 204 and 192 respectively.
Further, 812 of the records included the type of animals involved, with birds accounting for 91 percent. The species involved in the collisions varied between services operating throughout diverse habitats. Warblers (16.8%), bats (11.5%), and perching birds (12.0%) were the wildlife groups most commonly struck by the U.S. Air Force aircraft, while gulls (18.2%), seabirds (14.9%), shorebirds (13.4%), and raptors and vultures (12.6%) were most frequently struck by U.S. Navy aircraft.
Economically, each strike costs the military between $12,184 and $337,281; however, there is also a human cost. Based on military records, wildlife strikes caused eight injuries - mostly cuts, lacerations or bruising when birds crashed through the windscreen of the aircraft - from 1993 to 2008, and two deaths.
"The two fatalities occurred in 2011 when a red-tailed hawk struck a U.S. Marine Corps 'Super Cobra' at Marine Corps Air Station in Pendleton in California," Washburn told LiveScience.com. "This resulted in a crash - costing the life of the pilot and co-pilot - and the total loss of a $24.5 million aircraft."
In addition to the research appearing in the most recent Wildlife Society Bulletin specifically regarding military helicopters, Washburn and his colleagues have previously gathered bird strike data for non-military rotary wing aircraft, finding strikes to civil and military helicopters combined since 1990 resulted in 61 human injuries and 11 fatalities.
"Our analysis of approximately 4,500 incidents showed the number of bird strikes to helicopters was highest during fall and lowest during winter," Washburn said. "Also, raptors and vultures were commonly associated with the most damaging helicopter strikes."
Analysis revealed that strikes were most common between September and November, which accounted for 41.6 percent of all strikes. In contrast December and February, claimed 10.4 percent.
Washburn and his team of researchers concluded that within the entire aviation industry, wildlife strikes annually cost an estimated $1.2 billion worldwide.
"This study is part of the first formal evaluation of the impact of wildlife-rotary wing aircraft collisions to be conducted," said Dr. Washburn. "Findings from this research are being used by the U.S. Department of Defense to increase the awareness of this issue, mitigate the problem, and increase the safety of pilots and aircrews."
View the abstract: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.409/abstract
- J.R. Absher
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If your company, agency or organization is involved in the business of birding, we invite you to consider The Birding Wire for advertising or Corporate Membership as you finalize your budget for the coming year. Please contact editor J.R. Absher at birdingwire@gmail.com for complete information.
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 Photo: USDA Wildlife Services |
Mid-air collisions between wildlife and military aircraft can lead to costly and potentially fatal accidents, with birds posing the biggest threat to helicopters operated by the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, according the study.
A team of researchers led by Brian Washburn, a biologist at the National Wildlife Research Center in Sandusky, Ohio, utilized military records from 1979 to 2011. Washburn and his colleagues found birds are particularly problematic for military helicopters, which include Apache attack helicopters and huge Chinook vehicles that transport troops, supplies and artillery to and from the battlefield.
The findings were published online Feb. 23 in the journal Wildlife Society Bulletin.
A total of 2,511 strikes were identified across the services. While strikes were recorded in almost all states, Florida, New Mexico and Georgia had the highest number of incidents with 617, 204 and 192 respectively.
Further, 812 of the records included the type of animals involved, with birds accounting for 91 percent. The species involved in the collisions varied between services operating throughout diverse habitats. Warblers (16.8%), bats (11.5%), and perching birds (12.0%) were the wildlife groups most commonly struck by the U.S. Air Force aircraft, while gulls (18.2%), seabirds (14.9%), shorebirds (13.4%), and raptors and vultures (12.6%) were most frequently struck by U.S. Navy aircraft.
Economically, each strike costs the military between $12,184 and $337,281; however, there is also a human cost. Based on military records, wildlife strikes caused eight injuries - mostly cuts, lacerations or bruising when birds crashed through the windscreen of the aircraft - from 1993 to 2008, and two deaths.
"The two fatalities occurred in 2011 when a red-tailed hawk struck a U.S. Marine Corps 'Super Cobra' at Marine Corps Air Station in Pendleton in California," Washburn told LiveScience.com. "This resulted in a crash - costing the life of the pilot and co-pilot - and the total loss of a $24.5 million aircraft."
In addition to the research appearing in the most recent Wildlife Society Bulletin specifically regarding military helicopters, Washburn and his colleagues have previously gathered bird strike data for non-military rotary wing aircraft, finding strikes to civil and military helicopters combined since 1990 resulted in 61 human injuries and 11 fatalities.
"Our analysis of approximately 4,500 incidents showed the number of bird strikes to helicopters was highest during fall and lowest during winter," Washburn said. "Also, raptors and vultures were commonly associated with the most damaging helicopter strikes."
Analysis revealed that strikes were most common between September and November, which accounted for 41.6 percent of all strikes. In contrast December and February, claimed 10.4 percent.
Washburn and his team of researchers concluded that within the entire aviation industry, wildlife strikes annually cost an estimated $1.2 billion worldwide.
"This study is part of the first formal evaluation of the impact of wildlife-rotary wing aircraft collisions to be conducted," said Dr. Washburn. "Findings from this research are being used by the U.S. Department of Defense to increase the awareness of this issue, mitigate the problem, and increase the safety of pilots and aircrews."
View the abstract: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.409/abstract
- J.R. Absher
---------------------------------
If your company, agency or organization is involved in the business of birding, we invite you to consider The Birding Wire for advertising or Corporate Membership as you finalize your budget for the coming year. Please contact editor J.R. Absher at birdingwire@gmail.com for complete information.
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Mar. 7 - Mar. 9
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Mar. 8
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Detroit Audubon Owl Prowl
Grosse Ile, Mich. |
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Mar. 9 - Mar. 13
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Mar. 9 - Mar. 13
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Mar. 11 - Mar. 12
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Birding Mini-Festival
Beckham Bird Club, Louisville, Ky. |
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Mar. 15
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Eagle Festival
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland |
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Mar. 15
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14th Annual Eagle Festival
Blackwater NWR, Cambridge, Md. |
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Mar. 15 - Mar. 16
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Mar. 21 - Mar. 22
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Mar. 21 - Mar. 22
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Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative Meeting
Best Western Hotel and Convention Center, Oshkosh, Wis. |
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Mar. 29
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Apr. 6 - Apr. 8
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Apr. 10 - Apr. 12
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Apr. 10 - Apr. 13
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Apr. 16 - Apr. 22
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Apr. 22 - Apr. 27
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Apr. 23 - Apr. 30
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Apr. 25 - Apr. 26
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2014 Bioblitz
Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary, Corolla NC |
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May 2 - May 4
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Prairies & Piney Woods Birdfest
Selah Ranch, Mount Vernon, Tex. |
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May 2 - May 4
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Weekend of Birding
Queen Anne's County, Md. |
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May 15 - May 17
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May 16 - May 18
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