20-Apr-23, 07:08:26 AM
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24616
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Re: Pride Campaige for red knots in San Antonio Oeste
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on: 05-Nov-09, 03:33:17 PM
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Perhaps some of you remember that we have started last year a Pride Campaign with Rare Conservation in behalf of red knots with the aim to prevent the disturbs that ATV made on beaches. Well, last week we had the first public activity, an ECOART day on Mar Grande beach, one of the key places to red knots during their migration. With the help of an art teacher, students in the last year of highschool on one of our colleges, create huge art messages: an oystercatcher nest destroyed by an ATV, a red knot made with garbage they found on the beach, America made of seaweeds sorrounded by caring youngs, and more... If you want to see more pictures and have a Facebook account, visit "Playero Rojizo" site, or visit my facebook page (look for "Mirta Carbajal"). We are very proud of those youngs and their work!   Mirta Bravo for them Mirta....excellent job and what a way to get the point across..    |
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24617
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Conserving Argentina
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on: 05-Nov-09, 07:10:33 AM
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04-11-2009
Aves Argentinas (BirdLife Partner) has announced the winners of "Conservar la Argentina" (Conserving Argentina), a programme aimed at generating conservation action at Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and for threatened bird populations in Argentina.
The programme was launched earlier this year with BirdLife International and several other organisations such as the National Tourism Secretariat, Fundación YPF, AP Leventis Foundation, and Pan American Energy.
The 12 winning projects cover diverse topics, such as the conservation of the Atlantic forest alongside local communities; the development of infrastructure for birdwatching at IBAs in Jujuy, Mendoza and Neuquén provinces; the management of a corridor between IBAs in the transition of yungas-chaco in the province of Salta; the study and conservation of the populations of Hooded Grebe Podiceps gallardoi, Crowned Eagle Harpyhaliateus coronatus, Olrog's Gull Larus atlanticus and Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus.
An awards ceremony was held for the winners in the central office of Aves Argentinas in Buenos Aires. "Now that IBAs have been identified, strengthening projects in the field is a must for Aves Argentinas and we are proud of the success of the competition that shows the commitment of hundreds of people for bird conservation in Argentina", said Andrés Bosso, CEO of Aves Argentinas.
The interest in the programme from people was excellent, with almost 100 project proposals received from all of the Argentine provinces, covering most of the ecoregions and a great number of the threatened species.
The proposals were analyzed by twenty well-known specialists from institutions such as BirdLife International, Aves Argentinas/AOP, National Research Council (CONICET), Centro Nacional Patagónico, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Administración de Parques Nacionales, Instituto Ecología Regional, Univ. Nac. Tucumán, Proyecto Modelo del Mar, Wildlife Conservation Society, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "B. Rivadavia", Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina, Conservation Land Trust, and Área de Medio Ambiente de la Defensoría del pueblo de la Nación.
"It was hard work to select only 12 proposals from a hundred. With the selected projects we are supporting conservation work in 32 IBAs from 10 provinces, implicating more than 80 people and 40 national and international institutions", said Adrian Di Giacomo, Science Director of Aves Argentinas.
"Strengthening projects in the field is a must for Aves Argentinas and we are proud of the success of the competition" —Andrés Bosso, Aves Argentinas
The 12 projects to be funded are
1. Education and research for the conservation of endangered birds in three priority IBAs in the Atlantic Forest. Kristina Cockle, Fundación de Historia Natural Félix de Azara.
2. Interpretation and ownership. A strategy for the promotion of the Reserva de Biosfera de Ñacuñán. Silvia Claver, Instituto Arg. de Investigación de Zonas Áridas (IADIZA).
3. Ecology and Conservation of the Crowned Eagle in the IBAs of the province of La Pampa. Maximiliano Galmes, Centro para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves Rapaces en Argentina (CECARA), Universidad Nacional de La Pampa.
4. Increasing the value of the ornithological resources in the Parque Provincial Potrero de Yala. Lucio Malizia, Fundación ProYungas.
5. Restoration of IBAs of the Urugua-í - Foerster biodiversity corridor as an ecotourism promotion strategy in the North of Misiones. Diego Varela, Conservación Argentina.
6. Is the Hooded Grebe Podiceps gallardoi a critically endangered species? Santiago Imberti, Asociación Ambiente Sur.
7. Implementation of the IBAs in the Yungas -Chaco central corridor, in the province of Salta. Oscar A. Spitznagel, Salta.
8. Development of tools for the management of the populations of the Hooded Grebe. Julio Lancelotti, Centro Nacional Patagonico, CONICET.
9. Tourist-recreational usage of the bird fauna as a contribution to the conservation in the Parque Provincial Tromen –Neuquén. Matilde Encabo, Univ. Nac. del Comahue, Neuquén.
10. Olrog’s Gull Larus atlanticus: Actions for its conservation in the province of Buenos Aires. Martín Rubén Sotelo, Asociación Cooperadora R.N. Bahía Blanca.
11. Conservation and management of Magellanic Penguin in the Center and North of the Patagonia. Pablo García Borboroglu, Centro Nacional Patagónico-CONICET.
12. Habitat usage of the Crowned Eagle Harpyhaliaetus coronatus of the north-west of the Argentine Republic. Andres Capdevielle, Jardín Zoológico de Buenos Aires.
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24625
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Flocking to see a rare bird (brown Booby)
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on: 04-Nov-09, 09:52:38 AM
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Coos Bay got a bit of a tourism boost over the last several days, as 200 or so birders came to the bay to see a rare brown booby that is hanging out near Charleston.
People came to scope out the tropical bird from places including Eugene, Portland, Bend, McMinnville, Coos Bay and Washington. The rare tropical bird showed up last week and is the fourth verified sighting of this species of bird in Oregon. The last local sighting was in October 2008, when a dead female washed ashore at Lighthouse Beach.
(Brown Booby on the right)
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24626
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Other Nature Related Information / General Nature Discussion / Lending a helping hand to help western Grebes
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on: 04-Nov-09, 09:49:36 AM
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Western grebes are so strongly adapted to life in the water that it’s unusual to see one on land.
Lending a helping hand to western grebes
A loud, fluting call from a playa at the base of Willard Reservoir's west dike grabbed my attention. It's a place where only the salt flat-loving snowy plover belongs, but this was no snowy plover call.
The water in Willard Spur had continued to retreat during the dry days of September, leaving a powdery, white flat wedged between the dike and the reservoir's exit channel. I didn't expect to see birds there as I hiked southwest on the dike, intending to scope water birds in Willard Spur.
The call sounded again, insistent and vigorous. I turned to see a young western grebe on the salt flat.
Western grebes are black, white and gray, and are strongly adapted to life in the water. Their beaks are long and sharp for snatching fish, their long necks and streamlined bodies are built for slicing through water, and their legs with lobed toes are positioned so far back for swimming powerfully that they can't walk well on land. This bird was a youngster, not yet showing the well-developed black crown and neck stripe of adults.
Why was that bird there? Becoming stranded on land is a death sentence for a species that needs a running start across the water's surface to launch into the sky.
The bird's predicament reminded me of previous years when avian botulism was rampant in Great Salt Lake's ecosystem, and carcasses of paralyzed and dead birds formed lines that marked declining water levels in late summer heat.
But this was not that year. I hadn't yet seen or heard reports of avian botulism, and the grebe wasn't paralyzed. I watched it flap, run a few steps and then settle at a new spot on the playa. That's about the best land-based locomotion that even a healthy grebe can do.
The best outcome for this bird might be that a hungry peregrine falcon would end the struggle quickly. I rationalized that peregrines need more help than grebes do and it would be the natural way of things.
On the other hand, I was there. Without thinking through my next move, I set my spotting scope on the ground and walked to the grebe. The bird looked up at me fiercely, blood-red irises flashing. It called stridently while preparing to mount a forceful defense.
The bird stabbed at me with its beak. I was surprised that the weaponry felt more like brittle plastic and that it drew no blood. I offered my ruggedized binoculars as a target instead of my right hand, and swiftly grabbed the back of the bird's head with my left.
The rescue bait-and-switch technique worked. While still holding the head, I lifted the bird's body and held it away in case its next defensive move was to poop. But there was no need. The grebe merely yelled its head off and stabbed as best it could from within the vise of my hand.
I walked to the reservoir's exit channel and tossed in the grebe. It was encouraging to see the bird surface and paddle quickly in the opposite direction.
Returning to my scope, I heard the fluting call again and saw a second grebe stranded like the first. Same routine: offer my binocs, grab the back of the head with lightning speed, walk the bird over to the channel, throw it in. It dove and surfaced across the channel, turning to show me a baleful eye.
Although I learned later that avian botulism had been detected in both Box Elder and Davis counties, neither of these grebes showed leg, wing or neck paralysis associated with the disease.
Instead of botulism, I suspected their ability to fly was still underdeveloped. They may have attempted to leave the Willard Spur for the reservoir, couldn't top the dike and became stranded on the playa. Young birds have a lot of flapping to do to develop their pectoral muscles before they can fly well.
Rescuing the two juveniles won't make a difference in the success of the local breeding population, and perhaps even those two birds were still doomed due to dehydration.
But they had a fighting chance once they were back in the water, and that made the difference to me.
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24629
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Other Nature Related Information / Falcon Web Cams / Re: Alcoa Anglesea, Australia
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on: 03-Nov-09, 08:07:30 PM
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Guess we're going to have to wait another day...
Wednesday November 4, 2009
Due to a forecast of high winds, the banding has been rescheduled until tomorrow (Thursday November 5, 2009) at 10am Australian EDST. Hopefully the weather will be kind as this will be our last opportunity to band our three chicks. Any longer and there will be an increased risk that the chicks may attempt flight when the researchers approach the nest box.
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I miss watching the grebes run across the water.
see even he runs from me... 
