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THE SCOTSMAN - JENNY HOWARTH

BBC News

The Scottish crossbill, the UK’s only endemic bird which is native to the Highlands of Scotland, faces extinction, according to a new report.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds warns that unless action is taken to halt a rise in global temperatures, the species is under severe threat.

The bird, which lives only in Scots pine forests, is already on the conservation body’s endangered list.

Other Scottish species, such as the capercaillie, could also suffer.

The Climatic Atlas of European Breeding Birds - published by the RSBP - shows that three quarters of all of Europe’s nesting bird species are likely to suffer declines in range.

The results of the study have hastened calls by the RSPB for urgent action to cut greenhouse gases.

Professor Rhys Green, an RSPB scientist and one of the authors, said: “Climatic change and wildlife’s responses to it are difficult to forecast with any precision, but this study helps us to appreciate the magnitude and scope of possible impacts and to identify species at most risk and those in need of urgent help and protection.”

Red and black grouse, ptarmigan and snow bunting are other birds likely to be affected in Scotland. The birds could be left with few areas of suitable climate and populations could drop.

Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB’s conservation director, said: “We must heed the wake-up call provided by this atlas and act immediately to curb climate change.”

He claimed that some investment should also be made to help wildlife adapt to an “inevitable” level of climate change.

Nepal News

Four out of eight species of vulture found in Nepal are included in endangered list of the IUCN- the world conservation union. They are White Rumped (Gyps beldgalensis), Slender Billed (Gyps tenuirostris), Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopteros) and Red headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus). Additionally, the first two are termed ‘critically endangered’.

White rumped Vulture (Photo Courtesy: BCN)

Following the warning from the IUCN over the possible extinction of vultures from Nepal, Birds Conservation Nepal (BCN) took several initiatives to increase the population of the birds here. Latest estimation show the number of nests found in west of Narayani River Chitwan National Park Buffer Zone Area and east Nawalparasi District  has doubled. President of BCN Shree Ram Subedi talked to Indra Adhikari of Nepalnews on the ongoing conservation efforts, causes of extinction and initiatives taken to increase their population. Excerpts:

What evidences show vultures are the endangered species of birds in Nepal?

We don’t have exact data to show how many vultures are found in Nepal. Practically it is impossible to maintain a reliable record. Yet there are few instances that show the number is declining at an alarming rate. In 2001 we counted 50 nests in Koshi Tappu. Next year it dropped to three and one in the following year. Since 2003, we have not found any nest in that wetland. Likewise, we had found 24 nests in Pokhara in 2004. This number dropped to 17 till 2006. Similarly, in the middle of the 1990s, these carnivorous birds could be seen in big flocks. This hasn’t been witnessed in recent years. IUCN conservationists have warned that population has decreased by 90 percent since 1990.

What are the causes of declining population of vultures?

Only in 1999, scientists came know that vultures are decreasing in this sub-continent. Since then, they explored to various studies and concluded in 2003 that diclofenic – a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) – caused the death of these birds. Carcasses of the NSAID-fed animals were the major cause of death. When its complement – Maloxicam — was discovered, we lobbied for government ban on the use of diclofenic in 2006.

Vultures in groups are rare picture in recent years (Photo Courtesy: BCN)

Besides, use of pesticides by farmers, confinements of the nest colonies, lack of adequate food because people started burying dead animals and cutting down of the trees led to extinction of these birds. The practice of cattle rearing has decreased, causing scarcity of food, specifically safe food. The government lacks initiative to stop destroying forests where vultures live. All these are the major factors for decreasing population.

What is BCN doing for saving these birds from extinction?

We started ‘vulture restaurants’ in some nesting areas. This was meant to feed the vultures with safe food since this has become scarcer in recent years. We asked the villagers to provide us with old cattle. We rear the cattle and on their death keep in open places where the vultures can feed on. Similarly, we have improved coordination with the community forest user groups to protect the forests where the vultures nest. We successfully campaigned for ban in use of the diclofenic. Within a year, the use has dropped to 10 percent. Now, we have begun a new project to increase the vulture population – a breeding centre. To be located at an isolated place inside Chitwan National Park, a natural cage will be prepared where we project to keep 10 pairs each of the two critically endangered species.

Are the local communities cooperative to conservation?

Slender billed Vulture (Photo Courtesy: BCN)

With efforts of BCN, WWF, IUCN and many forest user groups, awareness on importance of vulture among the villagers is increasing. In Nawalparasi where we have vulture restaurants, villagers supply us with old livestock. In few instances, we also bought animals. Many farmers have reported us about the chopping of big trees where vultures have nested. As we communicated the issue with ministry of forest, many vulture colonies have been saved from being destroyed.

Are conservation efforts for this endangered bird satisfactory?

Not much. Though the responses to our approach were positive, the government has not shown seriousness at par with the graveness of the situation. The government must be proactive. Since most forests have been handed over to the communities, the local communities have to be made proactive towards protection issue and increase their involvement. Derisory resources available with us also hindered conservation efforts. nepalnews.com Jan 17 08

(Editor’s Note: Nepalnews will continue this column by talking to officials, professionals, politicians, businessmen, diplomats, those who make outstanding achievements in their chosen field and newsmakers. Please post your suggestions/comments to feedback@mos.com.np)

 Japanprobe

The Asahi Shinbun reports that the Japanese Golden Eagle is in trouble:

The outlook is grim for Japanese golden eagles, designated a national natural treasure. Breeding rates have plunged in the Tohoku region, home to the endangered bird of prey, according to researchers.

Loss of habitat and hunting grounds is to blame.

Raptor researchers in the volunteer Mokin-rui Chosakai group said that only 10 young inuwashi eagles left the nest among 61 breeding pairs surveyed in 2006 in the six prefectures of the Tohoku region.

Either eggs were not laid, or if laid, did not hatch. Many of those that hatched soon died, the researchers said.

In Iwate Prefecture, only two young eagles grew to adulthood and set out on their own, among 32 adult breeding pairs this year, researchers said.

[…]

The Japanese golden eagle is on Japan’s Red List as a critically endangered species–one step away from becoming extinct in the wild. The Red List was revised by the Environment Ministry in December 2006.

The majestic bird is one of the largest raptor species in Japan, with a wingspan of about 2 meters. It is protected under the Law for the Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Only about 500 to 650 golden eagles survive in mountainous areas across the nation, from Hokkaido to Kyushu.

For more information on the Japanese Golden Eagle, check out this article from the Japanese Society for Preservation of Birds. You can also download, print out, and create a folded paper craft eagle from this site.

Telegraph - Auslan Cramb

Three red kites that were part of a species re-introduction project have been found poisoned.

One of the birds was part of a pair that had produced 16 chicks since 1999.

The birds were found in central Scotland a month ago but tests have only now confirmed that they were killed with poisoned bait.

Lynn Bowser, of Argaty Red Kites, a feeding project for the birds on a farm north of Stirling, said there was no doubt that they were deliberately poisoned.

She added: “We are very angry about it. These birds are not a threat to anything, that is what is really galling.

“The typical way that one of these birds gets poisoned is that someone will lace a rabbit carcass with poison and lay it out.”

Red kites, common in Scotland 250 years ago, were hunted to extinction and have been the subject of a re-introduction scheme that has resulted in 80 pairs breeding around Scotland.

But according to the RSPB the illegal poisoning of raptors is on the increase, with 42 confirmed incidents last year, compared to 19 the previous year.

 Kentucky.com (AP)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –

Wildlife crews are on the lookout for an endangered bird, last seen wearing a green leg band and flying somewhere northeast of Louisville.A young male whooping crane, dubbed “733,” was part of a migration that was being led by ultra light aircraft pilots. It didn’t keep up, lost touch with other migrating birds and was last seen on Friday, northeast of Louisville near the Ohio River, said Liz Condie, a spokeswoman for conservation group Operation Migration.

The migration team, which was stuck in Washington County on Tuesday because of weather, planned to spend the day searching for the bird, according to a posting on the group’s Web site.

Sixteen remaining birds were scheduled to fly to Tennessee later this week. The birds were flying from Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Indiana to a farm in Shelby County, Ky., when “733″ got lost.

The bird, which hatched on June 8, has a radio transmitter, but crews have not been able to find the signal. The transmitter has a range of one to five miles, depending on the bird’s location, Condie said.

“It’s a bit like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack,” Condie said.

Operation Migration has a picture of the bird, along with a description of its early temperament, posted on its Web site, at http://www.operationmigration.org.

When fully grown, whooping cranes can stand 5 feet tall with wing spans of about 7 feet.

There are about 300 whooping cranes remaining in the wild.

Anyone who has spotted the bird should call 1-800-675-2618.

Marine Buzz

Sea birds of the Rat Island in Alaska infested with rats, face the threat of mass extinction. The island was invaded by rats in mid 1700s, from a Japanese or Russian ship that was grounded nearby. Now other nearby islands are also infested with rats. The birds generally lay the eggs on the ground as there are hardly any trees in the island. Rats find it easy to survive on these eggs. Interestingly, one pair of rats can produce a population of more than 5,000 rats in a year. Puffins, auklets and storm petrels are almost at the risk of extinction. State and federal wildlife biologists are preparing to exterminate the rats by air dropping rat poison from helicopters. If they succeed, it will be the third-largest rat free island in the world.

Here is the map that shows the islands that are infested with rats.

Skopje. Macedonia will protect the critically endangered vultures through assistance of a Spanish organization, Macedonian Makfax writes on Monday.
Macedonian Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning in co-operation with the Macedonian Environmentalist Association and a Spanish Foundation today will promote the project “Strengthening the National Capacity for the Protection of Vultures in Macedonia”. The promotion ceremony will take place in Kavadarci.
The project is funded by the European Commission - Consortium of NGOs. The Kavadarci-based Wild Flora and Fauna Fund will take part in the realization of the project.
Of the four species of vultures that used to net in Macedonia, the bearded and the black vultures have already extinct and the remaining two species are the white-headed and the Egyptian, both species facing extinction.
The white-head eagle lives in Demir Kapija area, the Crna Reka canyon near Tikves Lake, the Osogovo Mountain, Matka Lake and in Mariovo.

Associated Press

Dan Joling

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if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById(’articleViewerGroup’).style.width = requestedWidth + “px”; document.getElementById(’articleViewerGroup’).style.margin = “0px 0px 10px 10px”; } ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A bird of prey found along North America’s northern West Coast warrants protection as an endangered species in Canada but not in Alaska, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided Thursday.

Environmental groups that sued the agency for protections for the Queen Charlotte goshawk called the decision bad science and a bad interpretation of federal law and vowed to return to court to have Alaska birds protected.

“We think it’s illegal, and organizationally, when we think things are illegal, we go to court and try to get a judge to agree with us,” said Brendan Cummings of the Center for Biological Diversity.

The quest to list the birds under the Endangered Species Act has been going on since 1994. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s latest response came after its previous determination denying protections was rejected in court.

Queen Charlotte goshawks are one of three subspecies that inhabit the Northern hemisphere, according to the listing petition. They’re found from Washington’s Olympic Peninsula to southeast Alaska south of Juneau.

Queen Charlotte goshawks are 22 to 26 inches long. They have short wingspans and long tails that help them maneuver in forests. Feather guards protect their eyes from stray branches.

They hunt relatively large prey. In Alaska, in the absence of snowshoe hares, rabbits and chipmunks, they target grouse and ptarmigan. They are fierce defenders of nests and will attack wolves, bears and humans that stray close to their nests, according to the listing petition.

Cummings said up to 500 breeding pairs remain in North America and most are in southeast Alaska.

Logging of old growth forest is considered the main threat to the Queen Charlotte goshawks, said Noah Greenwald, a conservation biologist for the Center for Biological Diversity in Portland, Ore.

“This is a species that hunts under the forest canopy,” he said. “Going in there and cutting down substantial amounts of trees is not something that would be conducive to its survival,” Greenwald said.

Owen Graham, executive director of the Alaska Forest Association, a timber trade association, praised the decision as one less worry for Alaska’s ailing timber industry.

“We don’t have enough timber to operate now,” he said.

He said protections already are in place for the birds and that additional revisions are expected in the U.S. Forest Service management plan for the 17-million acre Tongass National Forest.

The environmental groups took issue with the Fish and Wildlife Service determination that the Alaska and British Columbia ranges are distinct populations and therefore qualify for individual consideration.

The agency concluded that it could support listing British Columbia birds as threatened or endangered. The same could not be said for the Alaska birds, given conservation measures in place in the Tongass, the world’s largest temperate rain forest. Those measures include no-harvest status in substantial areas and guidelines for goshawk protection by loggers in the parts of the forest open for cutting.

The decision Thursday means the agency will have up to a year to determine whether the birds should be listed as endangered or threatened.

Cummings said it was troubling that the agency would list only a portion of an imperiled population. It’s a dangerous precedent that works to exclude as many areas as possible from the Endangered Species Act, he said.

“We believe the law says, if this species is to survive, it has to be protected in Alaska, where the core remaining population is,” Cummings said.

Listing the birds as endangered in another country gives them no direct protection through U.S. management but could affect timber imports. Cummings said mismanagement in the Tongass, where insufficient protections are likely to be weakened, do not ensure survival of the goshawks.

“That’s where it needs to be protected and that’s where the Department of Interior has completely abdicated its responsibility,” Cummings said.

 China.org - Yang Xi

The Chinese Crested Tern is the most endangered bird to date in China. This bird’s common name indicates its close relationship with China. In 1863 scientists gave the bird a Latin name – “Sternabernsteni” but Chinese also call the animal “Shenhua Zhinao” or the “Mythical Bird”, because it is rare and mysterious.

“There are less than fifty Chinese Crested Terns in China,” Chen Shuihua, deputy curator of Museum of Natural History of Zhejiang Province and also the most authoritative expert on Chinese Crested Terns research, said. He did not disclose the exact number. The number of Chinese Crested Terns around the world has reduced by half in the past three years, according to a survey.

The earliest record of the Chinese Crested Terns in China dates from 1863. In 1937, Chinese scientists collected 21 specimens of the birds, including 15 females and 6 males near Qingdao in Shandong Province. Few similar records were made in the following sixty-three years. Some scientists only kept minimal records without photos in the Beidaihe Region in Hebei Province (197 and in the Yellow River Delta of Dongying in Shandong Province (1991). Many ornithologists believed that the birds were extinct.

Big surprise

Surprisingly, in June 2004 an avian photographer from Taiwan, Liang Jiede, took pictures and unexpectedly found four adult pairs of Chinese Crested Terns and four juvenile birds in his photos after developing his film.
 
In 2003 Chen Shuihua began to lead an investigation into propagating sea birds along the coastal areas of Zhejiang Province, while putting emphasis on Chinese Crested Terns.

Chen Shuihua led a group out to sea to start another investigation in June 2004 because he wanted to set a new record. “None of the ornithologists had gone to sea to do their investigations due to the danger and expense, so little investigation into sea birds in China has ever been carried out,” Chen said. Unfortunately, his investigation did not have a happy ending.

Chen Shuihua set out to the sea several times in 2004 during the sea birds’ breeding season from June to August. Chen’s group found almost twenty Chinese Crested Terns on August 1, 2004 in the central coastal areas of Zhejiang Province.

The main reason for the sharp decrease of Chinese Crested Terns is due to rampant collecting of sea bird eggs. These rare birds will go extinct in five years if such illegal practices are not forbidden, according to an article published by the Bird Life International.

Chen Shuihua has identified the Chinese Crested Tern as a flagship specimen of the marine ecosystem. He believes that the extinction of this bird would mean the destruction of the entire marine ecosystem, so he strongly advocates protecting all sea birds.
　　
Bird Life International has suggested that the mainland and Taiwan should cooperate in rescue efforts directed at Chinese Crested Terns.

This July in Taiwan Chen Shuihua was invited to participate in a meeting that focused on how to create a cooperative effort to protect Chinese Crested Terns. Chen has worked out a five-year plan for their protection. “I hope that efficient measures can be enforced within five years to ensure the successful breeding and survival of these birds and that we can make more detailed investigations in order to obtain greater understanding about these birds,” Chen said.