Woodland birds

Scientists at the University of Hawaii say the bird's population plunged 63 percent from 2001 to 2007. Part of the problem is that only about a quarter of the Creepers (Oreomystis mana) are female, and scientists say there are not enough females to keep the species thriving. The Creepers are found in the southern portion of the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on the island of Hawaii. One of the researchers, Dr. Leonard Freed, says the bird's downfall can be traced to another bird – the Japanese White Eye. "When we looked at the Creeper, we suspected that female Creepers might be especially susceptible to competition with White Eyes," Dr. Freed explains. The Hawaii Creeper is an important insect predator, helping to control the bug population. There may be fewer than 1,000 left on the Big Island.

Love is in the air at the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC's) Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve in Duncan. Mating pairs of western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) are making a new home in the Cowichan Valley for the first time since the species disappeared from Southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands in the 1990s. The beautiful blue songbirds were a once common sight on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Known as harbingers of spring, their song would be heard as the weather turned warm and the vibrant wildflowers began to bloom in Garry oak meadows and woodlands. No nesting pairs of western bluebirds have been documented on Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands since 1995. The bluebirds’ decline was probably due to a combination of loss of Garry oak habitat, removal of standing dead trees that provide cavities for nesting, competition for nest holes with introduced species such as European starlings and English house sparrows as well as the reduction of insect prey due to pesticides.

A new study finds a dramatic decline in the already endangered Hawaiian Creeper (Oreomystis mana). Scientists at the University of Hawaii say the bird's population plunged 63 percent from 2001 to 2007. Part of the problem is that only about a quarter of the Creepers are female, and scientists say there are not enough females to keep the species thriving. The Creepers are found in the southern portion of the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on the island of Hawaii.The Hawaii Creeper is an important insect predator, helping to control the bug population. There may be fewer than 1,000 left on the Big Island.

EFFORTS to protect one of Loch Lomond's rarest bird species are set to fail - with conservationists all but admitting defeat in their bid to save the area's capercaillies. The capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), a large woodland grouse, once thrived in the Trossachs and Argyle, however, across the country numbers have been in decline for the past 40 years. Recent efforts by conservationists to halt the birds' terminal decline around Loch Lomond have failed, with only a handful thought to be remaining in the area. In the 1970s as many as 20,000 capercaillies could be found in Scotland, however, it is thought there is now only around 1,000 left in the country with the few remaining around Loch Lomond growing increasingly isolated from the more stable populations found in the Cairngorms National Park. Alan Bell, natural heritage manager for Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, explained: "Despite all our shared efforts the simple fact is that no new birds are moving into the area to breed with the resident birds. "Although individual birds were spotted in 2012, we have seen no signs of breeding activity in the last two years. The islands are rich places for nature and the efforts to protect the important wildlife there will of course continue."

Für Vogelarten, die auf der Roten Liste stehen, verschlechtert sich die Situation weiterhin. Das zeigt der neue Swiss Bird Index SBI®, den die Vogelwarte Sempach für die Arten der Roten Liste erstellt hat. Im Gegenteil: Der anhaltende Rückgang dieser Arten lässt sogar befürchten, dass die Rote Liste bei einer Neubeurteilung noch länger werden könnte. „Von den untersuchten 40 Arten zeigen 23 einen negativen Trend“, erläutert Verena Keller von der Vogelwarte. Die Rote Liste bezeichnet alle Brutvögel, die Gefahr laufen, aus der Schweiz zu verschwinden. Rote Listen sind Warnsignale für den Zustand der Natur. 40% der rund 200 in der Schweiz brütende Vogelarten stehen auf der Roten Liste. Der Anteil der gefährdeten Arten ist im Kulturland und in den Feuchtgebieten deutlich höher als etwa im Wald oder in alpinen Lebensräumen. Die Probleme für die Vögel der Landwirtschafts- und der Feuchtgebiete sind also besonders akut. Insbesondere eine wildtierfreundliche Landwirtschaft könnte eine markante Besserung bringen.

There are fears that capercaillie populations in the southernmost part of their range are no longer viable despite intensive efforts to save them. A cluster of small populations of capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) in the Trossachs and Argyll have steadily declined over recent decades. The last of these populations, centred on some of the Loch Lomond islands, has now dwindled to the point where there are only a few birds left. The nearest strong population is now in the Cairngorms National Park well beyond the distance that capercaillie will travel to search for territory or a mate. This leaves any remaining birds on the islands isolated, with no realistic prospect of being joined by individuals from elsewhere. While some birds may still be spotted on the islands, they are very few in number and little or no breeding is taking place. Long-running efforts by Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), RSPB Scotland and local landowners have not been able to halt this decline.

Conservationists are highlighting the plight of another rare bird in Surrey to raise awareness of the scale of decline in the county's woodland wildlife species. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says that the willow tit Parus montanus, which was once widespread across the UK, has plummeted in number over the last 30 years. The charity said now recorded sightings have all but ceased in Surrey. And it pointed to the plight of the country's smallest woodpecker, the lesser spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos minor, too, saying it is also an increasingly rare sound in the South-east and the rest of the UK. Previously, the RSPB has drawn attention to arguably Surrey's rarest bird, the Dartford Warbler, which was once regularly spotted in the region's heathland areas, including Reigate Heath, but is now a very rare sight since a crash in its numbers in recent years.
The RSPB was presenting the findings in the wake of last month's State of Nature report.

The death knell is ringing for Oregon's marbled murrelet. The seabird, which nests in old growth coastal forests and hunts for fish beyond the surf, is losing the battle against extinction. And this despite the best efforts of conservationists. An impartial study published in the international research journal The Condor found that marbled murrelet numbers in five different study areas fell sharply between 2001 and 2010. The count dropped from 22,200 to roughly 16,700. And this included four of the five conservation areas identified in the federal Marbled Murrelet Recovery Plan. Marbled murrelets live in Oregon, Washington and California. They’ve been on the federal endangered species list for more than 20 years, but they're worse off than ever. “This study confirms the fears that many conservationists have held for years,” says Steve Holmer, senior policy analyst for the American Bird Conservancy, about the report published in December. “By showing that the marbled murrelet is still in sharp decline, the study emphasizes the need for stronger, more aggressive conservation measures.”

Na het succes van vorig jaar organiseren Filmhuis De Keizer en Slow Food IJsselvallei op zondag 12 mei a.s. het 2e slow food film festival deventer. Met bijzondere films en tussendoor genieten van volop Lekker, Puur en Eerlijk eten en drinken. De films brachten heel verschillende kanten van ons ‘food’ in beeld: de achtergronden en bedreigingen van onze voedselvoorziening, de hartstocht voor voedingsproducten en het gastronomisch genieten. Van 17:15 - 17.45 werd de film More than Honey ingeleid door dr ir Henk Tennekes, toxicoloog en pleitbezorger voor een verbod op toepassing van insecticiden die bijenvolkeren en insecten in het algemeen bedreigen. De voordracht is bijgevoegd.