Monday, April 30, 2007

Fire at Eastern Market

This is not a bird or conservation story but a local one. Last night an intense fire tore through Eastern Market on Capitol Hill. The market will be shut down for the near future though Mayor Fenty promises that the city will restore it.

It took 160 District firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze, which tore through the roof and all but demolished the collection of meat, produce and other shops popular with neighborhood residents and throughout the region.

Fire chief Dennis L. Rubin said investigators believe the fire began in a dumpster behind the market, then spread to the building itself. Roads around the market, at 7th St. between C and D streets SE, were closed during the morning rush hour, the building still smoldering from the fire....

Lawrence Schultz, assistant fire chief, said that 75 precent of the structure was damaged but that the "heavy timber construction" kept the bones of the building intact. "The overall structural is in really good shape," he said.
I have used this market regularly since I moved downtown, so the fire came as a shock. Eastern Market is an historic building, the last remaining of four markets built by the city in the nineteenth century. In recent years the building has hosted small scale vendors who sell local meat and produce. Open-air stalls adjacent to the building have hosted a farmers' market, craft dealers and a flea market. Since the reconstruction is likely to take some time, I hope that the city can find an alternative to keep the farmers' market going.

Update: Fenty plans to rebuild both Eastern Market and the Georgetown Library. DCBlogs rounds up reactions from local bloggers.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Sparrows and Bitterns at Poplar Point

Last week, someone reported a seaside sparrow - a highly unlikely species in DC - at Poplar Point, a small peninsula that juts into the Anacostia River. Then yesterday, while I was at Bird Fest, other birders reported a slew of other unusual bird species at the same location. So this morning I went over to Poplar Point to see if any of the reported birds were still there.

The walk started out well with a female kestrel and some first-of-the-spring songsters. A Baltimore oriole flew out from one of the locust trees as I walked along the tree line. It was the first of several for today. Just inside the tree line, a gray catbird was mewing, and yellow warblers, chestnut-sided warblers, and common yellowthroats were singing. In a few other spots I could hear house wrens singing. I thought I heard an orchard oriole, but I could not could confirm that with a sight identification.

I failed to find any of the reported grasshopper sparrows, unfortunately. However, the grassy areas were not lacking for sparrows. In addition to the usual suspects, I saw two savannah sparrows, two field sparrows (one singing), and a swamp sparrow. My search for the grasshopper sparrows took me deeper into the meadows than I normally venture, and in the course of my search I flushed two Wilson's snipe in short succession.

Deeper into the meadow, there are some marshy areas, where I flushed a least bittern and then an American bittern. Both stayed airborne long enough for me to get identifying looks at them. The least bittern - a tiny brown bird with a black cap - flushed from reeds near me and landed just out sight behind a tree and some other reeds. The American bittern flushed from a position farther from me and then stayed in the air longer as it flew farther into the swamp. This was my first look at either species. As I turned to leave, I saw a wild turkey walking in and out of the tall grass. It did not seem to be disturbed by my presence.

Leaving the meadow, I made my way along the river from Poplar Point towards Anacostia Park proper. A bobolink flushed from the taller grass near the side of the road, perched in the shrubs, and started singing. It had a fascinating song - not necessarily a pleasing song, but a complex one with a lot of squeaks and gurgles. As I walked further, I checked the mudflats on the river. There were about seven caspian terns among the masses of ring-billed gulls. A few herring and great black-backed gulls are still around. Two osprey were hunting over the river. I later saw one carrying a stick to an unknown destination.

The Least Bittern and Wild Turkey were #199 and #200 on my DC life list. I reached one of my birding goals for the year!

Birds observed: 50 species

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Least Bittern
American Bittern
Canada Goose
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Wild Turkey
Wilson's Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
American Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Fish Crow
European Starling
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole

Butterflies observed: 8 species

Cabbage White
Clouded Sulphur
American Copper
Gray Hairstreak
Eastern Tailed-Blue
Spring Azure
Mourning Cloak
Wild Indigo Duskywing

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increase in DC Area

The Washington Post reports that greenhouse gas emissions in the DC metropolitan area have increased rapidly over the past five years. From 2001-2005, greenhouse gas emissions have increased by about 5.6% nationally. Around Washington, D.C., emissions rose by 13.4% over the same period. The main culprit seems to be the rapid growth of the city's exurbs, which require longer commutes between work and home, and an increased need for electricity as a result of new real estate development.

Emissions jumped the most in suburban Virginia, where the estimate shows an increase of more than 18 percent. Emissions from the Maryland suburbs grew less, about 11 percent, but that rate still outpaced the country's.

The brightest news came from the District, where emissions grew 6.7 percent. D.C. officials said they think the relatively low increase is partly a sign of changing behavior: Residents were leaving their cars at home and walking, biking or taking public transit.
The continued increase in emissions, which has outpaced population growth in the region, makes the passage of emission reduction legislation more pressing. In particular, the clean cars initiative should help to reduce at least some emissions (see here). Virginia's emissions problems are stickier because of exurban development, and reduction there will probably not happen unless adequate public transportation connects those exurbs to D.C. The good news is that the Orange Line will eventually be extended; the bad news is that the extension will still leave quite a lot of northern Virginia without easy Metro access.

Kingman Island

In other local news, Kingman Island had its grand opening yesterday. Kingman and Heritage Islands, in the Anacostia River near RFK Stadium, will eventually host an environmental education center and nature trails. For the moment they are still closed to the public at most times. The future of the center appears somewhat uncertain since funding remains a problem. However, the times seem propitious for Kingman to become a valuable resource for the District.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Baltimore Orioles

Here is another bird in the "coming soon" category. Today, Youtube brings you the Baltimore Oriole. Actually, orioles ought to be in town already. If you have not seen one yet, you will be seeing one soon.

First, an up-close view of an oriole eating:

Next, a video of an oriole singing:

Speaking of migratory birds, this weekend the National Zoo is holding its International Migratory Bird Day celebration. If you visit the Zoo this weekend, you can meet representatives of conservation organizations, including the DC Audubon Society, Maryland Ornithological Society, DC Fisheries and Wildlife, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Wildlife Federation, National Park Service, the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and many others.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Loose Feathers #96

Prairie Warbler / Photo by Steve Maslowski (USFWS)

News and links about birds, birding, and the environment
Birds in the blogosphere
Carnivals and links

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Happy Birthday to John James Audubon

Today is the birthday of John James Audubon (1785-1851). Audubon was born in Haiti (then Saint-Domingue) and educated in France. He first came to the United States in 1803 and settled near Philadelphia. In the course of his career as a naturalist and painter, he lived and worked in Louisville, Kentucky; Cincinnati, Ohio; New Orleans, Louisiana; and several other American cities. He died in 1851 and is buried in New York City.

John James Audubon was one of several naturalists who studied North American birds in the early years of the United States. Along with Alexander Wilson, Charles Bonaparte, William Bartram, and others, Audubon helped to discover and describe the continent's avifauna. Audubon himself described 34 birds (both species and subspecies) for the first time. The western subspecies of the yellow-rumped warbler still bears his name.

As with the article that I wrote about last week, reading Audubon's accounts of the birds he painted can be a reminder of the different standards for naturalists then and now. Since he worked without the benefit of binoculars, spotting scopes, or cameras, he needed to shoot birds before he could paint them. The species descriptions that accompany his illustrations usually include some notes about where and how he captured his specimens. When possible, he painted from freshly killed and mounted specimens. In the course of his work, he sometimes would sample a bird's meat and describe its quality. The American white pelican received a poor review:

Its flesh is rank, fishy, and nauseous, and therefore quite unfit for food, unless in cases of extreme necessity. The idea that these birds are easily caught when gorged with fish, is quite incorrect, for when approached, on such an occasion, they throw up their food, as Vultures are wont to do.
The advantage of painting from recently-killed models was that Audubon could paint the birds in more lifelike positions than his predecessors managed. His paintings often show the birds in action - hunting and being hunted, foraging, and interacting with other birds. Audubon did not always achieve perfectly lifelike stances, but sometimes was quite successful. His painting of blue jays is one of his better depictions of birds in action.

John James Audubon had no personal connection with the National Audubon Society. The organization was founded at the turn of the twentieth century - about fifty years after Audubon's death. His name was chosen for his early contribution to North American ornithology and for his well-known book, Birds of America.

Related:

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Migrants at Kenilworth

On Sunday I visited Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens with the DC Audubon Society. We had a good turnout, as is common with local trips. A smaller group visited Kenilworth Park to look for open country birds later in the morning.

As you can see from the list below, the day was very good for sparrows and hawks. We were treated to great looks at ospreys from several locations in the park, including two occasions to watch an osprey eat fish. Bald eagle sightings included both an adult and an immature. The lone harrier was high in the sky and headed northward. A male kestrel perched for a short time at Kenilworth Park and performed some aerial acrobatics for us.

Field sparrows sang at several locations in and around the aquatic gardens. Several members of the group had an obscured look at one on the river trail. Swamp sparrows were more cooperative, with at least one coming out of the bushes and foraging on the open ground where we all could see it. One swamp sparrow sang a couple sweet trills. Our savannah sparrow turned up in Kenilworth Park. It flew in and out of tufts of grass on the football field. Though mown fairly short, the grass is just high enough to hide a small sparrow.

Other birds included a palm warbler and an early ovenbird. Most of the group had good looks at a flock of rusty blackbirds near the nature center. These charming icterids are no longer rusty but still clearly recognizable for their yellow eyes and short tails.

Migratory birds are clearly moving through in good numbers now, so it is time to get out and look for them.

BIRDS SEEN: 52

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Greater Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
American Crow
Fish Crow
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Ovenbird
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Cerulean Warbler


John James Audubon described cerulean warblers as follows:

It arrives in the lower parts of the State of Louisiana, in company with many other species of Warblers, breeds there and sets out again about the beginning of October. It is as lively as most species of its genus, possesses the same manner of flight, moves sidewise up and down the branches and twigs, frequently changing sides, and hangs to the extremities of bunches of leaves or berries, on which it procures the insects and larvae of which its food is principally composed. The liveliness of its notes renders it conspicuous in those parts of the skirts of the forests which it frequents; and its song, although neither loud nor of long continuance, is extremely sweet and mellow.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Anacostia Watershed Cleanup

Today I participated in an Earth Day cleanup, sponsored by the Anacostia Watershed Society and the Earth Conservation Corps. The cleanup was conducted throughout the Anacostia Watershed. I was among the 200 volunteers who worked on lower Kingman Island.
Kingman and Heritage Islands were both created from dredge spoil when the Anacostia River was dredged in the early twentieth century. In the late 1990s, residents stopped an attempt to build a large amusement park on the two islands. At that time, the District agreed to restore the islands as a nature preserve and build an environmental education center on lower Kingman. (See the master plan, tree groves project, and AWC Kingman Island page.)

At the end of the cleanup, ECC leaders announced that volunteers had collected 321 bags of trash. That figure probably did not include the corroded chairs, metal pipes, bricks, and various car parts that were lined up for removal. The contents of my two trash bags consisted mostly of styrofoam objects. They were a lot of coffee cups, with some fast food containers and plates. Then of course there were smaller helpings of bottles and aerosol cans. (A few areas had lots of plastic bottles, but I was not in one of them.)

One area where I worked was loaded with garlic mustard. In fact I came across several areas infested with the noxious stuff as I walked up and down the island. I was tempted to work on removing that instead of the trash, but there was far too much for one person - even in that relatively small area.

As I picked up trash and debris, I noted many birds around me. Northern cardinals, white-throated sparrows, and American goldfinches were singing with full voices up and down both islands. A Caspian tern flew upstream along the river at the beginning of the morning; as the cleanup ended, a common yellowthroat was singing near the bridge on lower Kingman. Being close to the ground made me more attentive to mollusks (or ex-mollusks), pictured at left. One snail shell in particular was quite beautiful. The table below shows the animals I noted in the course of the day.

SIGHTINGS

BIRDS:
29 species
Double-crested Cormorant
3
Great Blue Heron
1
Canada Goose
6
Mallard
4
Osprey
2
Bald Eagle
1
Killdeer
2
Ring-billed Gull
5
Caspian Tern
1
Rock Pigeon
10
Belted Kingfisher
1
Downy Woodpecker
1
Northern Flicker
1
Tree Swallow
5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
2
Carolina Wren
2
American Robin
10
Carolina Chickadee
2
Fish Crow
1
European Starling
5
Common Yellowthroat
1
Chipping Sparrow
1
Song Sparrow
1
White-throated Sparrow
10
Northern Cardinal
10
Red-winged Blackbird
5
Common Grackle
15
American Goldfinch
20
House Sparrow
2



MAMMALS:
1 species
Beaver
1



INSECTS:
5 species
Cabbage White
1
Clouded Sulphur
1
Spring Azure
1
Mourning Cloak
1
Damselfly sp.
2



MOLLUSKS:
4 species
Gastropod sp. #1
1
Ventridens ligera (?) *

4
Bivalve sp.
1
Leopard Slug
1



REPTILES:
1 species
Eastern Painted Turtle
2

* Thanks to Aydin for suggesting an identification.

This weekend is the start of National Wildlife Week. Some bloggers are participating in the first annual Blogger BioBlitz and posting photos to the NWW Flickr Group in honor of the occasion.

Update: See the Washington Post for coverage of Saturday's cleanup at other locations. The article included this excerpt:
One crew from Washington Community Fellowship Church on Capitol Hill and the city's Cornell Club worked on a section of the river under the New York Avenue bridge. They found an old chair, plastic toys and a seemingly lifetime supply of 7-Eleven cups and McDonald's containers.

"The amount of Styrofoam was amazing," said Cornell Club member Cheryl Martson. "I will never use Styrofoam again."
I can understand that feeling.

Happy Birthday to John Muir

Today is the birthday of John Muir (1838-1914). A native of Scotland, Muir settled in this country first in Wisconsin and later made his way to California. Once in California, he worked a series of odd jobs while pursuing his real passion - studying the natural wonders of the Yosemite Valley. His studies convinced him that the ecosystems at Yosemite required protection from livestock grazing and other forms of human encroachment. After a long campaign and a personal intervention with President Theodore Roosevelt, Muir succeeded in his goal of designating Yosemite as a national park. In the course of his life, John Muir founded the Sierra Club and helped shape ideas about conservation.

Though best known for his writings on environmental preservation, Muir was also an enthusiastic observer of birds. In his book, Mountains of California, Muir devotes a chapter to the "Water-Ouzel," now known as the American Dipper.

He is the mountain streams’ own darling, the humming-bird of blooming waters, loving rocky ripple-slopes and sheets of foam as a bee loves flowers, as a lark loves sunshine and meadows. Among all the mountain birds, none has cheered me so much in my lonely wanderings, —none so unfailingly. For both in winter and summer he sings, sweetly, cheerily, independent alike of sunshine and of love, requiring no other inspiration than the stream on which he dwells. While water sings, so must he, in heat or cold, calm or storm, ever attuning his voice in sure accord; low in the drought of summer and the drought of winter, but never silent.

During the golden days of Indian summer, after most of the snow has been melted, and the mountain streams have become feeble, —a succession of silent pools, linked together by shallow, transparent currents and strips of silvery lacework, —then the song of the Ouzel is at its lowest ebb. But as soon as the winter clouds have bloomed, and the mountain treasuries are once more replenished with snow, the voices of the streams and ouzels increase in strength and richness until the flood season of early summer. Then the torrents chant their noblest anthems, and then is the flood-time of our songster’s melody. As for weather, dark days and sun days are the same to him. The voices of most song-birds, however joyous, suffer a long winter eclipse; but the Ouzel sings on through all the seasons and every kind of storm. Indeed no storm can be more violent than those of the waterfalls in the midst of which he delights to dwell. However dark and boisterous the weather, snowing, blowing, or cloudy, all the same he sings, and with never a note of sadness. No need of spring sunshine to thaw his song, for it never freezes. Never shall you hear anything wintry from his warm breast; no pinched cheeping, no wavering notes between sorrow and joy; his mellow, fluty voice is ever tuned to downright gladness, as free from dejection as cock-crowing.
Related

Friday, April 20, 2007

Loose Feathers #95

Barn Swallow / Photo by Dave Menke (USFWS)

News and links about birds, birding, and the environment.
Birds in the blogosphere.
Blog carnivals and news links.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

I and the Bird #47

Jochen of Bell Tower Birding hosts the latest edition of I and the Bird, the blog carnival that collects posts about birds and birding. I and the Bird #47 presents the identification and life history of the little-known Blog Bird (Iandthe bergini).

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

IPCC Predicts Climate Change Impact for U.S.

The latest IPCC report on climate change predicts that the warming climate will produce severe results in the United States. As expected, it details the likelihood of more extreme weather events, easier spread of diseases, and species extinctions. The report also puts a price tag on those changes:

North American forests will also suffer from a warming climate, the report says, and increases in wildfires, insect infestations and disease could cost wood and timber producers $1 billion to $2 billion by the end of the century.

The report also suggests that skiing and snowmobiling will suffer. The $27 billion snowmobiling industry is especially vulnerable because it is dependent on natural snowfall. By mid-century, the authors wrote, "a reliable snowmobile season disappears from most regions of eastern North America that currently have developed trail networks."
Discussions of solutions to reduce emissions often get sidetracked with complaints that solutions will cost too much. Unfortunately it is not a question of doing nothing and spending nothing versus spending a large sum of money to reduce emissions. It is more a question of spending a fixed amount to reduce emissions versus unknown extra costs do to warming.

Read the rest.

Birding by Metro: Red Line

This week's birding by Metro post covers sites on the Red Line. The Red Line runs a U-shaped route from eastern Montgomery County south into downtown D.C., and out again through northwest D.C. and central Montgomery County. It is the only Metro rail line that does not share tracks with another line for at least part of its length. As always, you can find information about train schedules and routes at the WMATA website.

Silver Spring

Rock Creek Park has the largest tract of woodland in the District. The best migrant traps in the park are in the central portion, along the ridge near the Nature Center. The northern portion of the park offers upland forest and riparian habitats that can be explored for woodland birds but remains relatively underbirded. Directions: From the Silver Spring station, turn west (left) down Colesville Road, which turns into North Portal Drive at the District border. Turn left from North Portal Drive onto East Beach Drive, bear right onto West Beach Drive (at Kalmia Road), and keep going south along West Beach Drive. Watch for trails into the park on either side of the road.

Fort Totten Station

Fort Totten Park is on a grassy and wooded ridge that surrounds one of the forts built to protect the federal capital during the Civil War. While not a true migrant trap on the scale of Rock Creek Park, Fort Totten does attract birds, particularly in migration. Look for migrant warblers and vireos and nesting flycatchers. Hawks may be seen in all seasons. Directions: From the station, cross the parking lot and follow the asphalt path around the hill.

Brookland/CUA

Catholic University is bordered by small tracts of woodland on its north and west edges. These woods attract migrants in spring and fall. Several species of raptors, including red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, peregrine falcon, and American kestrel have been spotted around the campus in recent years. Fort Bunker Hill Park (at 13th and Otis Streets in the Brookland neighborhood) attracts migrant birds, including red-headed woodpecker, rose-breasted grosbeak, indigo bunting, and various warblers. Directions: For Catholic University, follow the marked exit from the station and walk across the campus. For Fort Bunker Hill Park, use the Brookland exit and walk east along Otis Street.

Woodley Park / Zoo

The National Zoo stands on a bluff overlooking Rock Creek. The zoo contains many captive animals, but birders are welcome to search the zoo for wild birds. Check the wetlands near the bird house for waterfowl in winter and wild nesting black-crowned night-herons in summer. Red-shouldered hawks sometimes breed in the vicinity. Orioles and kingbirds nest in the sycamores near the big cat enclosures. Wood ducks breed along the creek during the summer and gather there in large numbers during the winter. Occasionally other wild waterfowl will keep them company.

Cleveland Park

Rock Creek Park can also be reached from the Cleveland Park station. The creek at Peirce Mill usually has a wood duck contingent, and swallows breed in the buildings there. By walking north from Peirce Mill, one can reach the traditional hotspots along the ridge. Directions: To reach Peirce Mill, walk north along Connecticut Avenue from the station. Walk down into Rock Creek Park via the ravine trail in Melvin Hazen Park. (N.B.: This trail can be difficult when wet.)

Tenleytown/AU

Fort Reno Reservoir is located on Fessenden Street between Wisconsin and Nebraska Avenues. The reservoir is underground and the top of the hill is surrounded by a fence. The lawn inside the fence is sometimes allowed to grow into a meadow. This is a good place to spot open-country birds if the grass in the enclosures has not been mown. As the highest point in DC, Reno Reservoir is a fine place for hawk watching in both spring and fall. Watch for southbound common nighthawks in August and September. Directions: From the station, walk north on Fort Drive to the park.

If you know of good, Metro-accessible sites not listed here, please note them in the comments. I especially would appreciate learning about sites outside of Washington's borders. Any feedback is welcome.

Other posts in this series: Introduction, Green/Yellow, Blue/Orange

Monday, April 16, 2007

D.C. Rare Birds, Now and Then

From time to time I check through the search phrases that have brought visitors to my blog. One recent search that caught my eye was for the phrase "dc rare birds." Now, a list of rare birds for the District could be generated in various ways depending on the criteria involved - birds rare everywhere, birds rare in the U.S., birds common elsewhere but rare in the District.

Out of curiosity, I did a search myself on that phrase to see what it would produce. Among the many listings for "rare bird alerts," I found a two-page note from an old edition of The Auk (pdf). This report is from E. M. Hasbrouck, who seems to have been an ornithologist associated with the U.S. National Museum. It provides a look into a different world of ornithology as it was practiced at the end of the nineteenth century.

Rare Birds near Washington, D.C.--The spring migration, which is reasonably productive here about once in every four years, was remarkably so in 1892 , in the number of rare and desirable birds it brought to local collectors. For the first three of the following records I am indebted to Mr. Frederick Zeller, a professional gunner, whose almost constant presence on the marshes, and excellent knowledge of local birds, enables him to detect and capture new or uncommon species in the District.
The note goes on to list the species collected, including the date and place of collection. The following is typical:
Empidonax pusillus traillii.--This has always been regarded the rarest of the Flycatchers, very few having been taken up to the present year. On and about May 25, for several days, they were quite common, and a number were taken by the collectors.
The above appears to be an alder flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum), part of the species complex formerly known as "Traill's Flycatcher." My source for that is a supplement to the AOU checklist from The Auk in 1876. Alder flycatchers do seem to be the least likely flycatcher to be reported in the District. I suspect that the difficulty of identification has as much to do with that as genuine rarity.

Reading about the killing of a very rare species like an alder flycatcher comes now with a touch of irony. That was the way things were done before high-quality binoculars and mist nets. For another example, you would not see the following in a rare bird report today:
While walking along an old cattle trail, I flushed a bird from a nest containing five eggs directly beneath my feet, and shot her to be sure of identification.
The passage above refers to a Kentucky warbler found outside D.C. It is one of two sightings reported for that species in the article. Reports of a yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) in the District and "a large colony" of Henlow's sparrows (Ammodramus henslowi) 16 miles from D.C. are tantalizing. One generally needs to go much farther today to see one Henslow's sparrow, let alone a large number. Here are the other birds mentioned in the note:
  • Tantalus loculator - Wood Ibis, now Wood Stork (Mycteria americana)
  • Gallinula galeata - "Florida Gallinule," now Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
  • Bartramia longicauda - Upland Sandpiper
  • Aegialitis semipalmata - Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
Several reports refer to mudflats in and near the District. These flats are mostly long gone now. In the early twentieth century, major changes were made to the Potomac and Anacostia. The rivers were dredged and levees were built, so that the rivers no longer look the way they did when E. M. Hasbrouck and his associates were collecting bird specimens a century ago.

For a current list of D.C.'s rare birds, see the local government's list of Birds in Greatest Conservation Need (pdf). Full report here.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

More Coming Attractions

While you're drying out from today's soaking, here's another short preview of birds we can expect in a couple weeks.

Taking a Bath

A black-and-white warbler stops to bathe.

And another black-and-white warbler forages at its winter home in Belize.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

D.C. Climate Rally

Today was a National Day of Climate Action, marked by events in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The D.C. event was held in from of the Capitol reflecting pool at 3rd Street NW. Speakers for the event included D.C. Councilmembers Phil Mendelson (D - At-Large) and Mary Cheh (D - Ward 3). Cheh and Mendelson support legislation to impose new standards for energy efficiency and emission reductions within Washington, D.C. Two bills are pending before the D.C. Council:

They also discussed some regional initiatives for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. It seems that our local representatives are working on solutions to the problem. Most other speakers discussed legislation pending before Congress, the main subject of last month's rally.

Here are a few photographs from today's event.

Mary Cheh

Phil Mendelson

The local LaRouche people. Yes, that sign does say what you think it says.

Ring-billed Gull

Dogwood at the Capitol

Related

Friday, April 13, 2007

Another Pelican Video

A reader sent me the following video of a pelican eating a pigeon.

If you recall, St. James Park in London has been the site of pigeon-eatings before, which I covered here and here. This pelican seems to know what it is doing. It grabs the pigeon from behind, where it can offer the least resistance on the way down. It can still flap madly, but the game is already over.

Loose Feathers #94

Red-necked Grebe Pair / Photo by Donna Dewhurst (USFWS)

News and links about birds, birding, and the environment
  • Reforestation has been cited as an important tool for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide. A new study indicates that such reforestation projects are most effective when they are done in the tropics. Reforestation at northerly latitudes may cause localized warming, since the trees absorb heat and prevent snow cover from reflecting as much sunlight. (abstract)
  • Protected birds such as marsh harriers are getting shot during Malta's spring hunting season. Malta opened the season despite the European Commission's Birds Directive, which forbids spring hunting. (Charlie links to a column by Simon Barnes on the subject.)
  • Traces of collagen in fossilized bones can be analyzed for protein sequences and compared against living animals to determine evolutionary relationships. When this process was applied to a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, the protein turned out to be most similar to chickens. (See Pharyngula and GrrlScientist for better commentary.)
  • The Florida Everglades are in the midst of a 16-month drought, which may affect the breeding season for birds by reducing food supplies. There is a chance of long-term ecosystem damage if relief does not come soon. Sustained development has reduced the ability of the Everglades to recover from prolonged dry spells.
  • Also in Florida, airport officials have destroyed two eagle nests near an airport but so far have been prevented from destroying a third because the third nest is on private property. Officials cannot find the owner to permit access, so they got it from a judge instead.
  • Research by a graduate student helped stop Chevron from building a liquid natural gas facility next to a large breeding colony of threatened Xantus's murrelets.
  • A birder in Galveston was indicted for animal cruelty for shooting a feral cat.
  • Virginia's State Corporation Commission delayed a Highland wind power project to create a plan to protect birds and bats from being killed by the turbines.
  • Meanwhile, Maryland is reducing the environmental review process for new wind projects.
  • Here is an opinion piece on the effects of global warming on birds.
  • A cockatoo at a British wildlife sanctuary has been guarding chocolate candy eggs and trying to hatch them.
  • Here are some tips on gardening for birds. The article is oriented to the Pacific Northwest, but generally applicable.
  • Keep an eye on some nesting peregrine falcons in New York City with the 55 Water Street webcam.
Birds in the blogosphere
Blog carnivals and news links

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Coming Attractions

Coming soon, to a woodland near you:



Also, by the same user, here is a video from a spot I visited recently, Manasquan Reservoir in New Jersey:



The last shot is a bald eagle nest where an eaglet recently hatched.

Sibley

Someone finds a misidentification in the Sibley Guide:

Which leads me to another worry. It's plain that Mr. Sibley is a supreme incompetent; but could it also be that the ornithology establishment and birding public don't share my concern either? If they did, the outcry would be enough to inspire a revision. But so far, and to the best of my knowledge, there's been complete silence on the matter. Is there some kind of mass collusion going on here? Or is this Sibley's scheme to make his work more accessible—to make it just as factually deprived as its readers? The world is insane.

Toxic Waste and Environmental Justice

California has a tendency to put toxic waste dumps near minority communities:

California has the nation's highest concentration of minorities living near hazardous waste facilities, according to a newly released study.

Greater Los Angeles has 1.2 million people living less than two miles from such facilities and 91%, or 1.1 million, are minorities. Statewide, the figure was 81%.

The study, conducted by researchers at four universities for the United Church of Christ, examined census data for neighborhoods adjacent to 413 facilities nationwide that process or store hazardous chemical waste produced by refineries, metal plating shops, drycleaners and battery recyclers, among other sources.

While about one-third of U.S. residents are nonwhite, more than half of the people living near such facilities were Latino, African American or Asian American, according to the report released this week.
The inequality represented in this article angered me. Presence of toxins in the environment has been connected with various developmental problems in children and illnesses in people of all ages. That these toxins would affect minorities disproportionately is a basic justice issue.

Via theGarance.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Biofuels

Tom Toles sees a dilemma.

The EPA proposed a new renewable fuels standards program for U.S. automobiles. The standards require that about four percent of vehicle fuel come from renewable sources, mainly ethanol. This year, that means about 4.7 billion gallons; in 2012, 7.5 billion gallons must come from renewable sources.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Birding by Metro: Blue and Orange Lines

This week's post in my series about birding by Metro covers sites on the Blue and Orange Lines, which run together on an east-west route through center of Washington. They run separately through northern Virginia, converge at the Rosslyn station, and then part again the the Stadium-Armory station, with the Orange Line running northeast and the Blue Line running east. These subway lines offer relatively close access to some of the best birding that the District has to offer.

Blue and Orange Lines

Rosslyn

Roosevelt Island, Washington's monument to our 26th president, offers a variety of habitats in its 91 acres. Look through the upland hardwood forest that covers the north and west sides of the island for warblers and tanagers in migration, nesting red-shouldered hawks, and wandering mixed-species flocks in winter. The tidal marsh offers views of wood ducks and sparrows. The wooded swamp is reliable in winter for fox and swamp sparrows, winter wrens, and brown creepers. Prothonotary and yellow-throated warblers are regular visitors to the island in the spring. Directions: Walk from the station towards the Key Bridge. Just after crossing Washington Parkway, turn right onto the bicycle path, which will take you to the parking lot and foot bridge to Roosevelt Island.

Foggy Bottom

Foggy Bottom is the District's only Metro station with close access to the C&O Canal. Unfortunately birding possibilities at the start of the canal are rather limited, compared to conditions farther upstream. Check the river for waterbirds and watch the sides of the towpath for songbirds. Bird life along the canal becomes more interesting after about milepost 3. Directions: Walk west from the station along Pennsylvania Avenue and M Street to 30th Street. Turn left and walk along 30th Street to the canal.

Smithsonian

Hains Point and the Tidal Basin are at their best in winter, when crowds of tourists give way to migrant waterfowl and gulls - and the birders who come to look for them. At times, the number of gulls will grow into the thousands; search among them for less common gulls like lesser-black-backed, glaucous and Thayer's, which tend to show up during late-winter deep freezes. Scaup, mergansers, buffleheads, grebes, and coots are common at both locations; loons sometimes appear. The golf course regularly hosts open country species and shorebirds; at least one merlin visits each winter, and as many as three have been seen at once on this small territory. Check the holly trees for flocks of cedar waxwings and kinglets. The 14th Street railroad bridge hosts an osprey nest each spring, and peregrine falcons love to perch on its trusses. Directions: From the Independence Avenue exit, walk west on Independence and south along 15th Street to the Tidal Basin. To reach Hains Point, walk clockwise around the Basin and under the series of highway and railroad bridges. Most of Hains Point is a golf course, but a walkway around the edge of the island is open to the public.

Constitution Gardens is located north of the World War II Memorial and east of the Vietnam Memorial. In winter and early spring migration, look for ring-necked ducks, bufflehead, and wigeons on the lake. During later spring migration, warblers, vireos, and orioles may be in the trees. Check the shrubs around the lake and the lawn near the Vietnam Memorial for sparrows. White-crowned and Lincoln's sparrows have visited here. Directions: Walk diagonally from the station across the grounds of the Washington Monument.

The DC Veterans WWI Memorial is a quiet, lesser-known spot tucked in the woods away from the WWII Memorial. The memorial itself is a simple bandshell. This spot regularly attracts warblers and thrushes during songbird migration in spring and fall. Directions: Cross the grounds of the Washington Monument and bear left around the WWII Memorial; watch for the bandshell to your left.

Among the museums on the south side of the Mall there are a series of gardens. These small oases of green sometimes attract birds during migration. The Enid Haupt Garden (behind the Smithsonian Castle) and Hirschorn's sculpture garden have the usual urban birds, but more unusual species occasionally drop in. Ripley Gardens (adjacent to the Arts and Industries Building) hosted black-chinned and rufous hummingbirds in 2003-4. Directions: All three gardens are just west of the Mall entrance to the Smithsonian station.

Federal Center SW

This station is close to two other small gardens. The National Museum of the American Indian created a series of gardens to demonstrate the sorts of plants common in the area before the arrival of Europeans. For birding purposes, the best spot is the wetland area east of the museum, which attracts swamp sparrows and red-winged blackbirds. Outdoor gardens maintained by the U.S. Botanic Gardens feature sparrows in winter and ruby-throated hummingbirds in summer. An occasional warbler may be present in migration.

Potomac Avenue - Central Anacostia Park

Anacostia River Park is a thin strip of parkland running along both sides of the Anacostia River, from its mouth north into Prince Georges County. The best areas for birding are on either side of the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge. In winter, watch for gulls, ducks, and other waterbirds. Check for migrant shorebirds on the playing fields at high tide; at low tide check the mudflats for gulls and terns. Directions: From the station, walk south along Pennsylvania Avenue and across the river. (Visiting this park by Metro involves much walking, so allot enough time for the walk to the park, in addition to time you might spend there.)

Stadium-Armory

Kingman and Heritage Islands sit in the middle of the Anacostia River just south of Benning Road. Eventually the islands will host an environmental education center and trails; currently access to the islands is irregular. Waterfowl and herons use the river year-round. Gulls, terns, and shorebirds may be present on mudflats around the islands during migration. Check brushy areas for songbirds. Directions: From the station, walk north past the stadium and cross the parking lots to a footbridge that connects to the islands. The gate may or may not be open.

Blue Line Only

I do not know of any good birding sites accessible only from the Blue Line. If you happen to know of one, please note it in the comments.

Orange Line Only

Minnesota Avenue

Kenilworth Park on the east bank of the Anacostia River has open playing fields and managed meadows. This is the most likely site in D.C. to see such open-country birds as meadowlarks, horned larks, bobolinks, and vesper and savannah sparrows during their appropriate seasons. Sometimes shorebirds appear at high tide during May and August. Blue grosbeaks have nested in the park. Falcons and northern harriers appear here occasionally in winter. Directions: Use the west station exit for a pedestrian bridge that crosses 295. Walk one block west to Kenilworth
Terrace, and then two blocks north to the park entrance.

Deanwood

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is one of the top two birding spots in the District. Visits here are fruitful in all seasons. Display ponds for aquatic plants are surrounded by a 77-acre tidal wetland that includes a large tract of wooded swamp. From the park's visitor center, you can walk through the display ponds to boardwalks that lead out into the marsh. There is also a river trail that curves around the tidal marsh and through the wooded swamp. Waterfowl, herons, shorebirds, and occasionally rails may be seen in the marsh and around the display ponds. Sparrows, including field, fox, Lincoln's, and white-crowned, are found along the boardwalk and the river trail. Prothonotary warblers, both orioles, indigo buntings, and warbling and white-eyed vireos breed along the river trail. Directions: Walking west from the station, use the pedestrian overpass to cross 295, then walk west along Douglass Street and north along Anacostia Avenue to reach the gardens.

If you know of good, Metro-accessible sites not listed here, please note them in the comments. I especially would appreciate learning about sites outside of Washington's borders. Any feedback is welcome.

Other posts in this series: Introduction, Green/Yellow

Friday, April 06, 2007

Loose Feathers #93

Green-winged Teal / Photo by Jesse Achtenberg (USFWS)

News and links about birds, birding, and the environment.
  • A new report from the IPCC examines the effects of climate change on natural ecosystems. For humans, the biggest issues will be availability of fresh drinking water and changes in precipitation. Warming could result in the extinction of one-third of current species. The American Southwest is likely to become drier. Ten of the world's prominent natural wonders may disappear: "They include the: Amazon; Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs; Chihuahua Desert in Mexico and the US; hawksbill turtles in the Caribbean; Valdivian temperate rainforests in Chile; tigers and people in the Indian Sundarbans; Upper Yangtze River in China; wild salmon in the Bering Sea; melting glaciers in the Himalayas; and East African coastal forests."
  • Also on the climate change beat, the maximum extent of Arctic sea ice in winter 2007 was the second-lowest recorded by satellites. The record low was in winter 2006.
  • There is a new update in the story of the Wilson Bridge eagles. As you may remember, George and Martha had raised eaglets next to the Beltway for years until Martha was attacked by another eagle and later died from unrelated injuries. Now George has a new mate, apparently the same female eagle that attacked Martha last year.
  • A bar-tailed godwit fitted with a tracking device covered over 6,000 miles in a seven-day nonstop flight, from New Zealand to North Korea.
  • King penguins may be a good indicator species for monitoring the effects of climate change and overfishing. They forage over a wide area and breed in areas accessible to researchers.
  • Female green woodhoopoes that start breeding later in life produce more offspring than those that start breeding earlier, partly because the younger females have a higher mortality rate.
  • Healthy coastal wetlands should be able to survive rising sea levels; however, land-use changes that reduce the delivery of sediment downstream would lead to deterioration.
  • Owls communicate information about their weight (and therefore fighting ability) through the pitch of their calls.
  • The courtship display of the marvelous spatuletail, a rare hummingbird, has been filmed for the first time. You can watch the video here.
  • Central Park in New York City is using border collies to scare geese off the park's lawns.
  • Middlesex County, NJ, has recorded over 250 species of birds in spite of being densely populated and developed.
Birds in the blogosphere.
Carnivals and links.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Birding by Metro: Green and Yellow Lines

Last week, I introduced a new series about birding by Metro in and around the District of Columbia. Each post in the series will cover different routes. This week, we will look at sites on the Green and Yellow Lines, which run together through central Washington.

Green and Yellow Lines

Fort Totten Station

Fort Totten Park is on a grassy and wooded ridge that surrounds one of the forts built to protect the federal capital during the Civil War. While not a true migrant trap on the scale of Rock Creek Park, Fort Totten does attract birds, particularly in migration. Look for migrant warblers and vireos and nesting flycatchers. Hawks may be seen in all seasons. Directions: From the station, cross the parking lot and follow the asphalt path around the hill.

Green Line Only

Waterfront/SEU Station

The Southwest Waterfront provides an alternate view of waterbirds along Washington Channel. Check the channel for ducks, coots, gulls, and grebes. Washington Channel is most interesting for birding from November through April. Directions: Walk two blocks west along M Street to Water Street, and then follow Water Street along the docks.

Anacostia Station

Poplar Point is a small park under the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge (South Capitol Street), near the mouth of the Anacostia River. This small peninsula offers views of the Anacostia River. Look for ducks, grebes, and gulls on the river. Flocks not visible from other vantage points may be visible here. Willow flycatchers and orchard orioles breed in this location, and gamebirds are sometimes seen in the tall grass along the road. The future of this site as a birding spot depends on what happens during construction of a soccer facility. Directions: From the station, follow Howard Road north into the park. (Watch for traffic near the entrance and exit ramps for 295.)

Yellow Line Only

Eisenhower Avenue

Cameron Run is a creek that empties into the Potomac River just south of Alexandria. When the river is at high tide, many shorebirds leave the river's mudflats to rest and forage along Cameron Run. This is probably the best Metro-accessible location to look for shorebirds, since it offers a short viewing distance from the sidewalk to the creekbed. The site is especially good during August. Directions: From the station, walk west along Eisenhower Avenue, crossing the Telegraph Road overpass and passing an office park. Start birding when the creek is visible from the sidewalk.

If you know of good, Metro-accessible sites not listed here, please note them in the comments. I especially would appreciate learning about sites outside of Washington's borders. Any feedback is welcome.