Study of rare bird conducted at Kodiak refuge

KODIAK, Alaska -- A study was conducted on Kodiak Island this summer that could result in a seabird being placed on the endangered species list.

The bird is the Kittlitz's Murrelet, a rare black-and-white seabird.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror (http://is.gd/zREjxM) says over the summer the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge sent a four-person team to study the Kittlitz's Murrelet. The two-month study was conducted on the southwest part of the island where the birds nest.

The bird is found in other parts of Alaska, but not many studies have been completed because the bird is so elusive. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is gathering information on the bird to consider listing it.

This was the fifth year the refuge has studied the birds.

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/11/4810208/study-of-rare-bird-conducted-at.html

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/11/4810208/study-of-rare-bird-conducted-at.html#storylink=cpy

Arab sheikhs to hunt rare bird in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Kazakhstani Prime Minister Karim Massimov August 31 allowed four Arab sheikhs to hunt the rare MacQueen’s bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii) September 1 through November 15, KazTAG reported September 10.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, has permission to hunt 71 of the birds in three state wildlife preserves. Three other sheikhs – one from Qatar, two from the UAE – are authorised to hunt 28, 11 and 10 bustards each, KazTAG added.

The same four sheikhs hunted the birds in Kazakhstan in 2008, Fergana News reported. They will use their own falcons during the hunt and pay 420,600 KZT (US $2,800) for each bustard they bag, media reported.


http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/newsbriefs/2012/09/10/newsbrief-15

Rare California seabird reported breeding off Mendocino Coast

Scientists surveying rocky islands this week off the Mendocino County coast within the California Coastal National Monument made a remarkable discovery - several breeding sites for the Ashy Storm-Petrel, a rare and declining seabird not reported nesting in this area since 1926.

The shy grey bird hides and nests in shoreline rock crevices as deep as seven or eight feet and only emerges at dawn and dusk to avoid predators, mostly other birds. They fish in the ocean, "flitting like butterflys on the surface," according to Anna Weinstein, seabird program manager of Audubon California in Emeryville.

The four new colonies were found north of Point Arena and south of the village of Mendocino.

Finding these birds - which are under consideration for the national endangered list - is very exciting to naturalists who have watched dedicated and expensive efforts to protect the Ashy Storm-Petrel in other areas of California do little to help.

"California has invested a lot of money in restoration in the Channel and Farallon Islands," Weinstein said. "Despite those efforts, they are declining. They're getting hammered by owls, falcons and gulls, even skunks."

"This is truly our species in California," Weinstein added, noting that almost the entire worldwide population of the bird lives in California. "Now Mendocino County has a special responsibility to steward them."

Continued:  http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_21449703/rare-california-seabird-reported-breeding-off-mendocino-coast

No flight of fancy, this rare bird needs to be caught to survive

ONE of the world's rarest birds is now almost reduced to a rumour. There are only 36 orange-bellied parrots known to be alive in the wild. The situation has become so critical that if numbers drop further, the survivors will be rounded up and put into captivity by members of a national recovery team trying to save the species from extinction.

The team - a large group of scientists and volunteers based in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia - is about to release its new action plan, which includes this radical step of removing all the parrots from the wild if necessary.

''It's an option of last resort,'' says Peter Menkhorst, a zoologist with the Arthur Rylah Institute. ''But we won't hesitate.''

Central to the new plan is a delicate juggling act involving taking birds out of the wild to support the 20-year-old captive breeding program. The program was failing due to inbreeding until scientists made the ''radical'' decision two years ago to capture just under half the then known wild population of 50 birds and put them into the program.

There are now 208 birds in the program - and it's anticipated that a small number of parrots will be released for this summer's breeding season in Tasmania.

''We won't be releasing lots of birds at this stage, because we still need to build up the genetic bank - and we need to do risk assessment to decide which birds to release,'' said Peter Copley, a senior ecologist with the South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.

Talk of running up the white flag on the wild population first began in 2010, when it was found that the wild population had fallen from 150 in 2006 to just 50.

Continued:  http://www.watoday.com.au/environment/conservation/no-flight-of-fancy-this-rare-bird-needs-to-be-caught-to-survive-20120901-257ji.html

Matka chowk a grave for rare bird

CHANDIGARH: The slick beauty of Matka chowk may well read like an epitaph for the extinction of a rare bird from the City Beautiful's precincts. The beautification, use of exotic shrubs and chemical fertilizers, at the Matka chowk undoubtedly creates eye candy for commuters but it has driven out the yellow-wattled lapwing from its last habitat in the city.

The good news is that four of these lapwings are still there, waging a grim battle for survival in the dry scrublands and fallow lands lying left of the road meandering from village Kishengarh to Saketri behind Sukhna lake.

Lapwing, which is an uncommon bird of the country's north-western region, is seen in good numbers in peninsular India. Unlike its more raucous cousin, the Red-wattled lapwing, the yellow version is less demonstrative and noisy and less adaptable to urban habitats.

"Yellow-wattled lapwings were discovered quite by chance at Matka chowk. It used to be my daily routine to chase migrant labourers who would poach chicks of red-wattled lapwings in Matka chowk area. One day, I saw these juvenile lapwings at Matka chowk and discovered these to be yellow-wattled.

Continued:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Matka-chowk-a-grave-for-rare-bird/articleshow/15971579.cms

Bright red bird recaptured by Edinburgh Zoo

A rare bright-red bird which escaped from Edinburgh Zoo last week has been recaptured about four miles away.

Keepers noticed the scarlet ibis was missing on Tuesday and it was later spotted close to the city centre.

The two-year-old female bird was recaptured on Sunday afternoon on the shoreline in the Cramond area and is now recovering in quarantine.

It is believed the bird escaped after a squirrel chewed a hole at the top of its cage.

The ibis has been at the zoo since 2010 and shares her enclosure with the six other members of her flock and 36 resident flamingos.

Colin Oulton, team leader of the bird section at Edinburgh Zoo, said: "It's really quite surprising how far the scarlet ibis flew, eventually ending up at the shore at Cramond.

"Being flock birds, you would expect them to stay quite close to the rest of the flock."

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-19391284

Rare birds in Manggarai on the brink of extinction

The twin pressures of widespread poaching and illegal logging continue to push many of the rare and endemic bird species in the forests of Manggarai, West Manggarai and East Manggarai regencies in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) to the brink of extinction, a conservation expert says. 

Ruteng Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) head Ora Yohanes told The Jakarta Post on Monday that limited personnel and operational funds for his office in the Ruteng Natural Tourism Park created difficulties in taking action against poaching in the forested area. 

In Mount Lasang, the Flores celepuk (Ottus alfredi), or mini owl, is one endemic bird on the verge of extinction, while three other endemic bird species — the Flores serindit (Loriculus flosculus), the Flores kehicap (Monarcha sacerdotum) and the Flores crow (Corvus florensis) — can still be found in Mbeliling’s forested area. Other endemic birds in Flores can be spotted in Ruteng Natural Tourism Park and around Todo village, Satarmese district, Manggarai.

The BKSDA is only able to take action against poachers when the birds are taken out of Manggarai, such as at the airport or seaports. Poachers often use air rifles to shoot birds at Ruteng Natural Tourism Park.

The Wild Birds Foundation’s Samuel Rabenak confirmed on Monday the poaching of birds and other wildlife in the nearby Mount Lasang Natural Tourism Park had been taking place for a long time.

Yohanes said the poachers had not yet been caught, but that his office was currently conducting activities in three natural tourism parks to save the birds of Flores from poaching. 

Yohanes said that if the government failed to protect the 3,246-hectare park from uncontrolled practices of illegal logging and forest conversion, various bird and other wildlife species in the area would become extinct.

BKSDA forwarded a proposal to the NTT provincial administration to raise the park’s status to a national park to enhance its protection — a proposal the provincial administration recommended to the central government in 2007. 

Five years on, no response has been received from the Forestry Ministry.

Continued:  http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/08/08/rare-birds-manggarai-brink-extinction.html

Children shocked as 12-year-old classmate kills rare bird on school trip

School children were left horrified and sickened when one of their 12-year-old classmates stoned a rare bird to death on a school trip.

The boy picked up a rock and threw it at the Kea - an endangered mountain parrot - killing it instantly.

The incident happened when around 200 children from a school in Christchurch, New Zealand were on a school outing.

Killing a Kea is a criminal offence that carries a maximum fine of £50,000 or six months in prison as they are protected by law under the Wildlife Act killing one.

There are thought to be fewer than 5000 of the birds left in the world.

Staff at Porter Heights Ski Area said they had been left 'upset' and 'disgusted' by the boy's actions.

The headteacher at the boy's school said he did not think there was any 'malice' in the student's attack.

Richard Paton said he thought the boys was 'as shocked as anybody' that the rock he threw 'actually hit the kea'.

"The boy involved is very remorseful, but there will be some consequences for his actions.

"The other students on the trip were as upset as anybody and they also feel let down by the mindless actions of one person.

"It's unfortunate that the actions of one person can reflect badly on the school," he added.

A silly and mindless moment of madness, or an inexcusable act of wickedness that should be severely punished?


http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/07/23/children-shocked-as-12-year-old-classmate-kills-rare-bird-kea-parrot-on-school-trip/

Branson 'delivers' rare baby birds in British Virgin Islands

Not a minute goes by without Virgin Group boss Sir Richard Branson fussing over mother nature. Now, the blond billionaire has announced “the first scarlet ibis in the British Virgin Islands for over 100 years” has been born in his private paradise.

The 4th richest man in the United Kingdom revealed on his blog that the rare bird recently hatched on his island of Necker in the British Caribbean territory.

Branson has recently kept himself busy reintroducing the flamingo, the scarlet ibis and the roseate spoonbill to the British Virgin Islands. According to the tycoon, all three species died out there 100-150 years ago.

“We have had fantastic success with the flamingos, with 70 young ones born this year. The scarlet ibis, one of the most beautiful birds in the world, is also doing fantastically – we had our first baby born recently,” the bird enthusiast wrote in his blog.

Flamingos are not Branson's only eye-catching favorites.  He is currently introducing lemurs on nearby Moskito Island, despite criticism that the non-native species could disrupt the ecological balance there.  

When the 61-year-old business magnate with an estimated net worth of $4.2 billion is not saving birds and Manta Rays, Sir Richard can often be seen jet-setting, kite-surfing or diving.

http://rt.com/art-and-culture/news/branson-virgin-island-ibis-168/

Rare albino crow is a real hoot as a house guest

WILDLIFE fan John Dowding is a real bird brain.

And now his bird keeping hobby has taken flight after he got his very own adopted animal to crow about.

1. ​
   John with Polaris

• •
 
• •

The dad-of-three, 45, has taken albino crow Polaris under his wing after it was found helpless in the wild.

Now the rare bird enjoys life at home in Hucclecote with John, his wife and kids.

John said: "A chap out at Monmouth had found it, and put it in a field, but it stayed there, it had an injured wing.

"He took it to a vet, who gave it an injection and said if it didn't work, he would get rid of it, but the man didn't want that so he called the International Birds of Prey Centre in Newent."

The centre, where John works, knew its employee was a crow fan, and soon Polaris had happily moved into one of his aviaries.

John said: "They can have problems in the wild due to the fact they're albino.

"He spends a lot of time in the house with us. He likes sitting on heads and shoulders, and just generally being around people.

"He's just got a really nice character."

John said he often has owls come to live at his home while he's training them, to get them used to him, so having another bird around is proving an absolute hoot.
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Rare-albino-crow-real-hoot-house-guest/story-16355182-detail/story.html

Look, up in the sky! Rare bird becomes Texas tourist attraction

HOUSTON—Hey, it’s only a bird. But don’t tell that to the crowds gathering alongside country roads in Brazoria County.  Clusters of cars and trucks parked next to swampland are bringing visitors, from as far away as California, who try to catch a glimpse of a surprise tourist attraction.

“It’s a Eurasian species,” explained Gary Hodne, a geophysicist from The Woodlands who’s also a bird watcher.  “The black-tailed godwit.”

Never before has one of these particular godwits been spotted in Texas.  But someone who knows his flying critters noticed it early last week and spread the word through a website.  Soon enough, bird watchers – actually, they prefer you call them “birders” – started driving and flying hundreds of miles to try to glimpse this rare visitor. 

“This is like Elvis showing up,” said Lee Gaston of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who works in the refuge.  “Yes.  If there’s an Elvis sighting, people show up.  Black-tailed godwit?  The people are going to come.”

Birders keep lists of the species they’ve spotted, sometimes scrawled in old notebooks or nature manuals, often with notes indicating when and where they first saw certain creatures.  And yes, they’ll drive hundreds of miles just to add another species to their so-called “life lists.”

“If you’re just into nature, birding is a good way to learn about the species you’re seeing in the field,” Hodne explains.  “And the more you learn about it, the more you realize there’s an awful lot to see.  Texas is a real good state for birding anyway.  And this has never been seen in Texas before.”

If it matters to you – and it really does matter to birders – black-tailed godwits are identified by the distinctive white feathers on the bottoms of their wings.  A photographer named Michael Gray snapped some especially striking pictures that clearly identify the species. They’re fairly common in Europe and Asia, but they’re only rarely seen in the United States.

“He obviously got with a group of birds that were getting into some trade winds,” Gaston believes.  “And he came on across the Atlantic with the wrong group, because he seems to be the only one.”

So for the past couple of weeks, birders have followed the complicated directions to a remote part of the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge where the black-tailed godwit has been feeding.  They’re dragging along spotting scopes, expensive binoculars and cameras with huge lenses, setting up on the roadside and trading rumors about where the visitor was last sighted.

Refuge officials expect especially large crowds this weekend as word spreads through the media.

“It’s going to happen,” Gaston predicts.  “People are going to get off work.  They’re going to hear about it as the word spreads and somebody might have a picture.  And sure enough, this road right here is going to be packed with people looking for that bird.”

http://www.khou.com/news/Look-up-in-the-sky--Rare-bird-becomes-Texas-tourist-attraction-158265805.html

Rare bird makes full recovery

Monday, 16 April 2012, 11:09 am Press Release: Wellington Zoo

Media Release
16 April 2012

One of New Zealand's rarest birds, the Hihi, was brought to The Nest Te Kohanga at Wellington Zoo for care, after being found at Zealandia with an irregular head tilt.

Dr Lisa Argilla said that the head tilt could have been a result of either flying into something, an infection in the brain, or having consumed something poisonous.

"With such a small bird, it is hard to run the usual diagnostics to assess its condition, but we were able to x-ray the bird to ensure there were no fractures," explained Dr Argilla. "We also gave it medication to deal to any toxins that it may have ingested, as well as treating it for possible infections."

Hihi usually become stressed in a hospital environment, but this was one determined little bird. "Once it started perking up, it was very ready to get on its way! We ended up treating it in a smaller room without glass so that it wouldn't try to fly through windows."

Zealandia collected the Hihi on Wednesday afternoon to introduce it back in the sanctuary, as it had made a full recovery.

"We're really lucky to have The Nest Te Kohanga as a teaching hospital," said Dr Argilla. "Treating the more common native birds such as Kereru and Tui on a regular basis means that we are well prepared to deal with the rarer native birds when they come our way."

The Nest Te Kohanga helps to train wildlife vets around the country, which helps to ensure that native animals can receive expert hospital care.

A Hihi can be recognised by their strident call, which 19th century ornithologist Sir Walter Buller described as resembling the word 'stitch'. This call sounds like two stones being struck together, and explains why they are also known as Stitchbirds. The Hihi also has a unique nest building style, making use of tree cavities to construct a complex nest with a stick base that is topped with finer twigs, and then lined with fern scales, lichen, and spider web. They have a diverse and unusual mating system, where a female may breed with a single male, or with several. This makes it a challenge to determine the parentage of chicks. Hihi are also the only birds known to sometimes mate face to face.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1204/S00353/rare-bird-makes-full-recovery.htm

Ibis Jane Goodall Is First Home in 400 years

A rare wild Ibis named after British conservationist Jane Goodall has become the first member of the critically endangered bird species to fly over the Alps to the breeding grounds of northern Europe in 400 years.

The rare Northern Bald Ibis lived in Europe for 1.8 million years before they were wiped out by hunters four centuries ago, but the first bird has now returned thanks to an Austrian bird lover who showed them the way using a microlight.

Dr Johannes Fritz used the technique of imprinting by making sure he was the first thing the chicks of the rare Northern Bald Ibis saw when they hatched. Using the trust that bond built up, he then persuaded the birds to follow him in his microlight between the birds summer and winter feeding grounds in Tuscany and the Austrian and German Alps.

And now after a decade of work, the first of the birds has finally made it back over the Alps under her own steam.

The birds flight was tracked by GPS system that was fitted to all the adult birds last year and was coupled with a campaign to educate hunters to avoid having the birds shot.

He said: "We were following her progress over the Alps on the GPS at our head office in Innsbruck. It was an incredible flight in record time. She travelled like an arrow direct to the breeding ground and we had a huge celebration when she finally arrived. We have raised and imprinted dozens of birds and show them the flight route but GoJa is the first to make it back on her own steam.

"Jane Goodall has been a great supporter of our project and visited us for the first time in 2008 for a book project she was working on. In her honour we took the first two initial letters of her name which is our practice the naming birds, and we gave that name GoJa to a newly hatched bird.

"She is now the first adult Northern Bald Ibis returning to the a breeding area north of the Alps in 400 years. We have had dozens of birds born in our program and it is by pure chance that we named this particular bird in her honour. So our most famous bird also bears the name of the most famous conservationist.

"We now have the birds established in three mountain locations - two in Austria and one in Germany. It's a great success - but we are counting the days now until the first birds return after running the gauntlet of hunters."

Among those celebrating the return were German student Stefanie Heese, 25, and Austrian student Daniela Trobe, 29, who last year took six months off from University to act as parents to the latest new arrivals.

From first light until sundown the two were on hand to cater to the baby birds every need – from feeding them as chicks through to grooming them and then later into educating them on how to survive in the wild. Educational games such as hunting worms together were designed to expand the birds interest in the world around them, and in training in how to find food on their own – and that effort culminated in the last six weeks of their time together with flight training.

Every day the pair and would lead the birds to a microlight plane and would then practice flying and gliding over the Austrian Alps in Salzburg in preparation for the long migratory flight to Tuscany.

Finally last year in October the pair accompanied their 16 charges as they made the 1,353 kilometre journey accompanied by three support vehicles over 36 days to their winter feeding ground in Italy. Every day they stopped at a prearranged spot and met up with the ground crew where food was provided for the birds to keep their strength up, and then they carried on with the trip.

Dr Fritz who initiated the project a decade ago after working with the birds as part of research project organised by the Conrad Lawrence Research Centre said he had been motivated by the difficulties he observed there in reintroducing captive Ibis birds back to the wild.

Fossil records show that the Northern Bald Ibis, regarded as a critically endangered species, had been present in Europe for 1.8 million years but it vanished 300 years ago - and now thanks to the work of Dr Fritz not just one but three breeding colonies have been established back in Alpine Europe.

He said: "I was also sceptical about being able to reintroduce this unique bird back into the wild but all that changed when I saw the film Fly Away Home and was really impressed by William Lishman's success with Canada geese. I decided to try and repeat the experiment."

Single-handedly he started his project and over the years has built up supporters including Schonbrunn Zoo, the world's oldest zoo, located in the capital Vienna which has a large captive Bald Ibis colony and which provides many of the eggs for the yearly trip down to Italy.

The project has hit many snags – and Dr Fritz, 45, would be the first to admit that starting from scratch there was a lot to learn.

He said: "The imprinting where the birds are taught from the start to recognise a specific person as a parent bird was the first hurdle.

"It is amazing to watch, when the human they don't recognise is around the birds avoid contact and fly away. But when their adopted parent appears they will run or fly to the person as soon as they spot them – calling and rocking their heads in a welcoming gesture that shows they clearly recognise their parent. That position allows the human to teach the birds a lot – for example not to be afraid of the microlight."

The first batch Dr Fritz acted as a parent for he admitted was ultimately a heartbreaking experience. None of his 10 hatchlings still survive and now every year he selects students to be parents for the birds. The latest batch of 16 were hatched out by the two students and of the 16 that set off 15 made it. He said: "That is a fantastic success rate."

The project which is an Austrian initiative has three colonies, the first to be established was in Berghausen in Germany, where GoJa has now returned to the nesting area, the huge outdoor cage where she was born, the second is in Salzburg where the birds have remained in Italy and are too young to fly back this year, and the third is also in Austria but the final location is still being worked on.

The hope is that birds who have made the journey without problems will in future be able to teach others the way.

http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Around_the_World/2012-04-14/26420/Ibis_Jane_Goodall_Is_First_Home_in_400_years

Rare bird breeds at Laysan for 1st time in century

By Audrey Mcavoy

Associated Press

HONOLULU — The endangered millerbird is breeding at Laysan in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands for the first time in 100 years, officials said Friday.

Wildlife managers have seen eight pairs of the small, gray-brown feathered birds carrying nesting material and building nests at Laysan, some 940 miles northwest of Honolulu.

They spotted the first eggs last week. Two pairs were incubating eggs and another pair was feeding nestlings as of Thursday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies said in statement.

In September, biologists brought the birds to Laysan from Nihoa Island further south to establish a new population and prevent the extinction of the species.

A related subspecies once lived on Laysan but disappeared in the early 20th century after introduced rabbits destroyed the island's vegetation

Loyal Mehrhoff, field supervisor for the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, said the project has been a success so far.

"The birds' rapid acclimation to their new home surpassed our expectations," he said in a statement.

Of the two dozen moved from Nihoa, at least 21 have survived the winter storm season. Three have not been seen for months, but they still may reappear.

The birds were released to their new home on Sept. 10, and quickly began feeding on flies and spiders.

From early on the birds showed signs of mating. The males sang loudly to demarcate their territory to other males. The females fluttered their wings, an indication they're interested in a male bird's territory and the male bird.

The next milestone will be when the chicks leave their nests and forage on their own.

George Wallace of the American Bird Conservancy, a private nonprofit organization helping with the project, said plans are being developed to move a second group of birds from Nihoa to Laysan to ensure the new population has a solid foundation to build on.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765560497/Rare-bird-breeds-at-Laysan-for-1st-time-in-century.html 

Artwork brings rare birdsong into heart of city

Former Rotorua resident and artist Adrienne Grant has created an art installation which allows people to hear the birdsong of the region before human settlement.

Titled Korokoro Manu (the throat of the bird), the series of sound boxes and drawings are dotted throughout the central city and feature the calls of rare, extinct and endangered native birds such as kiwi, kakapo and kokako.

Situated at 10 locations throughout the city, the sound boxes are activated automatically as a person walks. There are nine different native bird calls, plus a recording of the dawn chorus that can be heard on Mokoia Island, a bird sanctuary.

Ms Grant, who lives in Hamilton, said the aim of the project was to give the public an unexpected encounter and also features stencils of native birds, spray painted throughout the central city. She said the installation was special to her, as she had a rare recording of a person imitating a huia - a bird which became extinct in 1907.

"Unfortunately, the call of the huia is something we will never experience but the recording of Henare Haumana brings us closer to this enigmatic bird."
Former Rotorua resident and artist Adrienne Grant has created an art installation which allows people to hear the birdsong of the region before human settlement.

Also special was the recording of the Mokoia Island dawn chorus, she said. She was given special permission from island trustees to stay overnight and record it.

Ms Grant said she hoped the installation would be "an unexpected encounter" for people.

A small brochure that describes the project and has a map of the sound boxes will be available from shops, Rotorua District Library and cafes.

Korokoro Manu is part of Sustainable Backyards Month organised by the Hannahs Bay Community Restoration Trust.

Organiser Melanie Allcutt said the month aimed to raise awareness of effective sustainability actions people could take part in every day.

The concept of a backyard was used in its widest sense, Ms Allcutt said. It could be where a person lived, their neighbourhood, town or New Zealand.

Sustainability, Ms Allcutt said, was about taking responsibility for the resources and energy people used and finding ways of limiting the adverse impact on their environment, balancing that with a good standard of living.

Sustainability Backyard Month runs until April 1. A sustainable backyard is a backyard that produces most of its own food for the year for the family.

For details call Denise La Grouw on 027 321-9333 or visit www.communityrestorationtrust.com 

http://www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/news/artwork-brings-rare-birdsong-into-heart-of-city/1305052/ 

Trapped Dalmatian pelicans hand-fed in frozen Caspian Sea

Authorities in the southern Russian province of Dagestan are trying to save hundreds of rare Dalmatian pelicans trapped by unusually cold weather.

The birds migrated to the area near the city of Makhachkala last week.

About 20 birds have already died of hunger after the Caspian Sea froze over, local government spokesman Arslan Dydymov told the Associated Press.

Around 1,400 Dalmatian pelicans, the world's largest variety of pelican, are thought to live in southern Russia.

Mr Dydymov said hundreds of kilograms of fish had been bought every day by Dagestan's Nature Protection Ministry for the pelicans.

Local residents have been volunteering to help authorities in their efforts to feed the birds.

But the authorities at the shipyard where the birds have been trapped at first refused the public entry.

"We did not let them in for the sake of the pelicans,'' chief guard Magomed Eldarov told AP, citing concerns that some residents had brought bread and other foods unsuitable for pelicans.

The birds are being fed locally-bought sprats while fishing in the Caspian is impossible.

"Yesterday it seemed they ate more than enough," Dagestan nature reserve spokesman Kurban Kuniev told AP.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17117482

It’s once bittern twice spied as birds return

By MATTHEW REVILLE


LARGE numbers of a rare bird that was once extinct in the United Kingdom have settled in a redeveloped old quarry in Peterborough.

Changes to King’s Dyke Nature Reserve have attracted the uncommon bitterns to the site, and they have now been spotted there for the second year in a row.

On Wednesday the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said young bitterns were sighted there for the first time this year, meaning they are settling and breeding.

The birds – best known for their distinctive ‘booming’ call – have been flocking to the former quarry, as the numbers of the species in the country rise to more than 100 for the first time since 1911.

The location was formerly one of a series of clay quarries just east of Whittlesey.

The pit has been excavated to a depth of 16 metres below sea level but the water is still kept to a low level by pumping.

Hanson Brick, the owners of the site, restored the pit as a 16 hectare nature reserve in 1999, and its lush greenery and lakes make perfect conditions for bitterns.

David Weeks, communications manager for Hanson Brick, said: “It is very good news that the bitterns have been nesting at King’s Dyke.

“There has been an amazing transformation from the old brick quarry into a nationally recognised nature reserve.

“Our volunteers who have put in a lot of time and effort to get to this stage, and the fact it is now attracting bitterns is a great thing.”

King’s Dyke Nature Reserve is not the only revamped quarry to be providing a safe haven for bitterns to nest and breed.

More than 100 have been found nesting in 26 sites throughout England, including Needingworth Quarry, Huntingdon, for the first time ever.

The numbers represent a vast improvement on the overall count of just 11 birds recorded in 1996.

The minerals industry has been at the centre of the push for action to secure the return of the bittern, and the group Nature After Minerals (NAM) has been set up to create a formal link between industry chiefs and the RSPB and Natural England.

They aim to encourage the effective and sustainable restoration of quarries for the benefit of wildlife and local communities.

RSPB Warden, Chris Hudson, said: “Across the county we are losing some species at an alarming rate.

“The mineral products industry is uniquely positioned to step up and help turn this around.

“The Hanson-RSPB projects are a fantastic example of how quarry sites around the country can be restored for the benefit of wildlife.”

Mineral Products Association (MPA) Chief Executive Nigel Jackson said: “Given the right recognition and support, we can achieve a great deal more yet. Protecting and enhancing biodiversity is finally being recognised as one the industry’s hidden benefits.

“As a critical part of the UK’s manufacturing base, we are essential to construction, to the economy and to growth and uniquely placed to make a significant contribution to halting the decline in the UK’s biodiversity.

“Our members already manage or control an area of land that adds up in size to a small national park.”

In October, Hanson finished as runners-up at the MPA’s Restoration Awards Scheme ceremony in London for its work at the Kings Dyke Nature Reserve.

Over 140 species of birds have been recorded on the reserve including raptors, breeding waders and a range of wetland and scrub birds.

What is a bittern
BITTERNS are a thickset heron which is a secretive bird and difficult for even the most seasoned birdwatcher to see.

The small birds have a length of 75cm and a wingspan of 130cm, and can most regularly be seen moving silently through reeds looking for fish.

They have an all-over pale buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars.

In contradiction to their secretive appearance, they are easily heard through their remarkably far-carrying booming voice – especially the males in spring.

Bitterns have such a small population they appear on the RSPB’s Red List – meaning they are one of the most threatened in the UK.

Although they are rare, the birds are most regularly seen in the south of England and in East Anglia.

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/environment/it_s_once_bittern_twice_spied_as_birds_return_1_3321212

Rare Arctic bird found in county as polar conditions are forecast for two weeks

FREEZING polar conditions have reached Lincolnshire – and they've brought a rare Arctic bird with them.

A grey and white speckled Arctic buzzard, drawn down from the frozen north, has created quite a stir since it was found injured near Lincoln by an RSPCA officer.

It was taken to the city's Park View Veterinary Surgery and treated before being handed over to staff at the Weirfield Wildlife Hospital in Rookery Lane, Lincoln.

The bird, more commonly known as the rough-legged buzzard, is thought to be one of only four to have been ringed in Britain.

Park View practice manager Sara Allwood said: "It certainly brought the weather with it."


Weirfield spokesman Alison Townsend said the male bird would be comfortable with the cold snap after a lifetime of dealing with freezing Arctic conditions.

She said: "I've worked with wildlife for 20 years and I have never seen one before.

"I was quite concerned that he wouldn't survive, but after a few days, he started eating.

"His leg is much better and he is ready to go again, so I will probably release him over the weekend, depending on the weather."

According to experts, the Arctic buzzard – which differs from the common buzzard by its larger size, pale colours and feathered legs – migrates from the north in autumn and could well stay in the area until next spring.

Alan Ball, British Trust for Ornithology spokesman, of Sleaford, said: "They are a rare sight in Lincolnshire and we took the chance to tag this bird as there are so few in the wild that are tracked.

"The chance of seeing the same bird again is less than 10 per cent. It really is smashing up close."

Rachel Shaw, spokesman for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, said there had been several sightings made of the birds.

She said: "It is likely that it has been a good breeding year, but now there may be a lack of food, causing them to cross the North Sea.

"Common buzzards are found in the county in high numbers. They look very similar and can be difficult to tell apart."

The freezing temperatures are set to continue for the next two weeks, according to experts.

Helen Chivers, of the Met Office, said: "Today will see a light coating of snow and tomorrow there could be between 2cm and 5cm of snow across Lincoln city and the wider county area.

"It will drop to about -5C overnight, with widespread frosty conditions."

The cold snap comes just days after the Met Office said this year was the warmest in history.

http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/news/ARCTIC-BUZZARD-COMES-COLD/article-2943752-detail/article.html

Rats killing off Pitcairn's rare Henderson petrel

One of the world's rarest birds could face extinction, unless conservationists succeed in their mission to eradicate rats from Henderson Island in the Pitcairn UK Overseas Territory.


The Henderson petrel is found nowhere else on the planet, but it's under threat from rats that are eating 25,000 seabird chicks alive every year.

The British-based Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is seeking to raise around one million U-S dollars to fund the eradication programmme.

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201010/s3043113.htm