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The
Brown Pelican
Nature Conservancy Texas Chapter
April/May 2013
The Newsletter of the Coastal Bend Audubon Society
On the Web at www.coastalbendaudubon.org
Outdoor Cats: Single Greatest Source of HumanCaused Mortality for Birds and Mammals, Says New
Study—American Bird Conservancy
The study, which offers the most comprehensive
analysis of information on the issue of outdoor cat
predation, was published in the online research journal, Nature Communications, and is based on a review of 90 previous studies. The study was authored
by Dr. Peter Marra and Scott Loss, research scientists
at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
and by Tom Will from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service’s Division of Migratory Birds.
Debi Shearwater
Washington, D.C.—A new peer-reviewed study published January 29, 2013 and authored by scientists from two of the world’s leading science and wildlife organizations
—the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—has found bird and mammal mortality caused by outdoor cats is much higher
than has been widely reported, with annual bird mortality now estimated to be 1.4 - 3.7 billion and mammal mortality likely 6.9 - 20.7 billion individuals.
Sonia Nejera
Cat with prey--an American coot
According to Dr. George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy, one of
the leading bird conservation organizations in the U.S. and a group that has called for
action on this issue for many years, "This study, which employed
scientifically rigorous standards for data inclusion, demonstrates
See CATS p. 4
The Aransas Project Wins One for the Whoopers
—David Newstead
(March 12, 2013) —The Aransas Project (to which Coastal Bend Audubon Society
was a party) successfully argued that the state’s agency in charge of water, Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), was delinquent by failing to provide
adequate freshwater inflows to the San Antonio Bay system, which is the most important freshwater system for the Aransas whooping crane population.
Perhaps most importantly, it was ruled that since freshwater inflows were shown to be
the primary issue the injunctive relief can NOT be provided by purchase and protection of additional habitat but must take the form of more freshwater coming into the
bay. This is a VERY important decision for the Endangered Species Act. Appeals
are likely already in the works.
Read all about it at their website: http://thearansasproject.org/
Monthly Meetings
Tuesday, Apr. 2, 2013
Speaker: Katherine S. Miller
Topic: Effects of the Landscape
on Bobwhite Genetics in
Texas and the Great Plains
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Speaker: Chuck Blend
Topic: The Early Bird Gets
Wormed! Parasites of Your
Favorite Coastal Bend Birds
—New Meeting Place—
Location: South Texas
Botanical Gardens
8545 S. Staples St.
Corpus Christi, TX
Time:
7:00 p.m.
Monthly meetings are held
on the first Tuesday of the month.
All members and the public
are invited!
Volunteer Opportunities
Join the call list for future volunteer opportunities.
Contact: Owen Fitzsimmons, [email protected] or
361.885.6247.
-Red Knot Study Continued—April trapping and banding
with David Newstead and Dr. Larry Niles
-Bayside Sanctuary Spring Clean Up Day—Add your
name and contact info to the call list above or check our
website and Facebook for updates.
What’s Up around Corpus Christi
FREE GUIDED BIRD WALKS
▪ Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, Port Aransas—
Wednesday’s, 9:00 a.m.
Info: 361.749.4158 or www.cityofportaransas.org/
Leonabelle_Turnbull_Birding_Center.cfm.
▪ Blucher Park, Corpus Christi—Saturday’s and Sunday’s in April, 7:30 a.m. Led by Audubon Outdoor Club.
Info: www.ccbirding.com/aoc/where-go.htm
GUIDED BIRD WALKS—Free with admission/pass
▪ Goose Island State Park, Rockport—Wednesday’s Saturday’s, 8:00 a.m. Meeting place varies by day. For meeting place and info call ahead of day: 361.729.2858
TRASH OFF—Packery Channel Boat Ramp—Saturday,
Apr. 6, 9:00 a.m. - noon. Land and water clean-up. Lunch
provided. Info: 361.826-.673 or [email protected]
EARTH DAY-BAYDAY—Heritage Park, Corpus
Christi—Saturday, Apr. 13, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Free family-friendly event. www.signupgenius.com/
go/70A094EA4AA2CA20-earth
Coastal Bend Audubon Society
Annual Membership Meeting
There are no monthly meetings for the months of June, July,
and August. An annual membership meeting and election is
usually held in the month of July. Keep up with developments
on the website and on Facebook
Membership Director Volunteer Needed
Basic skills in Excel and Access helpful. Training and support
available until June 2013. Contact Laura Cooper at
[email protected].
Big Day Committee Needed
2013 CBAS Big Day fundraiser dinner and silent auction coming up this October. Let’s spread the workload. Contact: The
Brown Pelican at [email protected] or Rosalie at
[email protected].
Vice President Needed
Contact David Newstead for more details at 361.885.6203 or
[email protected].
Page 2
Upcoming Programs & Speakers
Apr. 2
Effects of the Landscape on
Northern Bobwhite Genetics in
Texas and the Great Basin
Katherine S. Miller—Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Katherine attended
California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California. She
graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology and a minor in environmental science. She moved to Corpus Christi and worked on her
master's degree in biology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi,
investigating the nest success of the Botteri's Sparrow in South Texas. For her Ph.D. she is working on landscape molecular genetics of
Northern Bobwhite in Texas under the guidance of Dr. Leonard
Brennan and Dr. Randy DeYoung.
May 7
The Early Bird Gets Wormed!
Parasites of Your Favorite Coastal
Bend Birds
Charles K. Blend—Chuck received his Ph.D in Biological Sciences
from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2001, his M.S. in
Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University—
College Station in 1996, and his B.S. in Biology from the University
of Texas -Dallas in 1990. Most recently Chuck was an Assistant
Professor of Biology at Gordon College, Wenham, MA. He is currently an independent researcher in parasitology, deep-sea biology,
based out of Corpus Christi. He is President/President-Elect of the
Southwestern Association of Parasitologists, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University,
and Research Associate with Harold W. Manter Laboratory & Collections of Parasitology, University of Nebraska. His primary interest is Deep-Sea Parasitology. Specifically, the taxonomy, morphology, evolution, ecology and zoogeography of helminths (parasitic
worms – flukes, tapeworms, roundworms, gill worms and spinyheaded worms) infecting a wide variety of deep water organisms in
general, and parasitizing fish in particular. Chuck has described ~30
new taxa of parasitic worms.
Needed: Suggestions for next season’s programs
and silent auction items for CBAS Big Day 2013 in
October. Respond to: [email protected]
Check this out . . .
Great Texas Birding Classic 2013:—April 15 - May
15. Registration due April 1. New rules! Categories for any age and
skill level. [email protected]
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/events/great-texas-birding-classic
Toyota Extends Program—Toyota, Audubon’s largest
corporate sponsor, approved a new $3.5 million grant to extend the
TogetherGreen program into its sixth year. www.togethergreen.org/
2013 Python Challenge Nabs 68—Jan./Feb. 2013.
Check out the images, especially the female carrying 59 fertile eggs.
Images for Burmese python challenge and www.pythonchallenge.org
and www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/121211.html
Connecting People with Dementia to Nature
Health Professions Press announced the release of Bird Tales, a low
cost, high-impact program to improve the lives of people living with
Alzheimer’s disease. http://ow.ly/htPz0
February Program: The Reproductive
Ecology of American Oystercatcher
By B. Rapstein
There was no January meeting of the CBAS due to the fact that
the meeting fell on New Year’s Day, so upon return in February
it was as great pleasure to hear from Lianne Koczur regarding
her master’s work on the American oystercatcher.
Lianne first acquainted us with the 11 other species of oystercatcher in the world including one extinct species. Then she
addressed her study subject, the eastern race of the American
oystercatcher (AMOY). We saw their range maps, learned
from a 2002-2003 winter survey there are approximately 11,000
in the U.S. with about 500 of those in Texas, and learned something about their physical traits. Lianne explained that male and
female oystercatchers can be almost identical and shared with
us the findings of a genetic study of the black oystercatcher
showing that the presence of a heavy eye fleck is a pretty good
indicator of a female bird.
The objective of Lianne’s study was to estimate the reproductive success of nest pairs she monitored. She would also try to
determine the causes of any failed nests. Factors that can affect
the success of AMOY nests include: habitat loss, disturbance,
predators, and the bird’s small population and low nesting
productivity. The AMOY has been identified as a Species of
High Concern in the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan and a
Priority Species for National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and
Texas Parks & Wildlife.
Through her field research Lianne observed that the AMOY is
very territorial which worked to her advantage when trapping
AMOY during the breeding season. Through the use of a
wooden AMOY decoy, a little MP3 player of their call, and a
noose carpet. “The birds were pretty easy to catch,” she recalled.
Lianne began her field work 2012 along the central Texas coast
and was working collaboratively with Dr. Susan Heath of the
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and another grad student who began trapping
on the upper Texas coast in
2011. First, Lianne
searched for and monitored
territorial pairs. After locating incubating pairs, she
was able to reduce the
amount of disturbance by
monitoring from the boat.
Eggs began to hatch approximately 27 days from
the start of laying. Chicks
were banded and fledglings
were considered successful
if they survived to 35 days.
Lianne has completed
some of her analyses but
still has more to do, and
she should be out doing
more field research right
Bart Ballard
about now. Explanatory variables she will consider include island
size, distance of the island from the mainland, colony size or breeding density, the amount of vegetation on the island, and the amount
of foraging area near the nest.
The collaborative study to date has monitored 134 breeding pairs
which produced 197 total nests. Only 73 of those nests hatched.
Those nests produced 107 chicks of which 60 survived 35 days
which is a success rate of .45 fledgling/pair.
Lianne was a 2012 CBAS Bird Conservation Research Award recipent and hopes to return next year with an update on her project.
WHAT’S UP AROUND TEXAS
Featherfest
Apr. 11-14, 2013—Galveston
Phone: 832.450.5533
Website: www.galvestonfeatherfest.com
Arthur Morris—A Lifetime of Nature and Photography— FREE—Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Ctr.,
Ballroom C1, San Antonio
Apr. 13, 2013—11:00a.m.– 12 noon
Website: http://brandwein.org/
Attwater Prairie Chicken Festival
Apr. 13-14, 2013—Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR
Eagle Lake
Phone: 979.234.3021
Website:
www.fws.govuploadedFilesBoominNBloomin2013.pdf
Wings over the Hills Nature Festival 2013
Apr. 26-28, 2013—Fredericksburg
Phone: 830.998.1927
Website: www.wingsoverthehill.org
National Endangered Species Day
May 17, 2013
Check website for events and locations.
Website: www.endangeredspeciesday.org
Birding 101 for Kids!
June 2013
Open to children 7-16 yrs. Mornings 8:30 - 11:00
Four classes. One each at:
▪ Birding Center, Port Aransas
▪ Rockport Beach Park
▪ Indian Point, Portland
▪ Hans Suter Park, Corpus Christi
Dates TBA later. Or contact Linda Fuiman at [email protected] . If possible, bring binoculars.
Lianne Koczur with an adult AMOY
Page 3
that the issue of cat predation on birds
and mammals is an even bigger environmental and ecological threat than we thought. No estimates of
any other anthropogenic [human-caused] mortality source approach the bird mortality this study calculated for cat predation.”
CATS cont’d from p. 1
“To maintain the integrity of our ecosystems, we have to conserve the animals that play integral roles in those ecosystems.
Every time we lose another bird species or suppress their population numbers, we’re altering the very ecosystems that we
depend on as humans. This issue clearly needs immediate conservation attention,” he said further.
“The very high credibility of this study should finally put to
rest the misguided notions that outdoor cats represent some
harmless, new component to the natural environment. The carnage that outdoor cats inflict is staggering and can no longer be
ignored or dismissed. This is a wake-up call for cat owners and
communities to get serious about this problem before even
more ecological damage occurs,” Fenwick said.
The study’s estimate of bird mortality far exceeds any previously estimated U.S. figure for cats. In fact, this magnitude of
mortality may exceed all other direct sources of anthropogenic
bird and mammal mortality combined. Other bird mortality
sources would include collisions with windows, buildings,
communication towers, vehicles, and pesticide poisoning.
The study estimated that the median number of birds killed by
cats annually is 2.4 billion and the median number of mammals
killed is 12.3 billion. About 69 percent of the bird mortality
from cat predation and 89 percent of the mammal mortality
was from un-owned cats. Un-owned cats are defined to include
farm/barn cats, strays that are fed but not granted access to
human habitations, cats in subsidized colonies, and cats that
are completely feral.
Free-ranging cats on islands have caused or contributed to 33
(14 percent) of the modern bird, mammal, and reptile extinctions recorded by the International Union for Conservation of
Nature Red List of threatened animals and plant species.
Native species make up the majority of the birds preyed upon
by cats. On average, only 33 percent of bird prey items identified to species were non-native species in 10 studies. Studies of
mammals in suburban and rural areas found that 75–100 percent of mammalian prey were native mice, shrews, voles,
squirrels, and rabbits, all of which serve as food sources for
birds of prey such as hawks, owls, and eagles.
March Program: Long-billed Curlew
Capture Methods on Wintering Roosts
By B. Rapstein
The long-billed curlew (LBCU) is a grassland shorebird—“a
kind of split personality bird,” according to Marc Woodin. It
occurs in wetland habitats, tidal estuaries, tidal flats, freshwater, and brackish ponds but can also be found in grass plains
and prairies, fallow agricultural fields and golf courses, and
even in the middle of urban areas in yards and parks. It is also
North America’s largest shorebird. It is not a long distance
migrant in contrast to other shorebirds. Its range is from North
to Central America. There may be more LBCU than originally
thought, perhaps as many as 200,000, but they are a species of
concern for several agencies because their range is contracting.
The birds are easily trapped on breeding grounds where they
nest singly on ground scrapes. No trapping had taken place on
their wintering grounds where they gather in number at the
time of this study conducted in 2010 - 2011.
In past years large winter roosts of LBCU had been reported
near Raymondville and along Petronilla Creek on the King
Ranch however they were not present at those locations at the
time of this study. Roost numbers may be more dynamic than
previously thought.
If Woodin and team were to study LBCU on their wintering
grounds on the Texas coast an evaluation of trapping methods
had to be carried out. Any birds captured would be measured,
weighed, and inspected for ectoparasites—feather lice.
The team evaluated six capture methods: noose rope, bow net,
herding by foot, cast netting, net gun (two types), and a
whoosh net. The noose rope was unsuccessful because the
birds saw the shiny monofilament and walked over or around
the rope. The bow net was too risky because birds too near the
edge where the tubular steel comes down could be injured or
killed. Birds could be easily herded by a slow easy walk which
lead to the idea of a cast net, but birds quickly scattered at the
least bit of movement. Two net guns were tested. One was
quiet but underpowered. The other was loud, heavy, and awkward, but it did capture birds and was the most successful technique of the six. The final method, whoosh net, was powered
by a remote release bungee and captured one bird. A total of
seven birds was captured and banded with orange over green
over metal bands on the left leg. If spotted, please report banded LBCU to Marc, Mary Kay Skoruppa, or Gene Blacklock.
The study charges that, “Despite these harmful effects, policies
for management of free-ranging cat populations and regulation
of pet ownership behaviors are dictated by animal welfare issues rather than ecological impacts. Projects to manage freeranging cats, such as Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) colonies, are
potentially harmful to wildlife populations, but are implemented across the United States without widespread public
knowledge, consideration of scientific evidence, or the environmental review processes typically required for actions with
harmful environmental consequences.”
Read study results: www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/
cats/pdf/Loss_et_al_2013.pdf
Page 4
Clint Jeske
Successful release of banded LBCU from keeping box.
Keep Us Up To Date
Fun Feathered Facts—Owen Fitzsimmons
To conserve funds and resources, CBAS is considering going to
an all electronic newsletter which would be e-mailed to members
in place of the paper copy received by U.S. Mail. It may begin as
early as the next issue which comes out at the end of August. At
this time we have few member e-mail addresses. Addresses will
be for newsletter use only and will not be shared. Please send
your name and email address to [email protected].
Did you know . . .
▪ The only parrot species that normally builds nests is
the Quaker parrots (monk parakeets) which link their
nests to one another to create “nest condominiums”
which can reach up to 200 lbs.!
▪ Some parrot species must fly over 500 miles a day to
gather food.
Black-legged
Kittywake
▪ There are over 40 million pet birds in the U.S.
Keep up with the
latest birding news
and be our friend!
Sonia Nejera
This is the juvenile
gull that was hanging
around the Horace
Caldwell Pier for
several weeks in early March.
▪ A blue and gold macaw named Charlie, reportedly
once owned by Winston Churchill, is claimed to be over
100 years old.
We don’t know how
long he basked in
Texas sunshine before heading to his
familiar Arctic region. Thanks Linda!
Linda Fuiman
New or Renewing Membership
New Member
Renewal
Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Phone (optional):
Email:
Chapter: C3ZW130Z
ZIP:
Indicate Membership Preference: I would like to become a
member of National Audubon Society and Coastal Bend Audubon Society. Your membership includes the National Audubon Magazine, chapter membership and other benefits. Your chapter receives part of your dues. Dues: One year $20 Make checks payable
to National
Audubon Society
member of Coastal Bend Audubon Society ONLY.
No NAS membership and no National Audubon magazine. Your chapter only membership includes all other Audubon membership
benefits. Your chapter receives all of your dues. Dues: One year $15
Make checks payable to Coastal Bend Audubon Society
Additional Tax Deductible Contribution
Please consider making a tax deductible contribution to the local chapter, Coastal Bend Audubon Society. You may designate the category you would like your contribution applied to. Designate category of support.
Tern
One year
$50
Osprey
One year
$100
Pelican
One year
$500
Designate specific area of support (Optional).
General Fund
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AMOUNT Enclosed: ___________________ Date: ________________
MAIL TO: COASTAL BEND AUDUBON SOCIETY, P.O. BOX 3604, Corpus Christi, TX 78463
01/2013
Page 5
The Newsletter of the Coastal Bend Audubon Society
Non-Profit Org.
U. S. Postage
The Newsletter of the Coastal
Bend Audubon Society
PAID
Permit No. 1080
Corpus Christi, TX
P.O. Box 3604
Corpus
P.O.
Box
Christi,
3604 Texas 78463
Corpus Christi, Texas 78463
Phone: 361.885.6203
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.coastalbendaudubon.org
Regular
Regular CBAS
CBAS meetings:
meetings:
First Tuesday of the month, September
through May, 7 p.m. at the CC
Museum of Science and History
The Brown Pelican
April/May 2013
Coastal Bend Audubon Society Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
David Newstead
361.885.6203
[email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT
Vacant
SECRETARY
Rosalie Rossi
[email protected]
TREASURER
Leatrice Koch
[email protected]
DIRECTORS
The Coastal Bend Audubon Society is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization dedicated to the conLinda Fuiman, [email protected]
servation of birds and bird habitat, and to conser- Education
Sanctuary John Keller, [email protected]
vation education in the Coastal Bend.
The organization is supported by contributions
from local memberships and from the National
Audubon Society.
Your CHAPTER needs you! You can help steer
the course of growth and change in our
community by working together. Please contact
us at 361.885.6203 about getting involved!
Membership
Newsletter
Laura Cooper, [email protected]
Barbara Rapstein, [email protected]
Outreach
Owen Fitzsimmons, [email protected]
At-Large
Gene Blacklock, [email protected]
This newsletter is compiled, written and published a minimum of five
times per year. News is gathered from volunteers, contributing authors and other sources. Please send comments, articles and photos
to: B. Rapstein at [email protected] or 409.789.3811
Look for color, web-linked version of newsletter on the web at
www.coastalbendaudubon.org