Saturday, 28. November 2009, 14:03:10
SHOOTING SHOREBIRDS REFUGE ESTABLISHED IN BARBADOS.....
Birds International has created Barbados first shorebird refuge at an abandoned shooting swamp at Woodbourne; close to the village of PACKERS. Woodbourne is a four hectare swamp on the flank of the ST, Philip Shooting Swamps Important Bird Area(IBA), at which hunting and maintenance ceased in October 2004. Two former hunters were instrumental in securing the lease and financing the initial restoration of Woodbourbe Shorebird refuge. Restoration work started in May and the Swamp was ready for the 2009 southbound, autumn migration.
Barbados is an important stop-over site for tens of thousands of nearctic-nesting shorebirds on their southbound migration to South America where they pass the non breeding (southern summer) season. Adverse weather in the Atlantic during their flight can force large numbers to stop for shelter on the island, but 15.000-30.000 of these shorebirds including a number of species of conservation concern are shot in a handful of managed shooting swamps.
With funding from the US Fich and Wildlife service's (USFWS) Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation ACT, has been working closely with the Barbados Wildfowlers Association, shooting-swamp owners and individual hunters to increase the survival prospects for migratory shorebirds on the island.
The establishment of Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge is an important part of this broader effort that is helping to change rater than stop the tradition of hunting migratory shorebirds on Barbados.
Though a few individuals may choose to remain"in denial", most hunters recognise that in order to continue hunting, the sport must be sustainable. The old culture of "kill as many as you can" is being replaced by a conservation ethic among older and younger hunters alike. One leading swamp no longer hunts American Golden Plover,those hunters who maintain swamps year-round (instead of only during the hunting season) are helping provide vital wetland habitats for all waterbirds.
Woodbourne shorebird refuge exceeded all expectation in the numbers of shorebirds finding refuge....
Saturday, 21. November 2009, 14:11:11
Peat fire is neal in the coffin for Daimiel.
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Underground peat deposits in Spain's TABLAS DE DAIMIEL NATIONAL PARK have been on fire for several weeks, possibly since August. Park authorities have revealed. These wetlands in LA MANCHA region, once a world class wildfowl sanctuary, dried up completely in 2005 but theyve suffered from lack of water for the past 40 years. Thousands of agricultural irrigation wells, most of them illegal, have caused the water table to drop so far that giant cracks have appeared in the fossil peat bogs which the Tablas rest on. High temperatures over the summer caused the desiccated peat to start self combusting. The fire is like a cigar's, slow and flameless. Even if the fire is contained it may be too late to save Daimiel as the burned peat becomes porous and it's water retention qualities are lost.....
The Village that doesn't want IMPERIAL EAGLES....
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The Village of SAN Romàn de los MONTES, in the SIERRA DE SAN VICENTE area of TOLEDO achieved some notoriety when a national news paper announced that it was the one village which had so far refused to join the IMPERIAL EAGLE stewardship network. The programme, implemented by the ministry of environment, has so far been joined by 57 councils specially selected because of the presence of endangered IMPERIAL EAGLES in the vicinity. Selected councils are invited to join the network and to take into consideration the presence of imp-eagels in policy decisions, including eduction and urban development..... There are an estimated 250 pairs of IMP-eagels in Spain.....
OSPREYS NEST ONCE MORE IN MAINLAND SPAIN.....
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Ospreys have nested successfully in mainland Spain for the first time in 70 years. Two pairs originally released as youngsters in Andalucia have spent two years maturing in Mali and Senegal before flying back across the Sahara to breed in Spain this spring. One pair nested in the ODIEL Marshes of HUELVA and the other nest to a reservoir in CADIZ. Between them they raised five chicks. This is hailed as a breakthrough for the research team , which has so far released 108 young ospreys from northern Europe in CADIZ and HUELVA....
Sunday, 15. November 2009, 13:50:46
CONTINUES APACE...
The latest update of the IUCN red list of threatened species shows that 17.291 species out of the 47.677 assessed species are threatened with extinction.
The red list authority for birds and released the 2009 update for birds earlier in the year, listing 192 species of birds as critically endangered, the highest threat category, a total of two more than in the 2008 update, but the update did highlight some successes, including the downlisting of lear's Macaw from critically endangered endangered, as a direst result of targeted conservation action.
In global terms; things continue to get worse, but there are some real conservation success stories this year to give us hope and point the way forward.
Of the world's 9.998 birds, 137 are extinct or extinct in the wild, with 192 critically endangered, 362 endangered and 669 vulnerable.
The results of the full red list update reveal 21% of mammals, 30% of amphibians, 12% of birds, and 28% of reptiles, 37% of freshwater fishes, 70% of plants, 35% of invertebrates assesses so far under threat.
The scientific evidence of a serious extinction crisis is mounting.
The latest analysis of the IUCN red list shows the 2010 target to reduce biodiversity loss will not be met. It's rime for governments to start getting serious about saving species and make sure it's high on their agendas for next year, as we're rapidly running out of time.
In global terms, things continue to get worse....
Friday, 6. November 2009, 19:49:03
MIGRATORY BIRD DECLINES
The Trust for Ornithology have joined forces and working with partners in Ghana , Burkina Faso, the Nederlands, Denmark to mount the largest research project of its type to understand more about migratory birds that send the non breeding season south of the Sahara desert.
Some of the greatest declines of birds in Europe are among migratory songbirds such as common Cuckoo, European Turtle dove, common Nightingale and Spotted Flycatcher. These species breeding in Europe and migrate to sub Saharan Africa.
Recent figures suggest that more than 40% of all migratory species passing between Europe and Africa have declined in the last three decades.
Alarmingly one in 10 of these are classified as globally threatened or near threatened on the IUCH RED LIST.
The project will involve researchers monitoring birds along corridor stretching from Ghana's Atlantic coast to northern Burikina Faso, spanning a range of habitats from coastal rainforest to the edge of the Sahara desert.
These birds face many threats during their incredible annual journeys, over 70 parthers across the migration routes are working together to tackle threats to migratory songbirds....
Sunday, 1. November 2009, 16:56:03
LEAVE FOR AFRICA.
Two recent studies have revealed new information on the migration routes of Eleonora's Falcon, tracking the birds 9.500 km from their European breeding colonies to their main non breeding grounds in Madagascar.
Eleonora's Falcon is a patchily distributed breeding visitor to rocky coasts and islands in the Mediterranean.
It is unusual among birds of prey in having a reproductive cycle adapted to match the southward migration of passerine birds, which it eats.
This means it breeds much later than many other species, with the young hatching in late August.
The species was named after Gludicessa Eleonora de Arboren (1350-1404), a Sardinian princess who fought for Sardinia's Independence from the kingdom of Aragon and who drafted the first laws in Europe protecting birds of prey.
Until recently, it was believed the species migrated east through the Mediterranean, then south via the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa to Madagascar, where 70% of the global population is estimated to converge in the winter.
However, the new studies used satellite transmitters to show that these birds reach their destination by flying right across the centre of the African continent.
Other secrets uncovered include the finding that they migrate by both day and night, crossing huge barriers such as the Sahara Desert. Some of the birds took two months to complete their mammoth journeys, including a stopover in West Africa.
The return route to European breeding grounds in spring also crossed the heart of the African continent, but involved a longer crossing (1.500) km of the Indian Ocean than in the autumn. Adult birds returned directly to the Mediterranean, whereas immature falcons, spent time along the African-Eurasian flyway.
Every time a migratory bird manages to cross a continent, it tells us an extraordinary story of courage.....
WIDGETIZE