I shared my photo with an organization called Allied Whale. Allied Whale has been using photographic identification (photo-ID) techniques to study North Atlantic Humpback and Finback (Fin) Whales for over 40 years. Allied Whale, managed and curated by the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, published the first North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog in 1977. That first Catalog contained 120 Humpback Whales. Today’s Catalog includes sighting information for over 10,000 individual whales from all the known feeding and breeding/calving grounds in the North Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic Ocean encompasses a large area of North America, Europe, and parts of South America and Northern Africa. The North Atlantic Ocean meets the South Atlantic Ocean at the equator. Allied Whale is the central Humpback Whale identification database for all the North Atlantic Ocean.

Map of Atlantic Ocean

What I learned about this Humpback Whale, which Allied Whale identified as “na1982” is that it was first photographed 45 years ago in 1979 in the same area of Bonavista Newfoundland I took my photo. So.... exciting fact 1 is that this Humpback Whale is older than 45, and possibly much older. The other exciting (magical??) facts about this Humpback are, (2) my sighting in July 2024 was only the second sighting of this Humpback since 1979, and (3) the first and only other sighting was by Dr. Jon Lien, a man who later became an international leader in marine conservation and animal behavior.  

Let me share some important information about Dr. Lien, sometimes called the “Whale Man.”  Dr. Jon Lien, originally from South Dakota, was a pioneering marine biologist and conservationist who made significant contributions to the protection of marine life through his groundbreaking work with entangled whales. Known for his innovative approaches to disentangling whales from fishing gear, Lien's efforts not only saved countless whales but also raised global awareness about the dangers of human activities on marine ecosystems. He was concerned about addressing both the welfare of the whales and the concerns of local Newfoundland fishermen. Newfoundland was where Dr. Lien first started his work and research.

In the early days of whale entanglements, many Newfoundland fishermen couldn’t get help or support to free whales from their nets and some resorted to shooting whales to maintain their livelihood. Dr. Lien’s creation of the Whale Release Program utilized specialized tools and techniques for safe disentanglement and became a model for similar initiatives worldwide. Lien's dedication to both research and education left a legacy in marine conservation, highlighting the critical need for ongoing efforts to preserve the delicate balance of our oceans for marine life and humans.

Dr. Lien’s empathy to both the whales and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador led to the rescue of more than 500 marine animals during his career and the improved livelihood of many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.  He was awarded the Order of Canada the second-highest Canadian honor for merit and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador a civilian honor for merit in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Is na1982 just a fluke?

Sources and Information:

https://www.coa.edu/allied-whale/research/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Lien

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279479082_The_Whale_Man_of_Newfoundland_and_Labrador_Jon_Lien_1939-2010

https://www.mun.ca/science/graduate-students/the-dr-jon-lien-memorial-scholarship/

https://gazette.mun.ca/campus-and-community/the-whale-man/

American Robin Nest, Ohio

Every Spring and Summer it happens. Smart birds, like this American Robin, build their nests in perfect places for them, but imperfect places for us. American Robins usually nest in trees, but when your house, or structures around your house, provide even better places for a Robin’s nest, your home may become a short-term Robin nursery. It’s easy and inexpensive to provide deterrents to bird nesting around your property and it’s also something you’ll want to do.  Why? Once a bird like an American Robin builds a nest and occupies it, if you live in North America, federal law prevents you from relocating or doing anything else to the nest (e.g., power washing it off your house) until the nest is unoccupied.  It doesn’t matter if the nest was built in an inconvenient place for you, or it’s leaving gross bird poop on your siding, under federal law, we must wait it out.

What the Law Says

If you live in North America, American Robins are a migratory, native species and therefore protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the U.S. Department of Interior administers the MBTA. USFWS tells us:

• “Most bird nests are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)”

• “No person may take (kill), possess, import, export, transport, sell, purchase, barter, or offer for sale, any migratory bird, or the parts, nests, or eggs of such bird except as may be permitted under the terms of a valid permit.”

• “Under the MBTA it is illegal to destroy a nest that has eggs or chicks in it or if there are young birds that are still dependent on the nest for survival. It is also illegal for anyone to keep a nest they take out of a tree or find on the ground unless they have a permit to do so issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.”

That’s clear to me, but to sum it up, it generally doesn’t matter if the nest was built in an inconvenient place for you, or it’s leaving gross bird poop on your house or around your house, under federal law, we must wait it out. Be aware that you could face a hefty fine if you decide to take matters into your own hands and remove or relocate a federally protected nest. 

American Robin Nestlings, Ohio

Good News - We Have Some Control over These Good Mom Birds

American Robins may start scouting out nesting areas as early as January.  Before January – preferably well before January if you’re in a cold climate – install bird nesting deterrents. You could place these where you’ve seen Robins nest before or where you see the bird just starting to place its nesting materials. Keep in mind that American Robins nest in gutters, eaves, on outdoor light fixtures, and other structures that are well-protected and elevated spaces. There’s a variety of inexpensive and easy-to-install bird nesting deterrents; here’s one source, https://chirpforbirds.com/how-to/how-to-stop-birds-from-building-nests-on-your-house/

More Good News – Baby Robins Leave the Nest Immensely Faster Than Human Kids

If you saw the nest too late, or couldn’t get your bird nest deterrents up in time, the babies will leave the nest in a very short time. Once the eggs are laid, American Robins incubate them for about two weeks until hatched. From that time, it’s only about another two weeks before any surviving chicks will fledge, or leave, the nest. That’s fast.

American Robin, Ready To Fledge the Nest, Ohio

When it’s Okay to Move a Nest

Not all bird species are native or have federal protection under the MBTA, such as starlings and some sparrows.  There are only two times when it’s ok to move a nest of a MBTA protected bird:

• The nest is no longer in use.

• The nest was built in a birdhouse.

Help is Out There

If you find yourself in the company of a good Robin mom, or any bird, who decided your property was the perfect place to raise her kids, there are resources to help. One of the first places I recommend is contacting your local, or nearest, licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator.  The National Wildlife Rehabilitator’s Association, where I’m a member, maintains a nationwide list, https://www.nwrawildlife.org/page/Found_Injured_Wildlife as does the Humane Society, https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/how-find-wildlife-rehabilitator.  If necessary, you may also consult with your State Wildlife Agency or County/District Wildlife Biologist.

Good American Robin Mom, Ohio

Helpful Resources:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Robin/overview

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_robin

https://www.wbu.com/birds/robins/

https://www.fws.gov/law/migratory-bird-treaty-act-1918

https://www.fws.gov/story/bird-nests

Numerous conservation initiatives have been implemented to protect whales and their habitats worldwide. These efforts include establishing marine protected areas, implementing regulations to prevent collisions with vessels, advocating for sustainable fishing practices that minimize bycatch, and public awareness education.

While I was in Maui, I whale-watched and photographed in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary was created to offer protection for whales while in their preferred habitats, which are the relatively shallow waters less than about 600 feet deep that are found around the islands. These areas include Penguin Bank, the Maui Nui region (Maui, Lāna‘i, Moloka‘i, and Kaho‘olawe), Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, Hawai‘i Island, and O‘ahu. Other protected underwater species also inhabit the waters around the Hawaiian Islands, including several species of dolphin and five species of marine turtles: the green sea turtle, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, and olive ridley. Only the endangered hawksbill turtle and the threatened green sea turtle are commonly found in Hawaiian waters. 

In the United States, the Hawaiian Islands are the principal winter breeding grounds for the North Pacific humpback whale population. Each winter and spring approximately half of the north Pacific humpback whales, representing thousands of animals, visit the waters around the Hawaiian Islands, including sanctuary waters. Here they breed, give birth, and nurse their young. During one of my whale-watching encounters a mother and her calf approached the boat. This happened in a matter of seconds and the boat was buzzing with activity over the sight. I managed to only photograph a portion of the calf's head and tail as it was (quickly!) coming and (quickly) going! 

It was thought this was a weeks-old calf. Those bumps on its head are called tubercles. It's believed they help humpbacks detect vibrations in water which may help them feed on certain fish; others believe it helps reduce drag when whales are swimming and surfacing. In any event, those bumps exist for a purpose. At birth, humpback whales are "only" 12-14 feet long, and weigh "just" 1 to 1.5 tons. Everyday during the first six months of a humpback calf's life they grow around an inch and gain around 100 lbs. The reason for such an enormous growth spurt is the calf feeds only on its mother's milk (about 100 gallons a day) which is a super-concentrated, nutrient and fat-rich product.

Reliably predicting when or where you might see a humpback whale come to the surface, raise a fin or tail out of the water, or perform the most spectacular behavior -- breach out of the water --- is a bit of art and science. If you're on a boat and whale-watching, the challenges for photography increase because everything's always moving -- you, the water, the boat, your camera, the light, and the whales. It can also be difficult, if not impossible, to bring your highest quality camera equipment (i.e., biggest lens) on a whale-watching boat. When you're photographing whales by boat, pack your patience, understanding, and your skills in using your smaller telephoto lens. Fortunately, I was able to do some whale-watching from the lanai (porch or balcony in Hawaiian) of the property I stayed at on Maui. For this land-based whale watching I was able to use my biggest lens (1,000mm) and capture some of the incredible whale activity in the Pacific waters off in the distance. 

I had truly incredible humpback whale encounters while spending time on Maui and the waters of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. In addition, I was able to share my photographs with Happywhale. As a result, I contributed to the science and knowledge about 7 humpback whales. Happywhale is a citizen science platform that plays a pivotal role in monitoring whale populations and migration patterns. Happywhale allows individuals to report whale sightings and contribute to a global database, providing researchers with insights into whale behavior and distribution. Using artificial-intelligence-based automated image recognition Happywhale attempts to identify whale flukes (tails) from voluntarily uploaded photos and distinguish the whales among over 43,000 individuals known globally. Happywhale notifies you of what they find.  Below I provided the results of what I learned about the whale images I provided to Happywhale:

Happywhale Digest

Happywhale sounds cute, and it's an important component of conservation and the science behind saving and protecting whales from human exploitation. Here's a few of their recent highlights: 

• Happywhale on CBS Sunday Morning: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/identifying-individual-humpback-whales-online-happywhale
• Recent publications:
  • Bellwethers of Change: North Pacific humpback whale climate response: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231462
  • Humpback whale automated image recognition: https://rdcu.be/cCOtw 
  • Multi-species image recognition: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210X.14167

It's organizations like Happywhale that I love to support, so much so that I became a patron (financial supporter). I named one of the whales that I photographed and that was also in the Happywhale database. I named the whale Nani, which means beautiful in the Hawaiian language. Nani was first spotted in 2005.  I thought it was special that she was still alive when I spotted and photographed her 19 years later in 2024.

Happy whales to you!

White-breasted Nuthatch

Bioretention Bed/Rain Garden, NW Washington DC

These rain gardens were built under permits from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help capture and filter out pollutants that accumulate in large quantities during rain and storm events. They're necessary to meet legal requirements and standards of the Clean Water Act. Maintenance of these rain gardens became complicated and misunderstood by some, so a new approach to maintenance was needed so the rain gardens could work as intended.  Environmental issues are personally important to me and I was happy that I was able to help out. It involved lots of digging and planting on a beautiful day.  

Partners and Volunteers Going Over the Plan

Maintenance of Bioretention Beds

Social responsibility is often a driving force when it comes to volunteerism and charitable work; and it is for me. I have another volunteer event next month with the Owl Moon Raptor Center. This is an organization I try to volunteer with as much as my schedule and commitments allow. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you may have seen my posts about volunteering for them. They do very important work to heal, rehabilitate, conserve, or end suffering of injured or sick wild raptors when necessary. 

Volunteering with Owl Moon Raptor Center

Volunteering provides you with the opportunity to be a catalyst for change. Whether you're passionate about environmental conservation, social justice, education, or helping those in need, your contributions can have a tangible, positive impact on the lives of others.

Sometimes volunteering means stepping out of your comfort zone. As you step out of your comfort zone and take on new challenges, you'll develop skills, confidence, and resilience that can benefit you in all aspects of life.

Volunteering brings people together who share a common cause. You'll meet individuals who are as passionate as you are, fostering friendships and professional connections that can last a lifetime.

Numerous studies have shown that volunteering is linked to improved mental and physical health. It reduces stress, increases feelings of happiness, and even enhances your sense of purpose and self-worth.

Volunteering often leads to a deeper understanding of your own values and beliefs. It can help you clarify what truly matters to you and guide your life choices accordingly.

I've certainly taken hundreds of photos over the last few months -- some I've been able to share on social media, while others won't be published and will only be limited collections for book and art buyers (p.s -- look for another book in 2024!).  However, I wanted to be sure to get some of the hundreds of photos I've shot recently in the blog for my website visitors to enjoy!

White-breasted Nuthatch

Bay Breasted Warbler

Monarchs Mating

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Common Yellowthroat - female

Young Cape May Warbler

Baltimore Oriole - Male

Baltimore Oriole - Female

Bay-breasted Warbler

Red-eyed Vireo

Young Lesser Black-backed Gull

Great White Egret

American Kestrel - Female

Am I Real?Real Background, Wildlife Created With Adobe Photoshop (Beta, Generative AI module)

I’m selective, which also means careful, about how much news I watch, read, or listen to, and where it comes from. There’s more than a lot of hype and headlines-only out there. So, when I recently started seeing a lot in the news about Artificial Intelligence (AI), and specifically, Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI), including a meeting President Biden just had with tech leaders to discuss regulating AI, I thought I should do some more reading on the topic.

This blog post summarizes my recent research on issues and topics in Generative AI, including my discovery that over 140 of my copyrighted images were “scraped” from my website and used by a Generative AI tech company. As a photographer who has active copyright registrations on their work, sells their work, and regularly publishes copyright-protected images on the Internet, the alarm bells regarding Generative AI are deafening. Because Generative AI involves much more than improper copying of photographs from the web, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to be concerned and alarmed by what Generative AI has morphed into, and what the industry has done. Please take the time to read the rest of this post.

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI is a computer science discipline where computers are “trained” on “vast quantities of preexisting human authored works.” When a user types some words in a text prompt, the computers learn how to generate new content based on the content they were trained on. The resulting output may be text (words), visual (photographs or other images), or audio (music,speech), and is determined by the AI model based on its design and the material it has been trained on.

Generative AI models learn the patterns and structure of their input training data, and then generate new data that has similar characteristics. There are several Generative AI models, or systems, including ChatGPT (and its variant Bing Chat), a chatbot built by OpenAI using their GPT-3 and GPT-4 foundational large language models, and Bard, a chatbot built by Google using their LaMDA foundation model. Other generative AI models include artificial intelligence art systems such as Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and DALL-E.

Understanding “training data” is critical to understanding where one of the loudest alarms is ringing in the field of Generative AI. In the context of Generative AI, “web scraping” is a common method to gather large amounts of training data from the internet in order to “train” Generative AI models. Web scraping sounds bad and it can be bad. However, it’s legal when done according to the rules. Scraping the web refers to the automated process of extracting data from public websites. It involves using software tools or scripts to access web pages, retrieve their content, and extract specific information such as text, images, or structured data. Generative AI models including, Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, Dall-E, and ChatGPT make wide-ranging use of content scraped from the Internet. Web scraping does not involve asking for permission or notifying in advance that your website has been “scraped.” Hear the alarm bells?

Why Does This Matter?

Any search on your favorite web browser of “benefits of Generative AI” will tell you something about how Generative AI will revolutionize and transform the world, while also saving money, time, reduce barriers to learning, enhance creativity, and so much more. In a nutshell, there are certainly benefits of Generative AI, and that matters. 

What also matters is that we don’t allow the incredible hype of Generative AI to distract from its real risks. The risk I’m personally familiar with is web scraping in order to get training data for Generative AI companies. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported in May 2023 (https://crsreports.congress.gov/, Report number R47569, Generative Artificial Intelligence and Data Privacy: A Primer, May 23, 2023),

“…. such models [web scraping] rely on privacy-invasive methods for mass data collection, typically without the consent or compensation of the original user, creator, or owner.  Additionally, some models may be trained on sensitive data and reveal personal information to users. In a company blog post, Google AI researchers noted, “Because these datasets can be large (hundreds of gigabytes) and pull from a range of sources, they can sometimes contain sensitive data, including personally identifiable information (PII)—names, phone numbers, addresses, etc., even if trained on public data.”

CRS also reported:

“Generative AI datasets can include information posted on publicly available internet sites, including PII and sensitive and copyrighted content. They may also include publicly available content that is erroneous, pornographic, or potentially harmful.”

These CRS findings point to serious and potentially unlawful activities. Hear the alarm bells?

The CRS report also discussed a new tool for artists and others to identify and report content that’s been scraped and found its way into these Generative AI training datasets called “HaveIBeenTrained.” HaveIBeenTrained is an organization created by artists that provides anyone an opportunity to opt-out or opt-in if they discover their content has been scraped up into specific AI training sets. As of June 24, 2023, the landing page for the HaveIBeenTrained website states, “Over 1.4 billion images opted out and counting.”

I plugged my website into HaveIBeenTrained and discovered that over 140 photographs from my site had been scraped and were in the LAION-5B training data set. AI researchers download a subset of the LAION-5B data to train Generative AI image synthesis models such as Stable Diffusion and Google Imagen. Although all work on my website is copyrighted, and I didn’t grant permission, give consent, or was compensated, the Generative AI companies decided anyway to copy my work for their use and profit. When users find their work has been scraped, HaveIBeenTrained provides an opt-out or opt-in option. Since I own the domain for my website, I opted out for my domain (my web site). With that said, it’s completely unknown to me whether that occurred in practice. There’s no entity enforcing or overseeing any of this voluntary behavior. I don’t have access to the training data sets where my images were copied. Given the complete lack of good faith and appearance of unlawful behavior by some Generative AI companies, I’m approaching this situation with a large dose of healthy skepticism. I encourage the same to anyone impacted in this way.  Hear the alarm bells ringing?

Is it Legal?

Very big and critical question. I address two of many legal issues in this area, (1) legality of Generative AI companies scraping from the web and using copyrighted content in their training datasets, and (2) legality of copyrighting content generated from AI systems (i.e., not human-authored content), whether text, image, or audio.

First, as mentioned earlier, web scraping is legal when done according to the rules. However, AI companies are seeing a growing number of lawsuits from artists and others concerning web scraping copyrighted content and using it in Generative AI training data sets. In January 2023, Getty Images, a stock photo company, initiated legal action in the United Kingdom against Stable Diffusion AI, a Generative AI company. The basis of the lawsuit is Getty Images belief that Stability AI “unlawfully copied and processed millions of images protected by copyright” to train its software. The following month in February 2023, Getty Images filed a second action in the United States also against Stable Diffusion AI, alleging they copied more than 12 million photographs from Getty Images’ collection, along with the associated captions and metadata, without permission from or compensation to Getty Images, as part of its efforts to build a competing business. Getty Images said, “As part of its unlawful scheme, Stability AI has removed or altered Getty Images’ copyright management information, provided false copyright management information, and infringed Getty Images’ famous trademarks.”

Another lawsuit against Stable Diffusion, and two other AI companies - Midjourney and Deviant Art - was also filed in 2023 by a group of three artists. The artists — Sarah Andersen, Kelly McKernan, and Karla Ortiz — allege that these organizations have infringed the rights of “millions of artists” by training their AI tools on five billion images scraped from the web “without the consent of the original artists.”

Shortly after I published this blog article, in June 2023, two new class action lawsuits were filed against Generative AI company, OpenAI. More information on these actions are found here: https://clarksonlawfirm.com/togetheronai/ and https://www.saverilawfirm.com/chatgpt-language-model-litigation. There are other current lawsuits against Generative AI companies, including another filed in July 2023 by accomplished Comedian Sarah Silverman, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23869693-silverman-openai-complaint. It’s important to watch these cases, particularly for future litigation, including class actions.

A second issue that’s come up with Generative AI is whether products of this tool can be copyrighted. Generative AI starts with entering a text prompt, sort of like doing a Google search. For example, if you wanted a photo of a grey owl against a snowy background, you would simply type that in the prompt and the AI will generate it for you. Is that copyright-able?  This issue has come before the US Copyright Office, and will likely continue to come before the Office. The Office’s current policy position, expressed in a March 2023 Federal Register Notice (Copyright Registration Guidance: Works Containing Material Generated by Artificial Intelligence, Federal Register /Vol. 88, No. 51 /Thursday, March 16, 2023 /Rules and Regulations, U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress), reads:

“In the Office’s view, it is well established that copyright can protect only material that is the product of human creativity [not Generative AI products]. Most fundamentally, the term ‘‘author,’’ which is used in both the Constitution and the Copyright Act, excludes non-humans. The Office’s registration policies and regulations reflect statutory and judicial guidance on this issue.”

While anyone can mark anything with a copyright symbol it doesn’t mean it’s registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, or that it could be registered. Official copyright registrations (which I have on my published photographs) is what secures the ability to take legal action for copyright infringement. The Federal Register notice provided examples of cases where the US Copyright Office has refused to register Generative AI-based copyright applications.

Matters surrounding Generative AI and copyright protections are currently very active policy issues with the U.S. Copyright Office. In spring 2023, the Office hosted four virtual listening sessions on the use of artificial intelligence to generate works in creative fields. “Copyright Office staff asked participants to discuss their hopes, concerns, and questions about generative AI and copyright law. The sessions were fully remote and focused on literary works, including print journalism and software; visual arts; audiovisual works; and music and sound recordings.”

In June 2023, the U.S. Copyright Office hosted another virtual event exploring guidance for registration of works containing Generative AI content. More events are on the way -- on July 26, 2023 the Office will host a virtual discussion on global perspectives on copyright and AI. Event description -- "Leading international experts will discuss how other countries are approaching copyright questions such as authorship, training, exceptions and limitations, and infringement. They will provide an overview of legislative developments in other regions and highlight possible areas of convergence and divergence involving generative AI."   Sign up for notices about all U.S. Copyright Office events here, https://www.copyright.gov/events/

Anticipate more to come on this.

 Is it Ethical?

The use of AI raises ethical questions because an AI system will reinforce what it has already learned. This becomes a problem because the kind of machine learning that underpins many of the most advanced AI tools are only as smart, fair, accurate, and balanced as the data they’re trained on. Because humans select the data used to train an AI program, the potential for bias in what the machine has learned is a risk and must be monitored closely.

Other ethical issues are that AI makes it difficult to determine the authenticity of media and the products of Generative AI, including images and artwork. This works to erode trust in the people (artists, photographers, authors, students, creators, journalists) and their industries or avocations (journalism, art, photography, education, etc…) and leads to confusion about the truth.  Hear the alarm bells ringing?

What’s the Government Response?

Some good news -- although the federal government doesn’t appear to move as fast as the tech industry, the government has issued guidance, executive orders, a “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights,” and has taken other action related to the growth and growing use of AI.  The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs held a hearing in March 2023, on “Artificial Intelligence: Risks and Opportunities.”  In June 2023, President Biden met with technology professionals in California to discuss rapid developments in AI. The goal of the meetings was to have an in-depth discussion about how AI should be regulated in the future so that its economic and security potential can be fully realized.

Reading the tea leaves indicates that U.S. regulation is coming. Many leaders in the industry are calling for it. Those familiar with the regulatory process know it’s anything but fast, but a signal that government regulations are coming often prompts action from those who know they’ll be coming under regulation.

The AI Bill of Rights Blueprint is an important document, released by the White House in October 2022. It suggests ways to make AI more transparent, less discriminatory, and safer to use. There are many important aspects of this Blueprint, some of which will likely be reflected in future regulations. I highlight a few of the many important provisions of this Bill of Rights below, as they reflect the values and intent of government decisions regarding AI:

“You should be protected from unsafe or ineffective systems. Automated systems should be developed with consultation from diverse communities, stakeholders, and domain experts to identify concerns, risks, and potential impacts of the system. Systems should undergo pre-deployment testing, risk identification and mitigation, and ongoing monitoring that demonstrate they are safe and effective based on their intended use, mitigation of unsafe outcomes including those beyond the intended use, and adherence to domain-specific standards.”

“You should be protected from abusive data practices via built-in protections and you should have agency over how data about you is used. You should be protected from violations of privacy through design choices that ensure such protections are included by default, including ensuring that data collection conforms to reasonable expectations and that only data strictly necessary for the specific context is collected. Designers, developers, and deployers of automated systems should seek your permission and respect your decisions regarding collection, use, access, transfer, and deletion of your data in appropriate ways and to the greatest extent possible; where not possible, alternative privacy by design safeguards should be used. Systems should not employ user experience and design decisions that obfuscate user choice or burden users with defaults that are privacy invasive.”

“You should know that an automated system is being used and understand how and why it contributes to outcomes that impact you. Designers, developers, and deployers of automated systems should provide generally accessible plain language documentation including clear descriptions of the overall system functioning and the role automation plays, notice that such systems are in use, the individual or organization responsible for the system, and explanations of outcomes that are clear, timely, and accessible.”

Final Thoughts (for now)

There will be much more to come on Generative AI. It’s my goal to update this blog piece with new information as things will undoubtedly evolve, change, and improve.

Here are a few final thoughts for now:

Be a Responsible User of AI

• Visual outputs of Generative AI, like images, aren’t photography, or original art. If you ask a Generative AI system to “create a realistic photograph of a snowy owl against a winter scene,” and it produces that for you – that’s not photography. There will be a debate about what we should call such generated images, but for now they’re “artificial images,” “artificial art,” “imitation art,” “artificial intelligence art,” “artificial photography,” and the list could go on. Most important -- be responsible and transparent about how you label the visual outputs of Generative AI. This is my practice.

Photography Competitions and Art Show Promoters – Review your guidelines, criteria, and jury process

• If you believe AI generated images don’t meet the standard or reflect the values of your organization, competitions, or art shows, you must develop, implement, publish, and be willing to enforce those standards. State that AI generated images are not allowed. If an image is suspected to be AI generated, have a fair and appropriate process to check that. That can include having a community of experts that review images and requiring submission of RAW image files when questions come up. Educate your jurors on the possibility that AI images could be submitted in attempts to fool or “get one over” on your competition or art event.

• If you believe AI generated images do meet the standard or reflect the values of your organization, competitions, or art shows, have a separate category for this kind of work, but don’t include it as part of Photography or Digital Art. In general, neither Photography or Digital Art accurately describe what Generated AI images represent.

 Stay Informed and Protect Your Work

I’ve provided links and references to the sources I’ve used in preparing this blog. I encourage everyone to review these yourself and to keep up with developments in AI. It is here to stay and will only grow. Here’s a few of the key documents and reading:

• Congressional Research Service, https://crsreports.congress.gov/, Report number R47569, Generative Artificial Intelligence and Data Privacy: A Primer, May 23, 2023

• Congressional Research Service, https://crsreports.congress.gov/, Report number LSB10922, Generative Artificial Intelligence and Copyright Law, May 11, 2023

• Federal Register /Vol. 88, No. 51 /Thursday, March 16, 2023 /Rules and Regulations, U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. https://www.federalregister.gov/

• Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/

• Stable Diffusion Litigation, https://stablediffusionlitigation.com/

• United States Copyright Office Events: https://www.copyright.gov/events/ 

• United States Copyright Office News: https://www.copyright.gov/newsnet/

• Tool that may stop AI from scraping your images, Glaze, https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu  "Glaze is a system [designed by University of Chicago Researchers] to protect human artists by disrupting style mimicry. At a high level, Glaze works by understanding the AI models that are training on human art, and using machine learning algorithms, computing a set of minimal changes to artworks, such that it appears unchanged to human eyes, but appears to AI models like a dramatically different art style."

Other Sources, Information, and Latest News

https://www.copyright.gov/events/

https://blogs.loc.gov/copyright/2023/08/our-summer-of-artificial-intelligence-copyright-office-hosts-two-webinars-on-copyright-and-ai/?loclr=eacop

https://ipwatchdog.com/2023/06/29/u-s-copyright-office-generative-ai-event-three-key-takeaways/id=162771/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chatgpt-judge-fines-lawyers-who-used-ai/

https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/

https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/06/21/artists-are-mad-about-marvels-secret-invasion-ai-generated-opening-credits/amp/

https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/artificial-intelligence-risks-and-opportunities/

https://www.responsible.ai/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9t3XS1XtRE

https://zapier.com/blog/ai-art-generator/

https://time.com/6266606/how-to-spot-deepfake-pope/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-my-ai-image-won-a-major-photography-competition/

https://www.thephoblographer.com/2023/02/24/ai-generated-visuals-dont-deserve-to-be-called-photos/

https://generated.photos/humans

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/04/20/are-ai-photographs-actually-photographs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_artificial_intelligence

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=1b32633f-91ea-482c-bed9-4cf8ed9bba80

https://sports.yahoo.com/lawsuits-over-stability-ais-stable-164923270.html?guccounter=1

https://petapixel.com/2023/04/26/photo-contests-are-woefully-unprepared-for-ai/

Dr. Morgan Drabik-Hamshare

In my latest podcast (episode now archived!), I’m excited to have as my guest Dr. Morgan Drabik-Hamshare, a research wildlife biologist with the National Wildlife Research Center in Sandusky Ohio; a component of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This podcast is another in my series to expand awareness of wildlife professionals, careers in wildlife protection and management, and why this work is important.

Morgan’s research focuses on understanding, preventing, and mitigating the negative effects of wildlife collisions with aircraft, other vehicles, and structures. Morgan is a skilled wildlife scientist, researcher, and author of many publications in USDA’s Wildlife Services collection. Her current research evaluates unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) technology for wildlife hazard management. In short, that means she’s conducting work to identify effective ways to prevent bird strikes at airports using various drone technologies.

Some of you may remember the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson”, where a USAIR pilot safely landed a plane with 150 passengers and 5 crew on board in New York’s Hudson River after the plane had a critical bird strike with Canada Geese during the plane’s initial climb out of New York LaGuardia airport. Morgan’s work contributes to how to make airports safer from these kinds of events and protect birds in the process. Morgan is also an avid birder. Her world life list is at 828 species, though we find out she’s a bit partial to vultures.

Here’s what we talked about.

• Tell us about yourself

• What excites you about being a Research Wildlife Biologist with the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC)?

• In your research with NWRC, you’ve had to spend time at landfills and around landfill birds (gulls, vultures, etc…). Tell us about why these conditions are useful for the research you’re leading.

• Based on your recent research, it seems promising, the role of UAS’ as a tool to reduce the hazards to birds and humans at airports, as well as a tool for monitoring wildlife populations.  How is this research being used in practical applications – e.g., to enhance airport safety?

• You have a Master’s degree and a PhD in Zoology, and this means you know more than a thing or two about wildlife and their role in our environment. Is there something you particularly appreciate or admire about wildlife?

• We must switch gears and talk about birding!  Did you have any particularly exciting or unexpected bird finds this season?

• Knowing birds like you do, do you have any advice or tips for birders?

REFERENCES AND SOURCES

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Morgan-Pfeiffer

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/wildlifedamage/programs/nwrc/sa_research/sa_scientists/ct-research-scientist-by-id?p=Pfeiffer_M

https://www.instagram.com/vulturevagabond/

https://ebird.org/profile/MTg2NDk5/world

https://twitter.com/VultureVagabond

https://www.gri.msstate.edu/spotlight/

https://www.facebook.com/projectvulture?paipv=0&eav=AfYg_IZqKVdlSrhdzVHTJSUNoKrJdNE6CPzH9FG_wPIISyDPpz707GBqLUys2iMiGF8

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-01098-5

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5479521/

https://insideunmannedsystems.com/drone-based-bird-herding-is-taking-off/

Sunset on Lake Erie

Support artists and organizations that drive positive change for the planet and future generations.

You can make this Copper Range Photography print yours during the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s ongoing silent auction. The winning bid will be a 100% donation to support efforts that conserve and expand National Marine Sanctuaries for a healthy ocean and coasts, to safeguard species and the places they call home, and to preserve America’s maritime history. 

The auction - part of Capitol Hill Ocean Week – is the nation’s premier ocean and Great Lakes policy conference that convenes policymakers, scientists, managers, business leaders, conservationists, educators, and more, to engage in dialogue and debate on significant issues that impact our ocean and Great Lakes.

The auction is now open to the public. You don’t need to be present at Capitol Hill Ocean Week to submit a bid or win an auction item. Bidding will close on June 8. It’s easy to bid -- visit https://event.gives/chow23.  My image, Sunset on Lake Erie, is Item 0111.

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation has earned a Four-Star rating with Charity Navigator, which means you give with confidence. The Foundation also has the “Platinum Seal of Transparency” from Candid, and that means it shares clear and important information with the public about its goals, strategies, capabilities, achievements, and progress indicators that highlight the difference the Foundation makes in the world. The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is also an environmental partner with “1% for the Planet”.

Get your bid in!  Thank you for supporting trusted artists and organizations that drive positive change for the planet and future generations.

It’s easy to be a participant in Earth Day, every day. Here’s a few ways.

• Bike or walk
• Carpool or take public transportation
• Choose an energy efficient vehicle
• Make fewer trips by grouping your errands
• Drive smart: go easy on the breaks and gas, use cruise control, and keep your car well-maintained
• Reuse or repurpose containers, clothing, and cloth grocery bags
• Give clothes a second life by donating or buying used
• Know what items your local recycling programs collects, and what items are recyclable
• Repair leaky faucets and replace old equipment like toilets and dishwashers when possible
• Turn off the water to brush teeth and shave
• Run full loads of laundry and dishes
• Collect rainwater to use in your garden
• Check your refrigerator, pantry, and freezer before shopping to avoid buying foods you don't need
• Plan your meals for the week before heading to the store
• Properly store fruits and vegetables so they last longer, https://www.almanac.com/how-store-vegetables-and-fruit-keep-it-fresh
• Befriend your freezer and leftovers
• Pick up litter, join a cleanup, https://www.earthday.org/actions/green-up-with-a-cleanup-volunteer-for-a-cleanup-in-your-community/
• Plant a tree
• Make a call-to-action to share on social media: Get your environmentally-conscious message out there and show your support for Earth Day by posting an educational video on your social media feed.
• Give your friends an Earth Day Challenge to try, like picking up 15 pieces of litter, or simply share a few facts about global warming or rainforest preservation to help spread awareness.
• Build (or buy) a quality birdhouse or bird feeder, https://www.wbu.com/
• Brainstorm energy-friendly ideas for your house or apartment, such as switching to LED bulbs, turning off the AC when you're not home and other simple, energy-efficient ideas.
• Go on a nature scavenger hunt -- Learn about local birds, wildlife, flora and fauna by searching for flowers, plants and trees, and observing wildlife in your region or around your neighborhood. Look for a regional list of birds, animals, and plants online to help guide your search! https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/what+is+it; https://ebird.org/home
• Start a compost bin in your backyard, https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/compost/how-to-compost/
• Start your own garden, or petition your local government to start a community garden.
• Cut down or eliminate plastic bottles
• Make your voice heard: https://www.earthday.org/action/
• Donate to any number of reputable environmental or ecological steward organizations, https://www.networkforgood.org/topics/animal_environ/earthday/; https://www.overshootday.org/; https://www.earthovershoot.org/
• Adopt a plant-focused diet, https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/plant-based-diets  
• Stop pesticide and herbicide use

FOR BUSINESSES

• Reduce paper usage by printing on both sides, using digital files, or implementing paper-free days.
• Provide opportunities to teleconference rather than travel when possible.
• Repair and update old equipment before replacing it. When it must go, research donation or eco-friendly disposal options.
• Turn electronics off when not in use, enable auto-sleep options to save energy.
• Host your own event, like tree-planting, a cleanup or Teach-In.
• Sponsor a local student group to conduct an environmental project.
• Adopt a river, roadway or vulnerable species.
• Promote environmental awareness on company social media.
• Challenge other business in your community to go green.
• Switch to post-consumer waste paper products, LED light bulbs, and rechargeable batteries.
• Hire a green cleaning company or purchase eco-friendly cleaning products.
• Create a company garden or green roof.
• Plant native species to support pollinators and reduce run-off.
• Implement compost collection and host a workshop on reducing food waste.
• Conduct an energy audit to identify efficiency improvements.
• Replace equipment with energy efficient options.
• Switch to a renewable utility provider.
• Switch to renewable auto-fleet.

Key Sources:

https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2023/

https://www.epa.gov/earthday

If your Spring travels have you out in the Chicago area, stop by the show. It will be a great one!

Here's just a few of the images I'll have for sale.

Overcome Speechless Floored Impossible Pink Deep Small and Mighty Pageantry Fair One

When I’m out with my camera and binoculars, I regularly get powerful reminders of the conservation and protection work that so many have done and continue today. Whether it’s seeing waterfowl in a desert wetland or multiple pairs of successfully breeding bald eagles living along the shoreline of one of America’s -- former -- most polluted Great Lakes (Lake Erie).  

So many people naturally love or are intrigued by birds. Something I saw recently was another powerful reminder of how birds are truly a gateway to conservation. Across social media, I follow other photographers -- professionals, amateurs, and hobbyists alike. I also follow wildlife groups and bird groups. A photographer member of a Facebook group dedicated to photography from Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware recently posted a photograph he took of a banded Greater Snow Goose. Bird banding is a conservation tool that allows those with the proper permits to uniquely mark birds with specially issued bands. That way scientists and other interested parties can track individual birds over time learning about their movements, locations, and longevity.

This photographer did what everyone should do if they have a photo of a banded bird -- he reported it to the federal government’s bird banding laboratory. He got back a certificate with the details on when and where the Goose was banded, which is normally what happens when a band with sufficient and accurate information is reported. When I looked further into the information on his certificate, I learned that the Snow Goose was a female and she traveled over 2,300 hundred miles to Bombay Hook from the location she was banded. The Goose was banded in a high Artic Region of Canada and, likely, migrated along the Atlantic Flyway with a large flock of her fellow Snow Geese.  She may have made that trip a few times, because she was banded in 2019 as a young goose.

Besides being a jaw-dropping adventure completed by a 6-ish pound Greater Snow Goose, what’s the link to conservation?  Migrating birds like geese can travel very far distances in a single day. For example, Canada Geese can fly 1,500 miles in one day. However, all that flying requires a layover to rest and feed. Layover spots are often called a “stopover” in the bird world.  Stopovers along bird migration routes must be able to provide safe, protective, and healthy habitat for, sometimes, huge flocks of traveling birds. Birds like migrating Snow Geese, and others traveling along the Atlantic Flyway, have several choice habitats set aside and conserved for just these kinds of purposes. Some of these include Cape Cod National Seashore, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Assateague Island National Seashore, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and others in the northern and southern Atlantic Flyway region. These places are vital for migratory bird survival and health – most birds simply would not survive their epic migrations without them. These undeveloped, protected and natural places also contribute to healthier habitats for us. Though birds can’t save us from ourselves, they can help.

If you spot a banded bird, whether dead or alive, from a safe and respectful distance, get the clearest photo you can of the numbers imprinted on the band and report it.  Read my other blogs about the banded bird I found and participating in a bird banding workshop.

Sources and More Information:

https://www.usgs.gov/labs/bird-banding-laboratory/science/report-a-band

https://www.fws.gov/project/bird-banding-conservation-tool-within-migratory-bird-program-ducks-geese-doves-and-more

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_goose

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Flyway

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snow_Goose/maps-range

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/snow-goose

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Understanding-Conservation

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2018/2/update-on-bird-heroes

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2019/9/on-the-road-to-conservation

Listen now to my latest podcast episode (episode now archived!) with Kathryn Huntress, one of the admin/moderators for Virginia Wildlife.

Here's what we talked about. Listen now (episode now archived!)

• What led you to create Nature First?

• Tell us about the most surprising thing you’ve personally witnessed regarding photographers causing harm to the natural environment.

• Is there a common question you frequently get asked about Nature First?

• Let’s talk numbers and impact. How do you determine how you’re doing on the goals for Nature First?

• The Leave No Trace program identifies something called “Hot Spots”, which are natural areas “suffering from severe human impacts” (https://lnt.org/our-work/protecting-parks/hot-spots/).This looks like a potential tool people could use to help educate themselves about the places they photograph. What are the tools, or resources, Nature First has identified for people to educate themselves about the places they photograph?

• The two founding members of Nature First are both long-time photographers in Colorado. Have you developed Nature First resources for photography in Colorado?  For example, a list of “hot spots”, or areas in Colorado that experience a lot of human visitors and may be vulnerable to stress or damage?

• What are the most useful resources that help you be an ethical nature photographer?

• As we wrap up, what else should we know about Nature First?

Please visit Nature First’s website www.naturefirst.org to learn more about Nature First important principles, make a donation, or join the organization. Nature First is also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Sources and More Information:

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2021/10/it-takes-all-of-us

https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/

It's late fall and Woodpeckers are reminding me why they’re one of my favorites. In part it’s because they’re one of the few species that remain in my region year-round. It’s also because they’re always beautiful and always enjoyable to watch. I want to spotlight several of my favorite Woodpecker images and share some facts and tips about these Master Wood Carvers -- including how to peacefully coexist with them.

• Woodpeckers prefer dead trees. Unless a live tree is loaded with the kind of bugs woodpeckers like, they typically do their wood pecking (feeding) on dead trees. This is just one reason why it’s important to leave dead trees in place, when safe and possible.

Red Shafted Northern FlickerWoodpeckers prefer dead trees

• Woodpeckers are found nearly everywhere in the world; except Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions.

• Woodpeckers drum on wood to find food, but also to communicate with other Woodpeckers. Specifically, to attract mates and claim territory.  

• Some woodpeckers have a sweet tooth. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers drill holes to tap into the sugary sap in trees. They’ve also been known to eat berries, which is where I photographed the sapsucker below. If you place hummingbird feeders up you may also notice downy or hairy woodpeckers occasionally drinking from them for a sweet snack.

Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy WoodpeckerDowny Woodpecker looking for some seeds in winter

• Woodpeckers have excellent hearing and can hear bug movement in wood. The sound of bugs in wood is one thing that triggers them to drum into wood.

• It’s all in their heads. Woodpeckers have powerful muscles around their heads. These muscles and surrounding tissues allow them to safely drill into wood with force and to do it repeatedly. The total length of a woodpecker tongue can be up to a third of the bird's total body length and part of the tongue is anchored in their heads. If our tongues were the same proportion as woodpeckers’, they would be around two feet long. Woodpeckers need those long tongues to reach the bugs and insects they feed on.

Male Pileated WoodpeckerMaster Wood Carver

• On occasion, and temporarily, some Woodpeckers, including Northern Flickers, will drum on metal. When trying to attract mates, Northern Flickers learn that some of those metal parts high up on our homes make a really big sound when pecked. Perfect for attracting other Northern Flickers! It’s happened at my home and my neighbors’ homes, though no damage ever resulted. Woodpecker drumming for territory or social reasons typically occurs in the early spring at the start of the breeding season and lasts for a very short time. With that said, you can buy flexible foam or plastic padding from a hardware store and wrap it around the metal cap. The muffled sound can encourage woodpeckers to move on.

Yellow Shafted Northern FlickerListening for Bugs?

• It’s also the case that a woodpecker might be attracted to pecking on wood parts of your home. This is usually because rotting wood is present and bugs have made their way into the wood. If this happens, the first thing to do is KNOW THE LAW. Woodpeckers have protection under federal law (the Migratory Bird Treaty Act). This means there are things we can and can’t do when trying to control woodpeckers. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is the authority on this and they have a helpful article with resources and information.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Last and not least -- there are things we can all do to help Woodpeckers

• In the colder months provide suet, peanut feeders, and/or peanut butter feeders (a favorite of Northern Flickers) when other food sources are scarce.
• If you have to cut down a tree, consider leaving part of it as a snag. You’ll be helping the woodpeckers, and all the species that depend on them for homes.
• Keep cats indoors
• Avoid pesticides

Sources and Information

https://wildlife-damage-management.extension.org/how-do-i-stop-woodpeckers-from-pecking-on-my-house/

https://abcbirds.org/blog20/woodpecker-species-united-states/

https://birdwatchinghq.com/woodpeckers-in-the-united-states/

https://www.audubon.org/news/woodpeckers-keystone-species

https://www.kpbs.org/news/2022/10/31/nature-woodpeckers-the-hole-story

https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/bird-species/medium-sized-land-birds/woodpecker-facts/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodpecker

https://www.fws.gov/story/woodpeckers-and-your-home

https://abcbirds.org/blog21/woodpecker-tongues/

As the 3rd most forested state, West Virginia is the perfect place to see fall color.

The Mountain State, West Virginia

West Virginia has three state parks that are designated official Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). There are also many other locations with low or no light pollution making stargazing, and night/astrophotography, pretty spectacular. I was thrilled to capture this image of the Milky Way on the property surrounding Canaan Valley Resort and Conference Center (a West Virginia State Park).

End on a High Note

For another stargazing adventure, I was up bright and early at 3:00 am (yes…3:00 am!) to try and capture something from the Orionid meteor shower. For the three hours we were out, I saw many more meteors than I was able to photograph. Several were spectacular in size and color. Photographing meteor showers requires the right equipment and knowledge -- but in the end -- it’s all guesswork regarding precisely when and where a meteor will flash across the sky. In the photo below look for the small white line in the lower left – that’s a meteor from beyond! 

Wish Upon a Meteor

Parts of Tucker County are in higher elevations with colder temperatures and unique climates. This means it can, and does (!) snow in the Fall. There was a snow day (or two) during my visit to the higher elevation locations in mid-October. The snow provided beautiful backdrops for the local wildlife and scenery. The two photos below were taken in Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

The Mountains

Female Ruby Crowned Kinglet

And what would a fall mountain snow day be without deer? Love the lashes, girl.

Mountain Snow Day

If the fall color and mountain scenery weren’t enough to cause distracted driving, the wind turbine farms were. Wind turbine farms??? Yes. It was exciting to see this corner of West Virginia apparently gone a little “green”. 

Feel the Energy

We traveled through a couple of large wind farms on the way to Tucker County. Wind turbines can be standalone structures, or clustered together in what’s known as a wind farm. In the U.S., wind is now a dominant renewable energy source, with enough wind turbines to meet the energy consumption needs of about 29 million average homes. One turbine can generate enough electricity to support the energy needs of a single home.

Wind farms are usually located on top of a mountain or in an otherwise windy place in order to take advantage of natural winds. There are about 57,000 wind turbines in the United States, both on land and offshore. As long as we continue to inflate our population, demand more energy for more electronics, and try to stem climate change, sustainable energy sources like wind are necessary. On one hand, it does seem alarming that we accept placing huge metal structures like wind turbines (many which can’t be recycled) on top of incredibly majestic and scenic mountain landscapes – and that we accept the inevitable disruption and death that happens to birds, other wildlife and their habitats. On the other hand, the fossil fuels we now rely on also clearly introduce harm and risk, they are a limited resource, and there are ways to minimize and mitigate some of the environmental impacts from wind turbines. Research shows that wind projects rank near the bottom of the list of human-related bird mortalities, resulting in far fewer annual deaths than those caused by house cats, building collisions, or vehicle impacts. The Audubon Society also strongly supports properly sited wind power as a renewable energy source that reduces the threat posed to birds by climate change. For reliable information on wind energy, the US Department of Energy has an excellent web site of frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Greening the Mountain State

Canaan Valley has been described by ecologists and conservationists as "a bit of Canada gone astray".  One place that shows that best is Dolly Sods Wilderness. The 17,371-acre Dolly Sods Wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest is a rocky, high-altitude plateau with sweeping vistas and lifeforms normally found much farther north in Canada, including snowshoe hare. Elevations range from 2,500 to over 4,700 feet. If you have difficulty with heights, and narrow, winding, high elevation roads, this may not be for you.

What happened to Dolly Sods isn’t a great story, but where it is today is a better ending. Through logging and agricultural use, early settlers and explorers decimated the massive forest that was once the top of Dolly Sods. The trees were 60 to 90 ft (18 to 27 m) tall and some measured at least 12 ft (3.7 m) in diameter. This area once held the greatest stand of red spruce in the world. After logging and other human uses left the area desolate, wildfires took what was left, and then for a time the US Army used Dolly Sods as a training ground. Live ammunition is still periodically discovered in Dolly Sods. Fortunately, today, Dolly Sods is a protected area with deer, black bear, raptors, and a variety of other birds and mammals making it home. Also within Dolly Sods Wilderness is the Nature Conservancy-owned Bear Rocks Preserve.

Dolly Sods Wildnerness

One of the best known and most scenic landmarks in West Virginia is Seneca Rocks, just outside of Tucker County in Pendleton County, West Virginia. It’s a beautiful landmark and a great attraction for skilled rock climbers. Seneca Rocks is one of those sights that’s very difficult to capture its full beauty from ground level. I’m not a rock climber, but I did my best from ground level. Seneca Rocks Park also has some wooded trails and a stream running through it, which provides good habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Seneca Rocks

For all my fellow raptor lovers, I saw many raptors in this area -- Kestrels, a few Bald Eagles, Black and Turkey Vultures, Sharp Shinned Hawks and others. They were just faster than me and my camera this time!

Sources and Information:

https://wvtourism.com/

https://wvstateparks.com/things-to-do/stargazing/

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mnf/recarea/?recid=12366

https://canaanvalley.org/traveling-west-virginias-route-48/

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200302-how-do-wind-farms-affect-bats-birds-and-other-wildlife

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2017.0829

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320713003522

https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/wind-energy-technologies-office

https://fws.gov/library/collections/wind-energy-monitoring-reports

https://fws.gov/story/2012-03/interior-announces-onshore-wind-energy-guidelines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_wind_power

https://wvtourism.com/company/tucker-county-convention-visitors-bureau/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaan_Valley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way

https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/sustainability/wind-energy-advantages-disadvantages

https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/frequently-asked-questions-about-wind-energy

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/canaan-valley

https://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/everything-you-need-to-know-orionid-meteor-shower/

• Well over a billion pounds of pumpkins are trashed – unused – wasted – sent to the landfill after Halloween.

• That adds to methane gas production - a greenhouse gas more dangerous than carbon dioxide (the stuff produced from burning fuels like coal, gasoline, and oil)
• In other words, our love of decorative pumpkins is a climate-changer.

• There are ways to live easier on the planet, and still have your pumpkins.

The choices we have for making better use of our seasonal, decorative pumpkins keeps getting better. We don’t have to trash the guts after carving or toss the remains of carved or whole pumpkins in the trash when the season is over. Well over a billion pounds of pumpkins are produced and sold in the US every year, but most are never eaten. They're thrown away when their cuteness fades. And that makes the global pumpkin trade – and us pumpkin consumers -- substantial producers of greenhouse gas emissions.

Here are some ways to reduce our carbon footprint when it comes to our love of pumpkins.

Buy locally

• If you have to have pumpkins (ask yourself that), visit your local pumpkin patch, farm, garden center, or other merchant that you know sells locally grown pumpkins.

Use every part of the pumpkin

• If you carve your pumpkins, save the “guts”, including the seeds and all the parts you carved out. If you don’t plan to use these parts in recipes, compost all of them.

• If you have a yard or space that you know wildlife visit, put pumpkin remains out for wildlife to eat. Squirrels, foxes, deer, racoons and birds could use the extra food particularly during colder months when food is typically more scarce. Just make sure all pumpkin parts are cut up and small enough to eat.

• Use your pumpkin parts in recipes. We all know that pumpkins are an edible fruit!

• If you don't have a yard to keep pumpkins in, or a compost pile consider donating them to a local hobby farm, community garden, animal shelter, zoo, or wildlife center. Many of these organizations gladly take pumpkins at the end of the season depending on their condition.

Check for other pumpkin recyclers in your area

• Visit your county or state government’s trash and recycling website and search for pumpkin recovery or drop off. Many local governments now have pumpkin drop off days shortly after Halloween, including my local Washington DC government.

• See if you live near a non-profit pumpkin collection site. One of the brightest lights in cutting down on wasteful pumpkin behavior are non-profits that accept pumpkins after the season. Organizations like SCARCE and Pumpkins for the People have drop-off sites where you can take your old pumpkins. They'll compost them to keep them out of landfills.

What am I doing with my pumpkins this year?

• No painting
• No carving
• At the end of the season, we’ll cut up our whole pumpkins and put them on the compost pile. Some pieces will no doubt be eaten by our local wildlife but most will decompose and enrich our compost for next year’s garden.

Sources and More Information:

https://newswire.caes.uga.edu/story/8776/pumpkin-recycling.html

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2021/10/26/is-a-pumpkin-a-fruit-or-a-vegetable/

https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2021/10/01/creative-ways-to-use-pumpkins-this-fall/

https://www.treehugger.com/donate-leftover-pumpkins-pigs-5085790

https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/wasted-food-programs-and-resources-across-united-states

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/10/30/452856477/are-we-wasting-millions-of-jack-o-lanterns-that-we-could-be-eating

https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/reducing-waste-and-harvesting-energy-halloween

https://www.treehugger.com/ways-reuse-your-halloween-pumpkin-4868398

https://www.treehugger.com/how-to-go-green-for-halloween-4859913

https://www.bhg.com/halloween/pumpkins/ways-to-use-leftover-pumpkins/

 https://pumpkinsforthepeople.org/

https://www.scarce.org/pumpkins/  

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/10/nonprofit-makes-composting-as-fun-as-smashing-pumpkins/

https://dpw.dc.gov/page/food-waste-drop-pumpkin-recovery-event

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/11/where-pumpkins-go-after-halloween/601699/

https://unionstreetjournal.com/2021/11/how-rotting-halloween-pumpkins-contribute-to-climate-change/

https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/2021/11/02/reusing-pumpkins-as-food-for-wildlife-and-farm-animals/

https://wasteadvantagemag.com/the-best-way-to-dispose-of-pumpkins-after-halloween/

https://lifehacker.com/stop-throwing-your-rotting-pumpkins-in-the-trash-and-d-1847868056

In my latest podcast, I’m talking with Dan Rauch. Dan is a Fisheries and Wildlife Biologist at Washington, DC’s Department of Energy and Environment. If you love, or even like wildlife, then you should love a wildlife biologist too. Dan does a lot of interesting and important work on behalf of the citizens of the District of Columbia – which I’m one – but also on behalf of the diverse wildlife that make Washington, DC their home. Many in the DC area -- and beyond -- first learned about Dan because he’s often in the news. Whether he’s helping bald eagles, snowy owls, turkeys, or helping DC residents coexist with wildlife, Dan loves what he does. In a city of over 700,000 residents – not counting the additional hundreds of thousands that come to work in DC; thousands of wild animals, and mostly highly developed land, it’s a big job.

Here's the questions we covered on the latest podcast (episode now archived!)

• Tell us about yourself.

• Wildlife biologists serve throughout local, state, and the federal government. What’s the role of wildlife biologists in the District of Columbia?

• What excites you about being a Wildlife Biologist?

• This past winter (winter 2022) the District was visited by a Snowy Owl who took up residence near Union Station. Photographers began documenting that she was eating rats in the area – which is great – except for the concerns about the use of rat poison in that area. You got involved in addressing those concerns. Walk us through what happened and how the District responded.

• What have you learned from being in this field that other people should know?

• What are some common things people struggle with in your field?

• Do you have a favorite species?

• Where can listeners learn more about more you and the District of Columbia’s wildlife?

Read more about Dan and the District of Columbia's Department of Energy and the Environment:

https://wamu.org/story/20/04/08/youre-stuck-inside-but-the-birds-arent-tips-to-start-watching-from-home/

https://doee.dc.gov/service/fisheries-and-wildlife

https://doee.dc.gov/

https://www.facebook.com/DOEE.DC

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/184569/longtime-residents-and-newer-urbanites-find-common-ground-in-bid-to-save-the-eagle-valor/

https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/03/09/dan-rauch-bird-man-viral-stories-dc-wildlife/

https://wtop.com/animals-pets/2020/05/tired-of-netflix-birds-provide-a-show-right-outside-your-quarantine-window/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/05/05/eagle-cam-national-arboretum-dc-eaglet/

https://www.facebook.com/dan.rauch.3

https://www.newsitem.com/several-recent-run-ins-with-owls-leave-some-washington-d-c-residents-rattled/article_f735faaf-58a9-58e0-b38a-1ead07ec4200.html

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/dc9-eaglet-removed-from-nest-tagged-for-research-purposes

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/angry-bird-wild-turkey-attacks-people-on-dc-trail/3036735/

https://citywildlife.org/return-of-the-ravens/

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/verify/birds-dying-disease-2021-virginia-dc-maryland-dmv-take-down-bird-feeders/65-9e135025-86bc-4e29-bd44-9cb44dd43909

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-02-25/bald-eagle-lays-two-eggs-in-washingtons-national-arboretum

https://www.npr.org/local/305/2021/08/05/1025115128/tropical-pink-bird-spotted-in-d-c-for-the-first-time-it-s-not-a-flamingo

https://www.npr.org/local/305/2020/05/07/852083400/d-c-area-wildlife-is-thriving-while-humans-are-stuck-inside

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/01/10/spotted-snowy-owl-dcs-union-station-where-she-ate-pigeons-rats/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2018/02/06/two-snowy-owls-have-taken-up-residence-near-the-mall/

Ospreys have provided me with some of my most memorable wildlife photography experiences and wildlife encounters. I’m always stunned by these birds not just because of how they look but how they’ve adapted to living fairly close to humans with all of our human noises, human gazing, and humans regularly closing in on them to get closer looks. In a recent social media post, I refer to Ospreys as having the equivalent of a PhD in survival.

Osprey hunting skills literally astound me – they can see fish underwater when they’re flying at heights up to 130 feet above the surface of the water. Not only can they see with that level of precision, they dive at tremendous speeds into the water sometimes submerging their entire bodies to catch fish in their talons. And if that wasn’t enough, once they catch a fish, they use the physical strength of their wings to get out of, or off of the water and fly off with their catch. If you’ve been underwater, you know water is heavy – yet Ospreys make it look like a breeze to surface out of the water.

Once they’ve caught a fish then they fly sometimes considerable distances with an extra half pound (rough average) of fish in tow.  That might not sound like a lot of weight, but when you consider that adult Osprey usually weigh no more than 4 pounds, even a half pound of fish would be 12% of a 4-pound Osprey’s body weight.  How would you do carrying 12% of your body weight (let’s say you weigh 170 lbs. – 12% is 20 lbs.) a few times a day, usually every day, for miles in all kinds of weather? The Cornell Lab bird authority says: “Ospreys are excellent anglers. Over several studies, Ospreys caught fish on at least 1 in every 4 dives, with success rates sometimes as high as 70 percent. The average time they spent hunting before making a catch was about 12 minutes—something to think about next time you throw your line in the water.”   Watching, photographing, and when necessary, rescuing Ospreys never gets old.

Ospreys’ tendency to be fairly comfortable around humans and our built-up environment means that it’s not so unusual to see Ospreys in the news. See the “Sources and Information” links at the bottom of this post for some of the headlines Ospreys have created for many journalists.

There are now several live-streaming Osprey nest cams from around the US that provide important and moving insights into Osprey behavior. Knowing their behavior, lifestyle, and desired habitat has allowed many photographers, me included, to capture incredible photos of this majestic and fierce raptor. Following are a few of my greatest Osprey photographs to date. I expect there will be more to come! Click on any photo to purchase or contact me to discuss buying a print.

My Time Is Coming

Sources and Information:

https://www.hawkmountain.org/raptors/osprey

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/overview

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Osprey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey

https://maryannsteggles.com/2022/07/07/another-loss-in-osprey-land-and-other-news-in-bird-world/

https://explore.org/livecams/ospreys/osprey-nest

https://www.raptorview.org/about.html

https://www.vims.edu/bayinfo/ospreycam/about_ospreys/

https://www.counton2.com/top-stories/osprey-recovered-from-folly-beach-cell-phone-tower/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2018/06/01/wildlife-experts-concerned-about-osprey-nest-on-construction-crane-in-southwest-washington/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/08/20/two-young-osprey-were-removed-their-nest-euthanized-so-workers-could-replace-light-southern-maryland-park/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ecologists-track-dc-ospreys-long-journey-home--from-south-america-to-the-anacostia/2014/04/18/78a5dd18-c3fc-11e3-b195-dd0c1174052c_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/10/25/climate-change-is-disturbing-hundreds-of-bird-species-including-our-beloved-osprey/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/08/03/watch-an-eagle-snatch-an-osprey-from-a-nest-like-its-no-big-deal/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/26/dorset-ospreys-produce-egg-for-first-time-in-200-years

https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/news/species-profiles/tracking-project-reveals-osprey-migration-feat/

https://www.audubon.org/news/now-resurgent-ospreys-once-faced-uncertain-future

https://www.ctinsider.com/living/article/ospreys-in-connecticut-16649886.php

https://www.fws.gov/story/2022-04/birds-eye-view-cape-cod-ospreys

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/savannah-ospreys/

Donna Cole at Raptor Rescue Training 2019

I got to know Donna through her bird of prey rescue work. She led the effort to organize a large group of volunteer rescue transporters – people, including me, that pick up the rescued birds and transport them to licensed wildlife rehabilitators. Donna’s own involvement with bird of prey rescue got started following a difficult and painful recovery from breast cancer, which she shares with us. We have a lot to talk about with Donna today and I’m so excited that she’s able to join the podcast!

Here's the questions we covered. (episode now archived!)

• You have an active on-line presence which makes it so easy to learn about and keep up with you. Perhaps that’s the journalist in you? Tell us about yourself.

• Last April you wrote a very powerful story on the news website you run, “Annapolis Creative” titled “Birds of prey came to my rescue in the aftermath of breast cancer and in the midst of an opioid epidemic – I’ve tried to return the favor.”  I recommend everyone read this story. I’ve included a link to the story. Donna, tell us about this incredible journey and how it led you to where you are today.

• Do you have any raptor rescues that are more memorable than others?

• In 2018 you broke the story that the federally banned pesticide carbofuran was responsible for the 2016 deaths of 13 bald eagles in Maryland – and possibly more we’ll never know about. That story got national attention. That was the largest number of eagles that were known to have died in Maryland in 30 years; and we know bald eagles don’t just fall out of the sky in numbers like that and die. Carbofuran is a pesticide to control pests in soil and on leaves in a variety of field, fruit, and vegetable crops. In 2009 the US EPA effectively banned carbofuran by not allowing it be reregistered because EPA concluded that “dietary, worker, and ecological risks are unacceptable for all uses of carbofuran. All products containing carbofuran generally cause unreasonable adverse effects on humans and the environment and do not meet safety standards, and therefore are ineligible for reregistration.”  Tell us about how you got involved in this case and what you learned from it.

• Donna, you have another exciting project that must be keeping you busy these days -- your selection in the 2022 Military Veterans in Journalism Speaker’s Bureau. What can you share about that?

Sources and Information

https://www.annapoliscreative.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AnnapolisCreative/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-l-cole-10ba9316/

http://upstart-annapolis.com/cause-bad-a-bird-woman/

https://twitter.com/annapcreative

https://abcbirds.org/article/epa-issues-landmark-decision-prohibit-deadly-pesticide-carbofuran-residues-food/

https://www.annapoliscreative.com/birds-of-prey-came-to-my-rescue-in-the-aftermath-of-breast-cancer-and-in-the-midst-of-an-opioid-epidemic-ive-tried-to-return-the-favor/

https://www.annapoliscreative.com/30-dead-bald-eagles-in-maryland-how-virginia-solved-the-problem-but-maryland-didnt/

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1909736845757368&id=138573172873753

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/federal-officials-focus-on-human-causes-in-death-of-13-bald-eagles-in-maryland/2016/03/11/18368f76-e778-11e5-bc08-3e03a5b41910_story.html?utm_term=.4216728e0798&itid=lk_inline_manual_4

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/spring-2020/this-brutal-pesticide-creates-circle-death-so-why

https://archive.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/web/html/carbofuran_noic.html

https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12917-020-02534-w

https://www.mvj.network/mvj-speakers-bureau-for-2022/

http://npic.orst.edu/reg/restricted.html

https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol

https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/united-states-uses-85-pesticides-outlawed-in-other-countries-2019-06-06/

That quote sums up how I usually feel when I return from a west coast trip. Having been raised and lived all of my life in more eastern regions of the United States I know there are amazing and truly inspirational sights and historical places on our side of the country. Some are unmatched anywhere in the world – including in Washington, DC – my home for the last 30 years. That said, the mountain west also has its own unique history and lessons, but its natural beauty is just unsurpassed. Traveling through Utah in April I was reminded (again!) that we live in a diverse, resilient, and sacred place, when we allow ourselves to see it that way. I’ve posted on my social media a few of my favorite scenes from my recent Utah adventure, which I’m including in this blog along with their stories and some new images. I encountered incredible scenery, landscapes, wildlife, and great people throughout Utah, and the biggest impact was visiting Monument Valley – part of the Navajo Nation located in Utah, near Kayenta, Arizona. Let’s start there.

Enjoy.

Monument Valley - "Sacred Land, Sacred View."

Sacred Views

After spending about 48 hours in Monument Valley, witnessing the incredible rock formations and listening to native Navajo stories about creation and the significance of the land, I purchased the book “Sacred Land, Sacred View,” in a local shop. I read it front-to-back on the plane ride home and found that some of my photographs of the rock formations in and near Monument Valley - all on Navajo land - were talked about in the book. I had heard some of the stories I read about during my tour of Monument Valley where I had the great experience of learning about Navajo culture from Larry Team, a Navajo guide with Monument Valley Tribal Tours. One of the best descriptions I’ve read of how Navajos view the environment and land is: “Navajos read their environment as a spiritual text: the gods created the physical world to help, teach, and protect people through an integrated system of beliefs represented in nature.”

Larry Team - Navajo Guide, Monument Valley Tribal Tours

Larry Team - Navajo Guide

The dramatic beauty of Navajo Land and its people left me, and still leave me speechless. The Navajo Nation is the largest Indian reservation in the United States, comprising about 16 million acres, or about 25,000 square miles, approximately the size of the state of West Virginia. Some of the most photographed scenery in the United States is on the reservation, notably Monument Valley.

Sunrise, Monument Valley

Some Navajo interpretations of the rock formations shown in the photo above -- specifically what are called the "Mittens" on the left and in the center -- say that these formations are two hands that were left behind by the gods as signs that some day they will return and rule with power from Monument Valley.

The photograph below shows Agathla Peak or Agathlan (Navajo: Aghaałą́, Spanish: El Capitan) which is located south of Monument Valley. It rises over 1,500 feet (457 meters) above the surrounding terrain. In Navajo tradition, this formation is believed to be a "sky-supporter", also described as a "transmitter", capable of communicating prayers.

Agathla Peak or El Capitan

Sky Support

Anthropologists believe the Navajos probably arrived in the Southwest between 800 and 1,000 years ago. The Navajo people call themselves Dine', literally meaning "The People." After the United States defeated Mexico in 1846 and gained control of the vast expanse of territory known today as the Southwest and California, the Navajos encountered a more substantial enemy. Colonel Kit Carson instituted a scorched earth policy, burning Navajo fields and homes, and stealing or killing their livestock. After starving the Navajos into submission, Carson rounded up every Navajo he could find - 8,000 men, women and children - and in the spring of 1864 forced his prisoners to march some 300 miles to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Navajos call this "The Long Walk." Many died along the way, and died during the four long years of imprisonment. In 1868 after signing a treaty with the U.S., remaining Navajos were allowed to return to designated lands currently occupied in the Four Corners area of the U.S.

Generations of Navajos were raised with the belief that what the natural world provides is sacred, greater than us, and essential for survival, harmony, and peace. Social media is loaded with incredible pictures of Monument Valley. But there’s much, much more, to learn and know about this place that the Navajo people see as sacred. They were taught to live in harmony with “Mother Earth”,” Father Sky” and other elements including people, plants, animals, and insects. Those beliefs have enabled the protection and care of natural resources for generations.

Monument Valley Mesas, Mittens, and Formations

A view of "Ear of the Wind", in Monument Valley Backcountry

Ear of the Wind

The photo below is another of many places we stopped during our backcountry tour of Monument Valley. Our Navajo guide told us to lay on our backs and look up at this formation. He asked if we saw the eagle? Some of us did. Did you?

Find the Eagle, Monument Valley

Do You See the Eagle? Seeing the Eagle

I could never do justice to the powerful stories Larry – our Navajo guide -- shared with us -- passed on to him from his Navajo grandfather -- or come close to describing the feelings evoked when Larry sang a Navajo song of love, sung over Navajo-born US soldiers experiencing post-traumatic stress. But one thing Larry said clearly summed everything up for me..."when we pray, we give thanks to nature first.” This and so many other moments revealed a culture that reveres, loves, and respects the natural world.

Larry Team - Navajo Guide -- singing Navajo healing song

Larry Team - Navajo Guide

In the Navajo culture, medicine men perform ceremonial cures that are targeted at body, mind, and spirit. There are nearly 100 Navajo chants of varying range and intricacy. Originating from the Navajo Creation Story, a Navajo medicine man learns only one or two over many years of apprenticeship. Ceremonies last anywhere from one to nine days and include chants, songs, prayers, lectures, dances, sweat baths, prayer sticks, and sand paintings. In order for a ceremony to be effective, everything must be done as prescribed in the legends.

Monument Valley Backcountry

Back Country

Near the end of the Monument Valley Tour, we visited a traditional, and working, Navajo hogan – the name given for a Navajo home or dwelling. These are humble buildings constructed with natural materials that all have significance, meaning, and function. Men and women live in separate hogans, and the hogans are sized and shaped differently for men and women. In the female hogan we met a native Navajo woman who showed us the traditional methods for spinning, dying and preparing wool for Navajo rugs. It's a completely all-natural, power-free, process.

Another traditional Navajo skill we learned about is basket-making. Little did I know that the design of Navajo baskets is deliberate and every aspect of the design has meaning.  Baskets are not only functional but are a symbol and reminder of Navajo beliefs. Many Navajo baskets have the traditional Navajo basket design with the red, white, and black colors. The black design symbolizes the darkness (night) and clouds that bring the rain. The white part inside the black design represents the sacred mountains. Usually, there are four or six points in this part to designate the sacred mountains. If there are four points, then they represent the four sacred mountains. If there are six points, then two more sacred mountains are added. The outside white area represents the dawn and is tied together with the outside rim which represents a person's thoughts, prayers, and values. The red part within the black design represents the life-giving rays of the sun. The photo below shows our Navajo guide explaining the basket design. A source for the background on Navajo baskets is here.

Interior of (female) Navajo Hogan, Weaving and Navajo Basket

Navajo Culture

More Amazing Utah and Regional Scenery

Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend

On the way to Monument Valley, Horseshoe Bend in Page Arizona is a somewhat newly popular tourist attraction. It’s part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and I like how the National Park Service describes Horseshoe Bend as a “social media darling.” At Horseshoe Bend, the Colorado River created a roughly 1,000 ft (305 m) deep, 270-degree horseshoe-shaped bend in Glen Canyon. It’s unique, and interesting to photograph. However, best to get there very early in the day or late around sunset to avoid shadows in your photographs (which I did not!)

There were other great sights along the short hike to Horseshoe Bend, including many buck moth caterpillars. I had to do my research on these since I’ve not seen them out in nature before. Everything I’ve read says that buck moth caterpillars will sting defensively and therefore people should avoid picking them up or touching them. However, it’s actually very hard to see their spines – and know that you’re looking at a buck moth caterpillar, as they’re crawling around. Perhaps the best advice for all, "not-a-bug-expert", (that's most of us!) is to not harass, touch or pick bugs up. The buck moth caterpillar is very showy and I’m always glad to run across new species when I’m in new places. They get the name buck moth because they hatch during fall and are seen flying in the fall around the same time deer are often seen.

Buck Moth Caterpillar

Buck Moth Caterpillar

Here's a few other new wildlife sightings while I was traveling Utah.  You can also visit my INaturalist profile, where I regularly post new wildlife sightings.

Mountain Bluebird

Golden Eagle

Golden Eagle

Antelope Squirrel

Antelope Squirrel

Bryce Canyon National Park – Millions of Years in the Making

Sometime in the late 1800s, Scottish immigrant Ebenezer Bryce, was sent to Paria Valley, Utah by the Mormon church, which he was a member. While living in southern Utah, he oversaw the construction of a road to the rim of Bryce Canyon. During this time, the red rocks and hoodoos were referred to as Bryce’s Canyon. Due to its natural and geological significance in the area, Bryce Canyon later became a national monument in 1923 and officially became a national park in 1928. I took hundreds of photographs of Bryce Canyon; and if you’ve visited this area, you understand. Bryce Canyon National Park is simply a stunning geological sight, highly unique among the National Parks. It’s known for its “Hoodoos” (irregular columns of rock). While these exist on every continent, Bryce Canyon has the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth.

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Sources and Information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Scott_Momaday

https://www.ihs.gov/navajo/navajonation/

https://upcolorado.com/university-press-of-colorado/item/1994-sacred-land-sacred-view

https://www.facebook.com/monumentvalleytribaltours/

https://ehillerman.unm.edu/node/1964

https://www.bischoffsgallery.com/online-store/a1-apache-basket-information-2619-2620-2621.htm

https://nhmu.utah.edu/blog/2017/08/09/weaving-revolution-contemporary-navajo-baskets

https://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/horseshoe-bend.htm

https://www.nps.gov/glca/index.htm

https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Buck-Moth

https://www.inaturalist.org/people/carolyn_copper

https://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm

If you follow my blog or social media you know that I regularly travel to Hilton Head, and have for years. The first time I visited, it was the natural and peaceful beauty of this place that I fell in love with. Many people associate Hilton Head with golf, but I'm not a golfer; and there's so much more than golf to Hilton Head! As a wildlife photographer, Hilton Head has diverse species and some of the most unique birding photography anywhere in the United States. How does a warm and sunny Atlantic coast beach environment, that's been named "America's Favorite Island", have great wildlife?  Because Hilton Head is also dedicated to conserving natural habitats and the ecosystems that make it possible for both humans and wildlife to thrive on the island.

Here's just a few of the ways Hilton Head has stepped up to protect the island and its ecosystems (source: https://www.hiltonheadisland.org/island-time/eco-wellness/protecting-our-home-conservation-hilton-head-island ).

• Hilton Head Public Service Department irrigates the Island’s six major watersheds with high-quality, treated domestic water to preserve hundreds of acres of native old-growth wetlands, which are home to rare and endangered wildlife and vegetation.

• Hilton Head's Tree Protection Ordinance, in effect since the 1980's, protects against and mitigates the loss of trees based on ecological standards. It also encourages the protection of under-story vegetation. Even for single-family homes, tidal wetland buffer standards require that native vegetation be left intact in accordance with the Tree Protection Ordinance. Hilton Head has also been a Tree City USA Community since 2002. In addition, buildings are capped at a specific height to protect the integrity and aesthetic of the natural local landscape. Trees that are protected -- particularly tall, old growth trees, provide vital habitat for birds and raptors including bald eagles, ospreys, hawks, and kites.

• To protect the sea turtles that travel miles through the Atlantic Ocean to nest specifically on Hilton Head beaches, the Town of Hilton Head Island requires light structures visible from the beach to be covered or turned off between the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:00 am during nesting and hatching season from May to October. Volunteers with the Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head Island also monitor the beaches daily during these crucial months to mark and track sea turtle nests, minimize pollution, and raise awareness of the importance of the sea turtle’s protection.

• In 1987, a group of local residents created the Hilton Head Island Land Trust, a non-profit corporation with a mission to preserve and protect natural habitats from over-development. Today, nearly 300 acres of Island lands are under the land trust’s stewardship, including the Whooping Crane Pond Conservancy, Cypress Conservancy, Northridge Tract, and Fort Howell from the Civil War era.

• The Town of Hilton Head Island has played a significant role in land conservation. Beginning in 1991, the Town began a plan to manage and control growth on the Island with a similar program created to preserve the open spaces in Nantucket, Massachusetts. As a result, the Town has purchased well over a 1,000 acres. These protected areas have precluded commercial development, hotel development, and new homes in favor of green space, parks, and natural habitat conservation. On December 27, 2017, Audubon International certified the Town of Hilton Head Island as the first public Audubon Sustainable Community in South Carolina. Read about Hilton Head's certification and sustainability success (scroll down to look for Hilton Head).

• There are several community gardens on the island providing fresh produce and charitable food donations. See also,  https://www.seapinesliving.com/explore-sea-pines/attractions/heritage-farm/

These conservation and sustainability actions have resulted in one of the most pristine, peaceful, diverse, and enjoyable places to vacation and photograph anywhere along the U.S. Atlantic Coast. Everywhere in the world, conservation is a long-term commitment and practice to mitigate the effects of population growth and impact.

Photographs from my latest trip provide proof of conservation wins in the low country of Hilton Head Island.

Hilton Head Sunset

Osprey with Grouper Catch

What It's All About

Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull

Male Painted Bunting

Painted Bunting - Male

American Oystercatcher

American Oystercatcher

Female Painted Bunting

Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican

Piping Plover

Piping Plover

Semi-Palmated Plover

Semi-palmated Plover

Sanderling

Sanderling

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Brown Thrasher

Black Skimmer Black Skimmer

Sanderling

Royal Tern

Royal Tern

Sea Star

Sea Star

Hilton Head Sub-species of White-Tailed Deer

Hilton Head Sub-species of White Tailed Deer

Time Out

Calibogue Sound

The Sound

Sources and Information:

https://www.hiltonheadisland.org/island-time/trending/hilton-head-island-once-again-named-americas-favorite-islandr

https://www.hiltonheadisland.org/island-time/eco-wellness/protecting-our-home-conservation-hilton-head-island

https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/

https://www.hhilandtrust.org/

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/pinckney-island

https://auduboninternational.org/sustainable-communities-program-success-stories/

https://hiltonheadbikes.com/community-gardens-in-the-lowcountry/

https://www.seapinesliving.com/explore-sea-pines/attractions/heritage-farm/

https://www.arborday.org/programs/treecityusa/

https://www.seaturtlepatrolhhi.org/

https://www.hiltonhead.com/

Isaac also comes from a long line of outdoor lovers, including his mother who was the first women to surf in his local New Jersey town. As a young boy, Isaac also spent several years in Ukraine during a different, but also difficult time in that country’s history. That experience helped him develop an appreciation for wild canids. Canids include dogs, foxes, coyotes, and wolves.  Love, enjoyment, and respect for the outdoors were instilled in him young, and he’s living a life that celebrates, in many ways, what nature provides us.

The ability to be active in the outdoors actually helped Isaac overcome some pretty dark times in his personal life, and Isaac shares some things from a darker and difficult time in his life. Isaac is conscious about passing the generational respect for nature on to his daughter. I talled with Isaac about a lot of topics – including his love of nature, sustaining generational respect for our wild places, his years in Ukraine against the backdrop of today’s violence in that country, his project to document the hundreds of miles of hiking trails in Shenandoah National Park, things on his wildlife photography wish list, and more.

Here's the questions we talked about (episode now archived!).

• You’re active in a lot of outdoor endeavors.  How did all that get started?  Why surfing, hiking, mountain climbing, and wildlife photography?

• Shortly after Russia’s February 24th invasion of Ukraine, you shared a photo on Instagram from Kyiv, Ukraine, taken in 1995, that showed you, your siblings, and other children playing on overturned military tanks. In that post you said your “heart was breaking for the people of my former home, who showed me so much grace and hospitality.”  How did those years living in Ukraine influence you?

• Speaking of things on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, you review wines for an award-winning wine blog. Your interest in wine started on the other side of the Atlantic. How did that get started?

• Changing gears a bit Isaac,  if folks were to search you on the Internet they’d easily find, that like many of us, at one point in your life, you experienced some dangerous and traumatic events. You’ve written and published about some very dark times in your life. Now that you’re on the other side of that, how has your perspective changed? Has the ability to get outdoors and enjoy the outdoors helped you?

• When I look through your Instagram posts, it’s exactly what your profile says you’re about, “nature, waves, metal, wine, etc..”. One exception is that you periodically post about your daughter. Maybe when you next update your profile you’ll add, “dad”? 

• You mention generational respect for our natural places. How are you trying to pass that on and sustain that?

• You started a project in 2020 to hike and document every mile of every trail in Shenandoah National Park. Shenandoah National Park is 75 miles from DC and has over 500 miles of trails. How is the project coming along? Do you plan to publish about it?

• Do you have places or wildlife on your travel or photography “wish list”?

Sources and Information

http://isaacjamesbaker.blogspot.com/

https://www.instagram.com/isaacjamesbaker/

https://www.terroirist.com/about/

https://www.fec.gov/

https://goodmenproject.com/author/isaac-james-baker/

https://www.instagram.com/horstmeyerseth/

I don’t travel anywhere these days without my photography gear, and that includes a recent trip I took to Las Vegas. I’ve been to Vegas several times. I know that -- despite the Bellagio fountains, swimming pools available in nearly all resorts, and lots of flowing beverages everywhere -- Las Vegas is a big place in a very dry desert -- the Mojave Desert. On my latest trip to the strip, I was looking forward to the possibility of seeing desert wildlife that don’t exist where I am on the eastern side of the US.  My research found several excellent birding and other natural areas within a 20 to 40-minute drive from where I was staying, just a block off the Las Vegas strip. What I discovered when I got there, is that while these good wildlife photography locations looked very promising in writing, they were spectacular in person.

What made these areas so spectacular was the diversity and numbers of species I observed and was able to photograph – in the great bright light of clear desert days. In this blog, I’ve shared some of my favorite photographs. However, the species I observed were far more and some numbered in the hundreds. For example, I observed a few hundred Northern Shoveler ducks at Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. I’ve never seen that many Northern Shovelers in a single location at the same time – and the only other location I’ve seen a higher concentration of waterfowl –anywhere -- is during winter along areas of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.  I haven’t yet been everywhere in my life, but it’s an understatement to say I was stunned at the number of waterfowl I saw out in the desert.

What brings birds to the desert?  The same thing that brings birds to the east coast, Midwest, central plains and many other places – water and other suitable habitat where they can spend the winter or rest during long migrations. There’s water in the desert?  Yes – but like with so many of our natural resources – there’s not as much as there used to be. The southeastern part of the Mojave Desert where Las Vegas is located is also home to Lake Mead. Lake Mead, located 24 miles from Las Vegas, is the largest reservoir in the United States. It provides water to more than 20 million people in the region.  Because water is such a premium in desert environments, the various water authorities in this region are mindful about water use and conservation measures. Much of the water is recycled or reclaimed and used water (wastewater, urban runoff, stormwater) is conserved and put back to use again.  An interesting side note – while watching the local news out of Las Vegas one evening there was a story about fines for watering residential lawns on days that weren’t allowed. The Las Vegas Valley Water Authority has a mandatory schedule for watering that comes with fines for violators. They also have many other important and necessary conservation requirements on water use.  Take note -- those of us who live in environments where enforceable water restrictions are unheard of.

There’s an urban river that runs through the Las Vegas valley called the Las Vegas Wash. The Wash, which is connected to Lake Mead, carries more than 200 million gallons of water per day and is fed by reclaimed water, urban runoff, shallow groundwater and stormwater. Along the Wash are wetlands. Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or where water is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. In simple terms, wetlands are marshy, swampy areas that are normally wet all year long, but can be dry at times. Wetlands – everywhere -- provide critical benefits to humans and wildlife. They protect and improve water quality, provide fish and wildlife habitats, and store floodwaters – helping to manage the impacts of flooding, among other benefits. In the Las Vegas Valley, wetlands at the Wash serve as "nature's kidneys," cleaning the water that runs through them by filtering out harmful contaminants.  However, they also provide habitat for diverse wildlife. Many of the bird-wildlife find this area because they travel one of the major north-south migration flyways that run through or next to Nevada -- the Pacific and Central Flyways.  And this explains the spectacular wildlife viewing that happens right outside Las Vegas.

I visited three locations along the Las Vegas Wash – Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Clark County Wetlands Park, and part of the Wash that runs through Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and I also visited the Lake itself.  There was even more scenery and wildlife at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Rainbow Owl Preserve, which I also visited. Enjoy these photos!

Burrowing Owls Northern Harrier - ImmatureClark County Wetlands Park American AvocetHenderson Bird Viewing Preserve American CootLake Mead National Recreation Area Common Merganser - MaleLake Mead National Recreation Area Common Merganser - FemaleLake Mead National Recreation Area Ring Necked Duck - MaleClark County Wetlands Park Ring Necked Duck - FemaleClark County Wetlands Park Red Head Duck - MaleLake Mead National Recreation Area Common Goldeneye - FemaleLake Mead National Recreation Area Red Shafted Northern FlickerClark County Wetlands Park Greater RoadrunnerClark County Wetlands Park Gambel's QuailRed Rock Canyon National Conservation Area - Calico Springs Vermillion Flycatcher - MaleHenderson Bird Viewing Preserve Phainopepla - MaleRed Rock Canyon National Conservation Area VerdinClark County Wetlands Park

Desert CoyoteLake Mead National Recreation Area White Tailed Antelope SquirrelRed Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Desert Cottontail RabbitRainbow Owl Preserve - Nevada Red Eared SliderClark County Wetlands Preserve

Anna's Hummingbird - MaleClark County Wetlands Preserve Canada GooseHenderson Bird Viewing Preserve Great Horned OwlClark County Wetlands Park Northern Shoveler - MaleHenderson Bird Viewing Preserve

Sources and More Information:

https://www.cityofhenderson.com/government/departments/parks-and-recreation/facilities/other-venues/bird-preserve

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Mead

https://www.lvwash.org/

https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/what-wetland

https://www.lvvwd.com/conservation/mandatory-watering-schedule/index.html

https://www.lvvwd.com/conservation/measures/index.html

https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/government/departments/parks___recreation/wetlands_park/index.php

https://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/

https://www.birdandhike.com/Bird/Urban_LV/OwlPreserve/_OwlPres.htm

https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/na1308

http://digital-desert.com/wildlife/
http://digital-desert.com/wildlife/antelope-squirrel.html

https://www.audubon.org/content/central-flyway

https://www.audubon.org/content/pacific-flyway

Below are the questions Martyn answered (episode now archived!)

• You were born and raised in England, studied in both the UK and South Africa, and now you work in Sandusky, Ohio – a mid-size city that sits on Lake Erie and is probably best known as the home of Cedar Point -- an amusement park in operation for over 150 years that features a world-record 71 rides and world-record-setting roller coasters. Martyn, start us out by unraveling the interesting story of your worldwide study and travel and what brought you to northern Ohio.

• What’s a day in the life of an Erie MetroParks Naturalist like?

• Tell us about the most surprising thing (or things!) you’ve learned during your explorations or work in Erie County Ohio.

• As you’ve certainly learned, we Americans love our bald eagle. On a recent episode of the Erie MetroParks podcast, “Off Trail”, you noted that there were 46 Bald Eagle nests in Erie County, as of the last census. How do you go about conducting a census of bald eagle nests?

• The last time I was in the Sandusky area (Fall 2021), I made a trip up to Maumee Bay State Park (an Ohio state park) which was about an hour by car along the Lake Erie Bay shore from my location. On that drive, which was about 60 miles, I saw 14 adult bald eagles.I was really shocked and never remember seeing anything like that in that area before.What do you think contributes to that region being – apparently -- good habitat for bald eagles?

• Ecologists often study and explain how human actions affect other living things and their environment. What kinds of activities that you’ve been involved in with Erie County MetroParks fit that description?

• I’m pretty sure I would never have visited Pipe Creek Wildlife area in Sandusky (managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources) had I not seen some of your posts about the birds and other wildlife in that area. While I’m familiar with the part of Sandusky where Pipe Creek is located, I was never familiar with this area as a birding and wildlife area. North central Ohio is really a top birding destination. What are some of the other best places to see nature and wildlife in Erie County, and the surrounding areas?

• Have you ever encountered any issues with wildlife crime (poaching, etc..) or was that ever discussed in your studies or job?

• Do you have a favorite species?

Resources and Additional Information:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/martyn-drabik-hamshare-5b725728/

https://bioweb.ie/author/martyn-drabik-hamshare/

https://eriemetroparks.org/

https://www.kelleysislandchamber.com/directory/places/glacial-grooves/

https://birding-in-ohio.com/

https://www.audubon.org/news/birding-ohio

https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/explore/regions/midwest/ohio/ohios-ten-best-bird-watching-spots.php

https://ohiobirds.org/resources/birding-sites-in-ohio/birding-sites-by-county/

https://www.environmentalscience.org/career/naturalist

https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/buy-and-apply/hunting-fishing-boating/hunting-resources/turn-in-a-poacher

https://ohiodnr.gov/home/additional-resources/division-of-wildlife/bald-eagles-promo

https://umdearborn.edu/casl/centers-institutes/environmental-interpretive-center/education-programs/pollination-project/insect-hotels

https://entomologistlounge.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/insect-hotels-a-refuge-or-a-fad/

In 2020 I joined iNaturalist, a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. On iNaturalist, I upload my photographs of species that are unique encounters for me, or species I recognize as unique or out of the ordinary for the location I’m visiting. iNaturalist is a massive online platform for recording and identifying observations of plant or animal species anywhere in the world. Users upload a photo or sound recording and propose an identification of what they’ve recorded, or they receive suggestions from community members. As of January 2022, iNaturalist contained over 88 million observations of over 340,000 species contributed by over 2 million observers world-wide -- and it just keeps growing.

You don’t need a professional camera to be in the iNaturalist community. iNaturalist allows anyone with a phone or camera and an Internet connection to upload and identify photos of plants and animals anywhere in the world. There are guidelines for using iNaturalist, and if you’re new to this platform, head over to their website and learn all about it. One of the goals of iNaturalist is to generate scientifically valuable biodiversity data from the personal encounters we have with the natural world. There’s been good progress on that goal as information gleaned from the platform has contributed to more than 1,400 studies. One of the most common research uses of iNaturalist data is the development of species distribution models.

Since joining in 2020, I’ve added 160 observations covering 118 species, primarily birds. One of the features of iNaturalist that adds incredible depth and significance to observations is the system may provide the conservation status (extinction or extirpation risk) of the species you identified. Let’s define extinct and extirpated before going further because these words will come up again. Extinct means the end of a species; when a species dies out completely its classified as extinct. Extirpated means a local extinction; when a species no longer exists in a particular area, but still exists elsewhere.

Of the 118 species photos I’ve contributed to iNaturalist, about 20 (mostly birds) have some type of imperiled conservation status association with them. In other words, these species were identified as extinct, extirpated, critically imperiled, imperiled or vulnerable in the regions I photographed them. That’s significant. It means that while you think you’re seeing just another cool hawk fly by, when you snap a picture and upload it into iNaturalist you may discover, and help others discover, a rarely seen and threatened species. These are valuable observations that can be used by scientists and researchers to support our understanding of species distribution and further species conservation research and intervention.

iNaturalist conservation status rankings derive from NatureServe and/or the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature’s) Red List. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus and plant species and is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. NatureServe uses a suite of factors to assess the conservation status (extinction or extirpation risk) of species of plants, animals, and fungi, as well as the conservation status (elimination or extirpation risk) of ecosystems. Conservation status is summarized as a series of ranks (letter and number codes) from critically imperiled to secure, and these ranks may be derived at global, national, or sub-national levels.

Below I’ve summarized several of my iNaturalist wildlife observations that had some type of imperiled conservation status. Remember that conservation status codes may be location-dependent. In other words, a bird that’s doing well in Montana may be extirpated (locally extinct) in Ohio.

Snowy Owl

Location of photograph: Washington, DC (District of Columbia)

Conservation Status is IUCN Vulnerable. This means the best available evidence indicates that snowy owls are facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

Bald Eagle

Location of photograph: Washington, DC (District of Columbia)

Conservation Status is NatureServe S2N/SXB. This means (1) non-breeding bald eagle populations are Imperiled, or at high risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to restricted range, few populations or occurrences, steep declines, severe threats, or other factors (S2N), and (2) breeding populations of bald eagles are Presumed Extirpated (SXB). This means breeding age eagles are believed to be extirpated from the jurisdiction; not located despite intensive searches of historical sites and other appropriate habitat, and virtually no likelihood that it will be rediscovered. This is equivalent to “Regionally Extinct” in IUCN Red List terminology.

Merlin

Location of photograph: North central Ohio/Lake Erie Region

Conservation Status NatureServe SX. This means Merlins are presumed extirpated, or locally extinct. The species is not located despite intensive searches of historical sites and other appropriate habitat, and virtually no likelihood that it will be rediscovered. Extirpated species become less resilient to environmental, ecological and biological changes, making them more susceptible to extinction.

Merlin

Location of photograph: Northern Maryland

Conservation Status NatureServe S1N. This means non-breeding populations are critically imperiled, or at very high risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to very restricted range, very few populations or occurrences, very steep declines, severe threats, or other factors.

Merlin

Location of photograph: Washington, DC (District of Columbia)

Conservation Status NatureServe S1N. This means non-breeding populations are critically imperiled, or at very high risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to very restricted range, very few populations or occurrences, very steep declines, severe threats, or other factors.

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Location of photograph: Washington, DC (District of Columbia)

Conservation Status NatureServe S2B/S3N. This means (1) breeding age populations are imperiled or at high risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to restricted range, few populations or occurrences, steep declines, severe threats, or other factors (S2B), and (2) non-breeding populations are vulnerable or at moderate risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to a fairly restricted range, relatively few populations or occurrences, recent and widespread declines, threats, or other factors (S3N).

Cooper’s Hawk

Location of photograph: Washington, DC (District of Columbia)

Conservation Status NatureServe S3N/SHB. This means (1) non-breeding Cooper’s Hawk populations are Vulnerable, or at moderate risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to a fairly restricted range, relatively few populations or occurrences, recent and widespread declines, threats, or other factors (S3N), and (2) breeding age populations are possibly extirpated. They are known from only historical records but still some hope of rediscovery. There is evidence that the species or ecosystem may no longer be present in the jurisdiction, but not enough to state this with certainty (SHB). Examples of such evidence include (a) that a species has not been documented in approximately 20-40 years despite some searching and/or some evidence of significant habitat loss or degradation; (b) that a species or ecosystem has been searched for unsuccessfully, but not thoroughly enough to presume that it is no longer present in the jurisdiction.

American Coot

Location of photograph: Southern Maryland

Conservation Status is NatureServe S3N - Vulnerable. This means non-breeding populations are at moderate risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to a fairly restricted range, relatively few populations or occurrences, recent and widespread declines, threats, or other factors.

Long-Tailed Duck (female pictured; conservation status applies to both males and females)

Location of photograph: Southern Maryland

Conservation Status ICUN Vulnerable. This means the species has a very high risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 30 to more than 50 percent over the previous 10 years (or three generations), a current population size of fewer than 1,000 individuals, or other factors.

Pie-billed Grebe

Location of photograph: Northern Virginia

Conservation Status NatureServe S1S2B/S3N. This means (1) breeding populations are imperiled to critically imperiled or at high to very high risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to very restricted range, very few populations or occurrences, very steep declines, severe threats, or other factors (S1S2B), and (2) non-breeding populations are vulnerable or at moderate risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to a fairly restricted range, relatively few populations or occurrences, recent and widespread declines, threats, or other factors (S3N).

Black-crowned Night Heron

Location of photograph: Northern Virginia

Conservation Status NatureServe S3B/S4N. This means (1) breeding populations are vulnerable or at moderate risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to a fairly restricted range, relatively few populations or occurrences, recent and widespread declines, threats, or other factors (S3B), and (2) non-breeding populations are apparently secure, or at a fairly low risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to an extensive range and/or many populations or occurrences, but with possible cause for some concern as a result of local recent declines, threats, or other factors (S4N).

American Black Duck

Location of photograph: Northwestern Ohio/Lake Erie Region

Conservation Status NatureServe S2. This means all populations are imperiled, or are at high risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to restricted range, few populations or occurrences, steep declines, severe threats, or other factors.

Black Scoter

Location of photograph: Southern Maryland

Conservation Status ICUN Red List NT. This means the Black Scoter is a Near Threatened species, and does not yet qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable now, but is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.

Hooded Merganser

Location of photograph: Northwestern Ohio/Lake Erie Region

Conservation Status NatureServe S2. This means all populations are imperiled, or are at high risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to restricted range, few populations or occurrences, steep declines, severe threats, or other factors.

Hooded Merganser

Location of photograph: Northern Maryland

Conservation Status NatureServe S1B. This means breeding populations are critically imperiled or are at very high risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to very restricted range, very few populations or occurrences, very steep declines, severe threats, or other factors.

Prothonotary Warbler

Location of photograph: Northwestern Ohio/Lake Erie Region

Conservation Status NatureServe S3. This means all populations are vulnerable, or are at moderate risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to a fairly restricted range, relatively few populations or occurrences, recent and widespread declines, threats, or other factors.

Pine Warbler

Location of photograph: Northeastern West Virginia

Conservation Status NatureServe S2N/S4B. This means non-breeding populations are imperiled, or at high risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to restricted range, few populations or occurrences, steep declines, severe threats, or other factors (S2N), and (2) breeding populations are apparently secure, or at a fairly low risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to an extensive range and/or many populations or occurrences, but with possible cause for some concern as a result of local recent declines, threats, or other factors (S4B).

Hermit Thrush

Location of photograph: Southern Maryland

Conservation Status NatureServe S3S4B/S4N. This means (1) breeding populations range from vulnerable to apparently secure, where vulnerable means at moderate risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to a fairly restricted range, relatively few populations or occurrences, recent and widespread declines, threats, or other factors and apparently secure means at a fairly low risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to an extensive range and/or many populations or occurrences, but with possible cause for some concern as a result of local recent declines, threats, or other factors (S3S4B), and (2) non-breeding populations are apparently secure, or at a fairly low risk of extirpation in the jurisdiction due to an extensive range and/or many populations or occurrences, but with possible cause for some concern as a result of local recent declines, threats, or other factors (S4N).

If you’re not already involved in iNaturalist I hope you’ll visit and see how easy it is to make observations and how valuable they can be. Even though a species is common in one region, it could be extinct or imperiled in others, which is why it's important to record observations, in all areas you visit. That "common" red-shouldered hawk you see, may in fact be threatened in the region. Interested in viewing my iNaturalist observations?  Once you’re on the website, search for my name, Carolyn Copper. I’m a monthly supporter of iNaturalist, helping to support its growth and the discovery of biodiversity.

Sources and More Information:

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/scientists-conduct-large-scale-study-of-inaturalist-users/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/citizen-science-increasing-pandemic-insects

https://theconversation.com/the-next-invasion-of-insect-pests-will-be-discovered-via-social-media-143527

https://slate.com/technology/2019/04/superbloom-california-nature-internet-collide-birds-poaching-science.html

https://theoryandpractice.citizenscienceassociation.org/articles/10.5334/cstp.439/

https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/what%252Bis%252Bit

https://help.natureserve.org/biotics/content/Methodology/NatureServeConservationStatusFactors.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NatureServe_conservation_status 

https://explorer.natureserve.org/AboutTheData/Statuses 

https://www.iucnredlist.org/

https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/categories-and-criteria

I met Nancy in the summer of 2021 after I became a volunteer transporter for the injured raptors, she and another raptor rescuer -- Donna Cole -- were rescuing and trying to save.  Myself, and several dozen other volunteer transporters, drove these birds, part of the way or all of the way –sometimes well over a hundred miles round trip -- to the designated wildlife rehabilitation center that could help them, or humanely end their suffering.  I’m still helping transport these injured raptors today.

It takes courage, strength, skill, a calm mind and a big heart to save wildlife from suffering.  I’m excited to interview Nancy in my newest podcast and hear about her courageous and compassionate work to help save the lives of injured and orphaned raptors. Follow Nancy’s Instagram account @rescuingraptors to learn about this incredible work of rescuing raptors.

Here’s the questions Nancy answered (episode now archived!)

• Let’s start with the numbers.How many years have you been doing this (raptor rescue) and have you kept track of how many birds (raptors) you’ve rescued?

• You live close to the Chesapeake Bay and you do some sailing.Did this have any influence on how you got started in raptor rescue – particularly Ospreys?

• On your Instagram account you have a post mentioning your desire to write a book about your rescue stories.What rescues are the most memorable or important to talk about?

• How do you coordinate with the permitted wildlife rehabilitation centers once you’ve rescued an injured raptor?

• We haven’t yet come up with animal ambulances, but there is a volunteer transport group for the injured raptors. I’m in this group, and I have to say I was surprised at the number of raptors that needed transporting just since I became involved. There are of course peaks and valleys in transport needs, but this is great resourcefulness and ingenuity to solve the big challenge of getting these birds the help they need.How did the volunteer transport concept come about?

• Can anyone just go out and capture and rescue an injured hawk, owl, eagle, or osprey?

• You’ve had more than one occupation over the years –which I think is a great thing to showcase. Earlier in life you served with the Army and then went on to work for the federal government for over 23 years. And what really got my attention was information you shared in one of your Instagram posts about being one of the Federal Aviation Administration representatives who helped shut down US air space during the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US. I was living just a few miles from the Pentagon at that time. What can you tell us about that part of your work-life?

• What else should we know about this (volunteer!) job of rescuing raptors?

Blog photo credit: Mary Hollinger

Resources and More Information:

https://www.instagram.com/rescuingraptors/

https://ahnow.org/#/

https://owlmoon.org/

https://tristatebird.org/

https://www.nwrawildlife.org/

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/how-find-wildlife-rehabilitator

https://www.orkincanada.ca/rodenticide-alternatives-for-rat-and-mice-control/

https://www.raptorsarethesolution.org/preferred-pest-control-products/

In my newest podcast I’m excited to talk with Jay Sheppard who had a career as an ornithologist with the US Fish & Wildlife Service; is a fellow in the American Ornithological Society; has birded in all 50 states; and more recently has been leading tours to observe short-eared owls on a Maryland property slated for commercial development.  That’s how I came to know Jay. 

Jay is certainly a birder, but he’s also a bird scientist and dedicated conservationist. In addition to his 23-year career with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, in retirement, Jay wrote a nearly 500-page life-study of the LeConte’s Thrasher – a bird found in the desert southwest. Jay’s study was published by the organization of Western Field Ornithologists, and can be purchased from them or it’s also available on Amazon. I’m excited to have Jay on the podcast today – listen in – to hear from someone who has dedicated his life to the study and conservation of birds and their habitats. He’s seen a lot and done a lot.

Here’s the questions Jay answered in my newest podcast (episode now archived!)

• You've been watching, studying, and following birds for decades, and you had a career focused on birds. What interests you most about birds?

• You’ve been organizing short-eared owl tours at the Konterra, Maryland private property for a few years. I’ve been on these tours and loved it. I have a few questions about this.
  • First, how do you describe Konterra?
  • How did you discover Konterra, Maryland?
  • How many people have joined the Konterra tours?
  • Do you expect Konterra will be developed some day?
  • What makes the Konterra property good habitat for the birds and other wildlife that live and migrate there?
  • What can those of us who benefit from birding and bird photography do to support the Konterra habitat?

• Do you have a favorite bird?

• We’re coming into winter season. You have a helpful post on your Facebook page about laying down a tarp when it snows to create a bare patch of grass for birds. Can you describe this and why it’s helpful for birds, as well as birders?

• You’ve birded in all 50 states and Canada which means you’ve seen some amazing bird life. What’s the most unusual or unexpected encounter you’ve had?

• What tips would you give new birders?

• What tips would you give seasoned birders?

Sources and More Information:

https://www.aba.org/

https://www.facebook.com/birders/

https://americanornithology.org/

https://birdingoutdoors.com/

https://www.birdwatching.com/birdingfaq.html

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/article/getting-started-birder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdwatching

https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/learn/top10/top-10-things-bird-watchers-need.php

https://www.audubon.org/birding/how-to-start-birding

https://westernfieldornithologists.org/product/the-biology-of-a-desert-apparition-lecontes-thrasher-toxostoma-lecontei/

https://www.amazon.com/Biology-Desert-Apparition-LeContes-Toxostoma-ebook/dp/B07R7FQDNJ

https://ebird.org/profile/MTgwODE2/world

Feeling HumanWild Colonial Spanish Mustang - Outer Banks, NC

Just last week in Washington DC, the funeral of General Colin Powell was held at the Washington National Cathedral. I watched the funeral on TV. Watching and listening to the funeral reminded me of so many things because Colin Powell was at the height of his military and government career when I was early in my federal government career here in Washington, DC.

In that career, I had a position in the government where I was part of a project that performed clear-eyed oversight of military programs and activities. One of those activities was Operation Desert Storm (aka the Gulf War), a military campaign in the early 1990’s to expel Iraqi military forces from Kuwait. At the time, Colin Powell was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  I learned a lot about the technical and strategic aspects of war during those years I worked on the Operation Desert Storm project. I also learned a lot about what war does to humans.  It’s an immeasurable gift that the quiet love and acceptance of animals can help heal very deep human wounds and trauma.

There are many terrific organizations that use horses to help heal and equip veterans for life after traumatic events and difficulties. I list a few below, along with other resources.

Sources and Information:

https://www.warhorsesforveterans.org/

https://warhorsesforheroes.org/

https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/latest-releases/archives/2018/9/war-horses-for-veterans

“We help environmental leaders optimize their programs and maximize their results. We advise on the best science, strategy, and management techniques to help you save the Earth faster." 

Here’s what I asked Katie to share with us (episode now archived!)

1. What led you to The GeoLiteracy Project?
2. How do you define “geo-literate”?
3. What should we know about the GeoLiteracy Project?
4. How did your EPA work influence the GeoLiteracy Project?
5. I know you’re a supporter of drone technology and the benefits it can provide. Drones are fun – and to my surprise -- bounce-back well from crashes (😊). Importantly, drone mapping and monitoring can provide highly valuable data and information.  What are your thoughts?
6. You just launched your company a few months ago.Can you share any perspective on what your clients are striving for?
7. I worked with you (Katie) for years on highly challenging, complex and difficult issues, and I know first-hand how confident clients should be in working with you. Anything else we should know about The GeoLiteracy Project?

Visit geoliteracy.com to learn more, get free tools and resources, or schedule a free consultation with Katie.

StillLake McDonald - Glacier National Park, Montana

Here’s what’s so challenging. We have a lot of people talking about unethical wildlife photography, including popular wildlife photographers and prominent organizations issuing very well-crafted and thought-out guidelines and policies on the dos and don’ts of wildlife photography. But we lack lucid, concrete, steps that we can take when we find ourselves right next to, or in the company of people engaging in unethical, or even dangerous behavior, while photographing wildlife. I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently because in my region of the US, we’re heading into owl season, and put simply, owls are keenly sought after by wildlife photographers, birders, and other wildlife lovers. In the last couple of years, I’ve had several encounters with other wildlife photographers, birders, and others, who were either, (1) willfully ignoring and by-passing clear protections to prevent people from getting too close to nesting owls; or (2) were not aware of the potential consequences of creating noisy, crowded conditions while photographing wildlife.  

Great Horned OwletVirginia

You might ask – Isn’t there a place where such unethical people and behaviors can be reported so these actions can be stopped and prevented?  Well, in most circumstances, there is no such place or authority. Except for the few people who report what they believe is unethical behavior on Facebook birding groups or other social media groups, there are essentially no consequences to humans who choose to intentionally or unintentionally engage in unethical, disruptive and harmful wildlife photography or wildlife watching.That’s a hard truth, and completely unjust to the wildlife we love.

One of the things I see a lot in discussions about unethical wildlife photographers is a recounting and social-media, or email sharing, of an ethics policy from an authoritative source that states and describes the wrongs of unethical photography. There are a few of these ethics policies out there, and I’m grateful to the organizations that have invested the time, resources, and thought into developing ethics policies. Since I belong to and follow a few birding groups, the ethics policy I often see distributed among birders is the American Birding Association (ABA) Code of Ethics. It has three main provisions along with clarifying points on each of these provisions. The guiding provisions are:

1. Respect and promote birds and their environment.
2. Respect and promote the birding community and its individual members.
3. Respect and promote the law and the rights of others.

There are also a few guidelines for ethical wildlife photography. For example, Principles of Ethical Field Practices, by the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) and Audubon’s Guide to Ethical Bird Photography and Videography.  NANPA’s guide emphasizes three ethical field practices, which align closely with ABA’s. A useful and important feature of NANPA’s ethics guide is its emphasis on photographers being knowledgeable and having knowledge and awareness of what they’re doing, where they’re going and others around them. For readability, I added “(have)” to each of the three NANPA principles below. 

1. (have) KNOWLEDGE OF SUBJECT AND PLACE
2. (have) KNOWLEDGE OF RULES AND LAWS
3. (have) EXPERTISE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Ethics policies and codes like these are essential, educational tools and resources that I believe make a difference. But what happens when you’re out in the field and you witness something unethical and inappropriate?  These real-world scenarios aren’t covered by any of the ethics policies or guidelines I’ve reviewed. Not everyone wants to be that person that tells a stranger, to their face, they’re doing something wrong.  In fact, many people avoid these kinds of situations because they don’t feel equipped to manage the situation effectively. There’s understandable fear and anxiety about these kinds of encounters with our fellow humans.  Alternatively, there are those that may speak up when they see an unethical photographer in action, but who may come off offensive and harsh because the only way they’ve been equipped to handle these situations is by reminding the offender that they’re “breaking rules.”  

In winter 2020-21, at the height of pandemic closures and staying-at-home in the United States, I had an encounter with a visitor who was among the thousands to visit the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Maryland to get a glimpse of the male painted bunting that had shown up in our area. The visitor was standing along with me and many others who were waiting for the bunting to appear when she started using a bird sounds app on her phone. There were several others nearby who saw and heard what I did. The disappointed looks on their faces signaled that they might have believed this was wrong, but no one said a word.  Using bird call recordings isn’t permitted in National Parks because, according to the National Park Service, “mimicking animal sounds is considered harassment, which is illegal.” (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/watchingwildlife/gear.htm ).

Painted Bunting - Male

At that time, I didn’t know that bird calling apps and sounds weren’t permitted in National Parks. By the way, many or all of the National Wildlife Refuges also prohibit bird calling. But here’s what I did know -- bird calling, under those conditions, was potentially harmful to this male painted bunting. Birds have excellent hearing and when they hear what they think is another bird in the area it can raise alarms, cause them to flee the area, cause them to search out the bird, and generally cause them to use up valuable energy. Further, it was the middle of winter; it was cold, food was scarce and the painting bunting was hundreds of miles from its warmer, and normal, winter range. This rare vagrant painted bunting was already under stress from many factors, and using bird calls just so the visitor could get a photo, just wasn’t a good choice. I told the visitor that the bird calling app was likely to add to the bunting’s stress. The visitor appeared to ignore me, continued to play the app for a few more seconds, eventually turned it off and then left the area.  

What if I had known the National Park’s position and policy that bird calling sounds and apps are considered wildlife harassment and therefore illegal?  I could just have led with that and told this visitor they were a rule breaker – period – done -- I can now go back to what I was doing.  Alternatively, as advised by NANPA’s ethics guidelines I could: “Report inappropriate behavior to proper authorities. Don’t argue with those who don’t care; report them.”  Both of these options are not unreasonable, and importantly, there could be situations where these are the only or best options. But, reporting someone, or getting in their face to tell them they broke a rule aren’t the only options. Also, these approaches get in the way of one critical thing – educating others on the impact they’re having.  Many people actually don’t know that things like bird calling, feeding wild animals, or getting too close or being too loud has consequences and can harm wildlife.

This is where a communication technique called “Authority of the Resource (ART)” can be invaluable because it supports effective and respectful interactions. This technique is embedded in the  “Leave No Trace” conservation principles, which have been broadly adopted by US National Parks and other recreation or public land areas. 

ART was laid out in 1990 by Dr. George Wallace, a professor specializing in human dimensions of natural resources at Colorado State University. He believed those who cause impacts in natural areas do so because they’re (a) unskilled; (b) uninformed; (c) careless; or (d) unintentional. Dr. Wallace observed a variety of law enforcement rangers in the field. He noted that rangers who incorporated an educational message in their interactions were more likely to successfully influence a visitor’s outdoor ethic.

A first step in using ART is recognizing that people who visit wild places, go hiking, birding, or photographing wildlife, aren’t usually there to cause harm. Should harm occur though, if we can clearly explain the impact their actions had, the consequences of the impact, and help them understand the preferred alternative, we can be successful in peacefully and respectfully changing behavior.

There’s a good deal of information on the internet about ART and some organizations offer training. Search your favorite web browser with “Authority of the Resource.”  Below, I provided a 4-step summary of how an interaction could proceed; and I use the experience I described earlier, witnessing a birder using a bird calling app in a National Park. One recommendation is that when you start your conversation, stand shoulder-to-shoulder (vs. face-to-face) with the person you’re addressing.

1. Introduce yourself and take a moment for ice breaking conversation.

Example: Hi, I’m Carolyn. I’m here like so many others to photograph this amazing bird. Is this your first visit out to see the painted bunting?

2. Give an objective description of the undesirable behavior observed.

Example: I noticed you were playing bird calls that sound like a painted bunting.

3. Reveal/"interpret" the implications of the undesirable behavior.Focus on how the behavior impacts to the resource or the experience of others.

Example: This little bunting is really a survivor out here. There’s a lot of people out here, it’s cold, and food can’t be easy to find out here. Those things put a lot of stress on this little bird.  Playing bird sounds can actually add to that stress. These birds are always on alert. The bunting will pay attention to the call and might even fly out from where it’s trying to rest, stay warm, or find food.

4. Describe the desired behavior. Communicate appreciation for the resource and model desired behavior when possible. Describe agency norm when appropriate.

Example: I’m really excited to see this bunting too. We all want to see this bird make it out here and not make things harder for it. It just takes patience. I feel like I should also let you know that it’s actually illegal to use bird call recordings in National Parks. The National Park system considers it harassment. You can find that on their web site, along with other rules for visiting the Parks.

As we wildlife photographers, birders, nature lovers, and other outdoor enthusiasts head into owl season, it’s not a bad idea to anticipate that we might encounter a few cases of photographers, birders, and enthusiasts, at all levels of expertise and skill, engaging in behaviors that put our wildlife and birds at risk.  Before you head out, refresh your memory on the ART technique, imagine the scenarios where it might be used and practice how to intervene effectively. You’ll be doing something great for the wildlife we love so much. 

It takes all of us.

Sources and More Information:

https://www.mass.gov/service-details/wildlife-viewing-ethics

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/the-ethics-of-wildlife-photography

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/03/painted-bunting-great-falls-bird-watchers/

https://www.thespruce.com/ethics-of-bird-calls-386683

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/watchingwildlife/gear.htm

https://lnt.org/

https://lnt.org/authority-of-the-resource/

https://www.nps.gov/articles/leave-no-trace-seven-principles.htm

https://sc.audubon.org/news/using-bird-calls-ethically

Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly

Butterflies are beautiful and there’s a lot of them. There are about 28,000 butterfly species worldwide. Butterflies are found in all types of environments but most species are found in tropical areas, especially tropical rainforests. We should enjoy them while we can. With some exceptions, the average lifespan of an adult butterfly is roughly three to four weeks. Some butterflies, like the North American Monarch, can survive for nearly eight months. 

Monarch Butterfly

Wings That Wow

One of the most eye-catching things about butterflies is their wings, and specifically, the color of their wings. Butterflies have scaled wings with colorful designs unique to each species. Those wings make butterflies good fliers. It’s a good thing that they’re good fliers because many species of butterflies migrate. Although butterfly migration isn’t well understood, some species like the Painted Lady, the Red Admiral, and the Common Buckeye are known to migrate a few hundred miles, but others like some Monarchs migrate thousands of miles. The monarch is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration as birds do.

Buckeye Butterfly

The fastest butterflies can fly at about 30 mph (about 48 km/h) or faster. Slow flying butterflies fly about 5 mph (about 8 km/h). It may look like butterflies have two wings but all butterflies have four wings – one forewing on each side closest to the head; and one hindwing on both sides in the rear.

Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly

Besides being eye-catching to us humans, butterfly wings also have an important optics function to other butterflies, and other species. The colors and patterns on a butterfly’s wings help it communicate and attract other butterflies of its species, and warn, camouflage, or distract it from predators. In the case of poisonous butterflies, like the Monarch, the wings store toxins. Just know that you would have to eat Monarchs to be exposed to the toxins. Hopefully no one you know is eating Monarch butterflies!!

Have you ever wondered what happens to butterflies when it rains?  How is it that they just don’t disintegrate or get completely destroyed in a summer downpour? Butterflies take shelter, or roost, in or under plants, trees, leaves or any other area including human-made structures where they can stay dry, warm, and hopefully away from predators. Taking shelter obviously goes a long way for protection but research shows that butterflies have a layer of wax on their wings that repels water. Not only that but they also have “microscale bumps” on their wings that serve to break up and disperse water droplets. In short, when a water drop hits the surface of butterfly wings, it ripples and spreads.

Butterflies are cold-blooded so that means their body temperature isn’t stable but changes with the environmental temperature. One main reason that we typically only see butterflies on warmer days is because they can fly as long as the air is between 60°-108° F (15.5 – 42.2 C), but temperatures between 82°-100° F (27.7 - 37.7 C) are best. If the temperature drops too low, butterflies might bask in a sunny spot with wings spread out to soak up the sun's heat.

American Snout Butterfly

Butterflies can’t survive winter conditions in an active state. But they may be able to survive cold weather by hibernating in protected locations. They may use the peeling bark of trees, plants, logs or old fences, or the eaves of houses or buildings as their overwintering sites. They may hibernate at any stage (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis or adult) but generally each species of butterfly is dormant in only one stage. With that said, If the weather begins changing some species migrate in search of sunshine.

Again, because they’re cold-blooded, when the outdoor temperature gets too warm, butterflies may head for shade or for cool areas like puddles. Some species will gather at shallow mud puddles or wet sandy areas, sipping mineral-rich water.

Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly

The Transformation

One butterfly fact I didn’t forget from my elementary school days is the metamorphosis of butterflies – the caterpillar (larva); the chrysalis (pupa); and then the butterfly (adult). Well, it’s a little more complicated. A butterfly starts its life as an egg, often laid on a leaf. The female butterfly attaches the eggs to leaves or stems of plants that will also serve as a suitable food source for the larvae (caterpillars) when they hatch. Caterpillars are very particular about what they eat, so the female lays her eggs only on certain plants. Caterpillars don't move much and may spend their entire lives on the same plant or even the same leaf, so it needs to be the right leaf!

The female butterfly can recognize the right plant species by its leaf color and shape. Just to be sure, she may beat on the leaf with her feet. This scratches the leaf surface, causing a characteristic plant odor to be released. Once she’s sure she found the correct plant species, she lays her eggs. The eggs get fertilized as they’re being laid with the sperm stored in the female’s body since mating. A sticky substance produced by the female enables the eggs to stick where ever she lays them, either on the underside of a leaf or on a stem. Male butterflies search for and pursue female mates.  As with many species, mating involves some courtship dances and cool maneuvers designed to win the attention of that special lady butterfly.

Passion - Gulf Frittilary Butterflies on Passion Flower

The larva (caterpillar) hatches from the laid egg and then eats almost constantly. This constant eating means the caterpillar increases up to several thousand times in size before pupating (turning into chrysalis); it also means the caterpillar molts (loses its old skin) many times as it’s growing. Molting occurs because the outer skin (exoskeleton) doesn’t grow as the caterpillar enlarges and grows. A caterpillar may go through as many as four to five molts before it becomes a pupa.

When the eating is done, it’s time to rest and turn into a pupa (chrysalis). The caterpillar attaches itself to a twig, a wall or some other support and the exoskeleton splits open to reveal the chrysalis. The chrysalis hangs down like a small sack until the transformation to butterfly is complete. Although the chrysalis is motionless during this resting phase, this is where the caterpillar's structure is broken down and rearranged into the wings, body and legs of the adult butterfly. WHAATT??? I’ve been underestimating caterpillars and leafy greens. 😊 Depending on the species, the chrysalis stage may last for a few days or a year or more. Many butterfly species overwinter or hibernate as a chrysalis.

The fourth and final stage of the metamorphosis of butterflies is becoming an adult. Once the chrysalis casing splits, the butterfly emerges. It will quickly go on to find food, locate a mate, and lay eggs to begin the cycle all over again.

Most butterflies live on nectar from flowers. Some butterflies sip the liquid from rotting fruits and a rare few prefer rotting animal flesh or animal fluids, including fluid found in animal droppings. Butterflies drink through a tube-like tongue called a proboscis. The proboscis uncoils to sip, and then coils up again when the butterfly isn’t feeding. The butterfly proboscis doesn’t have taste buds or similar sensors to determine taste. Instead, those sensors are located on the back of the butterfly’s legs. So, yes, one of the coolest facts about butterflies is that they use their feet to taste. If they land on you, they’re probably tasting you. 

Yellow Tiger Swallowtail Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly

Attracting Butterflies

There’s many useful, free, resources that identifies steps for attracting butterflies and other pollinators to your yard. These may help, or do a search on your web browser of choice!

https://nababutterfly.com/start-butterfly-garden/

https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Wildlife/Attracting-Butterflies

https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/attracting-butterflies-hummingbirds/7265.html

https://www.almanac.com/plants-attract-butterflies

https://butterfly-conservation.org/how-you-can-help/get-involved/gardening/gardening-for-butterflies

Sources and Other Information

https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/allabout/

https://www.uky.edu/hort/butterflies/all-about-butterflies

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2020/06/armor-butterfly-wings-protects-against-heavy-rain

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-do-butterflies-do-wh/

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/migration/

https://monarchjointventure.org/monarch-biology/monarch-migration

At a recent art show –actually the first for me in the post-pandemic period – my art booth was next to entrepreneur clothing designer and manufacturer Heidi Hess (and her sweet pup Henri!). Among so many things I learned about Heidi is that although she now runs an independent fashion label, she was once an On Air Radio Personality in every major market, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami.  Heidi calls this her “Life 1”. I asked Heidi to join my podcast and share her story of how she got started with Life 1, Life 2, and if there might be a Life 3.  Blog readers -- head over to the podcast for more (episode now archived!)

Why Are We Still Littering with Balloons?

Every once in a while, a single balloon accidentally gets loose. A child gets distracted, loses their grip, or a single balloon somehow escapes from a party. That’s a different issue than the intentional balloon releases that have been happening for years. These intentional releases are often done as part of fundraisers, sporting events, weddings, graduations, other ceremonies, birthdays and to recognize the death of a loved one. Some people see balloon releases as having religious or spiritual significance. And there are businesses that actively promote, and sell, balloon releases (http://www.celebratewithballoons.com/FuneralBalloons.html). One business refers to balloon releases as a “growing trend”, stating, “Releases are normally done at the end of the service to symbolize letting go of the loved one and letting the grieving process begin. …As the balloons are slowly drifting upward it leaves all involved with a peace and a memory that will last a lifetime.”  Those can be powerful words and promises when people are emotionally vulnerable and grieving.

Putting the Brakes on Balloon Releases: Know the Facts and Laws

Balloon releases have started to lose their popularity and acceptance. There are well-documented harms caused by balloon debris, including death and serious injuries to wildlife as well as the unnecessary litter they produce. There have been debates about the extent of damage from balloons, and what kinds of balloons are most harmful; for example – helium vs. latex vs. Mylar; and balloons with and without strings. Some businesses have caught on to the declining acceptance of balloon releases and now sell, manufacture or promote balloons labeled as compostable or biodegradable. The valid question about those products is how long and under what environmental conditions do they degrade?  For example, do they degrade when they land in open bodies of water, or do they float forever, and never degrade, risking injury or death to sea life? The same question needs to be asked when balloons labeled biodegradable land, on land, – how long does it take for them to degrade?

Some of the injuries and other damage that’s occurred because of balloon releases is staggering.

• A balloon release in 1986 by the charity United Way Services of Cleveland, in Ohio was a fund-raising attempt to break the world record for the number of balloons in a single release. One-and-a-half million balloons were released. However, an approaching weather front caused them to return to earth, covering the city in balloons, causing cars to crash, and hindering a coast guard rescue mission. It contributed to the deaths of two sailors on Lake Erie (the wife of one victim sued the organizers, and settled out-of-court), resulted in injuries to horses, and caused traffic accidents. A runway at Burke Lakefront Airport had to be closed. The Guinness Book of Records no longer accepts balloon release records. (https://www.cleveland.com/remembers/2011/08/balloonfest_1986_the_spectacle.html)

• In 2017, a horse in the United Kingdom was killed when a pink helium balloon with a string dropped into the field where the horse swallowed it and began choking. In a panic, the horse bolted across the field and through two gates breaking two legs and her neck.

• Birds trapped and entangled in balloon string: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0XnxA4GtEg&t=22s

• Sea Turtles can eat balloon debris because they mistake balloons for jellyfish, their primary diet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n67CBkmWFSY&t=2s

Change has happened as more of us are educated about the long-lasting effects of balloons. Today, there are several non-profits and other organizations that actively work to educate on the risks from balloon releases and the alternatives available. In addition, the reality that’s emerged from the debates and analysis on the risks of balloon releases has led to a number of state-wide, or locality-based balloon release bans, with legislation pending in others. The U.S. states with balloon release bans include, California, Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia (see, https://balloonsblow.org/balloon-laws/). The Maryland state legislature has passed balloon ban legislation which is currently waiting for the Governor’s signature. There are also several localities (towns, townships, counties, etc…) that passed balloon release bans. Visit https://balloonsblow.org/balloon-laws/ for a complete list and other excellent resources.

Intentional Balloon Releases are Completely Preventable

Education and facts about the impacts of balloon releases has led to their declining popularity and acceptance.  Even in locations without legal bans, balloon releases have been cancelled or simply not considered based on the facts and knowledge that they’re short-lived feel-good moments, that are also grand-scale littering events.

The non-profit organization, “Balloons Blow,” maintains a list of “Balloon releases averted” (https://balloonsblow.org/balloon-releases-averted/). This list describes actions that the organization has taken, or others have taken, to cancel and avert an intentional balloon release. Here’s a few cases from their website I’d like to highlight:

• “July 2018 - After 35+ years of releasing tens of thousands of balloons at every home football game, Clemson University has finally agreed to end the destructive tradition. Seven years of mass littering alerts, pleading, emails, phone calls, Facebook posts & tweets.  We’re so glad the Clemson football season will no longer include this mass littering event. Much respect to all who spoke up over the years!” (See, https://balloonsblow.org/clemsons-mass-balloon-littering-events/)

• “January 20, 2017 – Colorado – Balloon releases were planned today at 16 high schools in Jefferson County Colorado for a Day Without Hate event to promote unity. Thankfully, once they learned that their so-called “biodegradable” latex balloons would still become deadly litter in the environment, they altered the event. Much respect to all at Jeffco Public Schools ~ Colorado for altering plans within hours of the event. We are thankful for all those who added their voice. They have come up with some great alternatives... a mass bubble blowing... “bubbles to release your troubles”, & lining the hallways with positive messages.”

• “January 23, 2017 – West Virginia – The Relay for Life of West Virginia University had planned a balloon release at their event today. Just being alerted last night, we had no time to spare. We posted a polite comment on their Facebook page & sent an email. Within minutes we received a positive reply.”

• “March 31, 2017 – Illinois – The Montessori Children’s Centre had planned to release balloons for their 20th year celebration. At first, the false marketing of the balloon industry had them believing latex balloons are biodegradable & eco-friendly. Thankfully, our friend Amanda was not afraid to speak up. She sent a polite informative note, warning them of the greenwashing of latex balloons. We sent them a follow-up email & they confirmed no balloons would be released. Much respect to Amanda for taking action & to the school for quickly altering their plans!”

Alternatives to Releasing Balloons

We can avoid the dark side of balloon releases and find easy alternatives that are also safer.  The first alternative is do nothing – yes, nothing. A life with less stuff does not mean a lesser life. Balloon releases, and their alternatives, are not essential for human life.  With that said, there are alternatives to balloon releases that are less harmful to the environment we all share.  See a few alternatives below, and for more on this topic, visit https://balloonsblow.org/environmentally-friendly-alternatives.

• Plant in remembrance – Plant native flowers or a tree to remember, honor, or celebrate.
• Build and Install a Bird House – Create a structure for new life.
• Lighting Candles & Luminaries – On the anniversary of the passing or the birthday of new life, light a candle to remember a loved one.
• Blowing Bubbles – Blowing bubbles is always fun. Imagine a countless number of bubbles floating away into the sky with a piece of every person that was gathered together.
• Mass Gathering – Having people come together to create a shape, word, or image can be very unifying and beautiful. Aerial photograph the gathering and share.
• Sponsor a Bench – Have a sitting bench installed at a park or natural area with the name or organization you wish to honor.
• Write a message on seed paper and plant it – Seed paper is a kind of paper you can buy or make that’s embedded with seeds. The seeds grow once it’s placed on soil and kept watered. It might have native wildflower seeds, or vegetables, or herbs. Friends and family can write their messages to the deceased on the seed paper. Here’s a recipe for making seed paper, https://climatekids.nasa.gov/seed-paper/ .

Sources and Additional Information:

https://www.fws.gov/news/blog/index.cfm/2015/8/5/Balloons-and-Wildlife-Please-Dont-Release-Your-Balloons

https://www.thereluctantenthusiast.com/why-balloon-releases-dont-honor-your-loved-one-the-way-you-think/  

https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/balloons-hurt-animals-risks

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2019/05/28/why-the-balloon-release-tradition-is-terrible-for-the-environment/?sh=55692f341b6f

https://blog.marinedebris.noaa.gov/index.php/what-goes-must-come-down

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_release

https://balloonsblow.org/alternatives/

https://balloonsblow.org/environmentally-friendly-alternatives/

In March 2021 I was very excited and surprised to encounter a few North American River Otters in a remote lake in West Virginia -- a state where they can still be legally hunted. I observed a pair of Otters engaged in early spring mating. I would never have known the Otters were in this location, except for the constant “duck-like” sound I was hearing off in the distance. River Otters have a mix of vocalizations, ranging from whistles and buzzes to twitters, staccato chuckles, chirps and growls. When threatened or frightened, they emit a scream that can be heard up to 1.5 miles (2.4 km) across the water. After hearing this “duck-like” sound for about 10 minutes straight, I got my binoculars out and could see brown “things” moving about in the water. I viewed through the binoculars for a while and eventually one head appeared above water and I could see it was an Otter. Later in the morning, in a different part of the lake, I photographed another Otter (certainly could have been one from earlier that morning) who spent some time marking his scent -- an important way Otters communicate their presence and status. Otters were once extinct in West Virginia. As part of a reintroduction program, from 1984 to 1997, over 200 otters were released in 14 major rivers across West Virginia. Since then, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has determined that the Otter populations are high enough that a trapping season was initiated in 2011 with a limit of one Otter per year.

Conservation SuccessNorth American River Otter, West Virginia

The name River Otter is a little misinforming. River Otters are not just found in rivers but also lakes, wetlands and ponds if the water quality is good and there's a food supply. In fact, River Otters are an indicator species for water quality and healthy wildlife habitats. Basically, they’ll live wherever they can find food and water to swim in, but they’re sensitive to pollution so they won’t inhabit polluted waterways. Today, North American River Otters live along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes, and most of Canada and Alaska. They often live in the same areas as beavers.

In late 2020 I was also fortunate to see wild River Otters in the marshes and wetlands of Huntley Meadows in Northern Virginia. Once word got out that River Otters were in this location, dozens of photographers and hundreds of visitors flocked to this location and enjoyed a few weeks of observing River Otters very close up, in the early part of the day. These Otters eventually moved on or changed their habits because they’ve not been seen at Huntley Meadows since Jan-Feb 2021. North American River Otters prefer minimal human disturbance, and when people are around, they’ll move on or come out only at night or very early in the morning.

Whiz KidNorth American River Otter Whiz KidNorth American River Otter

River Otters are sometimes called "seadogs" which is understandable because they have canines like a dog, clawed (and webbed) feet, and long whiskers which they use to detect prey underwater. Adult river otters weigh 10 to 33 pounds (4.5 to 15 kilograms) and are about 2.5 to 5 feet (76 to 152 centimeters) in length. Females are roughly one-third the size of males. They can seal their nostrils shut while underwater and can hold their breath for up to eight minutes. They eat fish, crayfish, crabs, frogs, invertebrates, snakes, birds, carrion, and occasionally small mammals or birds. Alligators, bobcats, and coyotes all prey on River Otters. River Otters spend a good deal of time on land, and they travel over land, so they become vulnerable to land dwelling carnivores. A North American River Otter's home range can be as large as 30 square miles (78 square km), but a typical territory is 3 to 15 square miles (4.8 to 24 square km). That range shrinks drastically during breeding and rearing season.

While River Otters tend to live alone or in pairs, they socialize in groups and are known for playful behavior. Male and female Otters come together briefly in early spring to mate. Because River Otters experience delayed implantation (meaning that the fertilized egg does not implant in the uterine wall immediately), a female River Otter will be technically pregnant for about a year even though gestation lasts only 5 to 7 weeks. Females give birth to three or four pups at a time, usually between April and May. The young are born blind, toothless and completely helpless, weighing about 4 to 6 ounces (113 to 170 grams) and measuring 8 to 11 inches (20 to 28 centimeters). The male Otter is generally chased away until the young are weaned and old enough to leave their den, which happens about 3 months after birth. After that, the males may return and help raise the pups. Otters remain as a family unit for seven to eight months or until the birth of a new litter. Otters reach sexual maturity at 2 to 3 years of age. If an Otter survives the critical first year of life, it may live to the age of 12, with some surviving longer. The oldest living river otter on record was 27 years old.

Sources and Information:

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/North-American-River-Otter

https://www.neefusa.org/nature/plants-and-animals/otter-success

https://www.mybuckhannon.com/wvdnr-reminds-hunters-of-furbearer-hunting-trapping-and-tagging-requirements/

https://www.register-herald.com/sports/getting-to-know-the-river-otter/article_2563089c-be95-5655-b3b5-7c3576b16425.html

https://www.marylandzoo.org/animal/north-american-river-otter/

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/north-american-river-otter

https://www.zoonewengland.org/stone-zoo/our-animals/mammals/north-american-river-otter/

https://www.treehugger.com/river-otters-hardest-working-clowns-in-the-water-4869005

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley-meadows

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/river-otters-arent-just-cute-they-are-a-sign-of-hope-for-the-environment/2020/03/17/71122ffa-5a89-11ea-ab68-101ecfec2532_story.html

https://serc.si.edu/citizen-science/projects/chesapeake-bay-otter-alliance

https://infinitespider.com/river-otter-poop-fecal-facts/

https://potomac.org/blog/2019/5/2/4-things-you-otter-know-about-river-otters

Ducks are underappreciated birds. If you search #ducks on Instagram you’ll see as many photos of ducks shot by hunters, duck jewelry, duck decoys, or commonly seen ducks, like mallards, rather than a representation of the beautiful variety of duck species out there. Of course, Instagram is far from the gold standard in wildlife information. In addition, ducks are not necessarily easy to locate or photograph. With a license, most ducks can be hunted during designated seasons, so with a few exceptions, ducks have learned to avoid humans.

There are three things that I find most interesting about ducks: 1) the distances some of them migrate; 2) their nesting behavior; and 3) the diversity of colors and patterns among ducks – and primarily male ducks -- because many female ducks are varying shades of brown.

This Long-tailed duck (non-breeding male) I photographed in February (2021), breeds in the Artic and is spending at least some part of the winter in the relative warmth of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay.  In the fall they leave their Artic homes and migrate west or east. The population that migrates eastward, overwinters in large water bodies like the Great Lakes and the open waters of the Chesapeake Bay. I imagine he thought that the 30-degree day I took this photograph was “balmy.” Long-tailed ducks,  which get their name from the male’s long tail feathers, are considered “sea ducks” because when they’re seen, it’s usually out on open ocean or large lakes. Long-tailed ducks are often the most abundant bird in the high Arctic and are capable of diving as deep as 200 feet (61 m). 

Long-tail Duck - Immature MaleChesapeake Bay, Maryland

The Surf Scoter is another sea duck that I photographed in the Chesapeake Bay this winter. The Surf Scoter has very interesting colors and patterns on their beak. The first time I photographed a Surf Scoter I didn’t know what I was looking at. I was standing on a beach in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, when I observed a couple of birds floating way out on the water. I first thought I was seeing pelicans or seagulls. It wasn’t until I looked through my lens, and then did some follow-up research, that I realized I was seeing a Surf Scoter. That experience was a good reminder to always look through binoculars, a scope, or your telephoto lens because what looks like something “common” off in the distance may not be.  Surf Scoter’s breed in far northern Canada and Alaska and then migrate and winter all along the US Atlantic coast, and other warmer locations.

Surf Scoter - MaleChesapeake Bay Maryland

One of the most interesting things I first learned about ducks is that some species nest in tree cavities. Wood ducks, buffleheads, common mergansers, and hooded mergansers, and a few other species nest in tree cavities. Nesting in tree cavities offers protection from the elements and predators. However, the ducks don’t create their tree cavity nests, rather, they’ll occupy cavities created by other birds, including woodpeckers, and cavities that have naturally evolved. These same duck species that nest in tree cavities may also use human-built nest boxes placed along the edge of a water body or wetland. You might ask – how old are ducklings when they fly out of these tree cavity nests?  In the case of wood ducklings and merganser ducklings they leave the nest 24 hours after hatching. Moreover, there’s no flying from the nest – they jump out -- and if all goes well with the jump, they follow their mother (hen) as she guides them to the nearest water. Just after hatching, a hen may lead her ducklings up to a half mile or more over land to find a suitable water source for swimming and feeding. As you might imaging jumping out of the nest and then traveling over land when you’re a day old means not all ducklings survive. Tree cavity nests can be quite high off the ground and may not be very close to water. With that said, if your timing is right and you’ve spotted a duck nest in a tree cavity, you might capture some stunning photographs of ducklings making their first entrance into the world. A couple of my favorite images of wood ducks, common and hooded mergansers and bufflehead ducks, all tree cavity nesters, follow.

Bufflehead - MaleChesapeake Bay, Maryland Male Wood DuckRock Creek Park, Washington DC

Common Merganser - Male

Other duck species, including the canvasbacks, ruddy ducks, greater scaup, ring-necked ducks, redheads, and occasionally mallards, make their nests over water on “rafts” of floating vegetation. This strategy provides a measure of protection from land-based predators, like racoons, coyotes, foxes, or and even cats and dogs. A little spotlight on the Canvasback -- which is sometimes called "King Can" because of their aristocratic profile, but also because they’re the largest species of diving duck in North America. Canvasbacks are one of the fastest flying ducks in North America, capable of flying at least 60 mph (96 km/h). Like many ducks, Canvasbacks nest in very northern parts of the US and Canada, and migrate to warmer locations for winter. I live near one of the three US regions that the Canvasback overwinters – the Chesapeake Bay – and where the fetching chap’s photo below was taken last week. ️The two other US regions where Canvasbacks are known to overwinter is along the Pacific coast and in coastal Louisiana. Canvasbacks are heavily dependent on healthy watersheds and wetlands because they spend nearly all their time in the water. I love this quote about the King Can --- “May we always have the opportunity to meet these legendary birds up close and personal! This shall be so only if we look after the wetlands that sustain canvasbacks across our continent. Like a flight of cans arrowing through an autumn sky, our course is clear. Let us not fail the birds, or future generations, in our resolve.”  Images of the beautiful canvasback duck, greater scaup and lesser scaup follow.

Canvasback - MaleChesapeake Bay Maryland Lesser Scaup - MaleChesapeake Bay Maryland

From a distance if you see a Northern Shoveler you might mistake it for a Mallard because they both have beautiful green heads. But a close look will reveal a big difference which is the shape and length of a Shoveler’s beak -- that’s where they get their name. Northern Shoveler’s have a large spoon-shaped bill with comb-like projections on the sides that they use to forage and filter out tiny crustaceans and seeds from the water. Northern Shovelers are ground nesting ducks as are Northern Pintails and Mallards.

Northern Pintails are considered to be widespread, though I’ve never seen them in large numbers, and each one I photograph is special. During their summer breeding season, the Pintail ranges from Alaska through Canada and into the Great Plains of the US. During the winter, it may be found in southern Alaska, nearly all regions of the interior US and all along the Atlantic Coast. This Pintail was photographed in a Virginia wetland during winter. Waterfowl management experts and advocates have concerns about declining Pintail populations. One factor in their decline is the destruction or alteration of the Prairie Pothole Region. This Region includes five upper Midwest US states (Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota and Montana), and three Canadian provinces (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta). Increased agricultural and commercial development in the Prairie Pothole Region has degraded or destroyed breeding and feeding grounds for Northern Pintails and many other North America migratory waterfowl. The US Great Plains and Prairie Pothole Region are No. 1 on the 25 most important and threatened waterfowl habitats on the continent.

Images of the Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, and Mallards follow.

Northern Shoveler - MaleNorthern Virginia Male Pintail Duck Male Mallard Duck Profile of a MomNorthern Virginia

Life is not easy as a duck. Those that make it are true survivors. Why is duck life hard? First, in most cases, within 24 hours of making their appearance into the world, ducks are essentially on their own, yet they can’t fly and are nearly defenseless. Second, humans can still legally hunt ducks, duck hunting is still incentivized as a conservation tool, and duck hunting remains somewhat popular. Financial support from duck and goose hunters has been a foundation of wetlands conservation ever since the federal duck stamp was first issued in 1934. Waterfowlers have contributed billions of dollars to wildlife management by purchasing duck stamps and hunting licenses, paying excise taxes on sporting arms and ammunition through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson Act). And, a third reason duck life is hard is that humans have gotten into some bad, even if well-intentioned behavior, of feeding ducks unhealthy things like bread. Much has been written about this, leading some to call bread “the ultimate junk food for birds”.  Bread is NOT for birds. See below for more information.  Last, and not least, healthy wetlands, marshes and water, the natural habitats of ducks, are constantly under pressure from human development, encroachment, and pollution.

Sources and More Information:

https://www.audubon.org/news/how-build-wood-duck-nest-box

https://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-research-science/understanding-waterfowl-duck-nesting-ecology

https://www.ducks.org/hunting/ducks-unlimited-and-hunting/ducks-habitat-and-hunters

https://www.thespruce.com/fun-facts-about-ducks-387094

https://www.audubon.org/atlantic-flyway#

https://www.thespruce.com/is-feeding-ducks-bread-bad-386564

https://www.wildlifecenter.org/problem-feeding-ducks

https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/bird-management-plans/north-american-waterfowl-management-plan.php

https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/flyways.php

https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/bird-conservation-partnership-and-initiatives/waterfowl-conservation.php

https://www.ducks.org/conservation/where-ducks-unlimited-works/prairie-pothole-region/long-live-the-canvasback

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Northern-Pintail

We badly need a #betternormal in our consumption habits. How many of us know when we need to go on a diet or kick-up our exercise routine?  Once our clothes no longer fit, or our medical tests reveal new health risks, or we just start to see and feel changes that aren’t working for us, we know change is needed. However, unlike weight gain, not everything that needs changing is easily seen. Our consumption habits -- specifically -- how much clothing we purchase is one of these. We’re badly in need of a #betternormal concerning our clothing consumption. Many of us have no idea how unsustainable our clothing consumption habits are.

Did you know?

• The consumption of clothing (and footwear) creates one of the biggest injuries to the planet, because most clothing is thrown away and ends up in landfills.

• Recent numbers show that in the United States, 70% of clothing (and footwear) was thrown away in landfills. That percentage is probably understated, because it doesn’t reflect clothes and fabric thrown away by the fashion industry before it gets to us consumers.

• The volume of clothing thrown away in the United States each year has doubled in the last 20 years, from 7 million to 14 million tons.

• The “Fast Fashion” model of some retailers is pushing out cheaper clothing, of lower quality, at very high rates, which contributes to the practice of buying and throwing away more clothing, continually adding burden to landfills and landfill space.

• The textile and clothing manufacturing process itself contributes to environmental degradation due to the amount of water needed in textile manufacturing, pesticides used to grow fabric materials (e.g., cotton), and other chemicals (nitrous oxide) used to produce nylon and polyester.

What You Can Do for A #betternormal

• Reduce Your Clothing Consumption-- Go on a clothes diet, and like any good diet, stick with it forever. Buy less; only buy when you really need it; and when you buy, look for retailers that sell recycled or previously worn clothing, like Patagonia’s Worn Wear, or ThredUp (read more next!)

• Buy Reused Clothing or Sell or Donate Your Used Clothing – Shop previously owned clothing. There are more options than ever to buy previously owned clothing and to also donate or sell the clothing that you no longer want or need. Spending just a few minutes on the internet to research your options could be a bonus payoff for you and the environment. You can shop at your local Goodwill or consignment shop. ThredUp is another on-line consignment and thrift shop with a huge selection of previously owned clothing. They have Gap to Gucci, including Lululemon, Anthropologie, Madewell and more. There’s also the earlier mentioned Patagonia’s Worn Wear program; Eileen Fischer also has a clothes buyback and resale program; Arc’teryx has a buyback and resale program; and others, including REI, are getting on board with this approach. Buying and selling used clothing, vs. new, can make a big difference.  We do it with cars and now many ethically-minded retailers are finding ways to do it with clothes.

• Think Out of the Box -- Recycle or Repurpose the Clothes You Can’t Sell or Donate – Get creative. If you can’t resell or donate your clothes, recycle your clothes into something else instead of throwing them away. Old shirts, denim, and other clothing fabrics can be turned into functional or beautiful pieces. If you have an old shirt you love but no longer wear, think about making it into a decorative pillow cover, re-upholstering a chair, making cloth placements and napkins, or making a custom fabric wall hanging. Are you a crafter or know a crafter that uses a lot of plastic-based ribbon?  Try a craft project using worn clothing or fabric scraps. Have a pair of well-worn jeans that are falling apart? You can turn them into a braided basket. There are other great on-line tutorials showing creative ways to give your clothing new life. Last, and no way least, don’t underestimate the value of turning your well-worn old clothes into rags. Anything can be a rag, and you’ll always need them. Rags can replace paper towels, which saves trees, and is a great win for the environment.

A lot of us may buy clothes only when we really need to. That's a habit to keep. But many others of us buy on a whim, impulse, out of boredom, the need for a "pick me up", because the sale was just too good to pass up, or because “it’s just SO cute.” Those habits have caught up with us and have created massive stress on the environment because most clothes end up in landfills. Natural resources are expended and polluted in the process of bringing us those 4 for $10 t-shirts that never get worn, or worn once and then get trashed. In the United States, we’re free to shop where we want and how much we want based on our own personal decisions. That freedom also comes with responsibility and opportunity to shop sustainably with an outlook on the well-being of our shared environment and its future.

Sources and More Information:

https://www.centerforecotechnology.org/fast-fashion-textile-waste/

https://compareethics.com/9-recycled-and-upcycled-clothing-brands-you-shouldnt-pass-in-2018/

https://www.epa.gov/sustainability/learn-about-sustainability#what

https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/how-to-recycle-and-repurpose-clothing

https://wornwear.patagonia.com/

https://www.rei.com/used/how-it-works

https://www.goodwill.org/

https://www.thredup.com/#su-success

https://www.usedgear.arcteryx.com/about

https://www.fastcompany.com/90368774/madewell-patagonia-and-eileen-fisher-want-to-buy-your-old-clothes

https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/nondurable-goods-product-specific-data#ClothingandFootwear

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/books/review/how-fast-fashion-is-destroying-the-planet.html

https://www.centerforecotechnology.org/creative-reuse-upcycled-denim-basket/

https://www.lifehack.org/279725/give-new-life-old-clothes-these-8-quirky-ways

https://time.com/5923840/us-pandemic-relief-bill-december/

Eating Like A Bird in winter. Robins are one bird you won’t normally see on a seed feeder. In the warmer seasons, they’re primarily eating worms and insects. In the colder seasons, they’re primarily eating berries. Many of us are pretty familiar with Robins because they’re widespread in North America. They frequent urban areas, backyards, as well as wild areas. Some Robins that breed in Canada come south to the United States for winter while other Robins go as far as Mexico for winter. We don’t always know or get to experience how intelligent birds are, but I have a Robin story to illustrate this. While I was watering our vegetable garden one summer morning, a female Robin hopped up on the garden fence and perched and watched me. She was about 4 feet away and just watched me. I've never seen that. After I finished watering one part of the garden, I moved down with my hose to a new part. As I did that, the Robin flew down to the area that was watered and, using only her beak, started to collect as much of the now muddy, damp soil as she could. She flew off and a few minutes later came back for more. I didn't see where she went, but I'm pretty certain she was collecting material for her nest. Robins use mud to reinforce the sticks and other material they construct their nests with.

What most impressed me is that the Robin showed up just as I turned the water on. It seemed she recognized, and had learned the sound of the water and what that would mean for where it was going. How much I wished I had a video of that smart Robin mom! Speaking of water, Robins also love a good bath. If you put clean bird baths out, they’ll be one of the first to bathe or drink, and they’ll come back often.

Because Robins forage a lot on lawns, they’re vulnerable to pesticide poisoning from lawn applied pesticides.

This is the final episode in my Eating Like A Bird series!  I hope you’ve enjoyed this series; and it’s given you some new information, perspective, or inspiration about our many feathered friends.

Read More about the Eating Like A Bird series: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird

It may not be pretty, but it’s ok, its baby food. The three raptors shown here all had young in the nest, or fledglings that just left the nest, and were delivering or feeding food to their young babies. The Eating Like A Bird series, now enters the apex of the bird world -- raptors! Raptors, including owls, hawks, and osprey are birds of prey that feed on live caught prey, and sometimes dead animals. Three things set raptors apart from all other birds, (1) strong grasping feet with sharp talons used to seize prey; (2) a hooked beak used to kill and rip prey apart and, (3) typically a meat-only diet (some hawks and falcons are known to eat insects). Scroll through -- Photo 1 is a Barred Owl photographed in Virginia after it captured a live snake; photo 2 is an Osprey parent delivering fresh caught fish to its young, and its mate, photographed in North Carolina, and photo 3 is a Red Shouldered Hawk parent feeding a small animal to its young, photographed in Washington, DC.  Yeah, I’m not a fan of watching anything be eaten alive, but raising babies happens in nature too. Some of the hazards these adult and young raptors face in their lifetimes include pollutants in fish and fishing waters, chemically-poisoned prey, habitat loss, and other human-caused actions including vehicle collisions and gunshots.

Here’s a few facts about Barred Owls and Osprey. See my extensive blog on Red-shouldered Hawks for lots of facts about them, https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/4/red-shouldered-hawk-nest.  Barred  Owls are native to North America and fairly widespread. Like many raptors, Barred Owls have exceptional vision and hearing, and are widely successful at catching prey. Although owls are skilled nighttime hunters, they also hunt in the day. Barred Owls have traits that help them be successful night hunters. First, they have very large eyes. Owl eyes can be as much as 3% of their body weight. Not only are Barred Owl eyes very large, they’re also forward facing and provide “binocular” vision which provides better depth perception to detect prey. Larger eyes also capture more light at night, allowing for better night vision. Second, although Barred Owls can’t move their eyes in the socket (like humans can), they can turn their heads around 270 degrees in both directions, giving them great field of view.

Barred Owls preferred habitat is old deciduous and coniferous forests close to swamps or marshes. They nest in empty tree cavities or in the abandoned nests of other birds. Their nests are usually lined with a layer of soft feathers. Barred Owls don’t migrate and they usually don’t venture beyond their territory unless food is scarce. In its lifetime, Barred Owls may move no more than 6 miles from its original location. It’s becoming more usual to see Barred Owls living near or in urban and residential areas. This could be due to easier availability of squirrels, rabbits and other rodents, such as mice and rats. The Barred Owl gets its name from the bars of white and brown colors on its body. It has brown eyes, unlike the yellow or orange eyes of other owl species, including Snowy, Great Gray, and Great Horned Owls.

Osprey are hawks that feed primarily on fish which they catch from the water using their long, hooked talons. Ospreys live on every continent except Antarctica and they have a very similar appearance regardless of where they live. Most Ospreys are migratory birds that breed in the north and migrate south for the winter, but not all populations don’t migrate. It’s really something to watch an Osprey hunt and catch fish. An Osprey can plunge so forcefully into the water that it completely submerges. With that said, Osprey can only dive about three feet below the water's surface so they gravitate toward shallow fishing grounds, going into deep water only where schools of fish are near the surface. When carrying prey back to the nest, Osprey will arrange a fish so that’s its facing upright, head forward. Occasionally, an Osprey will catch and eat a snake, eel, or even a frog. Ospreys require nest sites in open surroundings for easy approach, with a wide, sturdy base and safety from ground predators. Nests are usually built on snags (dead trees), treetops, or forks between large branches and trunks; on cliffs or human-built platforms. Osprey differ in several respects from other diurnal birds of prey (raptors that hunt during day). Specifically, its toes are of equal length, its tarsi are reticulate, and its talons are rounded, rather than grooved. Osprey and Owls are the only raptors whose outer toe is reversible, allowing them to grasp their prey with two toes in front and two behind. This is particularly helpful when they grab slippery fish. Osprey also have two other adaptations for their environment: (1) they can close their nostrils to prevent water going in when they dive for fish, and (2) they have dark bands around their eyes, which help reduce the sun’s glare when they scan the water for fish.  

Read More about the Eating Like A Bird series: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird

More information:

https://tetonraptorcenter.org/our-work/education/all-about-raptors/

https://www.wildlifecenter.org/episode-four-owls

A more relaxing approach to getting a meal. There are few birds more captivating than hummingbirds. Their speed, beauty, stamina, and survivability are just so impressive and magical. I also think their tiny feet are incredibly cute. Hummingbirds are the smallest bird species. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, like the one pictured, weigh about the equivalent of a US nickel (other species are even smaller), so perching on a flower stem to collect some nectar – that’s doable for a hummingbird. Eating Like A Bird in this case looks a lot more leisurely than a hummingbird’s usual hovering style. That doesn’t mean it was any less leisurely for me to get this shot when it was taken this past summer! Hummingbirds don’t stay still for long out in the open.They have a very high metabolism and have to eat all day long just to survive. They consume about half their body weight in bugs and nectar, feeding every 10-15 minutes. Hummingbirds eat small insects, beetles, ants, aphids, gnats, mosquitoes, and wasp. We're always learning about these birds. As I write this blog post during winter, birding groups in my area have reported seeing a live, and apparently well, Rufous Hummingbird in Northern Virginia.  We've already experienced snow and below freezing temperatures in the region, so that is a testament to the survivability of some hummingbirds.
 
See my additional blog post on Hummingbirds here: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/7/the-spirit-of-a-fallen-warrior-a-new-year-with-the-wonders-of-hummingbirds

Read more about this blog here: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird. 

Don’t underestimate Catbirds. Like many migratory bird species, if you have Catbirds in your area, and your habitat is good for them, they may loyally return year after year. Catbirds are seen in large parts of North America and coastal areas of Central America.This Catbird grabbed some insects in the grass from a driveway reflector used as a perch. Eating Like A Bird -- whatever works.

Migration of Catbirds has been studied and documented through bird-banding and geolocator research which has revealed fascinating facts about the movement of Catbirds. The geo-tracking science tells us that if a Catbird breeds, or spends its spring/summer in the Midwest US, it probably winters in Central America. If it breeds in the US Mid-Atlantic region, it probably winters in Florida or the Caribbean. That means this neighborhood Catbird I photographed this past summer probably spent the winter in Florida or the Caribbean – strong and smart!  

Catbirds eat insects; and they love peanuts and berries. The Conservation and Biology Institute at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC has an ongoing study of Gray Catbirds to better understand this common migratory bird that breeds in human-dominated urban and suburban landscapes. Birds are being tagged in the greater Washington, D.C., area, Massachusetts, Georgia and Colorado to better understand how diverse breeding habitats (including urban environments) influence when birds leave, where they stop and where they winter on their long migratory journeys. The birds are banded and tagged with lightweight GPS backpacks that take highly accurate points throughout winter and during fall and spring migration.

Catbirds get their name from their vocalizations, which can be numerous, but sometimes sound like a cat. Because Catbirds are often urban birds, the human noises they’re exposed to such as traffic, construction and ringing cell phones, shape the acoustic environment and may impact the effectiveness of courtship songs of males and the signals preferred by females.

Read more about this blog here: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird.

More information:

https://bioone.org/journals/the-auk/volume-128/issue-3/auk.2011.11091/Estimating-Migratory-Connectivity-of-Gray-Catbirds-Dumetella-carolinensis-using-Geolocator/10.1525/auk.2011.11091.full

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/gray-catbirds

https://blog.nature.org/science/2015/06/10/consider-catbird-surprising-secrets-common-backyard-birds/

Bring on the BugsImmature Male Yellowthroat with Cucumber Beetle. Northern Maryland

Yellowthroats are vocal birds, and their often-uninterrupted calls and chirps help reveal their presence. But once you’ve seen them, don’t assume you’ll see them again or you can get your camera to focus on them. These are fast moving small birds that forage in dense vegetation, shrubs, and thickets. This is an immature male yellowthroat that captured a cucumber beetle. Cucumber beetles, also known as southern corn rootworm, are a major agricultural pest in North America.  Because of the subterranean nature of their larvae, these insects are hard and expensive to control, so Eating Like A Bird in this case is a nature-designed pesticide. Adult male yellowthroats have a bright yellow body and black mask and are very striking birds. The black mask is an important signal for male birds. When researchers added a black paper mask to a stuffed female, males started attacking the stuffed bird, as if it were a male rival. Yellowthroats are found in most of North and Central America. Most yellowthroat populations migrate with some flying short distances and others go all the way from northern Canada to Central America. Like all wild birds, yellowthroats rely on healthy habitats for survival. Because yellowthroats are insectivores and often live in wetlands, they’re susceptible to poor water quality, pesticides, other pollutants, and declining wild habitat.

Read more about this blog here: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird.

Herons and Egrets belong to the same family (Ardiedae). These wading birds are common to many of us because they’ve become pretty tolerant of humans. Even in populated areas that have good wetland, pond or lake habitats it’s not unusual to see a great blue heron standing quietly looking for a catch. For wildlife and bird photographers, herons and egrets can be such common sightings that we begin to take them for granted and move on to other more “exciting” things.  Though when we do that, we can miss the most exciting and educational moments when they make a catch. In this series of Eating Like a Bird, I share photographs of a Great Blue Heron with a large snake catch, a Green Heron –which aren’t as easy to see in the wild – with a crayfish, and an Egret with a bullfrog. These are exciting events to witness and capture.

Herons and Egrets are very skilled and powerful hunters that depend on healthy wetland and water habitat for their survival.  The Green Heron is one of the world’s few tool-using bird species. It often creates fishing lures with bread crusts, insects, and feathers, dropping them on the surface of the water to entice small fish. Great Blue Herons also forage in grasslands and agricultural fields. Great Blues may eat small mammals such as rabbits and birds including ducklings. Some of the continuing risks herons face include disappearing habitat due to human development and expansion, and injuries or death due to carelessly discarded fishing line.  One of the things I’ve learned from watching herons is that patience and work pays off. Often, these birds stand and watch for hours and then it seems, out of nowhere, they pull up a frog, a fish, or another amazing catch.

Read more about this blog here: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird.

Eating Like A Bird, in style. The stylish Cedar Waxwing is a beautiful bird with its Zorro-like mask. A lot of people love Waxwings. I count myself in that group. Cedar Waxwings love fruit. They’re primarily frugivores -- they feed mainly on fruits year-round, like this one I photographed feeding on wild berries. Cedar Waxwings eat insects as well, but because they’re such fruit lovers, these birds time their nesting period to coincide with summer berry production. What this means is that Cedar Waxwings are among the latest of North American birds to nest. Cedar waxwings are sociable and seen in flocks year-round. The name "waxwing" comes from the waxy red secretions found on the tips of their wings. The function of these tips isn’t exactly known, but they may help attract mates.

Because they eat so much fruit, Cedar Waxwings occasionally become intoxicated or even die when they run across overripe berries that have started to ferment and produce alcohol. There are a few wildlife rehabilitators that have admitted “drunk” Cedar Waxwings. If all else is fine with these birds, they’re usually fed insects and non-alcoholic berries until they dry out. Because Cedar Waxwings are flock birds, a critical issue when releasing them is finding locations where they can locate or meet up with an existing flock.  This is believed important for their survival. Some rehabbers have used bird-watching and recording groups like “eBird” or “Inaturalist” to identify areas where flocks or groups of cedar waxwings have been reported and where healed (or sober!) Cedar Waxwings can be released.

Read more about this blog here: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird.

More information:

https://www.wildlifecenter.org/critter-corner/archive-patient/cedar-waxwing

https://www.werc-ca.org/waxwing.html

https://www.schuylkillcenter.org/blog/drunk-cedar-waxwing-at-the-wildlife-clinic/

https://ebird.org/home

https://www.inaturalist.org/

One of my bird feeders contains a favorite seed of the Tufted Titmouse and I’m used to seeing them in my yard, energetically moving around the feeders. I also sometimes see them when I’m hiking, like on this recent occasion in South Carolina when I photographed this Tufted Titmouse eating a Katydid.  This was a first. I wasn’t out looking to photograph this bird, but it was calling and chirping a lot, causing me to search around and see what was up.  Glad I did. Tufted Titmice are one of just a few perching birds that can use their feet to hold seeds while they break them open.  As I discovered, they can also hold a Katydid - which is a bit bigger -- with their feet while "breaking it open", so to speak.

Tufted Titmice nest in tree holes, and nest boxes, but they can’t excavate their own nest cavities. So instead, they use natural holes and cavities left by woodpeckers. As I’ve written about in my blog “Dead Trees Are Do-Gooders”, birds’ dependence on dead wood for their homes is one reason why it’s important to allow dead trees to remain rather than cutting them down.  Tufted Titmice often line the inner cup of their nest with hair, sometimes plucked directly from living animals. Old Tufted Titmouse nests have been found with hair from raccoons, opossums, mice, woodchucks, squirrels, rabbits, livestock, pets, and even humans. You definitely want to watch this YouTube video of a Tufted Titmouse collecting hair from a dog, https://youtu.be/eNBEERMF2zE.  Like some other birds, Titmice collect extra food and hide it for use in winter. They’re known to stash seeds from bird feeders and can remember the hiding spot of thousands of seeds.

In North America, this variety of Titmouse is found only in the United States, all along the east coast, into the Midwest, and portions of the southwest.  They’re not seen in most of the western United States. Outside of the breeding season Tufted Titmice live in small flocks. As the breeding season arrives, Titmouse pairs guard nesting territories.

Read more about this blog here: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird.

Loggerhead ShrikePine Glades Natural Area, Jupiter Florida

This Loggerhead Shrike, photographed in Florida, captured a small lizard. Loggerhead shrikes average 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters) with a wingspan of about 13 inches (33 centimeters). Loggerhead shrikes have a unique habit of impaling small vertebrates, like lizards, on thorns or other sharp objects to kill or immobilize them. This behavior has earned them the nickname “butcherbirds.” Photographer Rachel Kolokoff Hopper has a series of photos called “Death on the Plains”, showing a variety of impaled insects and reptiles from an area in Colorado where she’s been photographing Loggerhead Shrike behavior. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the loggerhead shrike as a Migratory Nongame Bird of Management Concern in the United States in 1987 due to range-wide declines in populations. Between 1966 and 2015, the species declined by almost 3% per year, resulting in a cumulative decline of 76%, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Habitat destruction and pesticide use are some of the causes believed behind their declining numbers. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (affiliated with the National Zoo in Washington, DC) has Loggerhead Shrikes in its care. In human care, Loggerhead Shrikes are fed crickets and mealworms and they’re provided with thorns and barbed wire to skewer their prey!

Read more about this blog here: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird .

More Information:

National Zoo : https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/loggerhead-shrike

Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources: https://dwr.virginia.gov/blog/whats-going-on-with-the-butcher-bird/

Loggerhead Shrike Working Group: https://loggerheadshrike.org/

Audubon Society: https://www.audubon.org/news/this-stunning-photo-project-showcases-loggerhead-shrikes-gory-deeds

Photographer Rachel Kolokoff Hopper:  https://www.rkhphotography.net/Life-Death-on-the-Plains/

The Spruce, Feeding Birds: https://www.thespruce.com/attract-birds-with-food-386394

They Call Me EpicNon-breeding Wandering Tattler - Big Island Hawaii

Although this looks like a common shorebird, it’s not. This Wandering Tattler (also called ‘Ūlili in Hawaiian) was photographed on a lava rock coast near Punaluu Black Sand Beach in Hawaii (the big island). I have to agree with another writer that this bird should really be called an EPIC bird. During summer, Wandering Tattler’s breed in the Arctic — including across much of Alaska, Canada’s Yukon territory, and also in eastern Siberia (Russia). Then after raising its young, Tattler’s often undertake a spectacular migration over thousands of miles of open ocean, arriving on a few of the Hawaiian Islands. Although this is one of the least understood North American birds, they’re also known to migrate to Australia and numerous islands in the southwest Pacific. They’ll spend fall, winter, and spring away from the Artic region and then make the epic trip back in summer to breed. This Tattler I photographed, which is immature based on coloring, was hunting in tidal pools and caught a small fish. Breakfast of Champions for a Tattler. These birds get the name “Wandering” because of the wide distribution of their species from the Artic to the tropics. They’re called “Tattler” because they make an alarm call, and may fly away, when predators or threats are detected nearby. I call them EPIC.

Read more about this blog here: https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird. 

More Information:

US Fish and Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/hawaiian_islands/wildlife_and_habitat/wandering_tattler.html

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/kilauea_point/wildlife_and_habitat/wandering_tattler.html

Audubon Society: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/wandering-tattler

Many of us have heard the expression “eating like a bird” to mean someone who eats very little. One thing rings true about this for birds. When birds are healthy, they eat only enough to survive. Odds are low you’ll ever see an obese or overweight bird in the wild. If they ate more calories than they burned, became obese, or just packed on a couple extra pounds, most birds would severely limit their survival chances by becoming an easy/slower catch for predators. With that said, birds may spend a lot of their time eating because many bird species have very high metabolism, they burn a lot of calories just going about their day, and therefore spend a lot of time foraging for food.

Eating like a bird is good for bird health and survival, but of course not all birds eat the same things. There are seed and nut eaters, insect eaters, fruit or nectar eaters, mammal eaters, fish, amphibian, and reptile eaters, crustacean eaters, and some birds will eat a little bit of everything and anything they can find. And, guess what? There are no bread-eating birds. Bread is a creation of humans, not food for birds. Don't feed birds bread or get them accustomed to eating bread.

Click on each link right below for the photograph and facts behind birds in this series “Eating Like A Bird.”  More links will be added, so check back!

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/they-call-me-epic

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/loggerhead-shrike---eating-like-a-bird

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/circle-of-life

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2020/12/eating-like-a-bird---ceadr-waxwing-fruit-lover

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2021/1/herons---eating-like-a-bird

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2021/1/yellowthroat-warbler---eating-like-a-bird

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2021/1/gray-catbird---eating-like-a-bird

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2021/1/hummingbirds---eating-like-a-bird

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2021/1/raptors---eating-like-a-bird

https://www.copperrangellc.com/blog/2021/1/american-robin

Enjoy!

Happy Holidays

On the flip side, people often choose the easiest paths through life because it’s simply less work, hassle, and it seems like it would free us up from a lot of the uncomfortable stuff of life. Many choose to be part of the group, and adhere to the social norms and expectations of families/friends/trending culture/political affiliation/religion/work environment (“the group”), and avoid the perceived, or real problems, that can come along with taking the road less traveled. Social norms, or what’s considered “normal”, are: “the written or unwritten rules that describe what a certain reference group considers to be typical or desirable behavior in certain contexts”. Norms keep societies functioning by providing rules, laws and expectations -- spoken and unspoken. Even in modern-day cultures, those who don’t follow expected norms can suffer disapproval or be rejected by “the group.” So, when people know what’s expected of them, they tend to comply. 

Here’s the thing, some norms -- things our groups think are a good idea – sometimes turn out to be just the opposite. Cigarette smoking used to be a social norm. Lighting up a cigarette in many settings decades ago would have been expected; now it’s almost unthinkable. Child marriage -- any formal marriage or informal union where one or both of the parties are under age 18 – is, regrettably, a social norm in some parts of the world. Slavery, racial discrimination (e.g., segregation), and sexual discrimination (e.g., women can’t vote and shouldn’t work) used to be social norms in the United States. Obviously, not all norms are good, fair, or humane. In fact, we now know that some of our past accepted and expected beliefs and practices were basically inhumane. So, what happened to restrain and change these norms? One person, somewhere, took the road less traveled and created the space to change the norm. Through work and conviction, beliefs and norms that were mistaken or no longer serve us well, can and have been remedied.

Globally, many cultures and countries have embraced norms for environmental conservation and sustainability. As my former employer, the United States Environmental Protection Agency defines it: “Everything we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.”  Sustainable economies and lifestyles help us manage the impact of global climate change. Recycling is a social behavior (norm) that many of us engage in and promote to support sustainability. Other examples of sustainable behaviors include living car free, walking or biking more, eating plant-based diets, using renewable energy (wind, solar), consuming and buying less, and conserving water, among others. These are good practices and social norms. However, there’s significantly more to effective resource sustainability. There are a few groups bold enough to recognize what more is needed, to talk it about candidly, and lead us to the road less traveled. 

For climate change and sustainability, the road less traveled that we must now take, is our unsustainable global population growth. An organization confronting this difficult, taboo topic, is Earth Overshoot. “Earth Overshoot builds upon the key messages in 8 Billion Angels, a documentary feature film produced by Executive Director Terry Spahr (a father of three) about unsustainable population growth as a primary driver of our world's environmental emergencies.” The film and Earth Overshoot’s other activities and work, are helping to normalize the discussion about the impact of unsustainable population growth on the environment.

Here's Earth Overshoot’s answer to a question a lot of us have.

“Is overpopulation really a problem? Based on current world affluence or wealth times the number of people on the earth, measurements indicate humans as a species are far exceeding earth’s ability to provide us the necessary resources without adverse effects to all living creatures. In fact, we would need to reduce global wealth and economic activity by half if we are going to live sustainably and allow for the abundance and diversity of life to flourish. Getting people to reduce their wealth voluntarily to a sustainable level is not happening. In fact, world bank data cites a 4% average annual growth of the world economy (GDP) since 1961, so we must be honest and address this reality, and the environmental benefits that come from growing smaller gracefully.”

The four actions that most substantially decrease an individual's "carbon footprint" -- in simplest terms this means your contribution to harmful air pollution -- are: (1) eating a plant-based diet, (2) avoiding air travel, (3) living car-free, and (4) having smaller families. Importantly, having one less child is the most effective means of decreasing your contribution to harmful air pollution.

The truth can be hard to hear and sometimes makes us uncomfortable. This kind of truth – overpopulation – might make a lot of us really uncomfortable. This is the uncomfortable stuff we encounter on the road less traveled. It might feel like an attack on our moral/personal/religious values and choices about family and children. Those who love the children in their lives, can’t imagine life without children, those who want children someday, and those who’s culture or religion expect or direct its members to have children, might find this overpopulation topic unbearably difficult or impossible to support. It's understood if that’s you. Earth Overshoot, and other organizations working to educate on sustainable population growth, have created a space and opened a door to discussing and working to fix a problem that’s kept secret and routinely ignored by those with the power to bring about meaningful change in the health of our environment.  A livable world for all people means less people. There are many myths about parenthood, just like there were about cigarette smoking.  We can grow smaller gracefully, without fear, shame, or blame.

In modern Western cultures, like the United States, social norms about having children, whether and when to have them, have changed in the last several decades. Widespread availability of contraception, the right to choose when and if a woman wants to become a parent, and educational and work opportunities that allow for independent living, are all factors in new social norms about parenthood. Whether by choice or circumstances about 1 in 6 US women live their lives without children, and nations around the world report comparable numbers. In most societies, and for most of human history, choosing not to have children was both difficult and undesirable. Here’s a few interesting facts about the growing new norm of non-parenting:

• “…just as parenthood is not a monolithic experience that affects well-being, childlessness is not the same experience for all individuals. The available evidence suggests that childlessness has few costs for psychological well-being and may even be associated with enhanced well-being, at least for certain social groups.” SOURCE: Parenthood, Childlessness, and Well-Being: A Life Course Perspective

• TRANSLATION – Being a parent is not a “one-size-fits-all” experience. It’s good for some people, for others it’s a struggle, not good, and the wrong choice at the wrong time. People without children live full, happy lives, and in cases, people without children are happier than those with children.

• “Social contexts shape the meaning, experience, and consequences of childlessness in ways that may undermine well-being for some select groups (e.g., young women facing infertility and older unmarried men). Parenthood is increasingly viewed as a matter of choice, and voluntary childlessness has become more common.” SOURCE: Parenthood, Childlessness, and Well-Being: A Life Course Perspective

• TRANSLATION – More and more people are voluntarily choosing not to have children. How you view being a non-parent depends on where you are in your life. If you’re an older unmarried man without a social network of friends and activities, or if you're a young woman facing infertility, being a non-parent may be difficult.

• “As for childlessness at midlife, Koropeckyj-Cox, Pienta, and Brown (2007) analyzed national, cross-sectional data to compare the well-being of childless women and mothers in their 50s and found that childlessness was not associated with worse psychological outcomes in midlife. It was women who became mothers early in the life course who experienced lower wellbeing—largely because of marital disruption and fewer socioeconomic resources.”  SOURCE: Parenthood, Childlessness, and Well-Being: A Life Course Perspective

• “A theme of the 2000s is that parenthood, per se, does not predict well-being in a systematic way. The way children turn out and succeed or fail in socially desirable roles is related to parents’ psychological outcomes and self-concepts.” SOURCE: Parenthood, Childlessness, and Well-Being: A Life Course Perspective

• TRANSLATION – Being a parent doesn’t make you happy. A parent’s psychological state and resources can impact how your children turn out.

• “The strains of parenting are not distributed equally—with women, unmarried parents, and lower [socio-economic-status] SES individuals shouldering more strain and its consequences. Recent work calls attention to the burden of parenting in American society and the absence of public support for parents and children (Hewlett et al., 2002). SOURCE: Parenthood, Childlessness, and Well-Being: A Life Course Perspective

• TRANSLATION – Women have to do the most of the parenting work. The strains of parenting are particularly hard for the unmarried and those with less financial resources. American society (work environments, family structures, public policies) do not fully support parents and children.

• The web platform, “Meetup” has an entire section on “Childfree groups”. There are 150 Childfree groups worldwide with over 38,000 members.The Childfree groups on Meetup openly announce their rules for who can and should join their meetups. One example: “This is an inclusive group (any orientation, race, and 21+ age) for childfree couples and individuals (whether childfree by choice or by circumstance) who are looking to expand their social circles. Make friends with other non-parents for fun and supportive non-kid-related conversation, usually over lunch or dinner.”

• The organization “theNotMom” has a website, annual summit, and social media presence on Facebook, and Twitter for and by women without children. This powerhouse of fresh perspective and resources on being a “NotMom” is unparalleled. A section of their web site displays the photos of well-known female actresses, media personalities, or other successful public figures that, by choice or chance, don’t have children; “Women You Know Today, With Stories Like Yours.”  The founder, Karen Malone Wright, says about the organization: “We need more spaces where women who don’t have kids, whether they define that as a choice or not, can talk about and celebrate their lives without fear of judgment or reprisal.”

Through work and conviction, social beliefs and norms that were mistaken or no longer serve us well, can and have been remedied. “Everything we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.”  A livable world for all people means less people.  Having no children or one less child, whether by choice or chance, is believed to be the most meaningful action to address climate change and impact environmental sustainability. Those that have or will make the choice for smaller families are anonymous, hidden heroes, in a parent-centric, often harshly judgemental world. This is the road less traveled. We can grow smaller gracefully, without fear, shame, or blame. It’s already happening. In the population game, the team that recognizes that their well-being is connected to the well-being of their environment, wins.

“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

Sources and Further Reading:

Selfish, Shallow & Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers On The Decision Not To Have Kids, Meghan Daum, Ed., 2015; https://www.meghandaum.com/selfish-shallow-self-absorbed

Miller, D.T.; Prentice, D.A. The Construction of Social Norms and Standards. In Social psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles; Higgins, F.T., Kruglanski, A.W., Eds.; Guilford: New York, NY, USA, 1996; pp. 799–829

https://www.epa.gov/sustainability/learn-about-sustainability

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken

https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/about-child-marriage/

https://www.earthovershoot.org/who-we-are/

https://www.earthovershoot.org/who-we-are/frequent-questions.html#content_a23d97bfacc2b47a2ac4e53e9e97756e_item_10632411

Trickle-down norms; Richard V. Reeves, Jan 4, 2018; https://www.brookings.edu/articles/trickle-down-norms/

https://phys.org/news/2017-07-effective-individual-tackle-climate-discussed.html

Think wildlife trafficking only occurs in obscure, shabby places where people are desperate or just lack information about wildlife laws?  Nope. In 2018, a 66-year-old shop owner in the upscale community of Middleburg, Virginia, only an hour outside of Washington DC, pled guilty to illegally smuggling items made from endangered animals and other protected species and then selling them in his quaint Middleburg, Virginia shop. He forfeited $275,000, 175 illegal wildlife products, and he’s out of business.  

Maybe you’re like me. I don’t particularly like to hear bad news like this. But however uncomfortable it is, and whether you’re a wildlife lover or not, we need to hear these stories.  We want to be on the right side of wildlife conservation and protection and speak up for wildlife. When it comes to the horrific and inhumane business of wildlife trafficking, information is power.  Read on for understanding what wildlife trafficking is, what laws govern it, what’s being done about it, and things we can all do to help.

What is Wildlife Trafficking?

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) defines wildlife trafficking as “the poaching or other taking of protected or managed species and the illegal trade in wildlife and their related parts and products.”  Wildlife trafficking is a $10-$20 billion-a-year industry that is pushing many endangered species to the brink of extinction.

Illegal wildlife products can include jewelry, traditional medicine, clothing, furniture, and souvenirs, as well as some exotic pets. For wildlife, trafficking often means pain, stress, death, and prolonged abuse and mistreatment.

Here’s a few highlights from wildlife trafficking cases that FWS announced in 2020 (up to this blog date):

January 2, 2020 – “Amherst Man Charged With Trafficking Exotic Cats. A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a 38-year-old Amherst, NY, man with violating the Lacey Act and the U.S. Animal Welfare Act based on his alleged trafficking of African wild cats in interstate commerce. The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The indictment alleges that the defendant, doing business as ExoticCubs.com,  imported and sold dozens of caracals and servals in interstate commerce between February and June of 2018. Caracals, also known as the “desert lynx,” are wild cats native to Africa, and grow to approximately 45 pounds.  Servals, also wild cats native to Africa, grow to approximately 40 pounds. Both species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and their commercial possession and sale is restricted under New York state law.  The defendant is also charged with disguising his commercial activity by falsely declaring the animals as domesticated breeds, such as savannah cats and bengal cats, on shipping records. People and businesses dealing in animals are required to comply with humane care standards under the Animal Welfare Act. The defendant is alleged to have failed to do so, and to have failed to secure the necessary license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The defendant is charged with violating the Animal Welfare Act for selling animals without a license showing minimum compliance with humane treatment standards.”

July 9, 2020 – “Texas Man Pleaded Guilty to Trafficking Illegal Wildlife Worth Millions. A Texas man pleaded guilty on charges of conspiring to traffic thousands of live reptiles, amphibians, and birds, valued in excess of $3.5 million. The investigation exposed a highly coordinated wildlife trafficking ring responsible for the smuggling of wild caught reptiles destined to collectors and the commercial trade across the U.S. and globe. The number of animals suspected of being smuggled is in the tens of thousands.  According to documents filed with the court, beginning in 2016, the FWS undertook Operation Bale Out, an investigation of a network of individuals involved in the trafficking of wildlife between the United States and Mexico. “Bale” means a group of turtles, and much of the wildlife trafficked by this network involved rare turtles.”

August 25, 2020 -- “Hummingbird Trafficker Pleads Guilty.  A Dallas [Texas] mystic shop owner pleaded guilty to trafficking dried hummingbird carcasses in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The shop owner, 48, pleaded guilty to the sale of wildlife taken in violation of federal law. The owner admitted to selling dried hummingbird carcasses known as “chuparosas” without a valid permit or authorization. “Chuparosas” are believed by some to have mystical benefits and are commonly used as amulets or charms. The hummingbird, a migratory bird, is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Pursuant to Federal regulations, it is illegal to take, possess, import, export, transport, or sell a hummingbird, or its parts, nests, or eggs, except under the terms of a valid permit. The shop owner admitted the dried hummingbird carcasses she acquired were illegally imported and smuggled into the United States from Mexico. Without a valid permit or authorization, the shop owner offered the dried hummingbird carcasses for sale in her store. She further admitted to both possessing and selling dozens of dried hummingbird carcasses of different species each of which are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.”

September 3, 2020 – “Operation Apex Shuts Down Operation that Profited from Shark Finning, Much More.  An international conspiracy that profited from drug trafficking and the illegal wildlife trade and conspired to hide the illegal nature of the proceeds has been shut down in a multi-agency law enforcement operation. Initiated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Operation Apex brought together multiple agencies under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Task Forces (OCDETF) to target two businesses, in Florida and California, and a dozen individual defendants whose activities included international trade in illegal wildlife products, trafficking in marijuana, and a money laundering conspiracy to disguise the massive proceeds of the unlawful activities that spanned at least a 10-year period. As alleged in the 37-page indictment, conspirators in multiple locations in the United States, including the Southern District of Georgia, and in Hong Kong, Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere, were involved in the Wu transnational criminal organization that engaged in wildlife trafficking, shark finning, drug trafficking and money laundering. Shark finning is aimed at supporting the demand for shark fin soup, an Asian delicacy. Certain species of sharks are protected wildlife under federal and state law to ensure their continued sustainability. The indictment alleges that the conspiracy began as early as 2010 as members of the conspiracy submitted false documents and used sham businesses and dozens of bank accounts to hide proceeds from the illegal activities. The indictment states that members of the conspiracy would deposit bulk cash from illegal activities, including wildlife trafficking and drug trafficking, into third-party business accounts that dealt in gold, precious metals, and jewels, to hide the illegal activities. Conspirators also deposited millions of dollars from illegal activities into third-party business accounts located in the United States, Mexico, and Hong Kong, in an effort to hide the illegal profits. During the arrests of the defendants and searches of their homes and workplaces, agents seized more than $3.9 million in multiple bank accounts; approximately $3 million in gold, silver, and other precious metals, along with $1 million in diamonds; approximately 18,000 marijuana plants and 34.5 pounds of processed marijuana; multiple firearms; and documented the harvest of more than six tons of shark fins. Agents also seized 18 totoaba fish bladders, a delicacy in Asia harvested illegally from an endangered species.

What Are the Laws or Other Agreements About Wildlife Trade or Trafficking?

There are quite a few laws. As with any law, governments or other organizations charged with implementing and enforcing the law must have the resources, and will, to do so.

• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES)

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

• US Endangered Species Act (ESA)

The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems they depend on. The FWS and the U.S. Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) administers the ESA.

• US Lacey Act

Also administered by the FWS, under the Lacey Act, it’s unlawful to import, export, sell, acquire, or purchase fish, wildlife or plants that are taken, possessed, transported, or sold: 1) in violation of U.S. or Indian law, or 2) in interstate or foreign commerce involving any fish, wildlife, or plants taken possessed or sold in violation of State or foreign law. The law covers all fish and wildlife and their parts or products, plants protected by the CITES and those protected by State law.

• US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)

All marine mammals are protected under the MMPA. The MMPA prohibits, with certain exceptions, the "take" of marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on the high seas, and the importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products into the U.S. Jurisdiction for MMPA is shared by FWS and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

• US Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits the take (including killing, capturing, selling, trading, and transport) of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization by the FWS. The list of migratory bird species protected by law is primarily based on bird families and species included in four international treaties. You can find the list of birds in the Code of Federal Regulations under  Title 50 Part 10.13 (10.13 list). The 10.13 list was  updated in 2020.

• US Elephant Ivory Regulations

• EU Wildlife Trade Regulations

Due to the European Single Market and the absence of systematic border controls within the EU, the provisions of the CITES have to be implemented uniformly in all EU Member States. CITES is implemented in the EU through a set of Regulations known as the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations.

• China Wild Animal Protection Law, Read more here: https://www.chinajusticeobserver.com/a/what-does-chinas-wildlife-protection-law-say . China’s wildlife protection law may be under amendment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Eliminate, Neutralize and Disrupt (“END”) Wildlife Trafficking Act

This law:

• facilitates partnerships between the US government and other countries fighting terrorist organizations and international crime syndicates that profit from wildlife trafficking;

• allows prosecutors to treat smuggling or selling endangered species as a predicate offense under money laundering statues;

• improves transparency and accountability by directing the US State Department to explicitly identify countries that are major sources, transit points, or consumers of trafficked wildlife products; and

• enhances national security while also benefiting animal welfare—from expanding law enforcement networks to providing targeted assistance via shared intelligence, equipment and training to fight poachers.

• U.S. Executive Orders

In the United States, there has been bipartisan support in the Executive and Legislative branches of government for preventing and prosecuting wildlife trafficking.

• There have been two U.S Presidential Executive Orders that address wildlife trafficking. The first in 2013, “Combating Wildlife Trafficking,” created a National Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking, produced the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking and the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking.  The National Strategy called for a collaborative effort with foreign governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to reduce supply and demand for illegal wildlife products. The “END” Wildlife Trafficking Act continues the work of the National Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking and requires ongoing reports of progress made under the National Strategy and its Implementation Plan.

• The second US Executive Order was issued in 2017, “Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking.”  It has a broad focus on transnational criminal organizations, and includes a policy reference to wildlife trafficking in Sec 2(a)(i) “It shall be the policy of the executive branch to: (a)  strengthen enforcement of Federal law in order to thwart transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, including criminal gangs, cartels, racketeering organizations, and other groups engaged in illicit activities that present a threat to public safety and national security and that are related to, for example: (i) the illegal smuggling and trafficking of humans, drugs or other substances, wildlife, and weapons;”

What Organizations and Groups Study, Enforce or Monitor Wildlife Trafficking?

There are multiple national and international government organizations, non-profits, and other non-governmental, private organizations that study, monitor, enforce, and educate on wildlife trafficking. Some, like the FWS, were highlighted above. Several others with varying responsibilities, missions, and authority, are listed below. Click their links for information and resources.

• The US Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), together with United States Attorneys’ Offices across the country, is responsible for prosecuting international wildlife trafficking crimes under US laws. ENRD also prosecutes crimes related to wildlife trafficking, including smuggling, money laundering, and criminal conspiracy. ENRD works with the FWS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other agencies in prosecuting crimes.  A summary of recent ENRD wildlife trafficking prosecutions can be found here.

• The END Wildlife Trafficking Act directs the US Secretary of State, in consultation with the US Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, to submit to Congress a report that lists Focus Countries and Countries of Concern. Get the most recent report here.

• The END Wildlife Trafficking Act also directs the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking (Task Force) to submit an annual strategic review and assessment of its work that consists of the following:  a review and assessment of its implementation of the Act; evaluation of the role of governments of Focus Countries and Countries of Concern in combating wildlife trafficking; a description of Task Force priorities and objectives; an accounting of U.S. funding for combating wildlife trafficking and recommendations for improving U.S. and international efforts to prevent wildlife trafficking in the future. Get the most recent report here.

• TRAFFIC is a non-governmental organization working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. TRAFFIC staff around the world carry out research, investigations and analysis to compile the evidence they use to catalyze action by governments, businesses and individuals, in collaboration with a wide range of partners, to help ensure that wildlife trade is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

• Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking on-line. Launched in 2018 with the World Wildlife Fund, TRAFFIC, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare,  with Google as a key convener, the coalition now comprises 36 tech company members including Facebook, eBay, Microsoft, Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent. The collaboration aims to unite the tech industry to standardize prohibited wildlife policies, train staff to better detect illicit wildlife products such as elephant ivory and pangolin scales, enhance automated detection filters, and educate and empower users to report suspicious listings. At the core of this effort is sharing learning and best practices across company platforms to avoid duplication and prevent wildlife traffickers from shifting activities from one platform to the next.

• US Wildlife Trafficking Alliance (WTA). The WTA is a coalition of more than 70 leading companies, non-profit organizations, and accredited Association of Zoos and Aquariums working together to reduce the purchase and sale of illegal wildlife and wildlife products.

• WildAid. WildAid works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products and to increase local support for conservation efforts. They work with governments and partners to protect fragile marine reserves from illegal fishing and shark finning, to enhance public and political will for anti-poaching efforts, and to reduce climate change impacts.

How Do We Stop Wildlife Trafficking?

There’s things we can all do. First, speak up for wildlife and know how to spot a wildlife crime. Here are some tips from the FWS

• Be situationally aware and trust your gut

“Trust your gut to know when things just don’t seem right. This happened to a woman in Minnesota while she was on a bike ride and saw someone putting Blanding’s turtles in their trunk. She knew that these mild-mannered turtles are protected and extremely vulnerable during breeding season as they move to nesting habitat to lay eggs. She reported the vehicle’s license plate number and other identifiable information to an officer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and her tip ultimately helped to uncover a multistate, illegal trafficking scheme based in Wisconsin. The man involved pleaded guilty to a felony Lacey Act violation, served time in prison and paid heavy fines. During the investigation, officers recovered an incubator with 120 native map, painted and softshell turtle eggs that he had illegally collected in the wild. This wildlife trafficker also left an incriminating digital footprint, using online retailers to traffic additional wild reptile and amphibian species. Just one person speaking for a couple of turtles made a positive impact on local wildlife.” In this case, FWS was able to recognize her contributions with a $1,500 reward through the Lacey Act Reward Account, all while maintaining her anonymity.

• Know the law

Know the laws that protect wildlife. Many bird species native to the US, including their nests and eggs are protected under the MBTA (see above). Knowing what’s in season under state and tribal law is important too, because poaching isn’t the only wildlife crime, hunting out of season and falsifying records are also criminal offenses. Ethical hunters and anglers respect the biological reasoning behind bag limits and speak up when something doesn’t seem right.

• Increase whistle-blowing on corrupt border officials and poachers

The website WildLeaks has made this a little easier. WildLeaks, is the world’s first whistleblowing initiative dedicated to environmental crime. WildLeaks is set up to receive and evaluate anonymous information and tips regarding environmental/wildlife crime, and transform that information into concrete action, and possible actionable intelligence. WildLeaks has a “safe space” online, built on the Tor technology, a secure and anonymous platform so that people with information can share that information without taking personal risks, particularly in highly corrupt countries.

• Increase participation in wildlife management and protection groups

• Take pride in every action you take to protect wildlife species and not exploit them.

• Inspire others to take pride in even the smallest actions they take to protect species and habitats.

Here's some more considerations

• Volunteer. Many conservation organizations depend on volunteers in the U.S. and abroad. Do a web search to find an organization near you.

• Wild animals do not make good pets and it’s illegal to buy endangered species. Do your research before making a decision to buy a pet.

• Read your labels. Palm oil plantations are contributing to habitat loss around the world – valuable forests are cleared to make way for palm oil plantations. If palm oil is in your product, read the label to check if it was sustainably grown.

• Before traveling abroad be sure to visit this website for a “Buyer Beware” brochure.

When you travel outside of the United States think about what you’re buying. When purchasing souvenirs or gifts, think about where that item might have come from. Does it contain wildlife products? If so, is it a species that is endangered or threatened? Was the animal harvested sustainably? Was it produced legally? One of the main ways to limit the illegal wildlife trade is to stop the demand for wildlife products. If you don’t know, don’t buy.

• Be an eco-tourist and travel green. Eco-tourists are able to experience species in their natural habitat while supporting local livelihoods and conservation efforts. These sustainable travel practices allow visitors to experience nature while limiting human impacts on wildlife.

• Buy local products and support the local economy. Tourism is a large source of income for many local communities abroad. Support these local communities’ livelihoods by purchasing unique, handcrafted goods that do not contain animal products.

Final Word: “Conservation ultimately comes down to people and their behaviors toward nature. Just as people are often the source of environmental problems, they are equally the potential solution.”  https://rare.org/report/behavior-change-for-nature/

Sources and Other References

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/virginia-shop-owner-pleads-guilty-to-selling-illegal-wildlife-items/2018/12/20/478d68d8-0450-11e9-b6a9-0aa5c2fcc9e4_story.html

https://www.fws.gov/le/stories.html

https://www.fws.gov/international/wildlife-trafficking/

https://www.fws.gov/international/how-you-can-help.html

http://stopwildlifetrafficking.org/

https://defenders.org/blog/2015/11/4-things-you-didnt-know-about-wildlife-trafficking-and-united-states

https://www.justice.gov/enrd/wildlife-trafficking

https://rare.org/report/behavior-change-for-nature/

There’s nothing like hummingbirds. In my area they’re very active right now. The nesting season is over. The young that survived are busy trying to secure their own food sources, and the adults are doing the same to build up fat and reserves for their long migration this fall. Because of their size (typically 3-5 inches in length), their constant movement (most flap their wings about 50 times a second), and speed (they can fly about 27 mph) photographing hummingbirds is a challenge. If you want to freeze the motion of their wings and body in an image, a LOT of very bright and direct natural light or artificial light (flash) is a must. Photographs have to be taken at very high speed. Most hummingbirds don’t tolerate people close to them, and ethical photographers don’t trap or bait hummingbirds for photo ops, and this includes using flash traps. If you want to capture the fine detail of a hummingbird, your best bet is a large telephoto lens that let’s you get some distance away. The photos shared in this blog were taken in a mix of clouds/sun, partial shade, and very bright early morning light anywhere from 15-40 feet away using my 560mm Canon lens configuration (400 mm lens w/1.4 extender) with no tripod. All were processed in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for exposure adjustments and cropping.

More incredible hummingbird facts:

• Hummingbirds are capable of acrobatic flight, but can’t walk or hop. Their feet have evolved to grip and perch, and are incredibly light so they can fly easily.

• They are marathon fliers.  Most North American hummingbirds migrate south to winter in Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, or Central America. A ruby-throated hummingbird flies at about 27 miles per hour if there’s no tail wind or head wind.  This means that for those making the long 500 mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico during migration it would take about 18 1/2 hours.

• To conserve energy when food is scarce, and nightly when not foraging, they can go into torpor, a state similar to hibernation.

• The majority of hummingbird activity consists of sitting or perching. Hummingbirds spend an average of 10–15% of their time feeding and 75–80% perching and digesting.

• Because their high metabolism makes them vulnerable to starvation, hummingbirds get highly adapted to good food sources. Many North American hummingbird species are territorial and will guard food sources (such as a feeder) against other hummingbirds.

• The ruby-throated hummingbird – one of the most common species in the United States – averages 3 grams. For comparison, a nickel weighs about 5 grams.

• Many hummingbirds die during their first year of life. But if they survive, they can live a decade or more. Most hummingbirds live three to five years.

​​​​​​​

• Trinidad and Tobago, known as "The land of the hummingbird," displays a hummingbird on its national coat of arms, its 1-cent coin and as the emblem of its national airline, Caribbean Airlines.

Enjoy my images of these truly amazing birds. Except for the third image below, we can't say for certain whether the other ruby-throated hummingbirds are adult females or juvenile males. Juvenile males (1st year males typically) look very similar to adult females. One of the best sources I've found on distinguishing and identifying ruby-throated hummingbirds is here: http://www.rubythroat.org/RTHUExternalMain.html.

  Ruby Throated Hummingbird, female or juvenileNorthern Maryland Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Male

Juvenile Male Ruby Throated HummingbirdNorthern Maryland

Dead trees, also called “snags”, and dead wood may not look pretty in our human eyes. A lot of us have been conditioned to see dead trees and dead wood as something bad, dangerous, must be cut down, cleaned up, and moved out of sight. But do you know that dead trees are one of the best places to find a variety of birds and other wildlife?  Dead trees provide habitat, which includes nesting, feeding and perching areas for many species of birds and raptors like eagles, owls, hawks, osprey, falcons, woodpeckers, ducks, bats, and many more. Dead trees, and dead wood on the ground, also provide habitat and protection for racoons, squirrels, chipmunks, and amphibians.

Many animals use the nooks and spaces in dead trees and wood to store food. Out West, where the landscape still supports apex predators like grizzly bears, grizzlies can be found eating ants that live by the millions in dead tree logs scattered around forest floors. In aquatic environments, fallen dead trees or wood are excellent hiding places for fish and help them hunt bugs and other organisms.

Even more, a variety of beneficial organisms including moss, lichens and fungi grow on snags and help return vital nutrients to the soil. In forests, decaying logs on the ground also act as a kind of nursery for new tree seedlings. Dead trees and down wood play an important role in ecosystems by providing wildlife habitat, cycling nutrients, aiding plant regeneration, decreasing erosion, and influencing drainage and soil moisture and carbon storage, among other values. The US Forest service states, “Over 85 North American bird species rely on snags to nest, feed, or seek shelter. If they don't pose a hazard, leave snags standing.” https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/assets/documents/workingtrees/brochures/wtw.pdf

With the right permits, it’s legal to obtain personal use firewood from US National Forests. However, some National Forests clearly prohibit cutting down standing trees of any type, including snags, while others try to educate the public to look for signs of wildlife using snags before cutting. For example, the US Forest Service Naches Ranger District (Washington State), created a video that is shown to woodcutters when obtaining permits at the Naches Ranger District, helping them to look for signs of wildlife in snags and leave those snags standing on the landscape.

Certainly, there are situations where snags and other dead wood can be dangerous. The National Wildlife Federation has some recommendations on when you should consider removing snags from your yard and other dead wood, along with tips on how to garden for wildlife, https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Cover/Trees-and-Snags.  Excellent tips and insights are also available at the US Forest Service, https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/assets/documents/workingtrees/brochures/wtw.pdf . Just remember, if a dead tree isn’t threatening your residence, leave it be, and you’ll see the benefits.

I’ve witnessed it and know the benefits of dead trees. Scan the photos below and see just a bit of what I’ve captured hanging out in, or on, dead trees!

Steady - Juvenile little blue heron Tufted TitmouseWashington, DC Eastern Phoebe Loggerhead ShrikePine Glades Natural Area, Jupiter Florida

Blue-Tailed SkinkNorthern Virginia

More reading on the value and purpose of dead trees:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/assets/documents/workingtrees/brochures/wtw.pdf

https://www.thewildlifenews.com/2018/12/20/the-ecological-value-of-dead-trees/

https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/sciencef/scifi20.pdf

https://www.friendsoftheclearwater.org/praise-the-dead-the-ecological-values-of-dead-trees-by-george-wuerthner/

https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/assets/documents/workingtrees/brochures/wtw.pdf

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/12/24/in-praise-of-dead-trees/

https://huntwildpa.com/2016/02/08/dead-trees-are-important-to-wildlife/

https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/gtr-181/025_BunnellHoude.pdf

The April 2020 Supermoon -- the largest of the full Moons in 2020 – inspired me to turn my lens on it; and now, I’m a bit "moonstruck." Below, see my April 2020 Supermoon shot taken with my tripod-mounted, Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 560mm (400 mm Canon lens with a 1.4 Canon extender), f/8, 1/50 sec, ISO 200. All my photos, including this one, are typically processed in Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop to adjust exposure and preserve the best image clarity possible. Keep reading for images of the June "Strawberry Moon", and illuminating facts from the experts at NASA about our essential night light – the Moon.

SuperMoon April 2020

If you set a single green pea next to a U.S. nickel, you'd have a pretty good idea of the size of the Moon compared to Earth. The April 2020 Supermoon looked a bit bigger through my lens. It was a beauty. NASA has great facts about the Moon and the history of Moon exploration (https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/earths-moon/overview/; https://moon.nasa.gov/exploration/history/). I’ve shared a few below, including NASA’s plans to create a permanent presence on the moon under its “Artemis” program. “The Artemis program will send the first woman and the next man to the Moon and develop a sustainable human presence on the Moon and set the stage for further human exploration at Mars. The program takes its name from the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology.  Among other things Artemis is the goddess of the wilderness, the hunt, and wild animals.

The leading theory of the Moon's origin is that a Mars-sized body collided with Earth about 4.5 billion years ago. The debris left by this collision formed our Moon 239,000 miles away. The newly formed Moon was in a molten state, but within about 100 million years, most of the molten material crystallized, with less-dense rocks floating upward and eventually forming the lunar crust.

• The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite.

• The Moon goes around the Earth at a distance of about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers).

• More than 105 robotic spacecraft have been launched to explore the Moon.

• NASA currently has three robotic spacecraft exploring the Moon — Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the twin ARTEMIS spacecraft.

• So far, the Moon is the only celestial body beyond Earth visited by humans.

• Twenty-four humans have traveled from the Earth to the Moon, and twelve walked on the Moon’s surface.

• In 1972, the last human visited the Moon’s surface.

• NASA is gearing up to set up a permanent lunar presence on the Moon.

• We always see the same side of the Moon from Earth. You have to go into space to see the other side.

• Supermoons get their name because of how close they are to Earth (https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1198/the-next-full-moon-is-a-supermoon-pink-moon/

• There's a few other countries that attempted to land on the moon. Some have succeeded, some have failed. India and Israel tried to land on the moon, but failed. However, in 2019, China successfully landed a rover on the dark side of the moon. That's never been done before. NASA followed this big space news closely.

• The United States and USSR/Russia have by far had the most missions to the moon, followed by China.

In the 11 days leading up to the June 5, 2020 full moon (also called the “Strawberry Moon”), when conditions allowed, I photographed the moon each night. The Strawberry Moon doesn't refer to the color of the moon, rather it gets its name from a decades-old naming convention established by Indian tribes (see, https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1257/the-next-full-moon-is-the-strawberry-moon/). Some of the best shooting conditions were the days before the full Moon. Unfortunately, the weather was completely overcast on June 5, but I was able to shoot on June 6, when the Moon was 99% full (illuminated). Generally, I used the same settings as my April Supermoon shoot, except no tripod. Even with a longer exposure time, the tripod really made no difference in image clarity. If you have a steady hand and built strength to hoist and hold your 8-10-pound equipment a few times, you might find that a tripod is unnecessary. Hover over each image to see its date.

Enjoy these images and don’t forget to visit my other on-line galleries where you can safely and easily purchase prints and become a collector!

25-May-20 27-May-20 29-May-20 30-May-20 31-May-20 1-Jun-20 2-Jun-20

June 3 2020

6-Jun-20

At least two of the young hawks have fledged the nest, which means they've grown enough to fly and/or hop out of the nest onto nearby branches. The fledglings aren't mature enough to survive completely on their own. They'll stay by the nest for the next few months and continue to be fed by their parents while also practicing their own hunting. As I saw today, they may fly back into the nest to get fed by a parent. Two of the young hawks were fed today when I visited. One parent flew in and dropped the prey item down. Both young that were in the nest were able to tear apart and eat the prey by themselves. One of the young hawks displayed "mantling" of the prey item. Mantling is hunching, crouching, or arching shoulders and spreading wings over a kill to conceal it from other birds and predators who would be potential thieves. See the photo below! Here's a photo of one of the fledgling hawks perched near the nest, about 25 feet away.

Not too far from now all three young hawks will have fledged the nest, but still be nearby. If you're visiting the nest and don't see any signs of birds, look closely in the tree canopy near the nest. If they continue to do well, they'll be there for most of the summer.

Video 2

Sure enough, after a few more calls from one of the adults, one came flying into the nest with a small rodent, possibly a chipmunk. All the young sat right up and waited for feeding time!  Enjoy this video of the feeding. I hope to have another update in at least a week. 

Video 1

My April 30 blog post shared several risks that many raptors face, including red-shouldered hawks. The events of the last few days reveal another -- birds getting entrapped in fishing line or netting. Many wildlife rehabilitators and conservation groups have written about these risks and documented tragic, often fatal injuries wildlife receive from improperly discarded fishing line or netting. Here's a few links on this issue for further reading: Wildlife Center of Virginia: https://www.wildlifecenter.org/fishing-tackle-threats-wildlife; Audubon: https://www.audubon.org/news/this-common-form-plastic-pollution-menace-birds; Owl Moon Raptor Center: https://owlmoon.org/2017/09/29/great-horned-owl-rescued-from-entanglement-in-fishing-line/; US Fish and Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds/entrapment-entanglement-drowning.php .

May 3rd was my last visit to the nest site and really good things were happening! Within a few moments of my arrival in late afternoon, the female showed up with a large prey item (possibly a large rat). Her young babies perked up and began feeding. I could see through my lens that the young already had very full crops, which meant they were already well fed. If you're unfamiliar with the term "crop", it's a muscular pouch near the throat, which is part of the digestive tract. In birds, and other organisms that have a crop, it's used to temporarily store food.

More, really good news, happened on May 4.  I posted a video I shot of the hawk family feeding and was informed through a Facebook comment that the injured male was released. I'm thrilled.

I'll be back at the nest in a few days and with more updates!

Enjoy these photos of mom and babies from May 3, 2020.

Red-shouldered hawks are raptors, or birds of prey. Eagles and owls are raptors too, and this obviously means that there are different categories or types of raptors, each with their own behaviors, colors, sounds, and lifestyles. The red-shouldered hawk is in the “buteo” class of raptors.  Experts differ in their precise descriptions of the size and characteristics of red-shouldered hawks, and tend to give ranges on height, weight, and wingspan. That’s reasonable; there are variations. In general, red-shouldered hawks may be anywhere from 15” to 24” long; weigh 1 to 2 pounds; and have a wingspan of 38” to 42”.  Like some other raptor species, the female is larger than the male and there is no color difference between the sexes. Red-shouldered hawks get their name from the reddish-brown feathers on the upper wings. These feathers give the appearance of having red shoulders, although this part of the wing is actually the hawk’s wrist. Red-shouldered hawks live on the East and West Coast of North America. The eastern population lives from southern Canada to Florida and eastern Mexico and west to the Great Plains. Part of the eastern population is migratory. In the west, the species lives from Oregon to Baja California. The western population is nonmigratory. There is a difference in color between red-shouldered hawks in Florida and those farther north, which are darker in color. See the image directly below of a lighter colored Florida red-shouldered hawk and compare to the coloring of the adult pair from Washington, DC, that follows.  

Red-shouldered hawks are forest raptors. They tend to live in forested areas with an open subcanopy and a nearby water source. Like other raptors, red-shouldered hawks are strictly carnivores. They’re diurnal raptors meaning they hunt during the day; they’re adapted for daytime hunting. They feed on many types of prey including amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small mammals including voles, chipmunks, mice, and possibly rabbits and squirrels depending upon their size. An image in this post shows one of the red-shouldered parents with a captured vole. Crayfish serve as an important food source, particularly in the southeastern US. In much of eastern North America, chipmunks and voles are the main prey. Red-shouldered hawks are chiefly perch-hunters, but may sometimes hunt while in flight. 

Raptors have long been admired for their exceptional vision, which is a key element in helping them to locate and track prey. There are a few features of the raptor eye that contribute to its remarkable vision. First, like many other birds, raptor eyes are very large in relation to the size of their skull and their body mass. Second, even though raptors can’t move their eyes around like us humans, they have extra bones in their neck that allow them to move their whole head around.  As many of us know, some raptors, like owls, can rotate their heads as much as 270 degrees! Hawks can rotate their heads almost all the way around as well. Third, the forward placement of raptor eyes gives them good binocular vision, and this facilitates very accurate judgment of distance. This is an excellent adaptation if you’re a perch hunter going after small, fast prey.  Last, perhaps the most remarkable refinement to raptor vision is the ability to see in the ultraviolet (UV) light range.  For raptors, who prey on rodents like voles and mice, this ability gives them a distinctive edge when hunting.  Rodents, like many other species, use scent as a communication mechanism. For example, to mark territories, for mating, etc.  So, in these species, long scent trails become obvious signs and pointers to where the animal has been. Scent marks of small rodents become visible when the markings absorb part of the UV radiation present in sunlight, and then reemit the absorbed energy as visible light. This is also called the process of fluorescence.  Research has shown scent marks left by voles (who urinate almost continuously), are also detectable by raptors (kestrels) from reflected UV light. This ability, to perceive reflected UV, is particularly useful in the spring before the scent marks are covered by vegetation. For raptors hunting in open grassy areas this means they can rapidly scan large areas in a short period, and perceive rodents by simply following the ultraviolet trails that point to their movements and possible whereabouts.  Put simply, just remember that raptors, including red-shouldered hawks can see the “pee trail” of animals they’re hunting.

Red-shouldered hawks become sexually mature at 1 or 2 years. Red-shouldered hawks, like other hawks, are monogamous and mate for life. However, if one of the pair dies, the surviving hawk may seek out another mate. Mating occurs between April and July. Red-shouldered hawks are particularly vocal prior to incubation, and they call repeatedly while engaged in courtship flights. The pair builds a nest of sticks, which may include moss, leaves, and bark. Nests are typically built at a crook of the main trunk in deciduous trees, more than halfway up the tree but within the canopy. The female lays three or four spotty lavender or brown-colored eggs. Females nest once per year, but may lay a second “clutch” of eggs if the first is destroyed. Incubation takes between 28 and 33 days. The first chick (“eyas” is the technical term for a nestling hawk) hatches up to a week before the final one. The female has the primary responsibility for incubating the eggs, while the male hunts, but sometimes the male cares for the eggs and the nestlings. Adults most frequently bring back mammals to feed the nestlings. Young fledge the nest when they’re between 35 and 45 days old and will try to catch their own prey, mainly insects. However, the young hawks continue to depend on their parents until they’re 17 to 19 weeks old, after which they may start to catch vertebrates. Young hawks may remain near the nest until the following mating season. Only half of red-shouldered hawk chicks survive the first year and few live to 10 years. The nesting success rate is 30%, plus red-shouldered hawks face many predators and risks at all stages of life. For those that survive their first year, red-shouldered hawks can live to be 15-19 years old in the wild, with one report of a 26-year-old hawk!

Threats to raptors come primarily from humans. While all animals are subject to natural threats such as disease and predation, raptors suffer far greater harm from human causes, including the loss of native habitat and habitat degradation largely due to human development and mounting population; intentional and unintentional killing (e.g., vehicle collisions) and poisoning (e.g., pesticides, lead); electrocution; and climate change, to name a few. Red-shouldered hawks, like other raptor and non-raptor species have important protections under various state and federal laws including the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It’s unlawful to kill, capture, collect, possess, harass, buy, sell, trade, ship, import, or export any migratory bird, including their feathers, eggs, and all other parts.  Habitat loss and degradation is the biggest risk that raptors like red-shouldered hawks face. It’s one of the reasons I believe that Land Trusts, which work to conserve land, can be a perfect partner in wildlife protection. I plan to write more on that in the near future. 

A short while ago I wrote a post on lead poisoning in bald eagles.  Red-shouldered hawks can face the same risk. Another distressing poisoning risk that red-shouldered hawks and other raptors face is from traditional rat poison (rodenticides).  Many rodenticides stop normal blood clotting; these are called anticoagulants. Anticoagulants work by blocking an enzyme that controls blood clotting. If an animal (rat, mouse, etc…) is exposed to enough anticoagulant (rat poison/rodenticide), uncontrolled internal bleeding and death can result. Rodenticides have the same effect when eaten by any mammal, including a cat or dog. They can also affect birds. Anticoagulant and other rat poison products designed to kill rodents are also killing birds of prey, pet dogs and cats, and many species of wildlife, including several endangered species. Secondary anticoagulant poisoning of nontarget animals is well documented in a wide range of animals including owls, buzzards, coyotes, feral cats, mountain lions, otters, bald eagles, and more.  Secondary poisoning occurs when a predatory animal consumes a poisoned animal, and ingests the poisons secondarily. Anticoagulant rodenticides are the most common method used for rodent control worldwide and they are frequently used in both residential and commercial areas, as well as in parks, cemeteries, and golf courses.  Advice from the National Pesticide Information Center is helpful:

“When you are deciding whether or not to use a pesticide, balance the potential benefit against the potential costs, including environmental impacts. Sometimes using a pesticide, even according to its label, may cause harm. When that's the case, it is up to the user to weigh the costs and benefits, and if necessary, choose not to use the product.

If you use a pesticide, always be sure you read and follow all label instructions exactly. It will reduce the risk, but it won't necessarily prevent accidents. Read the environmental hazards part of the label carefully. Could use of this product harm bees or bats, or is it very toxic to fish? If so, and if fish or bees could be exposed, you might consider finding another product. Try to find the least toxic product that will do the job. It may be possible to take care of your pest problem using integrated pest management, which may mean using fewer pesticides, or possibly none at all.

You know your application area best. If you know certain spots are important places for special plants or wildlife, try to prevent contamination of those sites, especially at critical times of the year. You may also contact your state wildlife agency or the US Fish and Wildlife Service for more information. There are many federal and state laws protecting migratory birds, animals, and rare plants, but the most important protections come from ordinary people taking steps to avoid accidental harm.

To reduce risks of secondary poisoning for pets and wildlife, search for, collect, and dispose of poisoned rodents. Use gloves when disposing of dead rodents to avoid contact and secure trashcan lids to minimize pet or wildlife access to poisoned rodents.”

I hope to be able to update this post or add new posts as the red-shouldered hawk nestlings grow and fledge. This brings me to one of the most crucial points of this post – use your judgement and don’t unsettle or frighten this nesting hawk pair for the sake of photographs or the desire to simply get a peek.  There’s already a lot of disturbances at this location. When I first came upon the nest site, I was stunned at how easy it was to see from the walking bridge I was on. This location is a popular, high-density, and well-traveled part of Washington, DC; not a location off the beaten path. Many people walk, bike and run across this bridge (often with leashed dogs), and there’s a lot of street traffic and noise. The habitat the hawks chose has many perfect features including high trees, open subcanopy and a beautiful stream, but there are literally people, apartments/condos, and noise all around, nearly all the time, and within easy sight of the hawks.  So, yes, these birds may be somewhat acclimated to city life. Still, it’s crucial that anyone observing or photographing the nest use good judgement concerning the welfare of the hawks and their young. The highest priority here is a successful parenting outcome for this red-shouldered hawk pair, and no harm done by humans. If you stop to visit or photograph the nest site, use your judgement and common sense. Pay close attention to whether the birds are changing their behavior or exhibiting signs of stress due to your presence, or equipment.  If so, back off.  And even if this family of hawks tolerates some noise and a few humans, doesn’t mean they’ll tolerate a crowd or their tolerance will remain static.

Sources and further reading:

http://www.moremesa.org/wordpress/raptor-vision/

https://www.hawkmountain.org/raptors/red-shouldered-hawk

https://hawkwatch.org/learn/threats-to-raptors

https://raptor.umn.edu/about-raptors/learn-about-raptors

http://www.urbancarnivores.com/poisons/

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/ecotox.html

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/rodenticides.html

https://www.raptorsarethesolution.org/ 

https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/management/take-action-against-anticoagulant-rodenticides.htm

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/overview

https://www.wildlifecenter.org/news_events/news/frequently-asked-questions-about-red-shouldered-hawks 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/red-shouldered-hawk

PodCast Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/711591/3449764-old-t-shirts-never-die-and-more-for-earth-day

Around My House

1. Happy Bees, Happy Humans, Happy Earth.

A little over a week ago, I was out in our garden and photographed a honey bee feeding on our Lunaria flowers. The images below were taken late in the day with very low light, so image quality is a little degraded. For science-minded gardeners, Lunaria is a type of flowering plant in the family “Brassicaceae.” It includes two varieties, the annual or biennial “Lunaria annua,” and the perennial “Lunaria rediviva.” Our garden has Lunaria annua.

Honey Bee and Lunaria Flower ("Money Plant")

Honey Bee and Lunaria Flower ("Money Plant")

The beautiful flowers alone make this plant worth growing, but its benefits for pollinators and beautifying our indoor spaces make this a garden sensation. Lunaria is commonly called silver dollar, dollar plant, money plant, moonwort, and honesty plant. See the photo below for what it looks like in its dried form after the season is over.  Lunaria is a colorful, attractive, honey-bee friendly plant that looks good outdoors and indoors – for years.  It’s an easy win-win for the environment and us.  Happy Bees, Happy Humans, Happy Earth.

Lunaria ("Mony Plant") Dried Arrangement

Here’s a bit more about Lunaria for gardeners and growers, and in the next section I highlight why it’s critical that we’re thinking about pollinators. The Latin name Lunaria means "moon-like" and refers to the decorative seedpods.  “Lunaria annua” are 2-3 feet tall biennials with heart-shaped leaves that carry fragrant, one half inch purple or white spring flowers. Blooms are followed by brown seed pods. Ripened seed pods release their outer covering with the seeds and translucent silvery/white circles remain – this is a favorite for beautiful dried flower arrangements. Lunaria blooms in mid-summer, in hardiness zones 4-8 (https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx), and it requires sun to part shade. Live in a space that doesn't have a garden or you have limited outdoor space? Plant your Lunaria in pots indoors or in boxes or pots on your balcony or patio. Indoor growers will not get bees but will get beautiful blooms and dried flowers if you can follow the growing guides.

Lunaria is properly grown as a biennial, and in its second year makes large well-branched plants, after which it will seed itself freely around the garden. You can allow the seed pods to dry on the plant or you can snip the stems after the pods turn brown, tie a few together, and hang them to dry. To collect the seeds, wait until they’re brown in the pod. Then rub the pod between your fingers to gently remove the outer layer. Store them in an air-tight container, someplace dark, cool, and dry.

Importance of Pollinators (see Sources)

Pollinators provide a nearly invisible service that’s worth billions of dollars and supports human life.

• Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. They also sustain our ecosystems, prevent soil erosion and produce our natural resources by helping plants reproduce.

• Worldwide, roughly 1,000 plants grown for food, beverages, fibers, spices, and medicines need to be pollinated by animals in order to produce the goods on which we depend.

• Foods and beverages produced with the help of pollinators include: apples, blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, potatoes, pumpkins, vanilla, almonds, and …drum roll please…tequila.

• In the United States, pollination by honey bees, native bees, and other insects produces $40 billion worth of products annually.

• Global food supply is impacted due to the extensive role that honey bees play in North American agriculture, one of the largest food exporting regions of the world.

Pollinator populations are changing. Many pollinator populations are in decline due to a loss in feeding and nesting habitats, pollution, the misuse of chemicals, disease, and changes in climatic patterns.

How to protect pollinators:

• Plant native plants, especially those that provide food for pollinators, visit this site for ideas and help: https://www.pollinator.org/guides

• Install houses for bats and native bees

• Supply salt or mineral licks for butterflies and water for all wildlife

• Reduce pesticide use

• Substitute flower beds for lawns

2. Old T-Shirts Never Die.

A second thing happening around my house, which we’ve been doing for years, is re-purposing old worn-out fabrics as cleaning rags. More and more people are catching on to this. Rather than send our worn-out towels, sheets, t-shirts, sweatshirts (and the like) to the garbage, we re-purpose them as cleaning rags. Saves on paper towels and their source – trees. There's a lot more we do in my house to lessen our environmental footprint. These are a couple.

Old T-Shirts Never Die

3. Earth Day Resources and Tips.

Coronavirus has shut down a lot of things these days, but the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22 is on and going digital. Check out Earth Day Network at www.earthday.org. There are so many easy things we can each do to improve our environmental footprint. You may already be doing a lot of them. Do a simple search in your web browser for “Earth Day Challenges”, or “Earth Day Tips” and you’ll uncover lots of easy and great tips. Earth Day Network has daily challenges which are very helpful and informative, https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-challenge/. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), also turns 50 this year. Check out their incredibly important and challenging work at and get some Earth Day tips, https://www.epa.gov/50.  

Sources on Pollinators: https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection, http://npic.orst.edu/envir/pollinator.html ; https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/the-situation/ , https://www.pollinator.org/pollinators