Sick Raptors

A fairly well-balanced account of raptors (hawks and owls) and West Nile Virus in Pennsylvania from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Still, in my opinion, the potential impact of WNV on wild bird populations is greatly exaggerated.

Tweet Success

That's the title of an article by Lynn Rosellini in the September 2002 issue of Reader's Digest about David Sibley, author of the highly acclaimed Sibley Guide to Birds. It's nice to see birding get some long-overdue recognition in the mainstream press.

Birding at Altona Marsh

During a leisurely 2 hour and 15 minute hike along the railroad tracks that parallel the Altona Marsh, Jefferson County, West Virginia, on Saturday, September 28, I saw a total of 40 species (details below):

Great Blue Heron 1 individual
Turkey Vulture 2
Canada Goose 7
Wood Duck 2
Mallard 1
Northern Harrier 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 1
Mourning Dove 25
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 4
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 18
American Crow 4
Tree Swallow 4
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Carolina Chickadee 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 7
House Wren 1
Eastern Bluebird 6
American Robin 12
Gray Catbird 8
Northern Mockingbird 10
European Starling 52
Cedar Waxwing 5
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 3
Song Sparrow 13
Northern Cardinal 13
Indigo Bunting 2
Red-winged Blackbird 53
Brown-headed Cowbird 3
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 23

Ten Great Birding Trails

Ten great places to watch birds, from the Travel section of USA Today (09/26/02).

Bird Banding at Powdermill

The Powdermill Nature Reserve (or Biological Station)--located in southcentral Pennsylvania near the town of Rector--is a field research station of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Bird banding has been conducted annually at Powdermill since 1961, making it one of the oldest continously operated bird banding stations in the country. Read about the history of the banding program at Powdermill, take a virtual tour of the net lanes, view fall 2002 banding totals and daily notes (illustrated with extremely detailed and exquisite photographs), read about the excitement of the 500,000th banding record, and check out past pictorial highlights. You’ll find yourself drawn back to this site often.

West Nile Virus in West Virginia Birds: An Update and Correction

My previous post on this subject contained an error. The first sentence should read: "As of September 13, approximately 5,220 dead birds had been reported to local health departments in West Virginia in 2002, with 811 of them having been submitted for testing."

West Nile Virus in West Virginia: An Update

As of September 19, approximately 811 dead birds had been reported to local health departments in West Virginia in 2002. Of 599 birds examined, 55 (9.2 percent) have tested positive for WNV. The 13 WNV-positive species include Mourning Dove (2 individuals), Great Horned Owl (1), Blue Jay (16), American Crow (7), Tufted Titmouse (1), Eastern Bluebird (2), American Robin (5), European Starling (1), Northern Cardinal (3), Common Grackle (2), House Finch (3), American Goldfinch (2), House Sparrow (8), and other birds (2). WNV has been confirmed in birds in 30 (54 percent) of West Virginia’s 55 counties. (Source: West Virginia Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program)

Prairie Dogs Become Scapegoats for Groundwater Pollution in Texas

As described in this September 23, 2002, press release from the Llano Estacado Audubon Society:

Prairie Dog Burrows' Effects on Groundwater "Infinitesimal"
Texas Tech Study Refutes Agency's Allegations in Lubbock

Lubbock, TX - Prairie dog burrows have virtually no impact on watershed pollution, according to a five-year old study highlighted today by the Llano Estacado Audubon Society. The study, written by Drs. Warren Wood, Ken Rainwater and David Thompson, all of Texas Tech University, and published in the scientific journal Ground Water, describe the transfer of water through 'macropores' or large holes, including prairie dog burrows, and their effect on the watershed. The scientists found that the amount of water reaching the groundwater through these holes was "infinitesimally small."

When contacted about the study, Dr. Warren Wood, senior author of the article, indicated that the prairie dog burrows, and indeed any macropores, become "less important" to the issue of groundwater recharge when water is applied over a surface as an even spray rather than as a flood of water.

This study refutes allegations made by the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) that prairie dog burrows could threaten the groundwater on the land application site outside Lubbock. The area has been in the statewide spotlight since last June, when TCEQ (formerly the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission) notified the city of Lubbock that they must "control" the prairie dog population on the site or face clean water penalties from the state. Lubbock officials have released a plan to destroy the prairie dog town, one of the largest populations of black-tailed prairie dogs in the Southwest.

These findings add to the growing stack of evidence that TCEQ has ordered the extermination in contrast with the available science. This month, officials from TCEQ's sister agency, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division, fired off strongly-worded letters to TCEQ, noting that TCEQ officials "admitted having no evidence" that prairie dogs contribute to groundwater contamination, and argue that TCEQ should take into account the impacts of cattle grazing and non-native grasses used on the site.

"Our public officials should proceed only after they know all the facts," said Jesse Grantham, Director of Conservation for Audubon Texas, the State office of the National Audubon Society.

"Black-tailed prairie dogs are already in trouble," noted Jill Haukos, Conservation Chair of the Llano Estacado Audubon Society. "Killing 40,000 of them would be devastating. The City of Lubbock and TCEQ need to start addressing the real problems, rather than scapegoating these critters and wasting money in the process."

So what's the link between prairie dogs and birds? Burrowing Owls–a species for which there is a considerable degree of conservation concern–display a pronounced commensal relationship with prairie dogs, nesting in almost solely in abandoned (and sometimes even still-active) prairie dog burrows. So any action taken to harm prairie dogs is going to be detrimental to Burrowing Owls.

The Response of Crow Populations to West Nile Virus

It is well established that crows are susceptible to the virus (i.e., WNV has been confirmed in numerous dead crows from localities across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S.), that many individual crows have died, and that many if not most of the dead crows examined have tested positive for WNV. There have also been numerous anecdotal reports this summer of reduced numbers of crows (and other species) in some parts of the eastern U.S. But is there, in fact, any quantitative evidence that crow populations have declined since the start of the WNV outbreak in 1999? To answer that question, I delved into the Christmas Bird Count database. For each of 13 States (CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV) in the northeastern U.S., plus the District of Columbia, I extracted information on the 10 highest counts of American Crows in each of three pre-WNV years (1996-1998) and three post-WNV years (1999 -2001). To reduce the confounding influence of increased numbers of observers and count effort between the two time periods (which could give the false impression that crow populations are increasing when they are actually stable), I used the number of birds reported/10 party-hours.

Counts of American Crows in the three post-WNV years do not differ significantly from counts in the three pre-WNV years:

Pre-WNV Median (1996-1998): 135 birds/10 party-hours (n = 359 counts)
Post-WNV Median (1999-2001): 144 birds/10 party-hours (n = 357 counts)
Combined Median (1996-2001): 140 birds/10 party-hours (n = 716 counts)

Thus, I conclude that there is no evidence of an overall decline in populations of the American Crow in the northeastern United States in the three years following their initial exposure to WNV. So it appears that crow mortality caused by WNV may be compensatory rather than additive, thus having little impact on overall population levels. See this explanation of compensatory and additive mortality.

West Nile Virus in Birds

Since 1999, the presence of WNV has been confirmed in 96 species of wild birds native to North America and in an additional 25 species of domestic, exotic, or introduced birds. In 2002, WNV has been detected in birds in 42 States (15 for the first time), the District of Columbia, 4 Canadian provinces, and possibly Mexico. The incidence with which WNV occurs in wild birds is poorly known; in the 15 cases in which this statistic has been reported, values range from <1 percent to 69 percent, with a median of 30 percent. In recent weeks there have been unconfirmed reports of a large die-off of hawks and owls (up to 400 individuals) in Ohio, but the role of WNV in this mortality event remains unclear. What we do know is that, as of September 6, 21 percent of 4,398 dead and live birds tested in Ohio in 2002 have been WNV-positive. By comparison, 30 percent of 942 dead birds and 0.3 percent of 1,848 live birds tested in Ohio in 2001 were WNV-positive (a combined rate of 10 percent). Predictions of dire consequences for migratory birds due to WNV are clearly premature; it is more likely that WNV-related mortality will taper off in subsequent years as more susceptible individuals are eliminated from the population.

Altona Marsh Morning

The unseasonably warm and muggy weather at Altona Marsh, Jefferson County, yesterday morning was made worse by the complete absence of any breeze whatsoever. To this displaced northerner from Michigan by way of Alaska, it hardly felt like fall migration weather. Still, there was a good movement of birds. I didn’t detect any warbler waves, but had good numbers of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, American Cows, Blue Jays, Tree Swallows, American Robins, Gray Catbirds, and Red-winged Blackbirds. The complete list of 32 species:

American Kestrel 3
Northern Bobwhite 4 (2 seen, 2 others heard)
Rock Dove 3
Mourning Dove 20
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 20
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 8
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Eastern Phoebe 5
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Blue Jay 50
American Crow 30
Tree Swallow 106 (a dawn migratory movement)
Carolina Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 5
American Robin 54
Gray Catbird 20
Northern Mockingbird 17
Brown Thrasher 3
European Starling 163
Northern Parula 1
Common Yellowthroat 4
Eastern Towhee 2
Song Sparrow 13
Northern Cardinal 12
Red-winged Blackbird 155
Common Grackle 5
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 30 (feeding on thistles, what else?)

Concern for Birds of Prey Escalates

For the first time since West Nile Virus was discovered in the United States (in New York City) in 1999, it seems to be taking an exacting toll on birds of prey (hawks and owls), particularly in the Midwest. Great Horned Owls seem to be particularly vulnerable. These owls are particularly fond of dining on Common Crows, one of the species that appears to be most susceptible to WNV. Are the owls picking up the virus by feeding on infected crow carcasses? Or is there a connection with hippoboscid flies, a common ectoparasite of birds? Among the latest of an increasing number of news stories focusing on WNV in birds is this article by Jenni Laidman, a science writer for the Toledo Blade.

West Nile Virus--Is There Really a Terrorist Connection?

Picking up on comments made a few days ago by Vermont Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, this story from the Christian Science Monitor seems to lend credence to a possible terrorist link, something that was pooh-poohed just a couple of days ago in this opinion piece in the New York Post. Also, don't neglect to read this scholarly assessment from the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. The West Nile Virus story gets more interesting by the day!

A Chicken and An Egg Joke

I got this from Lynn at scherzo (yes, I know it’s really old, but it’s still funny):

A chicken and an egg are lying in bed. The chicken is leaning against the headboard smoking a cigarette with a satisfied smile on its face. The egg, looking a bit miffed, grabs the sheet, rolls over, and says, "Well, I guess we finally answered THAT question!!"

West Nile Virus Hits Raptors Hard in Midwest

This article by Bob Downing, a staff writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, does a good job of describing the high mortality being suffered by raptors (hawks and owls) in the Midwest, presumably due to West Nile Virus.

California Condors at Risk from West Nile Virus

That’s the conclusion reached by Sabin Russell, the medical writer for the San Francisco Chronical, in this feature article. Sure, condors are especially vulnerable because of their incredibly small population size, but birds in captive facilities are probably much more at risk than wild birds, which generally inhabit fairly arid environments that I doubt would be conducive to harboring large mosquito populations. As you can tell, I remain skeptical. I will admit, however, that we need to take precautionary measures to protect endangered species such as the California Condor from undue exposure to the West Nile Virus.

More on the Hawk-Killing Heiress

I earlier posted a couple of newspaper accounts about the Pennsylvania heiress (Gwynne G. McDevitt) and her care taker (Artimus C. Jenkins) who were fined for killing hawks in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Here are three items from the U.S. Attorney’s Office--press release, information on charges filed, and the plea and sentencing agreement--plus a copy of the advertisement that Mrs. McDevitt was required to publish as part of the plea agreement.

Abducted by the Media

That's a headline from this commentary by the staff of the Christian Science Monitor, which uses reporting of recent West Nile Virus events as an example of journalistic excess:

A routine hyping of events by journalists can create fears beyond their measure, especially in reporting a new (to the US) disease.

This year, the number of deaths from West Nile virus, by national standards, has been minuscule (54), but one would think from media reports that Americans are suffering the plague. What's missing is perspective, and balance that lets readers and viewers decide for themselves the level of danger. Too easily, the press can prompt irrational fears, and possibly panic, especially when events are transmitted in nanoseconds.

Exaggerating a danger is as irresponsible to the cause of honest journalism as ignoring a danger. And claiming there's a trend when one barely exists or doesn't exist at all is to peddle false information.

West Nile Virus Confirmed in 96 Species of Native North American Birds

An update issued by the National Wildlife Health Center on August 30, 2002, confirms the detection of WNV in 122 species of birds in North America since 1999, including:

96 species native to North America (including birds held in captivity),
5 species introduced and established in North America
11 species domesticated or kept as pets
10 exotic species housed in zoos

By contrast, a list issued by NWHC on July 16, 2002, contained just 80 bird species, including:

61 species native to North America (including birds held in captivity)
5 species introduced and established in North America
9 species domesticated or kept as pets
5 exotic species housed in zoos

Online Bird Journals and Other References - Number 21

Birding News Around Ohio. Billed as Ohio’s online birding magazine, BNAO is an electronic journal maintained by Victor W. Fazio III in a weblog-type format. The sole purpose of the magazine is to highlight rare, unexpected, or out-of-season bird sightings in the State of Ohio, with reports frequently accompanied by documentary photographs. BNAO is updated at intermittent intervals, with all entries made since November 1996 available online.

Bird Names of Berkeley County, West Virginia

Humans have historically named familar objects in their surroundings after familar natural history objects, including birds. Our ancestors often named lakes and streams, mountain ridges and valleys, and other natural features after familiar birds that shared their surroundings. We continue the tradition today by naming roads, streets, and subdivisions after familiar birds. The following names come primarily from the Berkeley County road map created by cartographer Lori Simmons and published by Explore Maps in 2001, supplemented by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System.

Communities (2):
Goose Nest
Swan Pond

Roads and Streets (69):
Bald Eagle Trail (The Woods Resort)
Bird Street (Pikeside)
Black Hawk Lane (The Woods Resort)
Bob White Lane (The Woods Resort)
Canada Goose Lane (The Woods Resort)
Cardinal Drive (Valley View Acres subdivision)
Chickadee Lane (The Woods Resort)
Chicken Hawk Drive
Dove Lane (Tice Manor subdivision)
Drake Avenue (Marlowe)
Eagle School Road
Egret Court (Cressen Run subdivision)
Falcon Drive (Red Hawk subdivision)
Featherbed Road
Finch Lane (Spring Mills Common subdivision)
Flicker Lane (Quail Ridge subdivision)
Flying Dove Lane (Tomahawk)
Gander Lane
Glossy Ibis Lane (Summer Hill subdivision)
Goose Run Court (Foxcrest Manor subdivision)
Gosling Marsh Road
Grouse Trail (Glenwood Forest subdivision)
Harlequin Lane (Honeywood subdivision)
Hawks Nest Trail (Glenwood Forest subdivision)
Heron Lane (Spring Mills Common subdivision)
Hummingbird Lane (Spring Mills Common subdivision)
Jaybird Lane (Country Acres subdivision)
Jenny Wren Drive
Kestrel Drive (Red Hawk subdivision)
Killdeer Lane (Nadenbousch Heights subdivision)
Magpie Lane (Mockingbird subdivision)
Mallard Way (Falling Waters)
Merganser Lane (Cherry Run Village subdivision)
Merlin Drive
Mockingbird Circle (Mockingbird subdivision)
North Teal Road (Summer Hill subdivision)
Oriole Lane (Spring Mills Common subdivision)
Osprey Lane (Spring Mills Common subdivision)
Partridge Trail (Glenwood Forest subdivision)
Peacock Place (Highview Farms subdivision)
Peewee Lane
Peregrine Road (Summer Hill subdivision)
Pheasant Lane (Glenwood Forest subdivision)
Phoebe Way (Woodbrook subdivision)
Pileated Woodpecker Lane (The Woods Resort)
Pintail Lane (Quail Ridge subdivision)
Purple Finch Drive (Summer Hill subdivision)
Quail Drive (Quail Ridge subdivision)
Quaint Swan Dale Drive (Swan Dale subdivision)
Robin’s Lane
Ruddy Duck Lane (Summer Hill subdivision)
Ruffed Grouse Lane
Savannah Sparrow Lane (Summer Hill subdivision)
Sedge Wren Lane (Summer Hill subdivision)
Snail Kite Road (Summer Hill subdivision)
Snipe Lane (Summer Hill subdivision)
Songbird Lane (Mockingbird subdivision)
Swallow Court (Spring Mills Common subdivision)
Swan Pond Road (Swan Pond)
Talon Drive (Red Hawk subdivision)
Teal Road (Summer Hill subdivision)
Thayer’s Gull Drive (Summer Hill subdivision)
Thrush Lane
Turkey Trail (Glenwood Forest subdivision)
Wading Heron Way
Warbler Lane (Mockingbird subdivision)
Whippoorwill Lane (Spring Mills Common subdivision)
Wren Street (Pikeside)

Structures (5):
Eagle Chapel
Eagle School Intermediate
Eagles School (historical)
Swanpond Post Office (historical)
Swan Pond Manor Historic District

Subdivisions (9):
Cardinal Crossing
Eagle Ridge
Goose Creek
Mockingbird
Quail Ridge
Quail Springs
Red Hawk
Swan Dale
Swan Pond

Water Bodies (5):
Buzzard Run
Eagle Run
Goose Creek
Swan Pond
Swan Pond Spring

The Risk of West Nile Virus to People: Correction

In yesterday's post on this subject, I incorrectly calculated that "the likelihood of an individual getting bitten by an infected mosquito and getting sick, seriously ill, and dying is about 1 in 100,000." This statement should actually read: the likelihood of a person getting sick from being bitten by an infected mosquito, becoming seriously ill, and dying is about 1 in 300,000. This figure is derived from the following calculations: (1) 0.0033 x 0.01 x 0.1 = 0.0000033; (2) 1/0.0000033 = 303,030. Also, note that the calculated risk of 1 in 300,000 doesn't account for the initial probability that a person will be bitten by an infected mosquito, which is unknown.

Birds Hit Hard by West Nile Virus in Midwest

According to this special report to the Washington Post by Kari Lyderson, bird lovers are concerned about the large numbers of birds--especially raptors--being reported to rehabilation centers, apparently suffering from the often-lethel effects of WNV. But Lyderson concludes with this statement:

When it comes down to it, most scientists predict that nature will ultimately take its course, as it has for centuries. The birds that survive the epidemic will pass on their West Nile-resistant traits to future generations and, over time, breeds will become resilient in the face of the disease.

The Risk of West Nile Virus to People

So far in 2002, 1,295 human cases of West Nile Virus, including 54 fatalities, have been reported in 30 States and the District of Columbia. But what do these figures mean in terms of the actual risk to people of contracting WNV? According to this article in the Washington Post, 1 of every 300 people bitten by an infected mosquito get sick (0.33 percent), 1 of every 100 sick people get seriously ill (1 percent), and about 1 of every 10 seriously ill people die (10 percent). So, on average, the likelihood of an individual getting bitten by an infected mosquito and getting sick, seriously ill, and dying is about 1 in 100,000 (or one one-thousandth of 1 percent). That number will vary depending on the part of the country in which an individual lives, their age and physical condition, the presence or absence of suitable mosquito breeding habitats, and the presence or absence of WNV-infected mosquitos. But any way you look at it, those are pretty good odds.

Making Sense of Contradictory Data

A news article by Sheryl De Vore contends that birds in Illinois (particularly raptors and crows) are at risk from West Nile Virus. Of particular interest is the information that 35 percent of 31 American Crows fitted with radio transmitters in east-central Illinois since May 16 have died from the effects of WNV. That’s a pretty high rate of mortality, and some cause for concern if, in fact, it is due to WNV.

But contradictory data comes from Lake Villa, Illinois, where Richard Biss has been making daily counts of crows in his yard for the past six years. His August 2002 counts were not significantly differently from those of previous August counts. In fact, a high count of 88 birds is the largest crow count he has ever had in August.

So what are we to make of all this? Are crows (and other birds) destined to decline precipitously due to the ravages of WNV? Or is it just a passing phenomenom? I subscribe to the latter explanation. While bird mortality may be relatively high when they are first exposed to WNV, I think it is likely that WNV-related mortality will taper off in subsequent years as the most susceptible individuals are eliminated from the population.

What’s the Deal With West Nile Virus and Crows?

Here’s some interesting insight on the crow connection from crow expert Kevin J. McGowan of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Although somewhat dated (e.g., last revised in October 2001), this is still valuable information in light of recent concerns being expressed about the impact of WNV on crows and other birds.

Peregrine Falcon Journeys

In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the National Park Service is engaged in a project to restore the Peregrine Falcon to the Harpers Ferry National Park. Peregrines nested at a historical eyrie at Maryland Heights, a cliff on the Maryland side of the Potomac River directly opposite Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, until 1952. The restoration project involves the hacking of nestlings translocated from nests in the Chesapeake Bay. The nestlings have been fitted with transmitters that allow their movements to be tracked via satellite. One of the birds hacked at Maryland Heights this year made a concerted migratory movement last week, flying from the vicinity of Roanoke, Virginia, to just west of Tallahassee, Florida, in three days (see map).

Record Year for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird?

Banders at the Powdermill Nature Center, located near Rector, Pennsylvania, just north of northcentral West Virginia, are on pace to break a 40-year-old banding record for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Through September 6, they had banded 217 birds, already the second-highest banding total and fast approaching the record of 309 set in 1961. View their web page to see a graph of hummingbird banding totals, 1961-2001, and to read their explanation for this years record-setting numbers of hummingbirds (hint: an unusual abundance of jewelweed).

Should We Be Concerned With the Fate of Crows?

Two readers respond to Betsy Karasik's article (see below) on disappearing crows--with distinctly different points of view.

Crows Disappearing?

Betsy Karasik–a Washington, D.C., artist–bemoans the absence of crows from her Dupont Circle neighborhood, presumably due to the devastating effects West Nile Virus, and wonders if she is "witnessing the disappearance of the crow from the American landscape" in this op-ed essay from the Washington Post.

Songbird Declines Linked to Acid Rain

A study published in August 20th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Stefan Harness and co-authors provides strong evidence that acid rain is a major factor responsible for population declines of the Wood Thrush in the eastern United States. Read the abstract and the press release issued by Cornell University. The study is significant because previous research into the causes of songbird population declines have focused on the effects of habitat fragmentation on breeding and wintering grounds.

Popular accounts of the results of this study have also been published by Robert Winkler (for National Geographic News) and Charles Seabrook (for Cox News Service).

Raptors Dying from West Nile Virus

As reported in the press release from the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota, a small die-off of raptors in the Midwest in recent weeks has been attributed to WNV. The Raptor Center has also put together useful FAQs about WNV and Q&As about WNV in raptors.

Ships of the Korean War With Bird Names

According to one source, 33 ships of the United States Navy named for birds served in the Korean War (all were minesweepers):

USS Chatterer AMS 40
USS Curlew AMS 8
USS Grosbeak AMS 14
USS Gull AMS 16
USS Heron AMS 18
USS Hornbill AMS 19
USS Hummer AMS 20
USS Kite AMS 22
USS Lark AMS 23
USS Linnet AMS 24
USS Magpie AMS 25
USS Merganser AMS 26
USS Minah AMC 204
USS Mockingbird AMS 27
USS Murrelet AM 372
USS Osprey AMS 28
USS Partridge AMS 31
USS Pelican AMS 32
USS Pigeon AM 374
USS Plover AMS 33
USS Ptarmigan AM 376
USS Redhead AMS 34
USS Redstart AM 378
USS Ruddy AM 380
USS Seagull AMS 55
USS Shoveler AM382
USS Surfbird AM 383
USS Swallow AMS 36
USS Swan AMS 37
USS Swift AM 122
USS Toucan AM 387
USS Waxbill AMS 39
USS Waxwing AM 389

Birds More at Risk from West Nile Virus than Humans

That's the message of a position statement issued by the American Bird Conservancy. Although undated, the statement appears to have been prepared in late 2000 or early 2001, prior to the rapid spread of the virus in the last two years. In reality, we know next to nothing about the impacts of WNV on wild birds, except for the fact that members of the Corvidae family (crows and jays) seem to be especially susceptible and apparently suffer a high degree of mortality.

Wealthy Chrysler Heiress Fined for Killing Hawks

The arrogance of some people knows no bounds. This account from the Philadelphia Inquirer was published on or about August 29 (I first saw it on the BirdHawk listserv that same day):

Chester County, PA, Heiress Will Pay for Her Hatred of Hawks. The raptors played havoc with her hunting-dog training–but they had federal protection.
by Ralph Vigoda, Inquirer Staff Writer

Gwynne G. McDevitt, a 71-year-old heiress, was being pestered by hawks on her Doubledee Farm and Kennels in Chester County.

A trainer of hunting dogs on the estate, she saw the quail, pigeons and pheasant she released as crucial in teaching her canines to flush game birds.

The hawks saw the birds as dinner.

Determined to get rid of the raptors, McDevitt put a $25 bounty on the head of each bird–a species protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the government said yesterday. Employee Artimus Jenkins, 62, of West Chester, allegedly obliged, trapping or killing 171 hawks for her.

McDevitt, a multi-millionaire whose grandfather was auto magnate Walter P. Chrysler, and Jenkins were charged yesterday with violating the migratory bird law. Both agreed to a proposed plea bargain that would keep them out of jail.

U.S. Attorney Patrick L. Meehan said McDevitt “took matters into her own hands ”after she was denied a permit by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to trap and remove the hawks from the sprawling property–tax rolls indicate she owns at least 170 acres–on Delchester Road in Willistown Township.

McDevitt, whose third husband, Richard McDevitt, was the longtime head of the Devon Horse Show, faced three federal counts that could have put her in prison for 18 months. She accepted penalties including house detention, 200 hours of community service, five years of probation and nearly $130,000 in fines and restitution.

She also was ordered to write a statement to appear as an “advertisement” in Gun Dog magazine, aimed at those who train hunting dogs, in which she admits her crime and details her penalties.

Reached last night at another of her homes, in Delaware, Gwynne McDevitt said, “I just have nothing to say.”

In her statement for the magazine, made available by the government, she wrote: “A word of caution to my friends:

“I was recently prosecuted criminally for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a federal misdemeanor. I had the hawks killed because they were interfering with my training of hunting dogs. … There are serious consequences for killing hawks. Damage to game birds is not a defense.”

Jenkins was one of as many as seven employees who helped McDevitt train 20 hunting dogs and four horses. His job was to feed and maintain her pigeons. Charged with one count, he cooperated in the investigation that included federal wildlife inspectors and the FBI ’s environmental unit. He agreed to a $2,500 fine and probation.

Both of the agreements must be approved by a federal judge. McDevitt’s New York lawyer, Daniel Sullivan, is on vacation and could not be reached. Jenkins’ Philadelphia lawyer, Catherine Recker, declined to comment.

McDevitt, who would be fined the maximum $45,000, is to make payments of $42,250 each to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Philadelphia and to Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research in Newark, Del.

“Being a multimillionaire who inherited a substantial fortune from her parents, McDevitt has sufficient ability to pay these financial penalties immediately,” the government says in court papers. "McDevitt's conduct was egregious, systematic, long-term, in complete disregard for the law, and highly damaging to the environment.”

According to the government, McDevitt began training dogs in the mid-1980s for competitions in which they simulate hunts. When the hawks began feasting on the birds, she complained to her dog trainer and was put in touch with a man who made three traps for $125 each. They were ineffective.

In 1997 McDevitt applied to the Fish and Wildlife Service for a permit to trap and relocate six hawks. The application was denied.

“Rather than adjust to the situation, she worked with someone else to take matters into her own hands,” Meehan said.

McDevitt asked Jenkins to strengthen the traps, the government says. He used pigeons as bait. As a hawk landed on a perch, the trap would collapse and enclose the raptor in wire mesh. Jenkins then killed the bird with a shot to the head from a pellet gun and illegally disposed of the carcasses
in a local dump, according to court papers.

Beginning in August 1999, Jenkins submitted bills to McDevitt, marking each with a picture of a bird and the date it was killed.

Meehan said a tip from an informant led officials to the farm, where they observed the activity. The charges say the 171 hawks were killed between August 1999 and June of this year. Specifically cited are the killing of three hawks in May.

“This is uniquely important because of the value of hawks and other kinds of migratory birds to the ecosystem,” Meehan said.

This news was then picked up by an Associated Press reporter, who filed this story:

Woman to Pay Fine in Hawks' Deaths
by David B. Caruso
.c The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A millionaire agreed to pay a fine and publicize her misdeeds for illegally trapping and killing 171 federally protected hawks on her farm and hunting preserve.

Gwynne G. McDevitt, 71, and a 62-year-old farmhand intend to plead guilty to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, according to court papers filed Tuesday.

Under a plea bargain, McDevitt agreed to pay a $45,000 fine and $84,500 in restitution for ordering her staff to trap and kill the hawks. The hawks had been feasting on game birds at
her sprawling suburban Philadelphia estate and interfering with her efforts to train hunting dogs.

McDevitt, onwer of Doubledee Farm and Kennels, also agreed to perform 200 hours community service and take out an advertisement in Gun Dog magazine describing her prosecution.

The plea deal must be approved by a federal judge.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan said the hunts were "a deliberate systematic violation of the law.''

McDevitt keeps horses, trains as many as 20 dogs at a time and raises raises pigeons and stocks the farm with quail and pheasants for the dogs to hunt, prosecutors said.

In the late 1990s, hawks began preying on the smaller birds, but her application to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a permit to trap the hawks was denied.

Starting in late 1999, investigators said McDevitt bought stronger traps and instructed Artimus Jenkins to bait them with live pigeons and shoot each hawk in the head.

As many as 15 carcasses were dumped in a nearby landfill each month, authorities said.

Neither McDevitt nor Jenkins answered phone calls for comment Tuesday. McDevitt's attorney, Daniel Sullivan, did not immediately return a call to his New York office.

Late-Nesting Robins

Most of the discussion on the WV-bird listserv the last couple of weeks has revolved around post-breeding wanderers and migrants. So I was surprised on Monday to discover a pair of American Robins attending a nest with well-grown young in our backyard. Not especially unusual, I guess, but quite unexpected, especially in light of the flocks of robins (47 birds total) that I had encountered at Altona Marsh, Jefferson County, on Saturday. This is a crazy, mixed-up time of year.

Hummingbirds on the Move

On Saturday, I spent a couple of hours birding the Altona Marsh in Jefferson County, West Virginia. The highlight was a tally of 14 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, my highest 1-day count ever away from feeders (and who knows how many I missed?). I also had an out-of-place Ovenbird and several Common Yellowthroats in a soybean field, as well as several flocks of American Robins (total of 47 birds). Things are definitely on the move!

West Nile Virus Hype?

Remember last summer, when we were bombarded with what seemed like daily updates on shark attacks? Well, it seems that West Nile Virus has replaced the sharks this year as one of the media’s favorite topics of discussion. To some degree that attention is deserved. West Nile Virus is new to the Western Hemisphere, so humans and other animals generally do not have well-developed immunities against it. Plus, it’s natural to react to the unknown with fear. But is West Nile Virus being hyped out of proportion to the degree of risk that it poses to humans?

West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne arbovirus; birds serve as reservoirs of the virus, mosquitos obtain the virus by biting infected birds, then transmit it to humans. WNV is just one of 5 arboviruses in North America; the others are Lacrosse encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), and western equine encephalitis (WEE). What kind of information is available on each of these viral diseases, and how does that relate to the threat that they pose to humans?

West Nile Virus. 131,000 Web pages (18,400 with name in title). ca. 480 human cases since 1999; 120/year.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis. 7,140 Web pages (97 with name in title). 153 human cases, 1964-1998; ca. 4/year.

St. Louis (or Saint Louis) Encephalitis. 6,239 Web pages (73 with name in title). 4,478 human cases, 1964-1998; ca. 128/year

Western Equine Encephalitis. 2,210 Web pages (23 with name in title). 639 human cases, 1964-1998; ca. 18/year.

LaCrosse (or La Crosse) Encephalitis. 1,206 Web pages (34). ca. 70 human cases/year.

West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis infect about the same number of people per year (120-128). Yet references to West Nile Virus appear on World Wide Web pages 21 times more frequently than references to St. Louis Encephalitis. Even more telling, there are 252 times more major references (i.e., those in which the name appears in the title) to West Nile Virus than to St. Louis Encephalitis. Why the vast difference in coverage? I chalk it up to novelty. St. Louis Encephalitis is old hat. It’s been around for awhile and people have learned to live with it. It’s no longer considered a major risk factor, although a person’s chances of contracting St. Louis Encephalitis is nearly the same as their odds of contracting West Nile Virus. But West Nile Virus is new. It frightens us, peaks our curiosity and interest, as morbid as that may sometimes be.