News

We're delighted to welcome back Basic Business member Alta Vista Bed and Breakfast Inn, birder-friendly lodging in Tucson owned and managed by Peter & Gaila Smith. The Smiths have lots of birds on their property and enjoy hosting birders. For early birding, ask about their brown-bag breakfast!

SABO's staff and volunteers are mourning the loss of longtime volunteer Macre Inabinet, who passed away this week after a short battle with cancer. Macre and her husband Cary have been members of the Upper San Pedro River banding team for several years, and her passing will be deeply felt by all of us.

We send our heartfelt condolences to Cary and all of Macre's family and friends join them in fond remembrance of her life and accomplishments.

Banning Creek Field Station is now officially closed. The old miner's cabin that we initially hoped would function as an office and headquarters proved inadequate for those uses, but we stayed on in order to maintain a feeding station and have a venue for occasional activities such as owl prowls and workshops. Downsizing of the staff in 2008 made it increasingly difficult even to maintain the feeding station, so when the property owner decided to use the cabin for storage we realized it was time to move on and look for a new home for SABO.

We appreciate everyone who has visited the station and supported our programs there over the last seven years. If and when we find a new location that meets our research and outreach needs and are again able to extend hospitality to the birding community, we'll announce it here.

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Happy holidays!

Fall migration brings an increase in incidents of hummingbirds getting trapped in garages. The birds are attracted to the bright red emergency release handles on garage door openers and often get confused and frightened once inside the garage. Many exhaust themselves and die before finding an escape route.

To prevent this from happening, wrap the handle in tape of a less hummingbird-attractive bright color such as fluorescent blue, green, or yellow (not orange or hot pink).

To rescue a trapped hummingbird:

1. Open the garage doors as wide as possible and keep people and pets out of the space and away from the exit. Any windows should be darkened by closing the blinds or curtains or covering them with a blanket or other light-blocking material. Turn off artificial lighting.

2. Fill a hummingbird feeder with a solution of 4 parts water to one part white sugar and place it near the spot the bird is spending the most time in its attempts to escape. If you don't own a feeder, one can be purchased for less than $10 from many discount, hardware, grocery, and drug stores. Feeders with large areas of red are best for this task.

3. Watch from a discrete distance until the bird notices the feeder and takes at least a couple of drinks (this will help replenish its energy and buy you time to accomplish the rescue).

4. Slowly and quietly reenter the space and move the feeder a few feet toward an exit, waiting until the bird uses the feeder again to be sure it's following. Repeat this until the feeder is within 3 to 4 feet of the exit.

5. If the bird doesn't notice the exit and escape during one of the steps above, hang the feeder in the doorway or just outside, visible from the bird's preferred perch. Once the bird comes down to drink again, it should continue outside to safety.

A warm SABO welcome to new Basic Business member Lazy Dog Ranch, a birder-friendly bed & breakfast on the San Pedro River owned and managed by Michael and Catherine McCormack with assistance from their canine companions Mack, Zorra, and Thor.
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A male Black-chinned Hummingbird banded as a juvenile ("hatch-year") on the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area on September 9, 2000 was recaptured and released in the Bitterroot Valley of southwestern Montana on July 26, 2009. Hummingbird banders Ned and Gigi Batchelder report that the bird appeared to be in excellent health and drank heartily when offered sugar water before release.

This encounter represents the longest distance between encounters (approximately 1035 miles) for any hummingbird in SABO's 14 seasons of banding and confirms that Black-chinned Hummingbirds on the San Pedro River include migrants from distant populations as well as members of the local breeding population. The bird is also the second oldest individual in this study and possibly the oldest male Black-chinned Hummingbird documented so far.

From the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

Birdwatchers No Featherweights in Contributions to Economy

A new report released today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows one of every five Americans watches birds, and in doing so, birdwatchers contributed $36 billion to the U.S. economy in 2006, the most recent year for which economic data are available. The report – Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis – shows that total participation in birdwatching is strong at 48 million, and remaining at a steady 20 percent of the U.S. population since 1996.

Participation rates vary, but are generally greater in the northern half of the country. The five top states with the greatest birding participation rates include Montana (40 percent), Maine (39 percent), Vermont (38 percent), Minnesota (33 percent) and Iowa (33 percent).

The report identifies who birders are, where they live, how avid they are, and what kinds of birds they watch. In addition to demographic information, this report also provides an estimate of how much birders spend on their hobby and the economic impact of these expenditures.

The report is an addendum to the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The 2006 survey is the eleventh in a series of surveys conducted about every 5 years that began in 1955. The survey, conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with state wildlife agencies and national conservation organizations, has become the reference for participation and expenditure information on fish and wildlife recreation in the United States. The survey helps quantify how enjoyment of the outdoors and wildlife contributes to society and promotes a healthy economy – and further strengthens the Service’s commitment to conserve the nation’s wildlife for the enjoyment and benefit of the American people.

A copy of the Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis can be downloaded here:
http://library.fws.gov/Pubs/birding_natsurvey06.pdf
 
In conjunction with the release of the birding report, the Service also issued another similar addendum to the 2006 Survey entitled, Wildlife Watching Trends: 1991–2006 A Reference Report. This report shows similar trends in wildlife-watching, a broader category that includes large and small-mammal viewing.
 
An overview of the Survey, and a wealth of other information, can be found online at:
http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/NationalSurvey/National_Survey.htm

A bill has been introduced into the House of Representatives that would amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to provide harsher maximum penalties for intentionally taking protected birds and monetary rewards for information that leads to arrest or criminal conviction of violators.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act Penalty and Enforcement Act of 2009 would help to bring the penalties for violation of the Act in line with the increasingly lucrative nature of some wildlife crimes (sale of feathers, for example) and the horrific nature of some offenses. Under the amendment's provisions, intentional and malicious violation of the Act would be become a felony, and violators would be subject to "not more than $50,000 or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both, for each violation." The fines would provide funds with which to reward informants.

The bill, which is currently before the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, was introduced by Rep. Pete DeFazio of Oregon and cosponsored by:

Rep. Howard Berman [CA-28]
Rep. Earl Blumenauer [OR-3]
Rep. Sam Farr [CA-17]
Rep. Raul Grijalva [AZ-7]
Rep. Phil Hare [IL-17]
Rep. Mazie Hirono [HI-2]
Rep. Ron Kind [WI-3]
Rep. Barbara Lee [CA-9]
Rep. Betty McCollum [MN-4]
Rep. Michael Michaud [ME-2]
Rep. George Miller [CA-7]
Rep. Joe Sestak [PA-7]
Rep. Henry Waxman [CA-30]
Rep. Robert Wexler [FL-19]
Rep. David Wu [OR-1].

SABO's hummingbird banding projects on the San Pedro River and in the Huachuca Mountains will resume June 27 and continue through October 3. The schedule has been posted on the calendar of events but may be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. Alterations to the banding schedule will be posted as soon as possible here on SABO's News page, and members who register to visit the Carr Canyon banding station will be notified by e-mail.