A Pandemic Salute to BWIAB

Because we will not be hosting tours as part of the Biggest Week in American Birding again this year due to the pandemic, I wanted to at least honor this remarkable event (which starts today) with some striking visuals, captured on the southern shore of our beloved Lake Erie by friend and renowned photographer Art Weber. 

Thank you, Art, for your friendship, your enduring mentorship, your unwavering support of our mission, and for gracious access to your unbelievable skills at capturing nature through your imagery. I light up literally every time I see your work!

An almost electric prothonotary warbler (one of my personal favorites) contemplates its next move
to take down an immobilized Bombus (would need help to ID to species).

The tail-wagging palm warbler is a welcomed guest to Standing Rush each spring.

An alert Swainson's thrush proves one does not need to be bright to be beautiful.

Green herons are common nesters at the marsh (and now that we've moved, in my backyard) and I enjoy seeing -- and hearing -- them,
particularly under the low-light of dawn and dusk.

A Story that Needs to Be Told (and Retold) . . . to Initiate Action

Black-crowned Night Herons are fairly consistent inhabitants at several locations at Standing Rush; a couple have been lurking on an island of woody debris in the West Marsh lately, so I was somewhat prepared -- this individual posed
long enough late last Thursday afternoon for two images: this one and a second (better composed, but very blurry)

Last week (Thursday), an article just published in the journal Science spilled almost redundantly into the mainstream media. Unlike so many biological or environmental subjects which are so often relegated to subtle margins of second sections and/or carried only by "niche" publications, news coverage of this story seemed as sweeping as the original title was bold: Billions of North American birds have vanished.

Greater Yellowlegs in last Thursday's late afternoon sun 

In literally a minute of web searching, here are a handful of some of the largest outlets' respective renditions:

• North American bird population has dropped by 3 billion since 1970, study reveals -- Fox News

• US and Canada have lost nearly 3 billion of bird population in last 50 years: Study -- ABC News

• U.S., Canada have lost 3 billion birds since 1970. Scientists say 'nature is unraveling' -- NBC News

• North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970 -- CBS News

• US and Canada have lost 2.9 billion birds since 1970, study says -- CNN 

• Bird numbers plunge in U.S. and Canada with people to blame -- Reuters

This list could (and does) go on . . . and on. If you haven't caught up with specifics of these findings, pick your poison. No matter the source, the numbers are same: an exhaustive study recently completed concludes that nearly 30% of the entire population of birds (all environments, across all species) have disappeared from the skies over North America in under five decades. That means that in my lifetime, where there would have been four birds -- say in 1975 -- there are now fewer than three (see my caption on the top photo from my most recent post below).

American Bittern -- camouflaging as brown
cattails -- stands in vertical attention in
Standing Rush sun 

I stumbled onto the abstract of the primary source to this media blitz on my phone last Thursday afternoon following a full day in the marsh (escorting surveyors as we gathered site-wide elevation data). I have to admit, it really took the wind out of my sails. I had already slipped off my stealtoes and changed into tennis shoes for the drive home, but I felt compelled to make one more lap around the West Marsh, specifically to seek out anything and everything I could find on the wing.

The images herein capture the diversity that I could gather (in focus) with my camera in one 45 minute shotgun tour on the MULE. I needed the reassurance of seeing some birds, but I also still needed to get home in time for dinner!

Here are the other birds that I witnessed, but did not photograph (with estimated quantities in parentheses): Brown-headed Cowbird (200); Red-winged Blackbird (150); Great Egret (20); Morning Dove (20); Mallard (20); Wood Duck (16); Great Blue Heron (10); Blue-winged Teal (7); Blue Jay (7); Double-crested Cormorant (6); Bald Eagle (5); Trumpeter Swan (5); Common Gallinule (5); American Coot (4); Black-crowned Night Heron (4); Killdeer (4); Greater Yellowlegs (3); Lesser Yellowlegs (2); Green Heron (2); Caspian Tern (2); American Bittern (1); Belted Kingfisher (1); Red-tailed Hawk (1); Marsh Wren (1).

Trumpeter Swans -- once completely eliminated from Ohio
-- are now a common site at Standing Rush

So, if my math is on-point, that breaks down to twenty-three species and approximately 496 individuals. I can never help but wonder what I didn't see on a quick pass like this. My routine when time is limited is to drive for 30 seconds and then sit for 10 minutes. I have a fairly trained eye, but I would not put myself in the "avid" category. Plus, my ear is really untrained (that is, I can't ID much by vocalization like the true birders can).

On one hand, this is a lot of birds. But dare to imagine if there were another 30% or even 50% more? -- even if not in terms of species diversity but in relative abundance?

Three BILLION birds lost?! That's a staggering number. That's more than 5-times the human population of all of North America. And based on the findings, it's not just the uncommon birds that are struggling. Or the birds that rely on forests. Or grasslands. Or big birds or small birds. This mass extraction of life is broad and sweeping and seems to have no prejudice.

Three (not four) Great Blue Herons keeping vigilant watch on muskrat hutches Thursday afternoon

From my perspective, the primary questions introduced through this scientific revelation should be: How do we, as individuals and as a society, respond to stressors on our planet and its resources? Do we resign ourselves to denial or maybe as dangerously to acceptance and complacency ('the world is just changing' . . . 'numbers naturally ebb and flow' . . . 'this is just part of the natural process')? Do we simply allow this to be a headline in a single day's news cycle? Or do we recognize that the power of positive change truly is in our hands?

This scientific research and the systematically vetted conclusions it draws provide an incredible opportunity -- or perhaps more accurately, billions and billions of opportunities to alter countless decisions made each day. Rather than discard these troubling trends as myth or slip into a state of despair, consider what individual steps we can take to collectively reverse a trend. (We have bald eagles and trumpeter swans as feathered success stories.) But ultimately, this story has to do with a lot more than birds.

Individual Decisions that Help Birds (Other Wildlife, and the Planet)

• Make windows safer (consider decals or contrasting tape);
• Keep cats indoors (free-range domestic felines account for an amazing amount of mortality);
• Look for habitat improvement opportunities (literally) in your yard -- plant native plants;
• Reduce -- or wherever feasible, eliminate -- chemicals on your yard;
• Drink shade-grown coffee (helps protect critical forest habitat);
• Introduce someone new to the magic of birds and birding -- especially kids;
• Support local conservation initiatives taking place at the community level;
• Reduce consumption and waste wherever and whenever feasible -- use less plastic;
• Don't be overwhelmed that it all has to happen all at once -- every step in a positive direction is positive . . . simple steps can become habits;
• Click here for a more exhaustive list, not only to help the birds but to generally be better stewards of our planet . . . as has been said, "There is no Plan B."

One BIG Week

Green heron in full spring splendor
(just outside our field office)

As our official involvement in this year's Biggest Week in American Birding draws to a close, I'd like to again thank the Black Swamp Bird Observatory for its tireless energy and passion, remarkable organizational skills and event choreography, and general professionalism. What has been built in the last ten years is truly something remarkable, and the benefits extend WAY beyond just our feathered friends (not just to other groups of animals [including humans] but to the root of conservation itself).

I'd also like to thank all those who attended Standing Rush's presentation at Maumee Bay State Park and those who took the time to come see us in person. Guests this year again represented a staggering spread geographically (Michigan, Indiana, Louisiana, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado, and even Ecuador -- just to name some off the top of my head). It was also really gratifying to have a decent number of true locals join our tours this year. As we've experienced in the past, it is a real shot in the arm to realize that people are paying attention to our efforts and that people are genuinely thrilled to see the progress first-hand.

We also received some satisfying confirmation that at least some people find our online ramblings to be not just informative but entertaining. In fact, I was introduced to the term "binge reading" as it relates to this online journal. Again, this is both flattering and a motivation to keep up the good fight.

One of our furthest human "migrants" to visit Standing Rush this week (from Ecuador), chasing swallows on the wing
with his camera when he wasn't helping to guide the group

In our interaction with Biggest Week, tour participants are highly motivated to visit Standing Rush for a unique encounter that's a little different than the traditional bird watching tour: to learn from on-the-ground restoration by experiencing it first-hand. That said it never hurts to have some decent bird activity. Yesterday, in particular, offered that perfect combination. Participants were very much engaged in the restoration stories, but they were equally enthralled by a stunning variety of birds brought in by Wednesday night's south wind (a rare occurrence thus far this spring).

I haven't seen the final list, but our talented guides tallied somewhere on the order of eighty (that's 8-0!) species of birds on the property in under four hours of touring. They were quick to underscore that "it's not about the numbers," but at the same time, we were all in awe that we surpassed 20 species before we even left the area around our field office. If you do the math, a handful of birders witnessed a new species about every 3 minutes for the entire morning on the property. I'll try to post more specifics at some point, but here are some of the highlights that I was able to capture with my own camera. I'm really hoping our guests contribute some of their favorites from their own cameras so that I can share those, too.

Yesterday marked the first time this year that we witnessed the striking Blackburnian warbler; the first three we saw eluded
my camera, but I caught this one, the fourth -- literally minutes before I left for the day (and the rains came)

This northern parula (another warbler) seemed as happy as we were to be out of the wind and in the sun;
I love photographing in soft willows and newly budding trees this time of year

White-crowned sparrows were a dime a dozen, particularly along stone-covered paths yesterday; but it's still pretty
hard to take this elegant "little brown bird" for granted when you get him magnified and in focus

This blue-gray gnatcatcher literally refused to sit still long enough to pose for the camera; we just lucked out and
captured perpetual motion in this fun still

Yellow warblers remain the dominant warbler species on the property (we literally witnessed hundreds yesterday alone),
but this singing female made for a pose I couldn't resist

Speaking of poses, this American tree swallow sat with a companion bird (on the dead-fall in the background) and
just waited for us to get our fill with our cameras

For every one decent image, there were probably a dozen subjects that just never cooperated, as this black-and-white warbler
demonstrates (that said sometimes out of focus can still make for a neat shot)

Sora, typically pretty secretive rails, have been both very reliable to find on and around our southern boundary and
quite cooperative in posing for the camera these last few days

This single row of dogwoods and willows could have kept us entertained all day

Standing Rush on display at Maumee Bay State Park -- thanks, as always, to the growing list of individuals
who are helping to support our mission

P.S. Just because the festival is wrapping up this weekend, the spring migration is FAR from over. In fact, with all the wind and cool weather we've had over the last several weeks, the best could still be yet to come! If you can't get out right away, make sure you check out the newly released documentary on the importance of our region and the coastal marshes along Lake Erie as they relate to bird migrations. As of this morning, it is now available any time from just about anywhere (free) at https://www.wgte.org/tv/programs/flight-path-world-migratory-birds-0. Thank you public media!

Tune In -- FLIGHT PATH: The World of Migratory Birds

Last evening I was able to participate in the private viewing of a new documentary produced locally -- but quite literally filmed internationally -- that showcases the tremendous importance of northwest Ohio as a stopover for neotropical bird migrants who are currently making their way north from their "wintering grounds" in Central America, the Caribbean, and even as far away as South America to their "breeding grounds" in the northern U.S. and Canada.

As I find myself smack dab in the middle of "The Biggest Week in American Birding," I quite simply don't have the time to elaborate much right now. I had about a 16-hour day yesterday and I have to get back in the truck to get to the marsh now.

What I will say is that this one-hour production is the first of what we hope could be as much as a 13-part series. It lays the groundwork for a much broader curriculum that a whole host of talented contributors envision will ultimately educate both the general public and more specifically targeted youth demographics (through companion teaching tools that will be made available for schools).

Episode one will be released locally tomorrow evening (Thursday, May 9th) -- airing on WGTE at 8:00 p.m. It will be available online starting Friday morning and then will be released statewide in the coming weeks. The ultimate goal is to have this first episode, and ultimately the entire series, "picked up" nationally by national public media. This is a story not only worth telling, but worth sharing with the rest of the country (and the world).

Standing Rush has been honored to be involved in this very worthwhile project. Whether your interests lie in birds and birding specifically, or conservation in general, this is a program that will provide new insights and a renewed hope. If you are new to the subject entirely, please consider tuning in to learn just how important our very own backyards are to this incredible story.

UPDATE #1: Initial air times on WGTE --

Thursday, May 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, May 10 at 2:00 a.m.
Friday, May 10 at 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 12 at 12:00 a.m.
Sunday, May 12 at 10:00 a.m.

UPDATE #2: Information for those outside of NW Ohio interested in watching should check in on WGTE's website to stream the documentary online. As of today (5/9/19), it is available here.

Fall Migrants and More Good News

A small flock of juvenile Yellow-rumped (or Myrtle) Warblers kept me entertained/constantly moving with the camera;
they were just doing what they do: flitting out for groggy bugs between bites of dogwood berries

Appropriately, northwest Ohio in general and the southwestern shoreline of Lake Erie more specifically receive a great deal of attention from birders (bird and bird watching enthusiasts) during the spring. As soon as the snow melts -- and in truth, even before -- a steady and diverse stream of colorful visitors on-the-wing and equally colorful people behind their binoculars begin their annual right of passage.

A rare opportunity to catch a still Yellow-rumped,
enjoying some morning sunshine

For those with feathers, spring "migrants" are making a move from south to north, in preparation for breading wherever they call home for the summer months. For everyone else, it is an opportunity to observe a natural phenomenon that is both unique to our region and significant to a much broader geography (like from the southern tip of South America to the northern reaches of the Arctic Circle).

This particular pulse of life northward is amplified by our Great Lake and its proximity to the others. Huge expanses of huge water become "pinch points," funneling millions of birds that are often weighed in single digit grams over specific land masses. We are one of the biggest beneficiaries -- witnessing hundreds of bird species as they temporarily stop over to rest, and now (as the word continues to get out) witnessing hundreds of thousands of bird lovers who visit our area to participate in this annual spectacle.

One of the main reasons this news has expanded to an ever-increasing number of people ties back to the tireless efforts of a tremendous grassroots organization that has been very good not only to the birds, but to conservation in general and Standing Rush in particular -- the Black Swamp Bird Observatory.

The acrobatic -- and often difficult to photograph --
Ruby-crowned Kinglet

I've certainly written about the great work of BSBO and our recent and ongoing efforts to collaborate. The Biggest Week in American Birding (or "Biggest Week" as it is affectionately abbreviated) has become the culmination of bird loving fun in NW Ohio in the spring. But it's important to realize: (1) that the spring migrants north come back south -- with nice pulses of new visitors visiting the marsh right now; and, (2) BSBO's work is year-round.

If you want to keep up on daily activities at the Observatory, their Facebook page is a treat. Not only do they update on coming events and tours (again, year round), they also include tons of awesome photos with reliable identification -- especially when they are mist netting and banding birds as they are right now. This is an activity that I hope to bring to Standing Rush soon. Not only does it have significant research implications, but banding also provides an incredible educational opportunity for people to gain up-close and personal experiences with these magical little critters.

The tiny Golden-crowned Kinglet;
one of my absolute favorites
(click to enlarge)

My impromptu bird walk yesterday turned out to be very timely for several reasons. First off, I was able to check in on the construction project a couple times while trucks brought clay back to the project site -- a good sign that we are definitely starting to put things back together!

Also, I received two phone calls from BSBO members while I was walking the dikes with binocs in hand. As it turns out, I am thrilled to report that for the second consecutive year, Standing Rush has been unanimously chosen by the Observatory to be the sole recipient of their Biggest Week Conservation Fund -- an unrestricted monetary gift that will go directly to our restoration and preservation initiatives. We are once again humbled, honored, and just so appreciative of this incredible generosity. Once again, all those involved should rest well knowing their resources will be put to very good use! You can read more through BSBO's beautiful quarterly newsletter here.

Finally, my walk was well-timed because not only was I able to count ~30 species in ~90 minutes of walking, as you see here, I was also able to capture a few of them reasonably well on camera. I won't be winning any photography contests any time soon, but it's always tons of fun to have some visual account of some of what I was able to see. (Other highlights included: Northern Waterthrush, Fox Sparrow, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Great Horned Owl).

Got lucky with how this one turned out -- love how the striking White-throated Sparrow is still identifiable
behind the well-focused cherry limb

I love how this image of blackbirds -- a hallmark of the transition that is autumn -- almost appears black and white
rather than full color

A slightly more colorful rendition of blackbirds -- obviously this time on the wing
(at some point, I need to write a post on "blackbirds" because there are at least a handful of species that qualify in our area)

Another sure sign that we are in the midst of transition; this image also serves as a good reminder of how
intertwined marsh management (and in fact, the very existence of coastal wetlands) is with row-crop agriculture

The Hits Just Keep on Comin'

Kimberly Kaufman (in green) and her support staff following a morning in the marsh; July 20, 2017

One steamy summer morning this past July, I had the privilege of guiding a handful of staff members and a handful of board members and volunteers from the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) along portions of our interior dike system to take in the sites and sounds and to talk conservation and restoration. I say "portions" of the marsh because for those of you who are or who know birders, you can appreciate that tours tend to move at their own (slow) walking pace!

I really enjoyed our time together. It is always fun to see a group taken aback by a solitary bald eagle resting at close range on the dike. I got a real kick out of watching synchronized binoculars race to catch up with a young sandpiper scurrying across the path and hearing the collective "ooohhh!" as a black-crowned night heron banked overhead. Even though we didn't see anything especially "rare" -- particularly to a group of seasoned bird watchers -- everything seemed to be enthusiastically perceived as special.

The morning was particularly special for me and for Standing Rush. Of course, I loved the time together on the tour. But as the sun gained height and intensity, and as we sought refuge in the shade of some towering cottonwood trees before going our separate ways, BSBO's Executive Director Kimberly Kaufman made an informal presentation of sorts that really left me humbled.

This BSBO thank you note from our July field trip together
sits on my office window sill as a reminder and motivation

I've come to learn that $5 of every online registration for BSBO's stunning Biggest Week in American Birding is pooled into a collective "conservation fund." And each year the staff, board, and supporting committees vote on recipients to be stewards of these funds. Under the shade of those quaking leaves, Kim announced to me and to the group that Standing Rush would be this year's unanimous and sole recipient.

To say that I was (and am) flattered would be a gross understatement. It was a surreal moment in the life of this project -- and a tough secret to keep until Kim could make this announcement public.

Kim presenting me with an unrestricted gift of $8,000
to be used for on-the-ground restoration efforts
at Standing Rush

My wife and I were again flattered, this time as guests of BSBO's 25th anniversary gathering this past Saturday evening at Maumee Bay State Park. A packed tent braved crisp autumn temps to take in this historic milestone for the non-profit and to hear Kim's remarks (which she echoed in her notes that prefaced the organization's recently released newsletter, see page 2).

We were truly honored to be a part of the night. And I appreciated the opportunity (1) to tell all those in attendance that each dollar of their collective gift would be put to good use -- and (2) to reciprocate a thank you!

ASIDE: As another incredible example of the serendipity of this project, I recently found that all of our unanticipated costs incurred because of challenges associated with this year's historically high water (dike damage, extra water conveyance, etc.) ultimately tallied to a now familiar dollar amount: $8,000. (See photo at right.) Unbelievable.

P.S. Whether you are a birder or not, if you have an interest in or passion for the environment, do yourself a favor and learn more about BSBO -- maybe even consider becoming a member. While birds reign supreme, there is a lot more to their organization than beaks and feathers!