I teach at Pacific Lutheran University and I work on Red Crossbills
>> (specifically song divergence). This summer I am trying to record the
>> songs of as many of the call types as possible. I would greatly
>> appreciate any information that anyone has about red crossbills. They
>> will likely be settling down to breed soon and so if anyone hears
>> crossbills singing or observes behaviors that suggest that they are
>> likely to remain in a given area to breed I would greatly appreciate an
>> email to indicate where they were observed.
>>
>> Also helpful is information about developing cone crops. They specialize
>> on seeds in conifer cones and so if there is a large cone crop in a
>> given area this can be a good indicator that crossbills may breed in
>> that area in July - August. It would be very helpful to know about cone
>> crops for the following conifers - Ponderosa pine, Engleman spruce,
>> Douglas fir, Western hemlock, Sitka spruce.
>>
>> Thanks for your help.
>>
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Julie Smith

smithjw@plu.edu
 

 Bald eagles at a nest (live)

Oct 15, "Audubon Advisory" volume2009, issue 6. JudyMigratory Bird Conservation Bill Moving through Congress . Each spring, millions of birds travel thousands of miles from Latin America and the Caribbean to their breeding grounds as far north as the Arctic. When winter returns, these migrants make the long trip back to warmer southern climates. Along their journey, neotropical migrants face dangers from development, invasive species, avian diseases, and climate change. In order to protect these incredible birds, such as the Western Tanager, Wood Thrush, and Bobolink, there must be international cooperation to establish conservation projects throughout their migratory path. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) supports vital conservation projects in 44 U.S. states and territories, 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries, and 12 Canadian provinces and territories, benefiting roughly 3 million acres of migratory bird habitat. The NMBCA grant program is an innovative, cost-effective approach to bird conservation. But right now, this program can only support a fraction of the projects in need of funding. Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the House (HR 2213) and Senate (S 690) would triple the size of the grant program by increasing the authorized funding from the currently authorized level of $6.5 million to $20 million in 2015. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is expected to consider the bill soon.

Several environmental groups are collecting signatures on a petition called "Save Our Boreal Birds" which they will send to Canada's Prime Minister and to many provincial leaders. They need about 500 more signatures to reach their goal. The petition asks that vital bird habitat be kept intact.  They have petitions for those of us “south of the border” to sign as well.  In recent years, we have seen long-term declines in many Boreal bird species. Rusty Blackbirds have declined by 95%, Olive-sided Flycatchers, Boreal Chickadees, Bay-breasted and Canada Warblers, and Evening Grosbeaks by more than 70%, and scaup and scoters by over 50%. 

An Interesting article