Towheeblog

Checked another portion of Salem CBC Sector 1 today…in the rain…so mostly ducks and other waterfowl. Meanwhile the Wild Turkeys were back in our garden after an absence of several days–now there are fourteen in the flock, exactly the number at maximum strength last winter. About half of these turkeys are last summer’s young.

AT WIRTH LAKE

GARDEN VISITORS

The last image shows a leucistic American Goldfinch with its white rear end.

954 Ratcliff Drive SE, Marion, Oregon, US
Dec 9, 2022
15 species

Wild Turkey  14     largest flock this season
Mourning Dove  12
Northern Flicker  1
Steller’s Jay  1
California Scrub-Jay  6
American Crow  3
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
European Starling  1
House Finch  X
Lesser Goldfinch  X
American Goldfinch  X
Dark-eyed Junco  20
Golden-crowned Sparrow  2
White-throated Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  1

SALEM CBC AREA #1, Marion, Oregon, US
Dec 9, 2022
9 species (+3 other taxa)

Canada Goose  6
Domestic goose sp. x Canada Goose (hybrid)  3     graylag at Gateway Park’s  Walter Wirth Lake
Northern Shoveler  40     in Blue Gill Lake
Mallard  170
Mallard (Domestic type)  X
Lesser Scaup  12
Bufflehead  25
Hooded Merganser  9     Walter Wirth Lake
Ruddy Duck  60
Pied-billed Grebe  8
American Coot  150
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  1

Housecats are an invasive species–click here.

The US often turns away from international co-operation. Are we really that superior, that exceptional? One Brit thinks it is selfish greed–click here if you’re ready for some severe anti-Americanism. George Monbiot here has perfected nation condemnation. On the very day it is apparent that oil companies have no intention of changing their ways–click here.

Some good news from the Center for Biological Diversity:

Dixie Valley Toads Win Final ProtectionAfter five years of legal action by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just finalized Endangered Species Act protection for Dixie Valley toads. These extremely rare amphibians — previously protected by an emergency order — have been under acute threat from a geothermal power plant likely to dry up the hot springs they depend on. These black-freckled amphibians are hardly bigger than a quarter. Unfortunately their range is tiny, too — they live only in a single hot spring-fed wetland of about 700 acres. “This is a significant victory,” said the Center’s Great Basin Director Patrick Donnelly. “Renewable energy is essential to combating the climate emergency, but it can’t come at the cost of extinction.” Check out this video of the newly protected toads enjoying their natural habitat on Instagram or YouTube. Wildlife Gets Reprieve From Lead in Refuges After a lawsuit from the Center last year, a federal judge has ordered the Fish and Wildlife Service to take measures to protect endangered animals — like whooping cranes and wood storks — from poisonous lead ammunition and tackle at several wildlife refuges. Our suit challenged a Trump-era decision to expand hunting and fishing on 2.3 million acres, across 147 wildlife refuges and national fish hatcheries. “I’m hopeful the protections stemming from this lawsuit are just the beginning,” said Camila Cossío, a Center attorney. Take action to help us make sure: Tell the Service to get toxic lead out of all wildlife refuges now. Stopping Bulldozers at the Border Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey already faces legal challenges from the Center and others over the illegal wall he’s building out of shipping containers on federal public land along the U.S.-Mexico border. Now he’s also contending with brave protesters who — in the absence of federal law enforcement — are putting their bodies on the line to stop the bulldozers. Ducey’s junk wall is being built right in the middle of key migration corridors for many species, including endangered jaguars, ocelots, and 400 different kinds of migratory birds. We’re doing everything we can to stop the harm to wildlife and tear down the wall. Please help by giving to the Saving Life on Earth Fund. Thanks to an anonymous group of wildlife champions, your donation will be doubled.  Little Piggy Had None: Win for Two Island Plants Good news off the coast of California: The Fish and Wildlife Service just proposed to take two Channel Islands plants off the endangered species list because they’ve recovered. Both had been driven to the brink of extinction by nonnative sheep and feral pigs, who were grazing and trampling them into oblivion. The Channel Island bedstraw and Santa Cruz Island dudleya were protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1997; then the sheep and pigs were removed from the islands, benefiting not just the two plants but the whole ecosystem. “Recovery can take decades, but the investment is worth it to safeguard the biodiversity we all depend on,” said the Center’s Tierra Curry. Help Save Howlers, Jaguars and More From Pet Trade Mexico is home to howler monkeys, jaguars, sloths, parrots, and other amazing animals and plants. But many of these species are threatened with extinction, partly because of the wildlife trade. Each year thousands of animals suffer and die, plucked from their native habitats to be sold as exotic pets.   An undercover investigation by the Center revealed widespread wildlife trafficking in Mexico, often carried out shamelessly and without consequences on social media. In this video on Facebook and YouTube, you can see devastating footage sent to us by traffickers trying to entice buyers for kidnapped baby howler monkeys. You can help: Take action to urge Mexico authorities to crack down on illegal wildlife trade and protect the nation’s incredible biodiversity.  Emergency Protection Sought for Clear Lake Hitch With a coalition of Pomo advocates fighting to save the species, on Monday the Center urged Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the Fish and Wildlife Service to give emergency protection for Northern California’s Clear Lake hitch — a fish in real danger of going extinct in the next few years. The hitch has great cultural significance for the Pomo and has been a primary food source for generations. “We’re talking about extinction,” said Meg Townsend, a Center attorney. “The hitch can’t withstand one more year of failed spawning. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s failure to protect this severely imperiled fish for more than a decade is shocking and unacceptable. Only emergency protection can give the hitch a fighting chance.” Center Visual Specialist Awarded for Monarch VideoWe’re proud to announce that the Center’s Environmental Scientist and Communicator Dipika Kadaba has won the 2022 Silver Information Is Beautiful Award from the Data Visualization Society for her timelapse animation showing the catastrophic decline of monarch butterflies. “Monarchs are recognizable at small scales, so they can be visualized as their authentic selves,” said Dipika. “Dwindling and increasingly alone.” The award celebrates excellence across the field of data visualization — obviously a feature of this heartbreaking animation. Check it out on Facebook or YouTube. Gains for Two Coastal Species in Florida Our advocacy efforts just helped spur commitments from Florida to better protect manatees and diamondback terrapins. Responding to a petition from the Center and allies, the state will improve its boater-safety course to help save manatees and other coastal wildlife from collisions, which kill more than 100 of these gentle, playful mammals yearly. And following public feedback — including a letter from turtle experts and extensive oral comments by the Center — Florida will keep its ban on captive breeding and commercial trade of uniquely patterned terrapin turtles. Florida is the main home for both these species, but they also roam the coast west to Texas and as far north as Massachusetts. The Revelator: Reptile Trade BluesPeople love blue tree monitor lizards — to death. Rampant illegal trade is pushing them toward extinction. Thankfully, two leading authorities on the international wildlife trade know what’s necessary to save them. Learn more in The Revelator and don’t miss the free e-newsletter bringing you each week’s best environmental articles and essays. That’s Wild: Mouse Psyches Move Mountains A new study may soon show that the minds of mice play a major role in how forest growth moves across a landscape — because the distinct personalities of mice influence which seeds, and how many, are eaten and dispersed. University of Maine biologists are using fluorescent powder to track seed collection and dispersal by thousands of deer mice (and southern red-backed voles) throughout the fall and winter. Then they’ll look for patterns telling the story of how different critters — each categorized on a spectrum from “bold” to “shy” — decide which seeds to put where. Previous studies have shown that unlogged forests with a mix of habitat types harbored mice with more diversity in personality — which “is a good thing, just like genetic diversity is a good thing,” said one researcher. Follow UsCenter for Biological Diversity | Saving Life on Earth