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Bye-Bye, Birdie? Audubon Sounds Alarm Over Populations In Decline

Tribune photo by Robert Burke

Bernie Kaiser enters an area protected as habitat for Florida scrub jays. The species showed up on Audubon's priority watch list of birds facing extinction or in serious decline.

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By SUSAN M. GREEN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 2, 2008

TAMPA - Remember when the sun came up and set the world a-twitter? Raspy caws and tuneful whistles filled the air, as though the birds just couldn't keep the news of the day to themselves.

If dawn seems a little less noisy now, it may not be your imagination. Scientists say numerous avian populations are in serious decline, and the birds' new wake-up call may be their silence.

On a National Audubon Society watch list released late last year, Florida ranks fourth in the United States - after Hawaii, California and Texas - for the number of species that have professional bird-watchers worried.

"We think of extinction as something going on in the Brazilian rain forest or in Africa," said Ann Paul, Audubon of Florida's regional coordinator for Tampa Bay. "But, we see extinction going on, in that species are getting rare ... right here in Florida."

A total of 68 species of Florida birds are listed as at risk of extinction or in serious decline on the national list, which stems from bird count surveys by Audubon and the American Bird Conservancy.

At least seven species that live in Florida, breed here or use the state as a rest stop during migration have landed on Audubon's priority list of 20 imperiled birds that breed in the continental United States. They include the Florida scrub jay, red-cockaded woodpecker and reddish egret.

Birds And The Ecosystem

That's important not only to people who care about birds, but for those who care about a healthy environment for other species, said Ann Hodgson, Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries manager for the state Audubon organization.

"When we see so many species are on our watch list, in trouble, it really speaks to the future of the ecosystem in the United States," Hodgson said. "The web of life is not healthy in the United States."

Audubon of Florida's priority watch list, a state-tailored version of key birds in trouble, includes the least tern, prothonotary warbler, swallow-tailed kite and red knot. Some ornithologists predict the red knot, a shorebird that winters in Florida, could be history as soon as 2010 if steps aren't taken to protect it.

Many of the birds on Audubon's roster show up on federal lists of endangered or threatened birds entitled to special protection because of their dwindling numbers. Hodgson said Audubon developed its own list based on recent research and free from the political influences that dog government lists.

"It's a strong scientific opinion," she said. "It's an early warning to all regulatory agencies."

Experts say shrinking habitat is the No. 1 reason most of the listed birds are in trouble. In Florida, the scrub jay, least tern and sandhill crane are all losing ground to development.

In some cases, like the red knot, the problem is a break in the food chain. Delaware Bay provides a foraging area for red knots flying a 9,000-mile migration path from the Arctic to Argentina. Scientists say over-harvesting of horseshoe crab eggs that provide fuel for the birds is threatening the species' survival. In Florida, the shorebirds stop to rest at places such as Shell Key.

Other birds, like the mottled duck that lives and breeds in Florida, may fade away because of the introduction of nonnative relatives. People buy mallard ducklings as pets for Easter, Paul said, then turn them loose when they mature. The adult mallards mate with the native ducks, producing hybrid offspring that no longer are true mottled ducks.

The birds that show up on the national and state lists are not the only ones worrying avian census takers.

Even fish crows, predictable in their congregating habits and tough to miss with their signature "awh-awh" cry, have been dropping in numbers logged during recent surveys in the Tampa Bay area. Bird counters staked out the fish crow's favorite haunts and logged only 2,800 in December, compared with more than 9,000 in December 2006. Records since 1994 show ups and downs, but generally a steady decline, Paul said.

People And Bird Habitat

Hodgson said she thinks people have an obligation to help maintain diversity of plant and animal species.

Even people who don't should be concerned about the role each species plays in nature and what may happen if an entire population is wiped out, Paul said. Warblers, for example, not only sing but provide significant pest control by eating harmful insects that destroy trees. Several types of warblers are on the Audubon watch list.

Bird-watching also has become a huge tourist attraction, drawing visitors who spend money for food and lodging to the state, Paul said.

Hodgson said people can help sustain bird populations by supporting public and private conservation efforts and government policies that protect wildlife. They also can use native plants and keep bird habits in mind when landscaping yards.

Boaters can help by respecting posted "no trespassing" signs on island sanctuaries set aside for nesting birds, Paul said. Often, human presence alone on a sandy shore can spook adult birds and keep them off their eggs long enough to ensure a disastrous nesting season.

For information, visit www.audubon.org or www. audubonofflorida.org, or call (813) 623-6826.

Reporter Susan M. Green can be reached at (813) 865-1566 or sgreen@tampatrib.com.

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