Atlanta’s highest-flying falcons are parents again, and the world is watching. A Web camera at www.georgiawildlife.com provides frequent updates on the two adult peregrine falcons and their nest outside the 51st-floor offices of the McKenna, Long & Aldridge law firm in downtown Atlanta.
The inside look at these protected raptors is unique, said Jim Ozier, a Nongame Conservation Section program manager with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division. “The public wouldn’t have any other opportunity to view a (peregrine) nest in Atlanta, and in prime time,” he said.
Peregrines typically mate for life. The pair nesting on the high-rise balcony has two young this year. The eggs hatched in mid-April. The nestlings will leave the nest at about 5 weeks old.
Jeff Haidet, chairman of the law firm, said the hatching of the falcons is “a sure sign of spring.” “I have a bird's-eye view of the nest from our offices, and am always fascinated to watch the progression of the babies from birth to flight,” Haidet said.
Peregrines were removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species because of a successful population recovery effort, but Georgia still lists the birds as rare. Historically, the only known nest in the state was at Cloudland Canyon in the early 1940s. Peregrines were apparently absent for several years during and after the DDT era. Now, there are two known peregrine pairs nesting in Georgia, both in Atlanta. One of the adults at the second nest fledged from the nest on the law firm balcony, said Ozier, who bands the nestlings.
Peregrines are possibly the fastest animal in the world. Their dives, used to catch birds in flight, have been clocked at more than 200 mph.
The public has watched falcons nest at McKenna, Long & Aldridge for six years, thanks to the law firm and a grant from The Garden Club of Georgia. One of the first birds nesting there was released in Atlanta by the state, in partnership with Georgia Power Co. and Zoo Atlanta.
The new falcons will face an urban environment plump with pigeons and other winged prey but also packed with hazards such as traffic and windows. Two of the three peregrines hatched in 2008 were later treated for injuries. One of last year’s peregrines died from injuries, Ozier said.
To see this year’s nest, go to www.georgiawildlife.com and click “Conservation," then “Species of Concern” and the peregrine falcon Web cam link under the “Bird Conservation” label. (Or, go directly to the site at www.georgiawildlife.com/node/615.) The view shows the planter where the birds nest. Images are updated every 30 seconds. Frequently hit your computer’s refresh, or reload page, button.
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Showing posts with label nest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nest. Show all posts
Friday, May 7, 2010
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Another First for the Season on Tybee
Tybee records first turtle nest of season
by Mary Landers
by Mary Landers
After dark on Saturday, a loggerhead sea turtle crawled out of the surf, dug her nest, and laid 140 eggs right next to a bright red Coke can on Tybee Island's Eighth Street beach. It was the first sea turtle nest recorded on the island this season. Volunteer Danny Carpenter found the nest while patrolling the beach Sunday morning.....http://savannahnow.com/node/732161
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Saturday, August 2, 2008
Risks To Wild Bird Populations Mitigated By Artificial Nest Boxes
24-7 - North American bird populations continue to decline at a steady rate due to human activities such as habitat loss, pesticide use, outdoor cats, window strikes, and power lines. A new Alberta company believes it's possible to mitigate some of those effects by providing artificial homes for wild birds. The biologist-run internet company named Northern Bird Houses goes two steps further than your typical department store 'pet aisle' by providing education alongside the sale of species-accurate bird houses.
"Birds around the world are in serious trouble due to human alteration of natural areas and massive consumption of resources," says award-winning biologist, Dianne Wittner. "Most of us could turn our own yards into bird-friendly habitat with a few simple steps."
Wittner says one of those steps is the addition of nest boxes and platforms. Tree clearing has led to a shortage of appropriate locations for cavity-nesting species such as bluebirds, swallows, wrens, chickadees, owls, woodpeckers, and even ducks. However, Wittner stresses the importance of not putting up "just any old box", but erecting nest boxes that possess the correct features, thereby increasing the likelihood of survival for offspring. "So many of the bird houses sold in large retail stores or pet stores will end up in early mortalities for its occupants," Wittner says. "For example, I was asked to help a youth group that had spent days painting and hanging dozens of bird boxes only to discover the box designs were absolutely useless. They had to start all over again. If we really want to take positive action for birds, we should sell products that save lives and enhance conservation."
The development of Northern Bird Houses, a dot-com enterprise, was a result of Wittner's frustration with the lack of good information for consumers. "It's not like selling a set of curtains that turns out to be mismatched or the wrong size. If you sell a nest box that is not properly designed, lives are lost. We simply can't afford to lose any more birds unnecessarily."
In the U.S. and Canada, statistics indicate bird mortalities due to human factors to be in the tens of millions every year. Creating environmentally friendly yards that provide shelter and food is a growing trend but it's not enough.
Erecting bird houses is not a new concept; the come-back of bluebirds in the last fifty to seventy years has been largely aided by artificial nest boxes made by people. However, an internet outlet that sells properly designed houses, provides free and accurate information for their use, provides loads of professional reference material, and donates a percentage of proceeds to conservation organizations, is both innovative and responsible. Operators of the site hope to raise awareness and encourage action all over North America while raising money at the same time.
Bird watching is this continent's second most popular leisure activity and still on the rise. This new website, www.NorthernBirdHouses.com, allows bird lovers to browse products in total confidence, knowing each one is tested and proven safe. Many visitors to the site are simply looking for information or photographs that can be used in school projects, reports, or for personal use. There is so much free stuff shoppers don't even need to take their wallets out to come away with something new. Furthermore, visitors can ask for material not found on the site, such as pictures to help identify species and additional references.
"Birds around the world are in serious trouble due to human alteration of natural areas and massive consumption of resources," says award-winning biologist, Dianne Wittner. "Most of us could turn our own yards into bird-friendly habitat with a few simple steps."
Wittner says one of those steps is the addition of nest boxes and platforms. Tree clearing has led to a shortage of appropriate locations for cavity-nesting species such as bluebirds, swallows, wrens, chickadees, owls, woodpeckers, and even ducks. However, Wittner stresses the importance of not putting up "just any old box", but erecting nest boxes that possess the correct features, thereby increasing the likelihood of survival for offspring. "So many of the bird houses sold in large retail stores or pet stores will end up in early mortalities for its occupants," Wittner says. "For example, I was asked to help a youth group that had spent days painting and hanging dozens of bird boxes only to discover the box designs were absolutely useless. They had to start all over again. If we really want to take positive action for birds, we should sell products that save lives and enhance conservation."
The development of Northern Bird Houses, a dot-com enterprise, was a result of Wittner's frustration with the lack of good information for consumers. "It's not like selling a set of curtains that turns out to be mismatched or the wrong size. If you sell a nest box that is not properly designed, lives are lost. We simply can't afford to lose any more birds unnecessarily."
In the U.S. and Canada, statistics indicate bird mortalities due to human factors to be in the tens of millions every year. Creating environmentally friendly yards that provide shelter and food is a growing trend but it's not enough.
Erecting bird houses is not a new concept; the come-back of bluebirds in the last fifty to seventy years has been largely aided by artificial nest boxes made by people. However, an internet outlet that sells properly designed houses, provides free and accurate information for their use, provides loads of professional reference material, and donates a percentage of proceeds to conservation organizations, is both innovative and responsible. Operators of the site hope to raise awareness and encourage action all over North America while raising money at the same time.
Bird watching is this continent's second most popular leisure activity and still on the rise. This new website, www.NorthernBirdHouses.com, allows bird lovers to browse products in total confidence, knowing each one is tested and proven safe. Many visitors to the site are simply looking for information or photographs that can be used in school projects, reports, or for personal use. There is so much free stuff shoppers don't even need to take their wallets out to come away with something new. Furthermore, visitors can ask for material not found on the site, such as pictures to help identify species and additional references.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sandy Toes Learns about Loggerhead Sea Turtles on Edisto
AAG Note: Loggerhead Sea Turtles are an endangered species. Thanks to efforts up and down the east coast, these guys are being given a fighting chance for their survival. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island is a great place to learn more about these graceful creatures. Click here to visit their site and see how you can become involved.
Having just arrived at our destination, we were quick to grab our swimsuits and fall out the door onto the sand of Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Slather on some sunscreen and let the vacation begin. While our expectations were high for the week, we stumbled across other finds that show us high hopes for the future.
Surrounding our beach house on the water side were two areas of orange tape. Looking closely, we could see indentations in the sand and the signs placed by the volunteers who watch the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. We sat smack down in between two turtle nests. One had been there for about 40 days and the other one about 10 days according to beach patrol Gary. Gary, who patrols the beach and is a volunteer loggerhead watcher, was eager to teach us landlubbers about the turtles.
The gracious ladies who come ashore to lay their eggs between May and August are coming home to the island of their birth. These gentle creatures can be up to three feet in size and weigh several hundred pounds. They come ashore at night to lay the ping pong ball sized eggs. Their flippers serve as a shovel and it can take an hour or more for the female to complete her nest. A typical nest will contain approximately 60-180 eggs.
The turtles are easily distracted from the work at hand. Should there be lights on the beach, or animals in the vicinity, the turtle may just crawl up and crawl back, thus exhibiting a "false crawl," whose track shape resembles a horseshoe. Gary told us she would then just abort the eggs into the ocean. A "true crawl" is one where the volunteers who walk the beach at night can locate the nest, and it has two distinct tracks.
Our second morning on the beach was thrilling. Here were new turtle tracks. Our trusty guide Gary showed us how to read the turtle tracks. In front of the nest was a huge "x" as in "x marks the spot." Gary explained the turtle patrol who had watched the turtle during the night placed the "x" to alert him of a new nest. He then placed an orange flag in the center of the nest.
Over the incubation period of the next 50-60 days, Gary and the other turtle watchers will keep a close eye on the nest. As time nears for the eggs to hatch, the sand will start to settle. A shell is then placed on top of the nest to show how much it is sinking. Experienced eyes can read those shells and determine about when the hatchlings will make their appearance. The hatchlings will boil out of the nest and head towards the ocean. The watchers are there in hopes that all of the young will make it there. Imprinting happens as soon as those hatchlings emerge. They follow the light of the moon to the ocean. If there are any lights on at the houses, the little tykes become confused and head towards the road.
Once the turtles go into the water, the males will never again touch land. Only the females will return in about 20 years or so.
Gary explained the process where the turtle watchers verify a nest. The nest will be about 18 to 24 inches down in the sand. A stick is used to verify the eggs' location. From the explanation, a gentle hand is used during this process.
Sometimes the eggs are too close to the high tide mark and have to be moved. Should the nest be moved, each egg must be individually moved without rotating the angle at which it was found. If the eggs are turned, the turtles will not hatch, or they will be deformed. While we were there, the oldest nest in front of our house had to be moved. There was an extremely high tide one night and the front part of the nest would not have been above the water line for more than a few days at most. The patrol moved the eggs about 30 feet. While this nest only had a few weeks left to go in its incubation phase, it was the only way any of the eggs will have a chance to hatch.
According to Gary, the female turtles will come ashore three or four times during the season to lay their eggs. The survival rate of the little tykes from the laying to adulthood is only about 1 in a thousand.
These animals can survive for close to 200 years. Full of grace and beauty, they are on the endangered list. Survival from predators who are natural and non-natural have severely depleted this turtle population. Over development on beaches and the loss of sandy beach for their nests have also taken their toll.
Protect the sea turtle. Give them hope. Give us hope.
Until next time,
Sandy Toes on Edisto
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Having just arrived at our destination, we were quick to grab our swimsuits and fall out the door onto the sand of Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Slather on some sunscreen and let the vacation begin. While our expectations were high for the week, we stumbled across other finds that show us high hopes for the future.
Surrounding our beach house on the water side were two areas of orange tape. Looking closely, we could see indentations in the sand and the signs placed by the volunteers who watch the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. We sat smack down in between two turtle nests. One had been there for about 40 days and the other one about 10 days according to beach patrol Gary. Gary, who patrols the beach and is a volunteer loggerhead watcher, was eager to teach us landlubbers about the turtles.
The gracious ladies who come ashore to lay their eggs between May and August are coming home to the island of their birth. These gentle creatures can be up to three feet in size and weigh several hundred pounds. They come ashore at night to lay the ping pong ball sized eggs. Their flippers serve as a shovel and it can take an hour or more for the female to complete her nest. A typical nest will contain approximately 60-180 eggs.
The turtles are easily distracted from the work at hand. Should there be lights on the beach, or animals in the vicinity, the turtle may just crawl up and crawl back, thus exhibiting a "false crawl," whose track shape resembles a horseshoe. Gary told us she would then just abort the eggs into the ocean. A "true crawl" is one where the volunteers who walk the beach at night can locate the nest, and it has two distinct tracks.
Our second morning on the beach was thrilling. Here were new turtle tracks. Our trusty guide Gary showed us how to read the turtle tracks. In front of the nest was a huge "x" as in "x marks the spot." Gary explained the turtle patrol who had watched the turtle during the night placed the "x" to alert him of a new nest. He then placed an orange flag in the center of the nest.
Over the incubation period of the next 50-60 days, Gary and the other turtle watchers will keep a close eye on the nest. As time nears for the eggs to hatch, the sand will start to settle. A shell is then placed on top of the nest to show how much it is sinking. Experienced eyes can read those shells and determine about when the hatchlings will make their appearance. The hatchlings will boil out of the nest and head towards the ocean. The watchers are there in hopes that all of the young will make it there. Imprinting happens as soon as those hatchlings emerge. They follow the light of the moon to the ocean. If there are any lights on at the houses, the little tykes become confused and head towards the road.
Once the turtles go into the water, the males will never again touch land. Only the females will return in about 20 years or so.
Gary explained the process where the turtle watchers verify a nest. The nest will be about 18 to 24 inches down in the sand. A stick is used to verify the eggs' location. From the explanation, a gentle hand is used during this process.
Sometimes the eggs are too close to the high tide mark and have to be moved. Should the nest be moved, each egg must be individually moved without rotating the angle at which it was found. If the eggs are turned, the turtles will not hatch, or they will be deformed. While we were there, the oldest nest in front of our house had to be moved. There was an extremely high tide one night and the front part of the nest would not have been above the water line for more than a few days at most. The patrol moved the eggs about 30 feet. While this nest only had a few weeks left to go in its incubation phase, it was the only way any of the eggs will have a chance to hatch.
According to Gary, the female turtles will come ashore three or four times during the season to lay their eggs. The survival rate of the little tykes from the laying to adulthood is only about 1 in a thousand.
These animals can survive for close to 200 years. Full of grace and beauty, they are on the endangered list. Survival from predators who are natural and non-natural have severely depleted this turtle population. Over development on beaches and the loss of sandy beach for their nests have also taken their toll.
Protect the sea turtle. Give them hope. Give us hope.
Until next time,
Sandy Toes on Edisto
-----
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008
New Lighting Guidelines for Jekyll Island Beaches to Protect Endangered Sea Turtles
PRNewswire -- The Jekyll Island State Park Authority (JIA) today announced it's intentions to set greater restrictions on lights near its natural beaches in order to protect sea turtles from the adverse effects of artificial light. The move, once approved as a new ordinance for the state-owned island, will likely be the model for beach lighting ordinances for all of Georgia's coast communities.
Artificial lighting is the light that emanates from any man-made device, such as street-lights, tree lights, beach-walk lanterns, and neon signs. This new ordinance, which strictly defines what will and will not be allowed on and near the beach, will be regulated and enforced by the JIA.
"Jekyll Island is well-known for its conservation efforts, especially through the work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center," said Ben Porter, chairman of the Jekyll Island State Park Authority. "This is another big step towards making Jekyll Island one of the most environmentally-friendly communities on the East Coast."
The new ordinance was developed in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources with vital input from the experts at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Once approved, illumination of certain beaches will be prohibited at nighttime during the sea turtle nesting season for the protection of the nesting females and hatchling sea turtles making their way into the sea. Oftentimes hatchlings will confuse artificial lighting with the reflection of the moon, which they use as a marker to get to the ocean once they hatch.
"We were pleased to see the Jekyll Island Authority take the lead in placing these restrictions into an enforceable ordinance," said Noel Holcomb, Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources. "As Chairman of the Shore Protection Committee, I will promote the standards within this ordinance to the Shore Protection Committee as we consider beachfront projects for permitting under the Shore Protection Act."
Lighting may still be operated during the nesting season if the light, or reflection, is not directly visible from the beach. But the majority of the lights will be low-intensity lighting, such as amber or red LEDs, red neon lights and "Turtle Safe Lighting," which are coated and compact florescent lamps under 13 watts. Additionally, the ordinance states that tinting will be installed on all windows and glass doors within line-of-sight of the beach.
The new ordinance was announced by the Jekyll Island Authority at its regular meeting on Monday. The "first reading" of any new ordinance must be posted for public review, anyone interested in reading the proposed ordinance language can view it on the Authority's Web site at www.jekyllislandauthority.org . The Jekyll Island Authority is expected to adopt the new ordinance at its regular meeting in August.
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