Archive for March, 2008
www.wisegeek.com
Bird’s nest soup or yan wo is a traditional Chinese delicacy made from the nest of the swiftlet, a tropical bird which is found in many parts of Asia, including China and Thailand.
The unique ingredient in this soup is believed to be an aphrodisiac which also increases longevity, and as a result, this dish is in high demand in some parts of China. The bird’s nests used in the soup can be quite expensive, and the dish is typically served only at exclusive restaurants.
Swiftlets are birds in the family Apodidae. Several species within this family are able to use echolocation, which allows them to nest and breed in caves. These species produce a unique gummy saliva, which they use to build their nests; they lay down strands of saliva which harden when exposed to air, creating a solid nest. Harvesters enter the caves, retrieve the nests, clean them, and then offer them for sale.
To make bird’s nest soup, the nest is simmered in chicken stock. The result is a broth with floating chunks of the nest; the chunks have a distinctive gelatinous texture when cooked which is not to the taste of all consumers. The soup is usually lightly seasoned, if at all, and some people actually find it rather bland. It is the exotic ingredient which makes the soup popular, rather than an amazing flavor, although it is high in some useful minerals like calcium and magnesium, making it at least nutritionally beneficial.
There are some serious ecological issues associated with bird’s nest soup. Many companies which harvest nests engage in unscrupulous practices like harvesting nests too quickly for the birds to breed, and some have been accused of establishing private armies to protect particularly fruitful caves. Some companies also destroy nests from the wrong species of bird to encourage the growth of a colony which will produce usable nests, thereby putting other swiftlet species at risk. Overall populations of these birds have declined in Asia, possibly as a result of the growing market pressure for bird’s nest soup.
Nests for making bird’s nest soup can be obtained in Asian markets, where they are usually secured behind a counter due to their high cost. It is also possible to make the soup with vegetarian meat substitutes, some of which can very closely approximate the texture of swiftlet’s nest, although they lack the perceived aphrodisiac benefits.
March 27th, 2008
www.suaramerdeka.com
Sebagian besar orang pernah mendengar nama burung walet, serta produk yang dihasilkannya yaitu sarang burung. Tetapi karena harganya supermahal, tidak semua orang pernah merasakan kelezatan sarang burung walet. Bagaimana proses produksi burung ini?
MESKI harganya selangit, banyak juga orang yang mengonsumsi sarang burung walet karena meyakini beberapa khasiatnya. Sup sarang burung walet, misalnya, diyakini sanggup menyembuhkan aneka penyakit, juga mendongkrak stamina pria.
Makanan pembuka ini laris-ma-nis di berbagai restoran internasional, bahkan menjadi ‘’menu wajib'’ di hotel-hotel berbintang. China adalah negara penikmat sarang burung walet terbesar di dunia. Apalagi setelah tingkat kesejahteraan masyarakatnya melonjak drastis, menyusul kemajuan pesat negara itu di sektor perekonomian.
Sebenarnya banyak rumah walet di Negeri Tirai Bambu ini China. Tapi sarang burung yang dihasilkan tak mampu menutup kebutuhan yang terus meningkat. Tidak heran jika China kini mengimpornya dari negara-negara lain, termasuk Indonesia.
Hal ini merupakan kabar baik bagi para penangkar sarang burung walet di Tanah Air. Meski demikian, tidaklah mudah untuk menangkarnya. Untuk memulai penangkaran, Anda harus mendapatkan lokasi yang tepat. Hunting lokasinya pun membutuhkan keahlian tersendiri. Pada umumnya, pemilik rumah walet menyerahkan tugas ini kepada konsultas khusus walet.
Konsultan akan mencari jalur terbang yang dilewati kawanan burung ini setiap pagi maupun sore hari. Karena walet merupakan burung pemakan serangga, maka hunting lokasi mesti diarahkan ke tempat-tempat yang banyak dihuni serangga. Misalnya kawasan dekat hutan, persawahan, atau perkebunan, meski ada juga walet yang terbang hingga kawasan pantai.
Persyaratan Bangunan
Umumnya, rumah walet seperti bangunan gedung besar. Luasnya bervariasi, mulai dari 10 x 15 m2 hingga 10 x 20 m2. Walet lebih menyukai bangunan dengan wuwungan (bubungan) tinggi, dan jarak an-tara wuwungan dengan plafon cukup lebar. Rumah walet tidak boleh tertutup pepohonan tinggi. Tembok bangunan dibuat dari dinding berplester, sedangkan bagian luarnya dari campuran semen.
Bagian dalam tembok dibuat dari campuran pasir, kapur, dan semen dengan perbandingan 3:2:1. Hal ini sangat baik untuk mengendalikan suhu dan kelembaban udara. Untuk mengurangi bau semen, kita bisa menyirami tembok setiap hari.
Kerangka atap dan sekat tempat melekatnya sarang-sarang dibuat dari kayu yang kuat, tua, dan awet (tidak mudah dimakan rengat). Atapnya terbuat dari genteng. Bangunan ini perlu dilengkapi roving room sebagai tempat berputar-putar burung, dan resting room sebagai tempat beristirahat dan bersarang.
Lubang tempat keluar-masuk walet didesain dengan ukuran 20 x 20 cm2 atau 20 x 35 cm2. Lubang ini disediakan di bagian atas bangunan. Jumlah lubang tergantung dari kebutuhan serta situasi-kondisi bangunan. Posisi lubang jangan menghadap ke timur, dan dinding lubang dicat hitam.
Jika lokasi sudah ditemukan, Anda mesti menyediakan rumah atau bangunan sebagai kandang walet. Bangunan ini bisa berada di dataran rendah maupun dataran tinggi (ketinggian maksimal 1.000 meter dari permukaan laut).
Usahakan lokasi ini jauh dari lalu-lalang manusia, relatif aman dari gangguan burung-burung predator, bahkan jauh dari jangkauan pengaruh kemajuan teknologi.
Usaha Rekayasa
Yang rumit adalah mendesain suhu dan kelembaban alami. Hanya dengan suasana bangunan seperti inilah kawanan burung walet mau datang dan membangun sarangnya di tempat itu. Usaha rekayasa me-mang bisa dilakukan, tetapi tidak boleh mengeliminasi kondisi alaminya.
Untuk mengatur suhu dan kelembaban rumah walet, para penangkar biasanya menambah sirkulasi air di dalam dan di luar bangunan. Bisa juga menggunakan teknologi audio, yang mendendangkan suara-suara (rekaman) burung walet dari dalam bangunan.
Sarang burung walet bisa dipanen kalau kondisimemungkinkan, serta dilakukan melalui teknik tertentu. Kesalahan memetik sarang burung bisa berakibat fatal bagi walet maupun rumah walet. Ada kemungkinan walet terganggu dan pindah tempat.
Setelah dipetik, sarang burung dikumpulkan, dibersihkan dan disortir berdasarkan kualitasnya. Semua kotoran yang melekat pada sarang mesti dibersihkan, apalagi produk ini bakal dikonsumsi manusia.
Kualitas sarang burung biasanya ditentukan oleh ketebalannya. Ke-tebalan ini terkait dengan lamanya setiap pasangan walet dalam membuat sarang. Proses ini umumnya berlangsung 33-41 hari, bahkan di musim kemarau sekitar 80 hari.
Kualitas inilah yang menetukan harga sarang burung. Sarang yang sempurna ditandai dengan bentuk seperti mangkuk, tebal 5 cm, kuat, dan bersih. Harganya sekitar Rp 14 juta - Rp 17 juta / kg, dan ba-kal menjadi ‘’sarang rupiah'’ bagi pemiliknya.
Jika kurang sempurna, misalnya kotor, serat-seratnya tidak utuh, dan ada kecacatan, harga maksimal hanya Rp 2 juta/kg. Marjin keuntungannya pun menipis, karena biaya produksinya juga relatif mahal.(Dela SY, dari berbagai sumber-32)
March 26th, 2008
Thanh Nien Daily, Vietnam - Mar 21, 2008
Locals harvest salangane nests on Salangane Island in central Vietnam
Salangane nests, or Yen sao, are primarily found in Central Vietnam, high-up on the cliffs of limestone islands.
The nests are built by a species of swift, or small birds, superficially related to swallows.
The birds use their own saliva to help form the Yen sao and can produce either a white or red variety of nest.
The red nests result when the birds cough up a mixture of saliva and blood in providing the “glue” for the nests.
Thought to possess many medicinal and healing properties, the nests can be processed and consumed, and are considered a delicacy by many in Southeast Asia.
Several locals have fallen to their deaths over the years while attempting to harvest the Yen sao, which are always in high demand.
More than 10 years ago, Professor Tran Hong Kien Trung began studying salangane nests.
He spoke with three women, aged 70-83, in the ancient quarter of Hanoi known for preparing Yen sao dishes.
According to the women, before preparing any of the meals, it is necessary to soak a salangane nest in water for 30-60 minutes to soften it,
remove the feathers and impurities, and pull out any threads from the nest.
One dish is served with chicken.
According to the women, it is often served as a starter at parties.
In this preparation, a fresh salangane nest is steamed for 20-30 minutes, placed in a small bowl and pieces of chicken meat are added with some hot, pure broth.
Another way to process the salangane nest is to make a sweet soup.
Water and refined sugar are brought to a boil while egg whites and broken eggshells are added to attract impurities.
A ladle is then used to remove the impurities and egg shells.
The sugar water is poured into a small bowl and the steamed salangane nest threads are added.
A third dish using salangane nest is known as Yen nhoi bo cau (pigeon stuffed with salangane nest).
In this method, a young pigeon is stuffed with fresh salangane nest threads, parts of a shark’s dorsal fin, and woodear and shiitake mushrooms.
The bird is steamed until the meat becomes soft.
The pigeon’s bones are removed and the entire bird is then fried until it turns a dark yellow.
March 25th, 2008
Dodge City Daily Globe, KS - Mar 21, 2008
At San Juan Capistrano, each year, spring is marked by the return of the Swallows. There is a huge festival, and these small birds make the national news every year when they return to their historic nesting sites.
In Meade County, Cliff Swallows return as early as April 10 each year and remain until the end of September. Large colonies of Cliff Swallows can be seen in any given year on bridges over the Cimarron River and Crooked Creek. There are not a lot of colonies in the county, but the ones which exist are well established.
Historically, Cliff Swallows nested on rock outcrops and in caves where they built their unique, bottle shaped mud nests. Apparently, they expanded their range across the country changing from their primitive nesting sites to using man-made sites such as bridges and buildings.
A department of transportation employee once told me that cliff swallow colonies help them detect structural flaws in highway bridges. Stress cracks and other flaws cause vibration to the structure and Cliff Swallows will not nest on that segment of a bridge.
As you might suspect, Cliff Swallows have a diet almost exclusively of insects. When feeding young, a large colony consumes a tremendous amount of insects and areas near nesting colonies are completely devoid of insects for quite a distance, including mosquitoes, grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies and the like.
Nesting on bridges has inherent risks. Drain holes at the edge of a bridge provide access for snakes to reach nests and devour eggs, young and even adult birds. Fledgling birds, just learning to fly are often hit by vehicles crossing the bridge.
Nests are refurbished each year with birds carrying a small drop of mud in their mouth to patch the nest. New nests take literally hundreds if not thousands of flights to buildÉone speck of mud per trip. Old nests, when re-used, can become infested with bed bugs or lice which may result in the death of young birds.
Following nesting, Cliff Swallows can be seen throughout the county, especially where there is water, such as around irrigation tailwater pits and playa lakes. In the fall, literally thousands of swallows of mixed species flocks will line the powerlines of the county preparing for migration. These flocks will contain Barn, Rough-winged and Tree Swallows as well as the most dominate Cliff Swallow.
Cliff Swallows winter in Brazil and Argentina. One individual banded by Chuck Ely in Logan County, Kansas was recovered in Argentina!
This weeks copyrighted photos are through the courtesy of Terry L. Sohl and can be viewed along with other excellent photos at the South Dakota Birds webpage at http://sdakotabirds.com/index.html.
See if you can be the first to see the returning swallows this year. Get outdoors and take the family birding.
March 24th, 2008
www.publish.csiro.au
MK Tarburton
Abstract
The White-rumped Swiftlet Aerodramus spodiopygius chillagoensis was studied during a good and a poor season at Chillagoe, Queensland.
Most of the nests were in totally dark sections of caves where a single nest and colonies containing 4-264 nests were visited. The clutch of one was incubated for an average of 26.6 days during the better season when 64% of eggs hatched successfully. Lost clutches or young broods were usually replaced within 14 days. Fledging success in the good season was 69% giving a breeding success of 44% or 0.9 young fledged from the two broods of a breeding pair. In the poor season incubation took 27.8 days, hatching success was 60%, fledging success was 50% and the nestling period had increased from 46.1 days in the better year to 51.0 days in the poor year. While the fledging rate for the single-egg clutch of chillagoensis is well below that of the two-egg clutch of A. s. assimilis, the unique practice of laying a second single-egg clutch for the first chick to incubate, increases the breeding rate in good seasons to almost that of arsimih. There is no sexual dimorphism and both sexes share in incubation and feeding nestlings. Chicks were fed an average of 5.2 times a day. Most chick mortality resulted from the chicks falling from their nests, while the major ectoparasites (louse-flies) are thought to be unimportant to survival. Even though immediate energy demands were increased by synchronising moult and breeding, the length of time to complete the moult of primaries was as short as any apodid studied so far and is shorter than some that moult independently of breeding.
March 19th, 2008
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - Mar 15, 2008
The swallows’ return to British shores each year symbolises the passing of winter and the approach of summer But in a sign of the blurring of the seasons brought on by climate change, one of the birds has this year shunned migration to Africa and instead spent all winter in Britain.
In what experts say is the first documented evidence of the species “overwintering” here, a solitary swallow has been monitored from November to the end of February in a village near Truro, Cornwall.
Paul Stancliffe, a spokesman for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), called the discovery “incredible”.
Swallows fly south in the autumn, reaching as far as South Africa. They are not normally seen again in Britain until late March, although the first sighting of a returning bird this year was on February 16, on the Isle of Wight.
The one that stayed was spotted and monitored in the village of Ruan Lanihorne as part of a “bird atlas” programme run by the BTO. Members of two other species of migrating bird, the wheatear and the chiffchaff, were also found to have stayed in Britain all winter.
Darrell Clegg, from the Cornwall Bird Watching and Preservation Society, said: “They say that one swallow doesn’t make a summer, and one swallow overwintering is not concrete evidence of the species starting to overwinter as a whole, but this is an interesting finding.”
Mr Stancliffe said: “This bird has probably found itself a sheltered cove that is warm enough to maintain some insects, like midges or flies on seaweed, and has managed to feed off those. It’s likely that the milder winters will see more and more birds doing this. Ten years ago, you would not have dreamt that a swallow could survive the winter in this country.”
The closest a swallow had previously come to surviving the British winter was in 1989-90, when a bird was monitored in Penzance, Cornwall, until January 14, when it disappeared.
In folklore, swallows - apart from heralding the summer - are seen as lucky birds which protect homes they nest on. A swallow that flies into the home brings good luck, but killing a swallow or disturbing a nest is said to bring poor harvests and milk yields for farmers. Swallow fights are also said to bring bad luck.
In the BTO programme, a single wheatear was found to have overwintered in Burniston, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, instead of in west Africa. Some 5,000 chiffchaffs, which normally migrate there or to Spain or Morocco, spent the winter in Britain. Mr Stancliffe said: “These are birds that would ordinarily migrate south of the Sahara. We believe it is because our winters are getting milder and birds are actually able to survive here through the winter.”
The bird atlas programme will run until 2011, with 50,000 volunteers reporting sightings. The last time the exercise was carried out, in the 1980s, fewer than 1,000 chiffchaffs were found to be overwintering in Britain.
As further evidence of climate change, volunteers have also recorded “early returns” by many migrants this year, as well as unseasonably early nesting by birds that ordinarily remain here.
These include reports of a blackbird laying on January 5, a robin on January 19, and a collared dove the following day - several weeks before they are usually expected to do so. In each case, the chicks fledged successfully.
March 17th, 2008
himti.org/article
by Syn
Siapa sih yang belum pernah mendengar sarang burung walet? Seperti yang sudah kita ketahui, sarang burung walet yang asli harganya mahal banget. Dan yang sampe sekarang kita ketahui juga kalo harga sarang burung walet itu mahal karena (katanya sih..) burung walet itu suka membuat sarang di gunung – gunung yang tinggi (bahkan di puncak dan ujung tebing..wuih..). Dan untuk mengambil sarang burung walet harus menggunakan pendaki – pendaki yang sudah sangat berpengalaman.
Dan mungkin aja sarang burung walet ini merupakan sarang burung yang paling mahal di dunia (sejauh yang kita ketahui). Bayangin aja de..1 ons sarang burung walet yang kurang lebih terdiri dari 10 buah sarang dengan kualitas baik bisa dijual dengan harga 1,4 juta rupiah!! Dan katanya si..orang – orang rela membayar mahal sebab sarang burung walet ini dipercayai mempunyai khasiat mampu menyembuhkan berbagai penyakit, mulai dari kelas ringan sampai kelas berat.
Umumnya, sarang burung walet disajikan dalam bentuk sup. Dan dapat kita temukan di restoran – restoran Cina. Sebenarnya, pengkonsumsian sarang burung walet ini bukanlah hal yang baru. Malah, sudah sejak abad 14, sarang burung ini dimanfaatkan sebagai makanan. Di Cina, sup sarang burung walet (birdnest soup) merupakan makanan favorit para raja dan bangsawan. Dan menurut cerita yang masih beredar sampe sekarang (mitos kali..) kaisar Ming sangat menggemari sup yang satu ini. Mungkin karena cerita atau mitosnya itulah, maka sup sarang burung walet dijadikan simbol makanan yang mewah dan bergengsi dan sangat mahal harganya.
Tetapi, pengkonsumsian sarang burung walet di Indonesia bisa dikatakan tergolong rendah, hampir 90% sarang burung walet diekspor ke luar negri. Pengkonsumsian sarang burung walet inipun masih ada bedanya. Kalo di Singapore dan Malaysia, lebih menyukai sarang burung yang mengandung lumut (moss nest), yang biasanya diambil dari gua – gua karang di tepi pantai. Sehingga warnanya pun tidak sebersih sarang burung walet yang dibudidayakan di atap – atap rumah. Katanya si, rasanya lebih kenyal dan tidak cepat pecah saat dimasak. Sedangkan Cina dan Indonesia lebih menyukai sarang burung yang putih bersih.
Untuk menentukan kualitas dari sarang burung walet, ada syarat – syarat tertentu yang harus dipenuhi, misalnya ketebalan sarang. Seperti yang kita ketahui, sarang burung itu dibuat dari air liur burung walet tersebut. Setiap hari, sepasang walet betina dan jantan bergantian membuat sehelai sarang dengan cara mengoleskan air liur mereka ke dinding gua, dinding tebing, ataupun atap rumah. Ingat..Satu satu hari hanya mengoleskan satu helai sarang aja. Jadi jangan heran, untuk membuat sarang saja dibutuhkan waktu sekitar 33-41 hari. Malah, pada saat musim kemarau, pembuatan sarang bisa lebih lama, sekitar 80 hari.
Kualitas itulah yang menetukan harga atau nilai dari sarang burung walet tersebut. Sarang burung dengan kualitas sempurna yaitu memiliki bentuk seperti mangkuk, dindingnya tebal, kuat dengan tinggi kira – kira 5 cm, serta bersih tidak tercemar kotoran, bisa dijual dengan harga yang cukup tinggi. Sebaliknya, sarang burung yang kualitasnya rendah, yaitu yang serat – seratnya tidak utuh, kotor, serta bentuknya cacat, hanya bisa dijual dengan harga murah.
Terdapat dua jenis sarang burung bila dilihat dari warnanya. Ada sarang burung putih yang seluruhnya terbuat dari air liur burung walet, dan sarang burung hitam, yang terbuat dari campuran air liur dan bulu – bulu burung. Sarang burung walet yang berwarna putih lebih mahal harganya. Sarang burung yang putih bersih, harganya bisa mencapai 14 juta rupiah/kg, sedang yang hitam paling hanya sekitar 1 atau 2 juta/kg. Ada juga, sarang burung yang memiliki serat – serat merah di sarangnya seperti darah. Itu harganya jauh lebih mahal lagi, yaitu sekitar 17 juta/kg.
Nah, udah tau kan seluk beluk mengenai sarang burung walet ini..?? Gimana? Ada yang berniat untuk mencoba?
March 14th, 2008
MyNews.in, India - Feb 5, 2008
Wildlife Conservation Society scientists say the site is only one of two known roosts in Cross River State, a coastal region in southeastern Nigeria. The site is approximately two kilometres outside of Cross River National Park. Preliminary surveys by WCS indicate that the site may attract millions of swallows and be of international significance.
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The roost appears to be under threat of destruction from advancing farms and may require conservation measures to survive, according to WCS, which has already contacted park officials to see if the roost can be formally protected.
The fact that swallows congregate in large numbers in the winter makes them vulnerable to hunting and could have a significant impact on numbers if protection is not given,” said Andrew Dunn, of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Nigeria Program. Swallows that winter in Africa migrate each spring to areas in Europe and Asia. While they are not endangered, their numbers are declining.
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The other swallow roost in Cross River State, at a site known as Boje, is considered one of the largest swallow roosts in Africa. However, it has suffered in recent years from hunting by local people, who capture the swallows for food.
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Still, it remains an important destination for tourists who come to see the spectacle of millions of birds gathering in a relatively small area each night.
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This story is Adapted from materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society, via Newswise.
March 6th, 2008
Nantucket Independent, USA - 19 hours ago
AN LGJ?
by Kenneth Turner Blackshaw
Birders are continually flummoxed by “LBJ’s” - Little Brown Jobs. These include a lot of the sparrows and the ubiquitous Yellowrumped Warbler, whose winter plumage is so nondescrip
But this week’s bird doesn’t hide in the grass or bushes around our island. No, it inhabits our winter beaches. Finding one is a real prize during Nantucket’s cold seasons.
Most of our winter sandpipers are Sanderlings and this bird shares several interesting characteristics with them. Like the clockwork toy Sanderling that continually dares the waves on our surf beaches, this bird has a one-word name - Dunlin. Like the Sanderling, its name refers to its color - grayish brown. Dunlins were originally “dunlings” or little gray ones. Their Latin name, Calidris alpina, means the “alpine, grayspeckled sandpiper,” referring to the fact they nest in the tundra, far from any trees.
So on Nantucket’s winter beaches, we have “LGJ’s” - Little Gray Jobs - most of which are Sanderlings. The trick is finding the occasional brownish gray one hiding among them. When you do, you’ve found a treasure.
Both Sanderling and Dunlin bodies are about the same size. Yet your bird books tell you that Dunlins measure an inch longer than a Sanderling - eight or nine inches. That extra inch is that long and droopy Dunlin beak. At this time of year, Sanderlings are silvery gray, white underneath, with almost white heads. Dunlins are just a tad darker and have that dun-colored, grayish brown wash around the throat and head. In flight, both show a white stripe on the wing but the Dunlin’s is not so pronounced.
When you see a flock of winter sandpipers, look for ones that are darker; then look for that longer drooping beak; and finally look to see if the bird appears round-shouldered. In “The Sibley Guide to Birds,” David Sibley illustrates the two species sideby side to help you out.
At one time Dunlins were known as Red-backed Sandpipers. My goodness, this doesn’t sound like an LGJ at all. This dramatic name refers to the transformation these dun-colored birds undergo as spring approaches. From April to August, their backs turn rufous, their heads become whiter and there’s a huge, sharply defined black patch on their lower bellies as if someone took a paint roller and spread black paint on the bird. A Dunlin in this season is unmistakable.
Dunlins nest in the Arctic all around the globe. The ones visiting us now spend the summer in the Canadian and Alaskan north - even beyond Churchill, Manitoba on Hudson Bay where I visited last June. The birds nesting in western Alaska head down the Siberian coast to winter in Japan, Korea and China. The birds that winter in Europe nest in eastern Greenland.
Nantucket’s winter beaches could hardly be called lush, but Dunlins seldom see bushes in their landscape, let alone trees. With no brush or trees around, it’s not surprising that they construct a grass-lined nest on the ground. Dunlins are among the earliest nesters in the Arctic spring with eggs being found as early as May 29. They push the edge of the envelope considering snow can occur for another three weeks at that latitude.
Their four eggs take just over three weeks to hatch with both parents sharing incubation duties. After the precocious youngsters pop from the shell, Mr. Dunlin handles most of the parenting activities since the females desert the nest. Housewives must get desperate in the Arctic!
Dunlins are abundant in winter on the Carolina beaches. There, the flocks are described like clouds of smoke, and 100 years ago, they were shot in great numbers for the markets. Hard to imagine such a small bird being eaten by humans but things were different at that time. John James Audubon described them as restless, active birds. Then again, they were being shot at.
The Canadian Wildlife Service folks, who must be skilled at counting things, estimate the Dunlin population at 3,934,000 birds worldwide, with 1,325,000 in North America. Banding records show one of these LGJs to have survived over 12 years. This is quite amazing when you consider the rather sparse and dramatic conditions they live in.
On Nantucket, we expect them to be arriving at the end of September. At that time, many of them are still showing traces of the black paint job on their bellies. Dunlins are a rare sight in mid-winter but we manage to tally them on most of our Christmas Bird Counts with a high of 40 one year.
They become more common from mid-March until the end of April before all of them disappear to the north in May. At that time, the LGJs become quite striking red, black and white jobs. Keep an eye on the salt-water beaches for these droop-nosed sandpipers
as the island’s winter progresses into spring. I
Illustration by George C. West. If you enjoy “social” birding, join the Nantucket Bird Club at 8 a.m. Sundays in front of Nantucket High School for a two to three-hour birding trip. Call 228-1693 for more information. To hear about rare birds, or to leave a bird report, call the Massachusetts Audubon hot line at 781-259-8805. Ask Ken a question at: kenandcindy1@comcast.net.
March 5th, 2008
The Tribune, TX - 5 hours ago
Bonnie McKeena
If you are a fan of the beautiful purple martin, now is the time to get your bird house ready.
The first recorded purple martins, this year, entered Texas at Port O’Conner on Jan. 19, in Alvin on Jan 23 and Houston on Jan. 30. So far, martins have been seen as far north as Oklahoma and North Carolina. As the weather becomes warmer more and more martins will head up from their winter home in South America to the southern reaches of Canada. In Texas, the martins nest in all parts of the state except the extreme west Texas.
“Native Americans were the first to notice that purple martins would nest in gourds hanging from trees. This practice was ongoing when Europeans first landed in the Americas. Today, birds seen east of the Rocky Mountains depend on human-supplied housing. West of the Rockies the birds nest in natural cavities such as abandoned woodpecker nests, or holes in the side of cliffs,” said Louise Chambers, editor of the Purple Martin Update in Corpus Christi, TX.
Purple martins are the largest member of the swallow family. They spend the winter months in South America and migrate north to nest. The pair-bond of these birds is monogamous. Together they build their nests out of mud, grass and twigs. The female lays two to seven eggs and incubates them for approximately 15 days. The parents feed them continuously until they fledge, usually within 26 to 32 days. The fledglings continue to be dependent on their parents for an additional one to two weeks for food and additional training.
Each year, more than a million people put up housing for purple martins. According to the Purple Martin Conservation Association, the best way to succeed in establishing a purple martin colony is to first educate yourself about the needs and behavior of the purple martin.
Martins have very specific requirements. The martin housing should be in the center of the largest open space available, at least 30 feet away from human housing and 40 to 60 feet from the nearest tree. The martin house should be painted white or a very light color. White attracts martins and keeps the nests cooler.
“People need to put up housing that is manageable and easy to care for. A telescoping pole or a rope and pulley system to raise and lower the martin house or gourd are the best ways to keep track of the number of eggs and babies and to clean out the nests of competitor birds,” Chambers said.
Martins will return to the sites that they bred in previously. The strategy of the landlord, in the spring, is to keep the house closed until a few martins return. They will usually return within a week or two of the previous year. To make the site more attractive to purple martins, put up a combination of nesting gourds and houses. Add a purple martin decoy and place some nesting material in each compartment.
Managing a purple martin colony is more than just building houses. Protecting the nest from predators with nest guards and other materials is important too.
Purple martins are aerial insectivores. They eat only flying insects that they catch in flight. Their diet is diverse. They do not eat mosquitoes as is often claimed. An intensive study of more than 500 diet samples failed to turn up one mosquito. Martins are daytime feeders and they feed high in the sky. It is suggested that a supply of crushed egg shell or oyster shell as a dietary supplement be made available on an elevated platform feeder.
“We are the future of our birds,” said Chambers. “Keeping purple martin nests is a great way to increase the population of the martins and for children to learn about nature.”
For additional information on purple martins, their nesting and ways to attract purple martins, go to www.purplemartin.org. The forum link is a way to discuss purple martin birding with other enthusiasts.
March 4th, 2008