The US Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) are currently working together to diagnose a mysterious ailment that has affected some fledgling songbirds – mostly Blue Jays, Common Grackles, European Starlings, and American Robins – in some Mid-Atlantic portions of the United States. To date, none of the labs have been able to identify the cause of the birds’ deaths.

After rigorous nationwide testing, the NWHC and its collaborators published a report that rules out several common bird pathogens, including West Nile virus, avian influenza, Newcastle disease, herpes viruses, poxviruses, salmonella, chlamydia, and trichomonas parasites.

While it’s extremely helpful to narrow down the list of potential pathogens, investigators are still searching for leads as to the cause of the bird deaths in areas of the Mid-Atlantic states from New Jersey to Virginia, plus West Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana.

With such a broad spectrum of bacteria, fungi, toxins, and viruses to test for, it may be a while before researchers have a definitive answer. Nicole Nemeth with the SCWDS, said it’s even possible that the disease could be caused by multiple pathogens. “There’s really still a lot of possibilities,” she explained, “Unfortunately, it just takes time.”

Stopping the Spread

Until then, concerned citizens in affected regions can take steps to protect birds in their own yards. “The best thing we can recommend is taking down your bird feeders,” wildlife researcher Christine Casey said. Once down, it’s important to clean feeders and birdbaths with a 10 percent bleach solution to kill any pathogens, followed by a thorough rinse and drying time. Keeping feeders and birdbaths clean, of course, is standard procedure for most birders anytime, including the use of very diluted 10 percent bleach with thorough rinsing afterward. Read more

The importance of a good look with binoculars before you consult a field guide, Merlin, or another bird ID source would emphasized when you located this bird in one of your trees. Same species? No, look at that beak … the key is to be prepared (immature Summer Tanager photo by Paul Konrad).

There are two essential pieces of birding equipment that everyone should have within reach – a field guide and a binocular. Even at home, whether you’re seated in your favorite chair with your feeding station in sight, or on your front porch, back deck, or balcony, it’s always a good bet to keep your binoculars close to check out the moment to moment potential of a bird’s appearance that catches your attention and imagination. You can always check your field guide moments later, but don’t underestimate the importance of having a good field guide within easy access.

It may seem early, but some birds are already beginning their southbound migrations – including new fledglings that have different plumages than adults, possibly with unfamiliar plumage coloration for you. If you are really lucky, you may even find a “rare bird,” a species that is a thousand miles beyond its normal range.

If you take a look at this week’s Rare Birds article you will see that rare birds are making record-breaking appearances in many states, including a Lark Bunting that’s visiting a feeding station in New Hampshire, a Beryline Hummingbird that frequents a feeder in Arizona, and a Mexican Violetear that stopped at a nectar feeder south Texas. At the same time you may see a species you’ve never seen in your yard before – a newbie for your Yard List. That’s always fun, and personally significant. Read more

PRATT – Widespread sampling for invasive crayfish had never occurred in Kansas lakes – that is, until the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) recently funded a university project focused on the freshwater crustacean. KDWP’s Aquatic Nuisance Species Program and Ecological Services section funded the project with the overarching goal of establishing sampling protocols that could then be used for long-term monitoring of both native and invasive crayfish in Kansas. To the surprise of staff and researchers, the need for such protocols would be validated almost as quickly as the research project began.

During capturing efforts at McPherson State Fishing Lake – one of several small waterbodies slated to be inspected in the state – university researchers collected multiple Rusty Crayfish. Rusty Crayfish have not previously been documented in the wild in Kansas, making this official “discovery” the first of its kind. Rusty Crayfish captured at McPherson consisted of both males and females of varying ages, indicating a reproducing population is established in the lake. Unfortunately, this isn’t the type of species staff and researchers would hope to find, as the Rusty Crayfish is an invasive species known for the considerable ecological damage it can cause in waterbodies. Read more

Bozeman, Montana. July 21, 2021— At the Wild Sheep Foundation’s (WSF) 13th Chapter and Affiliate Summit in Lewistown, Idaho (June 25 & 26), a hat was passed to raise money to bring water to drought-inflicted bighorn sheep herds in southern Nevada and elsewhere in the southern Rockies. By the end of the Summit, eighty-two thousand dollars was raised. This number is now up to an incredible $180,000 from generous WSF chapters, affiliates, and individual WSF members.

“With all the negative banter these days about hunters and hunting by self-proclaimed and media-appointed conservation groups, I say get out your checkbook if you want to do something real for wildlife,” said Gray N. Thornton, president and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “That’s what sportsmen have been doing for more than a century, and that’s what is happening here again for our wild sheep.”

More than 70 delegates attended the annual Summit from throughout WSF’s Chapter and Affiliate network, encompassing North America, Africa, Europe, and Central Asia. When presented with the dire situation in Nevada, without hesitation, pledges started rolling in.

“We see this time and again,” Thornton explained. “If there is a more giving group ready to make things happen than sheep hunters and those that just love seeing wild sheep, I’d like to meet them.” Read more

Record numbers of people are heading to Michigan’s outdoors this summer, exploring forests to enjoy the beauty of wildflowers, bright songbirds and splashing waterways. This captivating scenery is, unfortunately, sometimes marred by something less beautiful: dumpsites.

Trash in the forest isn’t just ugly – it’s hazardous to people, wildlife and the environment. If you want to help care for the wild places you love, join Adopt-a-Forest, a volunteer-driven cleanup program bringing people together to protect the outdoors. Because of this program, more than half of illegally dumped trash removed from public lands in the last 10 years has been recycled. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

Got skeeters?  Welcome to the club!  While most of us are good at bellyaching about the swarms terrorizing us outdoors, there’s little we can do to eliminate them.  Oh, sure, we can get rid of some obvious breeding sources of standing water.   Or, we can spray all manner of repellants or pesticides on our lawns and shrubbery, where moisture and darkness provide the perfect environment for reproduction.  The chemical companies will appreciate any futile efforts to do something.  And, draining the myriad swamps around us is about as likely as fulfilling promises to do the same in Washington, D.C.

Maybe you missed a few, when you emptied the birdbath or tipped over anything holding water where the blood-sucking varmints hide.  Heck, they’re in the bushes, lawns, trees and just about anywhere there’s some shade; you won’t get them all and it only takes one to threaten victims with disease, or some incessant, itchy discomfort for a while.

But, what’s more maddening than one hungry mosquito in your bedroom at night?  Or, how about when you pull your vehicle into your garage, the door comes down and you’re left there to get attacked, while unloading the groceries?   Commercial sprays are poison, and anything chemists invent to repel or kill the tiny pests is not good for humans.

Fly swatters can create a breeze in front of them and the forceful push of air often blows mosquitos away for a clean escape.  When you finally smack one, you’ve got a bloody mess (your blood of that of a loved one) to clean up.

The solution is just that:  a solution of water and dish soap.  The trick is how to apply the fatal blow to the blood-thirsty aerial acrobats – and this discovery has made all the difference in my indoor control.

I was getting ready for a shooting event on Independence Day and ran across a 3-In-1 Balloon Pumper that I thought would be helpful inflating balloons for targets.  The Discovery Balloon Pumper can fill balloons with water or air but it also can perform eradication duty with its built-in mister.

It is this mister feature that has given me the edge.  If you have any household sprayers that produce the fine atomized mist needed, you can repurpose them; I found a small spray bottle of Renuzit air freshener worked great, too.

The Balloon Pumper holds over a quart of liquid but gets only a small fraction of dish soap and water for skeeter duty.  A squirt of dish soap is all that is needed and it works on any insects including bees, ants, and the like.

That example above of the garage swarm actually happened, when my wife came home the other day.  To the rescue, I came with the Balloon Pumper.  With the garage door already closed, hundreds of skeeters buzzed about and when the hatch of the car was opened, some flew inside.  I started high on the garage door with the fine mist and let it cascade onto the concrete floor.  The entire squadron fell harmlessly to the floor with the tiny droplets.  Next, into the vehicle with a shot or two and the excitement was over.  It took about 30 seconds and we were free to bring the goodies indoors.

Being the hunter that I am, I search them out before bed looking on all walls and ceilings.  In one hand is the Balloon Pumper and the other a towel to clean up sprayed-on moisture and dead mosquitos; incidentally, I’ve never had cleaner windows.

The beauty of the soapy mist is that the odor is neutral and it’s generally safe to apply wherever the enemy exists.  It’s an environmentally friendly alternative that’s cheap, effective and as readily available as skeeters themselves.