I look forward to these little sparrows passing through each spring…GW

Most species of birds have distinct songs and calls that tend to stay the same. It’s how birders can identify a species without seeing it. New research conducted across Canada, assisted by birders who have provided recordings to eBird, shows a species song can change over time. Over a period of two decades, White-throated Sparrows that nest across western and central Canada have changed one of their songs. The new song was first noticed among territorial White-throats in British Columbia and researchers have studied the spread of the new song eastward to Quebec.

“White-throated Sparrows have this classic song that’s supposed to sound like: ‘Oh, my sweet Canada, Canada, Canada’,” but the new song sounds like “Oh, my sweet Cana– Cana– Cana– Canada,” explained Ken Otter, professor of biology at the University of Northern British Columbia.

Now, most of the White-fronted Sparrows that nest across Canada are singing the new song, but it’s still spreading through Quebec, more than 2,000 miles from where it originated! Although some bird songs undergo slow evolutions, this rapid shift in a species’ song has never been chronicled before, according to Ken Otter, lead author of a study published last week in the journal Current Biology. As the song sweeps west to east, ornithologists wonder what makes the new song so popular, and if the trend will continue. Dr. Otter added, “There is other song that we know of that’s spread like this.”

The new information was made possible by crowd-sourced birdsong recordings, which are uncovering patterns that may have previously gone unnoticed. Otter’s work relied on recordings from eBird and Xeno-Canto birdsong libraries that file birdsongs recorded and uploaded by birders and biologists from around the world.

Birdsongs are not just pleasant to listen to, they’re also rich with information, such as the health and fitness of the singer. Like other birds, male White-throated Sparrows sing to establish a territory and entice females. It’s only the males that sing certain songs, which they learn during a critical period of time during their early development.

Otter, who studies bird behavior and communication at the University of Northern British Columbia, first noticed that something was up with sparrow songs during the late 1990s when the new song trend emerged in northern British Columbia, where Otter and his colleague first heard the “weird” call. From there, it progressed east among White-throated Sparrows across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

In 2004, about half the White-throated Sparrows in Alberta were singing the new song, but by 2014, every White-throat in the area had made the shift. By 2015, every sparrow west of central Ontario was singing the new version of the song. And it’s still spreading in western Quebec, nearly 2,000 miles from where the song began.

Using two decades of citizen-recorded data, including more than 1,785 recordings, Otter and his team were able to map the song’s spread. Crowd-sourced science is “like having thousands of research assistants spread out across the continent,” Otter described. “It’s allowing researchers to tap into a totally different avenue of research, to look at this on a very big scale that was never [available] before.”

To learn more about this exciting new information, including recordings of the old and new songs, you can refer to the original National Geographic article at

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/07/new-sparrow-birdsong-replaces-old-tune/ and you can refer to the new scientific publication at https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)30771-5

OMAK, WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt announced today at a roundtable with community members in Omak, Washington that the Department of the Interior (Department) will not move forward with a new Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan for the North Cascades Ecosystem and the associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

“Representative Newhouse has been a tireless advocate for his community and his constituents regarding plans to reintroduce grizzly bears into the North Cascades Ecosystem,” said Secretary Bernhardt. “The Trump Administration is committed to being a good neighbor, and the people who live and work in north central Washington have made their voices clear that they do not want grizzly bears reintroduced into the North Cascades. Grizzly bears are not in danger of extinction, and Interior will continue to build on its conservation successes managing healthy grizzly bear populations across their existing range.”

“This announcement is welcomed by my constituents in Central Washington who have consistently shared my same concerns about introducing an apex predator into the North Cascades,” said U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse (WA-04). “Homeowners, farmers, ranchers, and small business owners in our rural communities were loud and clear: We do not want grizzly bears in North Central Washington. I have long advocated that local voices must be heard by the federal government on this issue, and I am enormously grateful to Secretary Bernhardt for not only listening to our concerns and opinions, but for delivering this news in person, right here in North Central Washington.” Read more

Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) and The Average Conservationist are excited to announce a collaboration benefiting conservation.

A t-shirt collaboration between the organizations will raise funds for direct conservation work in Michigan. The design features the words Michigan United Conservation Clubs underneath a forest and white-tailed deer silhouette. To buy one of these exclusive shirts, visit The Average Conservationist. Read more

Dear Fellow Conservationists,

As an active National Wild Turkey Federation member, you understand our organization and the sacred relationship between wildlife, wild places and people. The last four months have changed all our lives and challenged us to re-evaluate our priorities and our passions. In short, COVID-19 has threatened lives, livelihoods and the NWTF.

To help sustain our mission, we have had to streamline our organization to better fit the financial reality of today. These measures were painful but helped us reduce expenses substantially. However, it is not enough; we still need your help to keep our mission, our operations and our field work alive. Replacing the lost revenue from shutting down our fundraising events this spring will ensure our beloved mission lives on for future generations. This is the reason we are issuing a rare Call for All to raise an additional $5 Million this summer.

Over the next few weeks, we are asking ALL members to consider an additional gift to the National Wild Turkey Federation. No contribution is too small. Participation from 100% of our membership, while a lofty goal, will reinforce the faith you have in the Federation and the collective commitment we have to our mission of preserving our hunting heritage and the conservation of the wild turkey. The funds raised will be key in jump-starting many of the important initiatives the national pandemic has sidelined.

The NWTF remains steadfast. But now, more than ever, we need the help of our members to keep our mission moving forward.

Please join me in giving to the NWTF in this time of great need. https://your.nwtf.org/call-for-all/

Yours in Conservation,

Becky Humphries

Bozeman, MT — A biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was attacked by a grizzly bear in the Centennial Valley Wednesday morning. The individual suffered serious bite wounds but is expected to recover fully.

The USFWS employee was working on a sage grouse monitoring project on Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge about a mile west of Elk Lake. The biologist heard a noise in the sagebrush and turned to see two grizzly bears in a close-encounter situation, approximately 80 to 100 yards away.

One bear stood up, and the other charged the biologist. The biologist deployed bear spray at the charging bear and throughout the attack until the attacking bear ran away with the other bear. Read more

SALT LAKE CITY — You are in the middle of a fishing trip to your favorite high country lake or a remote stream. You come around a corner and notice a large moose in the middle of the trail. What should you do? Here are a few things to know about moose in Utah and how to avoid conflicts with them:

Utah is home to between 2,500 and 3,000 moose. The largest animals in the deer family, moose can be found along the Wasatch Front and in northern and northeastern Utah, typically in forested areas. Moose generally eat aquatic vegetation during spring and summer, and then switch to a diet of bark and twigs in the winter.

Adult moose can weigh between 800 to 1,200 pounds, and bulls can stand 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Due to their large size, moose can be dangerous when they feel threatened. In some areas of the U.S., wildlife agencies report that more people are injured by moose than bears each year.

“In my years of working with wildlife, I have dealt with bears, rattlesnakes, cougars and moose, and the only species that I’ve had turn and come back at me was a moose,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Big Game Coordinator Covy Jones said. “People often underestimate how aggressive they can be.” Read more