August 2011 News Roundup

American Bird Conservancy's Monthly News Roundup Our Top Stories from August 2011 New Reserve in Peru Protects Birds, New Plant and Frog Species A new nature reserve in central Peru has been established through the efforts of American Bird Conservancy and Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos, a leading Peruvian conservation group. The new San Marcos Private Conservation Area covers more than 2,400 acres, protecting important high-altitude cloud forests. Read the full story here www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/110815.html Washington Western Bluebird Reintroduction Effort a Success! A five-year cooperative effort involving several organizations has succeeded in returning the Western Bluebird to Washington’s San Juan Islands. The bird had historically inhabited the islands, but changing land use practices and a paucity of nesting sites meant the species had not nested there for over 40 years. Read the full story here www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/110811.html Leading Bird Conservation Group Hails New Federal Lead Clean-up of Midway Island American Bird Conservancy applauded the start of the first phase of a $21 million effort to remove lead-based paint from Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. This action is the largest step forward to date in solving a decades-old problem that has resulted in the death of as many as 130,000 Laysan Albatross chicks since jurisdiction of the island was transferred to the Department of the Interior from the Navy in 1996. Read the full story here www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/110805.html Study Shows Population of Three Endangered Hawaiian Waterbirds on the Rise A recent study published in the journal Population Ecology shows increasing populations of three endemic and endangered Hawaiian waterbirds, with two of those birds showing steep increases in recent years. The Hawaiian Common Moorhen, the Hawaiian Coot, and the Hawaiian Black-necked Stilt were the subjects of the study; all have been listed under the Endangered Species Act for over 40 years. Read the full story here www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/110825.html New Bird Species Revealed to Science After 50 Years in Museum Drawer A bird specimen that sat in a drawer at the Smithsonian for nearly 50 years has been revealed to be a totally new species to science, the first in the United States for 37 years. Read the full story here www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/stories/110831.html Photos: Powerful Woodpecker by Kevin Heffernan; Western Bluebird chicks by Lauren Ross; Laysan Albatross, Clipart.com; Black-necked Stilt by Alan Wilson; Bryan's Shearwater, Smithsonian Institution

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