Da Beers!

Da Beers!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

California Energy Commission says no to desert solar plant that could kill birds

Turns out it's not just wind turbines that kill birds. 

The High Country News Goat Blog reports on the threat to birds from high-intensity solar power arrays.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

"Birdorable" Birds

Apparently aimed at the brain-dead birder, here you go.

Don't say you weren't warned.

.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Do Bird Song Phone Apps and Other Recorded Playbacks Harm Birds?

The "harmful misuse" of mobile phone apps that mimic birdsong can stop birds performing important tasks such as feeding their young, experts have told the BBC.

Concerned about visitors using bird-call apps to entice seldom-seen species before their cameras, Dorset Wildlife Trust is also asking people to stop using the technology on all of its 42 reserves, arguing that it distracts birds from nesting and tending their young.

Tony Whitehead, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), has also urged people to consider the consequences of their actions, saying:
Repeatedly playing a recording of birdsong or calls to encourage a bird to respond in order to see it or photograph it can divert a territorial bird from other important duties, such as feeding its young. It is selfish and shows no respect to the bird.
Clearly, this is a difficult and enduring problem. Local San Diego birders may recall a discussion on the subject on the old SDBirds listserv in September 2012 that quickly turned heated, and in which the best arguments presented in favor of using sound recordings in the field was, "I want to, so I will!" So very American.

So what's the objective ground truth?  Well, it depends who you listen to.  But there's an excellent and thoughtful piece on the subject at Sibley Guides online that seems to provide a useful starting place.

Noting that most claims for and against use of recordings are speculative and lacking in substantive research, Sibley offers these recommendations:

Respect for the Birds
  • Plan carefully and understand your quarry so that you can guess where the bird is, or where it is likely to be. If you have already heard it or seen it, consider those locations when deciding where to play audio. You must be in (or very near) the bird’s territory to get a useful response.
  •  
  • Choose your spot and set the stage – Visualize the scenario of the bird coming into view. How will it approach the recording, and where will it sit so that you can see it? You should play the recording from a location that offers the bird a comfortable approach through its preferred habitat, and also has openings, edges, and/or prominent perches where it will come into view. Many playback efforts are unsuccessful either because the bird will not cross unsuitable habitat, or because dense vegetation allows it to approach closely while remaining hidden.
  •  
  • Begin by playing the recording quietly for just a few seconds – for example just two or three songs, then stop, watch, and listen.
  •  
  • Use short snippets – If there is any response, try very short snippets of song after that, even stopping the recording after half of a normal song, to try to tease the bird into the open without posing a serious challenge to its self-esteem.
  •  
  • Watch for a response – If there is no obvious response after 30-60 seconds, play another 15-30 seconds of sound. Remember that the bird may respond by approaching silently, or by guarding its mate, so a lack of song is not necessarily a lack of response, and you can assume that you are being watched. Watch the vegetation carefully on all sides for an approach, and also watch and listen for a response from neighboring males.
  •  
  • Remain calm – If you still don’t detect any response, play the recording again, watch and wait, and repeat. But don’t keep this up longer than about five minutes, and resist the urge to finish with a prolonged, loud barrage of song.
  •  
  • Check back later – Many birds will remain silent in the immediate aftermath of the playback, and then begin singing vigorously minutes later. Males in other territories might monitor the playback, and the challenge to their neighbor, and also be stimulated to sing minutes later. If you can wait around, or circle back to check on the area after 10 to 30 minutes, you may find that the desired response to playback is occurring then.
  •  
Respect for ones fellow birders
  • Be courteous – Before starting, ask your fellow birders if anyone objects to using playback.
  •  
  • Don’t surprise people – Before each burst of playback, announce to the group that you are about to start playback (just quietly saying “playback” will do), and hold the device up above your head during playback so other birders can see at a glance the source of the sound.
  •  
  • Be unobtrusive – Keep the volume low and play only short clips of sound – 30 seconds or less – then pause to watch and listen for a response.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

My Most Miserable Months: Life As a Palomar Audubon Society Board Member

Between March 2013 and September 2013, I did my best to serve as an elected Director on the Board of Palomar Audubon Society, a non-profit charitable corporation headquartered in Escondido, California.

When I finally threw in the towel and gave up trying to help people who clearly didn't want to be helped, I resolved to adopt a "live and let live" approach towards those usually-genial but sorely misguided people.  However, since I've learned these folks are still dragging my name through the mud, I feel the need to set the record straight.

* * *

To make a very long story short, I did my best to avoid getting involved with the corporate governance of this operation.  As an attorney at law, I know too well the perils of trying to run a non-profit corporation alongside folks who don't share my professional background and ethical responsibilities.

Nevertheless, after several years of social birding with Palomar Audubon, these folks kept pleading with me to get more involved by serving on their Board.

Sadly, however, after I relented and agreed to serve as a Palomar Audubon Society Director, I quickly learned that the folks who have been running Palomar Audubon Society for at least the past few years had precious little understanding of the seriousness involved in running any publicly chartered non-profit charitable corporation.

Among the problems I soon discovered were:
  • A complete lack of any kind of training or indoctrination program for new officers and directors (which probably goes a long, long ways towards explaining all the other serious problems I found at Palomar Audubon Society) 
  • A propensity to willfully ignore the provisions of the corporation's Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws on the ground that it is just too much hard work
  • Use of illegal email voting procedures for official board actions
  • Complete lack of Board editorial control or oversight of the Society's official newsletters and website
  • Failure to review and update the Society's Bylaws in over a decade as California non-profit corporation law and the federal tax code continued to change and evolve
  • Inability and/or unwillingness to read and follow the corporation's simple Bylaws with respect to quorum rules, term of office for Officers and Directors, number of Board and Member meetings required annually, and many other crucial aspects of corporate governance
  • Lack of proper notice for Board and Member meetings, and especially for the election by the Members of corporate Officers and Directors
  • Lack of any long-term plan for recruiting and filling Director, Officer, Committee Chair, and Committee vacancies
  • Public announcement of appointment of a new Conservation Committee Chair (arguably the most important non-elective position in this kind of conservation organization) without the required approval of the Board of Directors
  • An embarrassing lack of sophistication and understanding of what it actually means to "partner" with another non-profit or agency in the conservation field
  • An irrational desire on the part of some Board members to continue a donor relationship with the Wildlife Research Institute of Ramona (WRI) ... long after it was discovered that WRI director David Bittner had pled guilty to Federal crimes associated with the illegal taking of protected raptors
This is by no means an exhaustive list of problems evident at Palomar Audubon Society.  But it does provide a general flavor of the many problems I discovered during my brief time dealing with the "leaders" of that non-profit.

Fortunately, I subsequently found that my "election" was fatally flawed, and that I had therefore never actually been a legally constitued member of the Palomar Audubon Society Board of Directors.  Great relief that!

Due to the ugly things that were said and done during the course of my brief time trying to serve the Members of Palomar Audubon Society, we have also completely withdrawn from having anything to do with Palomar Audubon Society.  Which is actually quite sad, considering that up until this year -- and as lame as Palomar Audubon Society can be with respect to actual birding expertise -- Palomar Audubon Society had become a large part of our social life.

* * *

Otherwise, I wouldn't presume to tell anyone what to do with their charitable dollars.   However, I would recommend that before you donate significant funds to any non-profit, take the time to learn about the organization's management through research, and through direct observation of the non-profit's leadership at Board meetings and the like.

In addition, if you are ever approached to serve on the board of any non-profit, be very careful about who you're getting involved with.  Many non-profits are professionally managed and beyond reproach.  Others, however, are run with all the professionalism of a church bake sale.  Or of a numbers racket. 

Nor do the state Attorney's General tend to devote much in the way of resources to overseeing these ubiquitous organizations which have proliferated like fleas as unscrupulous individuals have come to recognize the naive generosity of many Americans who will unquestionably donate to anything or anyone labeled "non-profit."      

Done right, non-profit board service is also very demanding work ... albeit work that one can rightly take great pride in if done well.

In the worst case, as a non-profit director or officer you may find yourself being held personally liable for the transgressions of the non-profit, or of your fellow Directors or Officers.  

Bottom line:  Be careful out there!  As with many other aspects of life in this Brave New World, you're pretty much on your own nowadays.