Between the early 1980′s and 2000, most States conducted annual bald eagle surveys. Since then, many states recognized that annual surveys were no longer necessary. That is why you will not see annual data after 2000. On August 9, 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species.

Have you heard of The Penguin Project?  Neither had I until I had the opportunity to attend the Wildlife Conservation Expo in San Francisco on October 3rd.  Well, The Penguin Sentinels (formerly the Penguin project) has been established to protect and study the largest Magellanic penguin colony in the world. And for the last 25 years that is exactly what they have been doing.  Here are the numbers from 1983-2008:

A total of 56,289 penguins banded

                -42,137 chicks, 2,194 resighted

25,472 eggs measured

174,019 chick measurements

                -56,568 individual chicks

443 satellite tags deployed

1,838 books of data

2,358,205 records

Check out The Penguin Sentinels great website!

How about some positive news on the waterfowl front.  Here are some highlights from the 2009 Waterfowl Survey covering the north-central United States, south-central and northern Canada, and Alaska:

-The estimated mallard population is 8.5 million birds, a 10 percent increase over last year’s estimate of 7.7 million birds and 13 percent above the long-term average.

-The estimated population of 3.1 million gadwall is similar to last year’s estimate and 73 percent above the long-term average.

-At 7.4 million, the estimated population size of blue-winged teal is the second highest on record, while green-winged teal numbers were at an all-time high of 3.4 million. Estimates for both species are well above their long-term averages (60 percent and 79 percent, respectively).

-The 3.2 million estimate for northern pintails is 23 percent more than last year but 20 percent below the long-term average.

-The estimated number of one million redheads is similar to last year and is 62 percent above the long-term average.

-The canvasback estimate of 662,000 is 35 percent more than last year’s estimate and similar to the long-term average.

-The estimated abundance of northern shovelers (4.4 million) is 25 percent more than last year and 92 percent above the long-term average.

-The scaup (lesser and greater combined), estimate of 4.2 million, is 12 percent greater than last year but 18 percent below the long-term average. 

Data: U.S. FWS, Trends in Duck Breeding Populations, 1955-2009

At least 81 bird species inhabit U.S. marine waters, spending their lives at sea and  returning to islands and coasts to nest.

At least 39% of bird species in U.S. marine waters are believed to be declining, but data are lacking for many species.

Of 81 ocean bird species, almost half are of conservation concern.

4 that are federally listed as endangered or threatened.

37% of ocean bird species have stable population trends.

12% of the 81 ocean bird species have  increasing populations.

12% of ocean birds do not have enough data available to determine population trends.

Longline fisheries worldwide injure and drown as many as 60 bird species.

Reference: North American Bird Conservation Initiative, U.S. Committee, 2009. The State of the Birds, United States of America, 2009. U.S. Department of Interior: Washington, DC.

48 – The number of bird species that nest in U.S. grasslands, including ducks, grouse, hawks, and songbirds

48 and 55 – The percent of grassland birds that are of conservation concern and percent showing significant declines.

2 – Percent of the tallgrass prairie that still remains in North America

4 – Number of grassland bird populations that are federally endangered

8 - Number of sparrow species out of 12 that are listed as of conservation concern

38-77 – Percent of Eastern and Western meadowlarks, Bobolinks, Shorteared Owls, and Northern Bobwhites that have declined since 1968

6 – Number of species that breed in the Great Plains of the United States and Canada and that winter in Mexico’s Chihuahuan grasslands that are showing steep declines of 68–91%

Data: State of the Birds 2009

Photo by South Dakota Tourism

More than 33% of federally listed bird species occur on the Hawaiian islands.

71 Hawaiian bird species have become extinct since the arrival of humans.

An additional 10 birds are feared extinct as they have not been observed for over 40 years.

Prior to human inhabitants, Hawaii was home to 113 unique bird species such as flightless geese, ibis, rails, and 59 species of Hawaiian honeycreepers.

43% of 157 sea and land species are not native to the islands, while 69% of the landbirds have been brought over from all parts of the world.

“The Palila, found only on the Big Island, has declined from 6,600 birds in 2003 to 2,200 in 2008.”

“Since 1979, approximately 30,000 Newell’s Shearwaters, a threatened species, have collided with utility lines and structures or have been grounded after becoming confused by bright lights.”

“Nearly all native Hawaiian forest birds are declining, their populations devastated by nonnative disease-carrying mosquitoes, predators, feral cattle and pigs, and loss of habitat.”

Data: FWS, State of the Birds 2009

39% of aridland birds are species of conservation concern, including 10 federally listed as endangered or threatened. These species are especially vulnerable because of their small ranges or restricted habitat requirements, or both.

60% of all aridland species and 76% of aridland obligate species have declined.

More than 50% of aridland birds are permanent residents of the U.S. borderlands.

174 condors are flying free, and the number is expected to grow each year.

Data: FWS