Bald eagles soar, but other birds don't fare as well
(Published Tuesday, July 10, 2007 11:35:33 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
It was fitting that Haliaeetus leucocephalus, better known as the bald eagle, soared free of the Endangered Species List on June 28, days before our nation celebrated Independence Day.
After all, the eagle is our national symbol. These powerful predators, renowned for keen eyesight and wingspans up to 90 inches, can lift about 4 pounds. They became our national emblem in 1782 and can live up to 30 years.
But our nation had just 417 nesting pairs in 1963. Around the turn of the 20th century, hunting and logging of the eagle's habitat reduced its population. The Bald Eagle Protection Act, passed in 1940 and still in force, made it illegal to shoot at, kill or poison the birds.
But DDT nearly did in these majestic birds. Eagles ingested the insecticide through fish, causing them to lay eggs too thin to hatch. A ban on DDT in 1972, and the modern Endangered Species Act in 1973, helped the eagles recover.
Today, they number close to 10,000 nesting pairs nationwide. With more than 1,000, Wisconsin trails only Minnesota and Florida in the numbers of such pairs.
Eagles are frequent spectacles for Wisconsinites traveling to fish in Ontario, Canada. Walworth's Bob Hansen and his son Mike can attest to that. They and their fishing guide helped rescue two eagles that tangled talons, apparently while in a midair fight, and fell helplessly into Kabinakagami Lake on June 15.
But you don't need to visit Canada to view them. Nests can be seen from Minocqua in northern Wisconsin to Muscoda on the Lower Wisconsin River. In recent years, an eagle has even been spotted along the river in Janesville.
While the eagle is a true conservation success story, other bird species are struggling.
A new National Audubon Society study shows populations of some popular Wisconsin birds have plummeted in the last 40 years. The northern bobwhite population has fallen 82 percent as the quail's habitat has vanished. The eastern meadowlark, once a common sight on fence posts in Rock County, is down 71 percent.
The American bittern, an elusive marsh bird, is down 59 percent. The ruffed grouse, known for males that drum with rapid wing beats to attract females, is down 54 percent.
Such drastic reductions point to the need to protect wilderness regions such as the Robert O. Cook Memorial Arboretum, a wooded 155-acre gem on Janesville's west side. As columnist Anna Marie Lux reported Sunday, the arboretum is known to shelter species whose Wisconsin populations are threatened. These include the monkish cowl, Acadian flycatcher and hooded and cerulean warblers.
Stroll through the arboretum, and you just might hear the loud "twee twee twee-teo" of the hooded warbler or the frantic "pizza!" of the flycatcher. Such sounds are just two more reasons to support Gov. Jim Doyle's call to boost money in the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund and protect more tracts from development.
How you can help
-- Join Audubon chapters and other groups to protect and restore area habitat.
-- Promote sound farming policy. Strong conservation provision in the federal Farm Bill and Conservation Reserve Program can help protect millions of acres of habitat.
-- Support sustainable forests, which are important breeding grounds for many birds.
-- Combat invasive species, which disrupt the delicate ecological balance that sustains birds and other wildlife.
-- Urge state lawmakers to support the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund or keep apprised of federal legislation through the American Bird Conservancy at www.abcbirds.org.
