Caught in the act -- of migration

We were thrilled yesterday when we got a text from our friends at the Powdermill Avian Research Center in western Pennsylvania that contained only a photo and two words. The photo was of a hatch year Kirtland's Warbler being held by a bird bander, and the words were simple and direct: "So exciting!"

Exciting, indeed!

It seems like Kirtland's Warblers are traveling incognito these days. They are rarely seen in migration and even with the proliferation of Motus tags and towers they are rarely detected. So when one ends up in a bird bander's mist net someplace between the breeding grounds and the wintering grounds, it gives us a chance to marvel at the luck.

It doesn't surprise us, though, that a Kirtland's Warbler was found in the hills of western Pennsylvania. Fall migration for the Kirtland's Warbler tends to track more eastwardly than the spring migration. And a Kirtland's Warbler has been recorded here before. According to records, a Kirtland's Warbler was banded at Powdermill in September of 1971.

It also does not surprise us that this was a hatch-year bird. Younger birds tend to depart the breeding grounds before the older adults. They'll start heading south in the next couple of weeks and are usually gone by the second week of October.

Hopefully we'll be getting some more data on this particular bird from our friends at Powdermill. We hope to share that with you soon. In the meantime, safe travels little bird!

Dealing with a major habitat shortfall

The Kirtland's Warbler Conservation Team held two days of meetings earlier this week to discuss ... well ... Kirtland's Warbler Conservation.

The really good news is that all the agencies see and understand where we stand with the habitat shortfall and are making moves to address the problem.

For the past decade, the Forest Service and the Michigan DNR have missed many of their annual planting targets, which means there is a significant shortfall of habitat available for the KW to nest in. Even though the agencies know they have a problem, the problem is going to get worse before it gets better. Unfortunately, it takes time to free up land by either selling stands of mature timber and replanting them or by essentially grinding up trees between 20 and 30 years old and allowing natural regeneration to take place. Based on projections it would appear that we will continue to lose acreage until 2027, which is when projections say we should bottom out. The chart below shows habitat development since 2006 and future averages the agencies hope to maintain.

The good news is that the State of Michigan will be purchasing a new piece of equipment this fall -- a masticator -- that will help the DNR and Forest Service quickly develop new habitat. The cool thing about the masticator is that certain tracts can be treated in different years, which will end up producing more variation in the age of trees on the landscape and lead to more diversity among the age of the trees.

The best news from our point of view is that the agencies get it. They understand the problem and they understand that if they fail to act decisively, the KW population will fall to the point where the bird would have to be re-listed on the Endangered Species List. That would be a MAJOR blow to their prestige and add fuel to the argument that the Endangered Species Act doesn't work. That view is held only by a few people who, unfortunately, have a platform that allows them to make a whole lot of noise.

This episode has been a major test for the Conservation Team. Would the member agencies respond quickly and with enough urgency to meet the moment? As of right now, it appears the answer is yes. The next step is to ensure that this does not happen again. In the meantime, level your expectations for the numbers coming out of next year's census. The number of singing males in the northern Lower Peninsula is going to be down until we get through this bottleneck.

The Alliance was first to raise this issue and has been forceful in letting the agencies know that they were not meeting their obligations. That is one of the most important parts of our mission. We will continue to do our best to ensure that the future of the rarest songbird is secure.

Happy Anniversary to ... US!

March 31, 2024, is a special day for us because it’s the 10th anniversary of our first meeting as we sought to form a new nonprofit organization with a mission of advancing Kirtland’s Warbler conservation.

At least we think today is our anniversary. It’s the 10th anniversary of the oldest meeting agenda in our files. But there were lots of pre-meeting meetings to plan what would happen at the first official meeting so the decision to call the Jan. 31 date our anniversary is a little arbitrary.

On Jan. 31, 2014, a handful of people gathered in a basement conference room at Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Michigan. There was a retired DNR employee, a member of the Board of Huron Pines, our parent organization, an employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an employee of the Kalamazoo Nature Center, an author, and an ardent conservationist whose father was instrumental in Kirtland’s Warbler conservation in the 1960s and ‘70s. There is proof of the meeting – a group photo – somewhere in our files. We hope to share it with you … if we can ever find it.

The vision for the Alliance came out of an academic paper written by J. Michael Scott and Carol Bocetti, two professors who specialized in endangered species conservation. As part of his work conserving California Condors, Prof. Scott realized that 80 percent of endangered species could not be removed from the Endangered Species List because they were reliant on active and continuing conservation efforts by humans to prevent their extinction. There was no mechanism to support these species after recovery. Therefore, they could not be removed. It was as if they were on life support.

What if, Scott and Bocetti wondered in their paper, an organization could be set up that would provide financial support for those unending conservation efforts? The Alliance was born with that concept in mind. The are proud to be part of this first-ever effort.

Over the past decade our mission has been refined as we have focused in on certain key areas where we can play a critical role to promote Kirtland’s Warbler conservation.

In those earliest days we were guided – no, we were driven – by Abby Ertel, who is in charge of community outreach for Huron Pines.

If you have never met Abby, the best way to describe her is a force of nature crossed with a den mother. Perhaps her words describe that first meeting best:

“What I remember most was the energy and excitement in the room as we gathered for that first meeting. We had scheduled it for the day ahead of our Huron Pines annual meeting which was fun - it meant bringing new faces, energy and ideas to our organization. It also meant showcasing our skills and perspective in new arenas as well. We were all new to each other and little unsure about what exactly we would be doing - however we all shared an understanding of how important and historic the task ahead of us was going to be for KW.

“Looking back on that day it comes through in my memories with almost a warm, cinematic filter - with a soft glow and richness. I didn't know it then but I made some of my best personal and professional memories, connections and relationships working with the Alliance and KW partners, doing fun and challenging work for a rare bird and forest system that was literally in my back yard, out my window. We also learned a lot about community engagement and sustaining conservation efforts during that time period which has had direct positive benefits for conservation and communities in Northern Michigan.

“How can you not get the warm fuzzies?!”

Warm fuzzies, indeed. Especially when we think of those who have been Board members guiding lights along the way. Some have moved on to other things. Some are still with us, while one particularly beloved member has left this mortal coil. (We miss you, Jerry!)

Most importantly, over the past decade we have built an organization that has the respect of our partners in the community, among other non-government organizations and with the conservation agencies inside the state and federal government.

Most importantly, we have to thank you, our donors, supporters and volunteers, for all you have done to boost our mission over the past decade. There’s no doubt it has been a challenge, but we’re looking forward to another 10 years of meeting challenges and overcoming them for the benefit of our favorite half-ounce of feathers.