Thanks for that, Laura. I'll admit that I didn't even realize GWWAs ever nested in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio. Neither my Sibley, Stokes, or Smithsonian guides show any parts of those states as part of the GWWA breeding range. Guess I need to find an earlier edition Peterson guide??
Regardless of the need for listing, I would certainly caution against concluding that GWWA population issues in other parts of the midwest should necessarily lead to management for more GWWA habitat in northern Minnesota where the species appears to be doing well--because the RGS and others have made that very assertion. That's a view that invites problems for other mature-forest dependent species with (probably) negligible benefits to Golden-winged Warblers. Shawn On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 9:46 PM, Laura Erickson <[email protected] > wrote: > Not that I disagree about Northern Goshawk, but to put things in > perspective in terms of *national* protection of a declining species, > for the past 40 years Golden-winged Warblers have declined an average > of 2.8% per year nationally according to Breeding Bird Survey data, > and that rate is accelerating. They’ve completely disappeared from > Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, and are now restricted to a > fraction of their former range in Wisconsin and Michigan. Minnesota > has more remaining than any other state, but even here they’re > virtually entirely restricted to the central part of the state west of > Duluth and Minneapolis. From1994–2003, in the US Fish and Wildlife > Service Region 3, which contains Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, > they’ve declined by 9 percent annually, and they’ve declined 11.3% > annually in Ontario. > > Best, Laura Erickson > > > > On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 9:41 PM, Shawn Conrad <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Not to be too cynical, but Golden-winged Warblers are pretty common in > > northern Minnesota. There is no shortage of the aspen regeneration they > > nest in. In fact, aspen regeneration, lowland brush, and abandoned > fields > > are undoubtedly more abundant now than in presettlement times. (This > does > > not diminish the effects of cowbirds and hybridization mentioned in Jim's > > article.) I find it hard to believe that a relatively rare species like > > Northern Goshawk which relies on large tracts of mature to old forest > cannot > > get protection under the ESA, but a logging-friendly species like > > Golden-winged Warbler that is easy to find within its range is up for > > consideration. > > > > I'm not saying that Golden-winged Warbler isn't an important species (I > love > > them!) or that their local abundance necessarily correlates to a stable > > population. What I AM saying is that they (and other early-successional > > forest species) do not need the habitat protection afforded by ESA > listing > > like old-growth dependent species do, nor should political / industry > > palatability be a factor in determining what species are listed for > > protection. > > > > Shawn Conrad > > > > On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 8:48 PM, Jim <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> The Golden-winged Warbler, with 40 percent of its world population > breeding > >> in Minnesota, is being considered for 'threatened' or 'endangered' > status, > >> according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For more information, > go to > >> www.startribune.com/blogs/wingnut > >> > >> Jim Williams > >> Wayzata > >> > >> ---- > >> Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > >> Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > >> > > > > ---- > > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > > > > > -- > Laura Erickson > Duluth, MN > > For the love, understanding, and protection of birds > > There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. > There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of > nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after > the winter. > > —Rachel Carson > > Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > -- Shawn Conrad www.itascacnfbirding.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
