Three Rivers Birding Club
Bi-monthly Membership Meeting
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
6:30 - 9:30 PM
Phipps Garden Center, Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
On a cold and blustery evening, forty-four birders escaped to the equatorial rainforests of Papua New Guinea. After the confusion about the meeting date and guest speaker, the 3RBC members and visitors were not disappointed. Following an hour of socializing, munching holiday treats, and selecting from the many free magazines and bird-related items brought by generous birders, President Jim Valimont called the meeting to order at 7:30. He apologized for the scheduling snafu and stressed the need for updating phone numbers and e-mails so that members can be contacted in just such a situation.
Steve Thomas, Outings Director, mentioned upcoming events. An outing to Moraine State Park on Saturday, December 12, was added after the publication of The Peregrine; this is a good reason to check the website at www.3rbc.org. Other winter outings include Erie on January 24 and Sewickley Heights Park on February 13. The annual Christmas Bird Count in Pittsburgh will take place on Saturday, December 26; it will be followed by a dinner at Beechwood Farms on December 27. The South Hills and Buffalo Creek Valley counts will be on December 19, and the Buffalo Creek Watershed count will take place December 20.
Mike Fialkovich, Bird Reports Editor, listed recent bird sightings. He started with Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary, Spotted, and Pectoral Sandpipers, and Gray Catbird at North Park. Birders have been keeping an eye on the area since the lake was drawn down in preparation for dredging. Other species of interest included Fox and Lincoln’s Sparrows, Purple Finch and Pine Siskin, Snow Goose, Tundra and Mute Swans, Northern Pintail, Black Scoter, Common Loon, Great Egret, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, Dunlin, Northern Shrike, Common Raven, Orange-crowned and Connecticut Warblers, and Rusty Blackbird. The audience mentioned Northern Bobwhite, hybrid Mallards and hybrid geese, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and huge roosts of American Crows. Discussions included how crow roosts move to different locations, and whether a crow would attack an adult cardinal or would just eat one that was found dead.
Jim introduced the evening’s guest speaker, Dr. Andrew Mack, Senior Scientist at Powdermill Nature Reserve. Prior to his work at Powdermill, Dr. Mack lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for about 20 years. He did a lot of research on cassowaries, and he has been published more than 45 times.
Dr. Mack introduced us to Papua New Guinea in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It occupies the eastern half of the world’s second largest island and includes numerous smaller islands. He explained how tectonic development and rugged terrain led to the nation’s high biodiversity. In a land with a low population density, more than 600 languages, huge amounts of rainfall, vast mountainous terrain, high crime rates, and very little scientific writing, he went to work.
No research station existed when Dr. Mack arrived, so he lived with native families. His first camp was tents raised on a platform above the mud and covered by a tarp that formed a pitched roof. Later, assisted by natives with axes, he was able to build two log buildings and set up a research station with a tin roof and a porcelain toilet. His outstanding photos showed the spectacular forested mountains, the primitive living conditions, and some of the 520 unusual avian species; 80% of these species are endemic.
His initial research focused on seed dispersal by the flightless Dwarf Cassowary--an ideal subject because the species only eats fruit and does not travel far. Researchers need to be cautious since cassowaries have killed people by kicking them. A previously unknown mahogany tree, Aglaia mackiana, named after Dr. Mack, produces much of the bird’s food. The food remains in the cassowary’s gullet for 45 minutes to 3 hours and is dispersed within a kilometer of its consumption. Seeds are often deposited where the birds rest uphill; this helps maintain the tree species. Cassowaries have an extremely low vocalization that carries long distances. The bony casque on its head might aid in sound reception.
Dr. Mack and his students also studied cockatoos, Vulturine Parrots, and Harpy Eagles. His amazing photographs and discussion of other birds sparked many questions. The Frogmouth, excellent at camouflage, has a huge gape, allowing its mouth to open as large as its head. The notorious poisonous Pitohui contains the same neurotoxin in its feathers, flesh, and muscles as the poison arrow frog of South America. The male MacGregor’s Bowerbird creates a four-foot high twig structure and dances around it to attract females. The Shovel-billed Kingfisher perhaps scoops up lizards and earthworms with its massive bill.
The family of megapodes is particularly interesting. About the size of chickens, they are among the most primitive birds. The female lays eggs in a mound of leaves. The male regulates incubation by adding or removing leaves from the cover. The chick is the world’s most precocious bird, immediately able to fend for itself and capable of flight within 24 hours. Because the egg is 60% yolk, humans prize it as food, leading to the extinction of several megapode species. Researchers are working with the indigenous people to both preserve the birds and continue to use the eggs as a food source.
The traditional use of bird feathers in elaborate headdresses is not seen as a major threat to avian species. An amazing photo displayed the bones and beaks of a variety of birds consumed by humans. A problem is that people might hunt some species as well as gathering the eggs, thus endangering the species.
Dr. Mack’s work has helped Jack Dumbacher, who is doing DNA analysis on Papua New Guinea birds. Dr. Mack believes that in 10 to 15 years new species will be identified because of the DNA studies. There are, however, major concerns. Foreign logging and mining companies are exploiting the land. “Eighty percent of the lowlands are slated for logging,” stated Mack. Papua New Guinea has little government-protected land. The key is to educate people and to create a desire for conservation. Dr. Mack has mentored university students and helped them obtain further college educations abroad. Some graduates have started their own institute of biological research. Education is a key to conservation.
Submitted by Pat and Sherron Lynch
Co-Secretaries of Three Rivers Birding Club
