Methane Flaring – A Hidden Killer for Birds of Prey

Photo: Red-tailed Hawk, Kristen Cart/Audubon Photography Awards

By Jessica Bigger

As some landfills pile up with trash, building excessive amounts of methane, carbon dioxide (CO2), and other greenhouse gases, some landfill owners have installed methane gas burners to reduce the amount of methane entering the atmosphere. However, the downside to methane flaring is that the flame is colorless and fatal for birds flying in the area, especially birds of prey.

Methane gas is one of the major greenhouse gases causing the planet to warm; more so than Carbon Dioxide. (CO2) So, by burning off methane, the gas is converted to a CO2, and other minor greenhouse gases that aren’t as harmful to the atmosphere.

Trash produces 50% methane, 50% CO2, and a small percentage of other gases that enter into the atmosphere, which is why flaring has been used to help reduce the amount of methane gas from entering the atmosphere.

Many landfills are near telephone poles and other tall structures, where hawks and falcons sit. So, when a hawk takes flight near a garbage dump, it may fly too close to the colorless flame, not feeling the heat until it’s too late. Wildlife monitors and rescuers have found numerous birds of prey singed by these flames. In most cases the burns are fatal.

Some garbage dump owners have worked with wildlife advocates to find solutions to the problem. A few have put cages around their methane burners so the birds can see the cage and avoid the methane flare stack. Unfortunately, the winds from a major storm can knock over the cage. This happened at the Kingsland Landfill in New Jersey; it took a while for the cage to be repaired. One way to solve this problem is for owners to check the burner after a storm and fix the cage immediately if it has been damaged. 

Although there are some landfill owners willing to mitigate the situation, many are unlikely to install a cage. The cost of installing and maintaining the cage may be one of the reasons many landfill owners choose not to install one. 

Wildlife experts have also suggested other solutions, like burying electrical lines so birds can’t perch on telephone poles near landfills, or building taller structures so birds can lift off well above the burners. 

In many cases these solutions require cooperation from landowners, but also commitments from local government. As in many situations, even though the changes seem impossible, many conservationist and bird advocates will continue to reach out to landfill owners and local government officials to find a win-win solution for owners and birds of prey.

Sources:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/11/methane-flares-scorching-birds-us-landfills/ 
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/methane-gas-from-landfills-burns-and-injures-birds/
https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/44736/20201123/methane-gas-flares-scorch-owls-hawks-waste-landfills.htm

September Bird of the Month

Photo: Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Kelly Colganazar

Bird of the Month: Fall Migration Brings Cuckoos to Virginia

By Jessica Biggers

When you hear “ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp” or a mellow “cu, cu, cu, cu” call in the distance it might be a sign of rain. Because of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s (Coccyzus americanus) and the Black-billed Cuckoo’s (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) weather forecasting abilities, they are commonly known as the “rain crow.” As a rain storm is blowing in, our little friends are giving us a heads up to run for cover. These elusive birds are rarely seen but heard, and their song and call can carry quite a distance. They are also long-distance migrants flying silently to their destination.

Sometimes Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos get a bad rap, being compared to their close cousin the Common Cuckoo from Eurasia. The Common Cuckoo is a brood parasite whose call is mimicked by a cuckoo clock’s chime. Although, Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos will occasionally lay their eggs in other birds’ nest, it is not a common occurrence. In most cases, if they do, they will lay their eggs in other cuckoo’s nests.

Even though both Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos can lay up to two broods, they tend to only raise one and don’t lay their eggs all at once, but asynchronously. Youngsters, when threatened, will make a display similar to a bittern, where they stretch their necks, with their heads looking straight up into the sky; standing like a statue.

Yellow-billed Cuckoos (YBCU) and Black-billed Cuckoos (BBCU) migrate through Virginia in the spring. But Black-billed Cuckoos breed farther north from Virginia while Yellow-billed Cuckoos have a more expansive breeding territory. In seasons when there is an abundance of caterpillars and cicadas, you’ll tend to hear and see more of them. YBCU’s have a preference for tent caterpillars, gypsy moths and cicadas, while BBCU munch on caterpillars of the spiny variety, shedding their stomach lining to remove the spines and coughing those spines up into owl-like pellets.

While our eastern Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s population is stable, the western population is struggling due to habitat loss. They inhabit woodlands, thick brush, marshes and abandoned farmland. Black-billed Cuckoos live more in woodlands and thickets.

This year, I’ve seen a ton of spiny and tent caterpillars, more than in past years. Plus, we’ve had a lot of rain. So, there is a good chance we’ll hear more of these elusive birds during fall migration as they head down to Mexico and Central American for the winter.

Sources:

https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Brood_Parasitism.html

https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/yellow-billed-cuckoo

August Bird of the Month

Photo: Red-shouldered Hawks, Linda Krueger

Bird of the Month: Who’s that Calling in the Air?

By Jessica Biggers

“Tier, Tier, Tier, Tier, Tier.” Have you heard this call? It’s the call of a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus), but it could be a Blue Jay you’re hearing. Even if you have a discerning ear, the calls can be indistinguishable. Although I’ve found that a Red-shouldered Hawk call tends to be longer, a bit sharper, higher pitched and louder than its copycat. 

There’s definitely a healthy population of resident Red-shouldered Hawks in Northern Virginia. Reston Association (RA) volunteers tallied 38 of them in Reston alone during this spring’s 24-hour bird survey. 

They are also one of the Audubon at Home program’s Sanctuary Species. Red-shouldered Hawks in our area tend to live in deciduous forests with little understory, enabling them to see better while hunting. Although, you will also find them in residential areas on the edge of forests. There was even a nesting pair who strayed farther away from the woods to make their home in a maintenance shed at the RA Central Services Facility (CSF) in Reston last spring. Most red-shouldered pairs return to the same nest from year to year, but unfortunately our CSF occupants did not come back this spring. 

If you do find a nest, take a look on the ground for bird poop, which is a good sign that it’s active. Red-shouldereds have one brood per year with a clutch of between two and five babies. Five days after the brood hatches, the babies start throwing their poop over the nest. Another earlier sign that you can look for is a nest decorated with pine boughs. You can often find some pine boughs on the ground near the nest.

During the breeding season, males do an elaborate aerial mating dance. They begin calling while soaring, and then make some steep dives towards the female. They fly back up in a spiral pattern before diving back down again to mate. Most Red-shouldered Hawks pair for life and usually hunt together year round.

These hawks are pretty easy to identify compared to their fellow hawk neighbors, like the Cooper’s Hawk. Their markings are distinguishable from the others; with their reddish-peach barred underside and a sharply defined banded tail. However, you are more likely to see them in flight than hiding out in a tree. 

So, the next time you hear a “Tier, Tier, Tier, Tier,” listen very closely and see if you can guess who it is – your friendly red-shouldered neighbor or one of those sneaky Blue Jay mimics. Happy birding!

Sources:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/overview