Hi All,
I guess I was confused by the use of the phrase "private collections, or otherwise," and saw it as an opportunity to do some education. I mean why would someone have a private collection if permits were issued for teaching, research, or rehab purposes only, which all seem like rather public activities?
And given that collecting bird eggs and nests was a popular hobby at one time which necessitated the creation of protection laws, I'm sure we'd want to make sure new birders were aware that collecting nests and eggs was no longer en vogue.
Additionally, I know that in my experience as an educator I have encountered many individuals with questions about destroying, moving, or collecting bird's nests, so there may be new birders out there who have collected nests without necessarily knowing those nests were protected. And as Allen Chartier pointed out, while a nest may seem abandoned it may be potentially re-used in subsequent nesting seasons.
This seemed like a perfect opportunity to promote education about the protection of birds and therefore needed some clarification.
By the way if anyone is interested this Sunday PBS will be airing a documentary about hummingbirds on it Nature program. You can check out some preview videos at this site:
http://tinyurl.com/ycz5499
Good Birding!
Casey
> Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 23:21:29 -0500
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] Ruby-throated Hummingbird/Blue-gray Gnatcatcher nests
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Thanks to Casey for so quickly taking it upon himself to "clarify" my
> message. Please note, I asked for nests in "collections" - those would
> presumably be housed by individuals with the necessary permits to do so.
> Sorry for not spelling that out in minute detail.
>
> Jim
>
> Jim McCormac
> Columbus, Ohio
> Like nature? Visit my blog: http://jimmccormac.blogspot.com/
> Like birds? Join the Ohio Ornithological Society: http://www.ohiobirds.org
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Casey
> Tucker
> Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 10:42 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] Ruby-throated Hummingbird/Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
> nests
>
> Hi Folks,
>
>
>
> I know there are a lot of new birders who subscribe to and read this list so
> I thought I should clarify something in Jim's message.
>
>
>
> I'm sure Jim, as a representative of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, did not
> mean to suggest that it was ok to possess gnatcatcher and hummingbird nests
> in private collections. Both species and their nests are protected under the
> Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which you can read more about here:
> www.fws.gov/pacific/migratorybirds/mbta.htm
>
>
>
> Nests can be obtained for different purposes with the proper state and
> federal permits, though the justification for the issuance of those permits
> is usually limited to teaching or research purposes. If you do wish to
> obtain the necessary permits you can find the state permit application at
> this link: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/9/pdf/pub326.pdf I'm sure you
> can contact the US Fish & Wildlife Service to obtain the necessary federal
> permit applications.
>
>
>
> Additionally, as representative of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Jim would
> be ethically obligated to uphold the policies of the Division of Wildlife
> which would include enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state
> wildlife protection laws. If you do possess nests you may want to consider
> donating them to a public collection with the proper permits, like a museum,
> university, or nature center which would bolster the nest collections of
> those institutions.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Casey Tucker
>
> Columbus, OH
>
>
> ****************************************************************************
> ******************
> > Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 19:50:47 -0500
> > From: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: [Ohio-birds] Ruby-throated Hummingbird/Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
> nests
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> >
> >
> > I am writing to see if anyone has or knows about nests of Ruby-throated
> > Hummingbirds and/or Blue-gray Gnatcatcher that are in collections, private
> > or otherwise. And if so, if it would be possible for me to borrow the
> > nest(s).
> >
> >
> >
> > I am working with Ray Showman, who is an expert on lichens, to document
> the
> > species composition of lichens that these two bird species use in the
> > construction of their nests. Nests with some location data are best - even
> > to the county level - but we would like to examine nests that lack any
> sort
> > of collection information, too. We're most interested in Ohio nests, but
> > would like to inspect any nests we can get our hands on. Nest collections,
> > at least of these two species, seem to be fairly sparse in academic
> > collections, thus our attempt to cast a broader net.
> >
> >
> >
> > As you may or may not know, hummingbirds and gnatcatchers shingle the
> > exterior of their nests with lichens, and bind the affair together with
> > spider silk. Amazing construction jobs, really; I couldn't build one of
> > those things with training from Martha Stewart and a doubling of my
> hand-eye
> > coordination.
> >
> >
> >
> > Lichens are organisms created by the symbiotic pairing of a fungus and an
> > alga, and form those interesting scaly crusts that we see on tree bark and
> > rocks. They are among the most sensitive easily observed organisms in
> > regards to air quality; lichens disappear rapidly if pollution becomes too
> > oppressive. These birds clearly use them in part for camouflage, as
> lichens
> > make their tiny cup nests look much like a bump on a branch, but lichens
> > have some interesting chemical properties that may come into play.
> >
> >
> >
> > Anyway, if you can put me onto some nests it would be highly appreciated.
> We
> > don't have to significantly alter the nests to study them, so I can return
> > them after the study. If you have any leads, please contact me privately
> at
> > this e-mail address. Thanks!
> >
> >
> >
> > Jim
> >
> >
> >
> > Jim McCormac
> >
> > Columbus, Ohio
> >
> > Like nature? Visit my blog: http://jimmccormac.blogspot.com/
> >
> > Like birds? Join the Ohio Ornithological Society: http://www.ohiobirds.org
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________________
> >
> > Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> > Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
> > Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at
> www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
> >
> > You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
> > http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
> > Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection.
> http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/196390707/direct/01/
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
> Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
> Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at
> www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
>
> You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
> http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
> Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
> Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
> Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
>
> You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
> http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
> Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service.
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/196390708/direct/01/
______________________________________________________________________
Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
|
