“The strain of bird flu that’s being highlighted in the media, which is called the Asian strain of highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza, has not been found anywhere in the entire Western Hemisphere at this point,” says Mike Rabe, a migratory bird expert with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “Die-offs at this time of year are relatively common in Arizona and are usually because of trichomoniasis or avian botulism.”

Trichomoniasis is caused by a tiny parasite that gets passed between birds. Doves and pigeons are especially susceptible. Trichomoniasis can cause swelling and mucous in birds’ throats. It also makes birds lethargic and unusually tame. Outbreaks of this disease occur almost every year, and the parasite can be spread easily when birds congregate at bird feeders and birdbaths.

To help prevent the spread of trichomoniasis:

1. Don’t put out more seed than birds can consume in a relatively short amount of time. If seed is left over, hygienic conditions can deteriorate, and healthy birds can wind up consuming seeds that have been coughed up by sick birds.

2. If you notice sick birds around your feeder, bring the feeder inside and clean it with a 10% bleach solution. You can clean a birdbath with the same type of solution.

3. If you have a trichomoniasis outbreak in your area, don’t feed the birds at all and empty any birdbaths around your home.

Avian botulism is another cause of bird die-offs in the summertime. Botulism is caused by a bacteria normally found in tiny invertebrate creatures in water and mud. When the weather gets warmer and water levels drop, many of these invertebrates die. As they decay, the bacteria inside multiply and produce a toxin. Then birds eat these invertebrates and can die from the toxin. Birds with avian botulism have symptoms like muscle paralysis, lethargy and even difficulty in holding up their necks. It is especially common to find ducks and waterfowl that have died from avian botulism at urban ponds.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services will be testing dead birds in urban areas for avian influenza this year. If you find a large number of dead birds, you can call APHIS at (602) 870-2081. Also, Maricopa County will be sampling dead birds for West Nile Virus. The county’s West Nile Virus hotline is (602) 506-0700, and its Web site is Maricopa.gov/wnv.

Fallen eaglet gets rescue, rehab and return to the wild

A rescued eaglet is back in the wild, thanks to the efforts of Arizona Game and Fish Department biologists, volunteers at Liberty Wildlife Rehabilitation in Scottsdale, and two vigilant eagle nest watchers who’ve been camping out to protect its nest.

The bald eaglet, which is now about 13 weeks old, fell out of its nest near Sycamore Canyon outside Clarkdale last month. Two eagle nest watchers under contract with the Arizona Game and Fish Department were already camped out in the area to monitor and protect eagle breeding attempts. They called in biologists for a rescue, and when the crew arrived, they found the eaglet to be dehydrated and undernourished.

“This eaglet needed supplemental feeding and special care,” says Kenneth “Tuk” Jacobson, a Game and Fish eagle biologist. “Its parents were apparently not providing enough food to keep the nestling healthy, so we brought the bird to Liberty Wildlife for extra attention.”

The eaglet has been doing much better, since it was taken to the rehabilitation center in Scottsdale. Volunteers there gave it round-the-clock care and plenty to eat.

“It chowed down on everything we gave it,” says Megan Mosby, executive director of Liberty Wildlife Rehabilitation. “We concentrated mostly on foods that would fatten the nestling back up.”

With the eaglet looking healthy again, Game and Fish eagle biologists placed it back into its nest high up on a cliff. One of the biologists rappelled down the cliff face to deposit the nestling back where it belongs. Nest watchers in the area will provide supplemental feeding of fish to the eaglet until it’s ready to fly on its own.

Arizona currently has 42 breeding pairs of bald eagles. The Arizona Bald Eagle Nestwatch Program helps monitor bald eagle breeding areas that are under heavy pressure from human recreational activities. Contracted nest watchers sleep in a tent on-and-off for four months to help ensure new eaglets’ survival. The program has saved the lives of 46 eagle nestlings since it began in 1978. That’s equal to about 10 percent of all the eagles that have lived to fly on their own in Arizona since the program started.

Arizona students get hands-on bat education lesson
Arizona Game and Fish Department unveils free online bat curriculum

To help boost environmental education opportunities for children in the state, the Arizona Game and Fish Department added a new component to its free "Focus: WILD Arizona" curriculum May 24 with the unveiling of bat education lessons at Benchmark School. A live, Mexican free-tailed bat, students in 12-foot bat wings and interactive teaching programs from Game and Fish experts were part of the hands-on lesson to dispel the rumors that bats are big, scary, blood-sucking creatures that come out only at night.

"In cultures all over the world, the qualities of bats have captured the imagination of people who have attributed mysterious, supernatural qualities to the animals. Unfortunately, these tales have given bats a notorious, sinister reputation, while in actuality, most bat species are harmless," says Karen Schedler, the department's environmental education program manager. "In order to educate our citizens, we're making the bat lessons and all of the rest of the environmental education lessons available for free through the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Web site at azgfd.gov/focuswild."

"Focus: WILD Arizona" is available online to schools, home schools and other organizations that want to help children learn about the natural world. All of the new lessons focus on wildlife, and they also focus on science, social studies, math and language arts. The curriculum is calibrated to the Arizona Department of Education's academic standards and the North American Association for Environmental Education's "Guidelines for Excellence."

The new lessons were developed with funding from the Arizona Game and Fish Department Heritage Fund, which takes money from Arizona Lottery ticket sales and uses it for conservation efforts like protecting endangered species and educating our children about wildlife.

The new curriculum is just one of many efforts by the Arizona Game and Fish Department to provide Arizonans with information about how to better coexist with bats and other urban wildlife in our state. Arizona boasts an amazing diversity of bats: 28 species representing four families. Bats can be found all across our state in every type of Arizona habitat, from deserts to forests. The Arizona Game and Fish Department's Bat Management Program facilitates the conservation and management of bats in Arizona by working cooperatively with landowners and local, state and federal agencies. More information about bats is also available at the department's Web site, azgfd.gov.
 
Game and Fish’s Abarca receives award for conservation work in 3 nations

If we want to protect our environment, then we have to protect our wetlands. That’s a key message that Francisco Abarca, international and borderlands projects manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, is trying to send. He recently received a top award from the Environmental Law Institute and five federal agencies for his decade of work in promoting the importance of wetlands and waterfowl as international resources in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

“Close to a third of the birds that spend most of the year here in Arizona and our neighboring states spend their winters in Mexico, so this issue affects us tremendously from a management standpoint,” says Abarca. “International collaborations are crucial for America’s migratory species. The education and outreach program I developed helps to strengthen partnerships among scientists and managers in the United States, Mexico and Canada.”

Abarca received a 2006 National Wetlands Award at an event on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., this month. The Government of Mexico also recently recognized Abarca’s efforts by giving him the 2006 Wetlands Conservation Award.

Abarca has helped to produce several radio and television programs about wetlands conservation, in addition to writing newspaper articles, giving lectures, co-editing the first wetlands training manual in Spanish and organizing World Wetlands Day ceremonies. The activities bolster the mission and goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.

Abarca is also interested in teaching future generations of Arizonans about conservation. He launched a series of nature workshops for minority students in the Phoenix area and reached more than 200 students in the first year of the program. He has inspired young scholars from the Hispanic community to get involved, and the response has been so good that schools now compete in a drawing for the opportunity to participate.

The assistant director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s wildlife management division, Bruce Taubert, says, “Whether at a local or international scale, Francisco has consistently demonstrated a high level of professionalism, diplomacy and passion for the conservation of wetland resources in North America.”

Abarca continues to play a key role in developing relationships between environmental agencies in the United States and Mexico.

Arizona Game and Fish Department looks for Father of the Year
Honor your dad and win him a Lake Powell houseboat vacation

The search is on for the outdoor Father of the Year, and some lucky dad will be treated to a dream fishing vacation on a 59-foot houseboat at picturesque Lake Powell.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department and ESPN Radio 860 have teamed up to find the outdoor Father of the Year. Just visit fishingdad.com, and in 200 words or less, tell us why your father or some other dad should be recognized as the Father of the Year.

This is your chance to thank dad for taking you on fun outdoor adventures, such as all those great fishing and camping trips over the years. The Father of the Year will be someone who has given his family a lasting outdoor legacy by teaching them the skills and sharing the knowledge to appreciate the outdoors.

One grand prize winner will be chosen from the online entries and announced on the air on Friday, June 16, just before Father’s Day. You can hear more about the Father of the Year search by listening to ESPN Radio 860’s “Calling All Sports” program from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. You might even hear your entry shared on the air.

And dad, the fishing is great right now. Everyone wins when you take the family fishing. Be sure to visit azgfd.gov for the latest fishing report and an opportunity to buy a fishing license online.

“Arizona Wildlife Views” Recognized for Excellence
Magazine about Arizona wildlife receives three awards

The Arizona Game and Fish Department's “Arizona Wildlife Views” is being recognized as a top publication of its kind. The magazine  received an Award of Excellence in the government magazine category in an international competition.

More than 5,200 entries competed for awards in almost 200 categories in the competition, which is run by The Communicator Awards. The Award of Excellence honors “those entrants whose ability to communicate elevates them among the best in the field.” Entries are judged by communications industry professionals, who single out winners that meet a high standard of excellence to serve as a benchmark among their peers.

“Our readers rely on ‘Arizona Wildlife Views’ for educational and entertaining information about our state’s wildlife and recreational opportunities,” says Heidi Hougham, the magazine's editor. “We’re proud to receive this acknowledgment of our commitment to excellence.

“Arizona Wildlife Views” was redesigned last fall to make the magazine even more enjoyable to read and easier to navigate. The work paid off: its September–October 2005 issue also received an Award of Distinction for design from The Communicator Awards. A story about squirrel hunting received the same honor in the feature story category. The Award of Distinction is given to “projects that exceed industry standards in design or communication skills.”

The Arizona Game and Fish Department publishes “Arizona Wildlife Views” to educate readers of all ages about the state’s wildlife through informative stories and award-winning photography. The next issue of “Arizona Wildlife Views,” due out in July, will include stories about watching wildlife in the San Francisco Peaks, hunting cottontail rabbits and fishing at Roosevelt Lake, among others.

A subscription is $8.50 a year. To subscribe, call (800) 777-0015.