Archives for Western Working Group

The Flammulated Owl, Otus flammeolus, is listed as a sensitive species throughout the western U.S, and a species of special concern in Canada. Flammulated Owls are small, nocturnal, neo-tropical migrants that vocalize quietly and are rarely seen. Because Flammulated Owls do not arrive on their breeding grounds until late April to mid-May, they have historically been missed in most nocturnal owl surveys.

The XXI Congreso para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves en México (XXI CECAM), held in late September 2024 in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, México, provided an opportunity to present the family of Miguel Angel Cruz-Nieto, from Monterrey, México, with a posthumous Individual 2023 Partners in Flight David N. Pashley Lifetime Achievement Award. The award ceremony followed a keynote address about PIF, and was preceded by a PIF symposium and roundtable discussion.

There is a serious disconnect between birder interests, the needs for bird conservation, and public policies for bird conservation in the United States. An estimated 45 million Americans feed and/or watch birds. At the same time, 233 species of birds (22% of all native species) need conservation action. Numerous studies have shown long-term declines in the number of hunters, fishers, and other consumptive users. Despite these megatrends, the policies of public agencies – most importantly state wildlife agencies – are fixated on the past. To better respond to evolving public values and bird conservation needs, it is necessary to gain an understanding of the values, motivations, and behaviors of birders.

Recognizing the need for new perspectives to address the severe declines of North American birds, on October 28, 2020, the Western Working Group of Partners in Flight convened virtually to stimulate novel thinking around the Five Game Changers concept and to generate actionable ideas to make the Game Changers game-changing.

In less than a single lifetime, North America has lost more than one in four of its birds. While these numbers can seem overwhelming, there are many things we can do to make a difference, such as the 7 Simple Actions to Help Birds. Partners in Flight Western Working Group (PIF WWG) recently thought about what we can do to help, and we hatched the PIF WWG 7 Simple Actions Challenge!