TWiB Notes: Merganser mortality, an endangered grouse, and a tribute

Bird flu has left its mark on Chicago waterfowl.

Red-breasted Mergansers have been hit hard by avian influenza on Chicago’s lakefront.

Red-breasted Mergansers migrate to Chicago each winter from points north, from the fast-moving streams in northern Michigan and Ontario where they nest.

It’s a remarkable phenomenon and sometimes it is easy to see rafts of 200 or more in the waters of Lake Michigan right near downtown.

Maybe someday the story will be about the life cycle of the Red-breasted Merganser, but for now these beautiful birds are making headlines because of their deaths due to bird flu. Several dead mergansers were discovered along the lakefront near downtown in early February. I saw one myself in the North Suburbs, and northwest Indiana is the latest place where the virus has appeared. Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, and Canada Geese also have been hit in the Hoosier State. Bald Eagles have been lost in Hinsdale, Ill., and in Townsend, Mass.

There aren’t any great answers or ready solutions for a virus that has been circulating since at least December.

WTTW.com wrote:

What Chicagoans are experiencing is a small taste of the frustration and helplessness poultry farmers have been feeling as they’ve lost all of their birds to a seemingly unstoppable virus. The situation has been labeled unprecedented by some epidemiologists, and there’s no sense of how the virus might continue to mutate or why it seems to be gaining steam rather than petering out.

There’s no treatment and the disease is so contagious that once it’s detected, euthanasia of an entire poultry flock is the only available course of action.

The hope is that the virus will abate when the weather warms. Until then, it’s best to report any mass die-offs by calling 311 or the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The risk is the flu is transmitted to the gulls, coyotes, and other scavengers that may feed on carrion.

So far the virus has mostly impacted larger birds rather than, say, the songbirds at your feeder. There may come a time when feeders must be taken down due to the potential of transmission. It may be wise to be cautious now, taking care when handling feeders, and making sure to wash them thoroughly every couple weeks.

The virus, known as H5N1, has been spreading among cattle for some time now. Cats are the latest victims, and reportedly at least one cat-to-human transmission has taken place. It’s a weird twist in the outdoor cats problem that depletes so many migratory bird populations.

The New York Times writes:

Historically, H5N1 has primarily affected birds. But over the last several years, new versions of the virus have proved capable of infecting a wide range of mammals, including wild and domestic cats, seals and dairy cows. Infections in mammals give the virus more opportunities to evolve in ways that could allow it to infect humans more easily.

The bird flu epidemic has also hit egg farms hard, including right here in Chicagoland. Egg prices have reached all-time highs as farmers begin quarantining and culling flocks to stop the spread of the disease. At least a few area grocery stores have been out of eggs altogether, which is a stunning development when you really think about it.

In so many ways, our modern food system feels isolated from the impacts of anything remotely environmental. But here’s a situation where the same virus is infecting our favorite wild birds and an important food commodity as well.

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Another grouse’s fate is uncertain

The prairie grouse species have all struggled since European settlers arrived to this continent. The Heath Hen went extinct, and the Greater Prairie Chicken has been reduced to just one population in Illinois (though a few more birds exist in nearby states). All the grouse of the grasslands, from the Sage Grouse to the Sharp-tailed Grouse and Attwater’s Prairie Chicken are either endangered or declining. The Attwater’s of eastern Texas is functionally extinct—its population must be replenished with transported chickens.

The reasons for the decline of prairie grouse are many, though habitat loss is at the center. In our part of the world—Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio—it’s due to the conversion of prairie to cropland. Farther west, it is due to energy development and the decline of the ranchland that’s home to so many chickens.

The Lesser Prairie Chicken, a bird of the southern Great Plains, is no exception. There’s an effort now to possibly remove the bird from the endangered species list. American Bird Conservancy is opposed to the measure, noting the many benefits of keeping a species on the list:

Stated another way, nonlisted species rely on voluntary efforts and, if they are lucky, state-level protections. For species in severe decline, this approach is typically not enough to prevent extinction. When a species is ESA-listed, a range of restoration, protections, funding opportunities, and coordinated networks kick in. Potential harms from new projects or actions are identified earlier and mitigated. A nonlisted species in steep decline has little hope; a listed species in decline is supported by resources, expertise, and the assurance that it has a 99 percent chance of not going extinct. Plus hope.

ABC goes on:

These efforts to undermine [Prairie Chicken] protections are rooted in concerns over the habitat needed to sustain the species — habitat that is sought for unsustainable land use for agriculture and resource extraction.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been embraced by a wide coalition since it was enacted in the 1970s. There are times to celebrate de-listing, as when the Kirtland’s Warbler population rebounded in the 2000s and 2010s. But this doesn’t feel like that sort of situation. Grasslands are endangered due to unsustainable development, and prairie grouse are Exhibit A in how we’ve disrupted what once was a beautiful ecosystem.

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A sad passing

I wanted to take a moment today to acknowledge the sad passing of Kathleen Thompson, writer, feminist, artist and activist. The Windy City Times has a wonderful tribute to Kathleen here. I didn’t know Kathleen well, we only met a couple times, but I am friends with her longtime partner, Mike Nowak. If Mike’s name is familiar, it’s because of his Mike Nowak Show that aired on local radio and as a webcast in recent years. Mike’s one of the most dedicated conservationists around and founder of the Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards. As Windy City Times wrote, “Kathleen was a driving force in her neighborhood garden, Green on McLean, which was a fixture in her Logan Square neighborhood and helped drive the gang members away from the area.” Mike and Kathleen also gathered food and other items to give to the unhoused in their neighborhood, as well as cash that they provided no questions asked. That kind of generosity is rare these days and too often goes unnoticed.

Looking for Piping Plovers with Mike Nowak, left, in May 2021. Photo by Kathleen Thompson.

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