Audubon releases book on
bird areas and highlights local sites

Audubon New York, the state program of the National Audubon Society, has updated and released the second edition of "Important Bird Areas of New York" to provide current information about critical habitat for bird populations that live in or migrate through the state. The 136 sites listed in the book cover every region of the state and offer readers ample information about habitat, the bird life supported at each site and how the sites are used by our avian friends - for breeding, over-wintering or during migration - as well as explaining conservation issues faced at each site.

Habitat loss and degradation are the leading threats to vulnerable bird species in North America. It follows that habitat protection and proper stewardship are the primary goals for bird conservation. But not all habitat is of equal value for sustaining populations of native birds. Sites that have been identified as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are those sites that support at-risk species, regionally significant assemblages of species and large congregations of birds. These places are disproportionately more important than others to the conservation of birds.

After sites have been identified, the IBA program serves as a catalyst for preserving, managing, and/or restoring these remarkable places with a broad array of scientific, educational and advocacy initiatives on local, state and national levels. These initiatives include open space protection projects, Smart Growth programs and policies, habitat restoration, bird monitoring and censuses, and landowner education.

Important Bird Areas in the Rochester area are: Bergen Swamp, Genesee County; Hamlin Beach State Park, Braddock Bay and Rochester Area Urban Parks in Monroe County; and nation's road grasslands, Livingston and Monroe counties.

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge/Oak Orchard and Tonawanda Wildlife Management Areas otherwise known as the "Alabama Swamp," encompass nearly 20,000 acres of protected wildlife habitat. Approximately 70% of this site is wetlands, with the rest composed of grassland and forest habitat. The site is important for breeding and migratory waterfowl and many breeding at-risk species such as Pied-billed Grebe, American Bittern, Least Bittern, Osprey, Bald Eagle, American Woodcock, Black Tern, Sedge Wren, and Cerulean Warbler. There are also three responsibility species that breed here: Killdeer, Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark. "Important Bird Areas of New York" can be ordered on-line at www.ny.audubon.org or by calling Audubon New York at 518-869-9731.