Incorporating Migratory & Resident Bird Concerns into the National Environmental Policy Act Process

Incorporate the Bird Conservation Region map and definition:

Bird Conservations Regions (BCRs) were developed based on similar geographic parameters. One BCR encompasses the project area, BCR 5, 9 or 10, the (Name of BCR ex. BCR 10, Great Basin.) Table 1 displays the BCC species for this area, preferred habitat and whether suitable habitat is present in the project area.

Include the FWS Birds of Conservation Concern (BCC) list of species for your Bird Conservation Region (BCR 5, 9 or 10)

For example……

BCR 5 (Northern Pacific Forest U.S. portions only).


Yellow-billed Loon (nb)

Western Grebe (nb)

Laysan Albatross (nb)

Black-footed Albatross (nb)

Pink-footed Shearwater (nb)

Red-faced Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant (pelagicus ssp.)

Bald Eagle (b)

Northern Goshawk (laingi ssp.)

Peregrine Falcon (b)

Black Oystercatcher

Solitary Sandpiper (nb)

Lesser Yellowlegs (nb)

Whimbrel (nb)

Long-billed Curlew (nb)

Hudsonian Godwit (nb)

Marbled Godwit (nb)

Red Knot (roselaari ssp.) (nb)

Short-billed Dowitcher (nb)

Aleutian Tern

Caspian Tern

Arctic Tern

Marbled Murrelet (c)

Kittlitz's Murrelet (a)

Black Swift

Rufous Hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbird

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher (c)

Horned Lark (strigata ssp.) (a)

Oregon Vesper Sparrow (affinis ssp.)

Purple Finch

(a) ESA candidate, (b) ESA delisted, (c) non-listed subspecies or population of Tor E species, (d) MBTA protection uncertain or lacking, (nb) non-breeding in this BCR.

As an alternative you can display only the BCC species with habitat or the potential to be effected by the proposed project in a table.

Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 5 – Northern Pacific Rainforest USFWS Birds of Conservation Concern (BCC) found in the planning area.
Bird Species	Preferred Habitat
Northern Goshawk	mature forests with larger trees; relatively closed canopies; and open understories
Olive-sided Flycatcher	natural or man-made openings with tall trees or snags
Rufous Hummingbird	forest edges and openings with a diversity of flowering plants
Purple Finch	moderately moist open or semi open coniferous forests

You can use this table to display the Effects by alternative to species in your document………..

Species	General Habitat Requirements	Impacts to Habitat
		No Action	Alternatives 1, 2, …
GAME BIRDS
Band-tailed Pigeon (Columba fasciata)	Nest primarily in closed Douglas-fir stands with canopy cover above 70 percent. Key food sources include red elder, cascara and other berry, fruit and mast producing shrubs and trees. Mineral springs/seeps are important and provide essential calcium for nesting.	Continuous overstocked canopy within the stands would preclude the development of forage species.	Increase of forage species due to decreased canopy cover in more heavily thinned areas may allow establishment of berry, fruit and mast producing shrubs and trees.
BIRDS OF CONSERVATION CONCERN (BCC)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)	Associated with natural or man-made openings with tall trees or snags available for perching and singing. In the Oregon Coast Range, closely associated with edges of older stands with tall trees and snags greater than 21 inches diameter breast height and broken canopy. Conditions are generally absent within the proposed thinning units but often present in adjacent or nearby older stands.	Suitable habitat condition would continue to be absent until suppression mortality created gaps and edge habitat.	Variable density thinning would create more diverse stand conditions and accelerates growth of larger trees that may become snags. Forest gaps would increase understory growth, contributing to increased insect production over the next 20 years. Increased forest edge habitat would also enhance foraging opportunities. Gaps created by thinnings may allow foraging until the canopy eventually closes again and these opportunities are lost.
Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)	Primarily associated with forest edges and openings with a diversity of flowering plants for feeding and open space Frequently occurs in open habitats that are shrub-dominated, and late-successional forest with a highly developed and diverse understory of herbaceous plants and shrubs, particularly within large openings. Need flowering plants and shrubs.	Stands would continue to be unsuitable because of the lack of understory development until suppression mortality created gaps and edge habitat allowing for the development of forage habitat.	Tree removal would create openings where flowering vegetation important for foraging would persist until the canopy cover increases and closes in 10 to 20 years.
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentillis)	Nests in mature forests with larger trees; relatively closed canopies; and open understories. Average patch size of the core nest area varies based on available habitat conditions, 74 acres found by McGrath et al. (2003) in northeastern Oregon and central Washington.	Stands would continue to be unsuitable because of the overstocked stand conditions and lack of open understory development.	The treatments will open up the understory component of the forest while maintaining untreated patches throughout. Untreated suitable habitat will remain dispersed throughout the area yet the treatments will have the potential to improve habitat suitability throughout the overstocked areas.
Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)	Breeds primarily in moderately moist open or semi open coniferous forests. Also frequently found in mixed coniferous-deciduous forest, edges of bogs, and riparian corridors at low to mid-elevations. In Klamath Eco region, the presence of Ponderosa Pine and oak provide a unique habitat component.	Stands would continue to be unsuitable because of the overstocked stand conditions and lack of open understory development	Treatments will help restore habitats by removing enchroaching, shade tolerant species and reducing dense and decadent overstocked habitats.
EAGLEs
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)	Associated with open and semi-open habitats. Nest on cliffs, in the upper one-third of deciduous and coniferous trees, or on artificial structures (e.g. artificial nesting platforms, electricity transmission towers, windmills). On the Roseburg District, primarily documented to nest in large conifer trees within late-seral forests near open habitats (e.g. meadows, valleys, and clearcuts)	High density of trees would limit the stand’s ability to create diverse, multi-storied stands. Large trees or snags containing large limbs or structural characteristics to support a nest would be slow to develop.	Benefit from treatments of heavy thinning and gap creation which would best create conditions fostering the development of suitable nesting and roosting habitat, including large overstory trees and multi-layered canopy.

Literature Cited:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2008. Birds of Conservation Concern 2008. United States Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management, Arlington, Virginia. 85 pp. [Online version available at http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/

Altman, B. 2012. Conservation strategy for landbirds in coniferous forests of estern Oregon and Washington. Version 2.0. Oregon-Washington Partners in Flight. http://www.orwapif.org/pdf/western_forest.pdf.

Altman, B. 2000. Conservation strategy for landbird s in the lowlands and valleys of western Oregon and Washington. Version 1.0. Oregon-Washington Partners in Flight. http://www.orwapif.org/pdf/western_lowlands.pdf.

Altman, B. 2000b. Conservation strategy for landbirds in the northern Rocky Mountains of eastern Oregon and Washington. Version 1.0. Oregon-Washington Partners in Flight. http://www.orwapif.org/pdf/northern_rockies.pdf.
Altman, B. 2000c. Conservation strategy for landbirds of the east-slope of the Cascade Mountains of eastern Oregon and Washington. Version 1.0. Oregon-

Washington Partners in Flight. http://www.orwapif.org/pdf/east-slope.pdf.

Altman, B., and A. Holmes. 2000. Conservation strategy for landbirds in the Columbia Plateau of eastern Oregon and Washington. Version 1.0. Oregon-Washington Partners in Flight. http://www.orwapif.org/pdf/columbia_basin.

pdf.
Rich, T.D., C.J. Beardmore, H. Berlanga, P.J. Blancher, M.S.W. Bradstreet, G.S. Butcher, D.W. Demarest, E.H. Dunn, W.C. Hunter, E.E. Iñigo-Elias, J.A.Kennedy, A.M. Martell, A.O. Panjabi, D.N. Pashley, K.V. Rosenberg, C.M. Rustay, J.S. Wendt, and T.C.Will. 2004. Partners in Flight North American Landbird Conservation Plan: Ithaca, NY, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. http://www.partnersinflight.org/cont_plan/.

Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Promote the Conservation of Migratory Birds. (April 10, 2010)
Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Promote the Conservation of Migratory Birds. (December 08, 2008)
Authorities:
The Memorandums of Understandings between the USFWS, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land management are entered under the provisions of the following statutes and executive orders:

• 
  Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (16 USC 3101 et seq.)
  
• 
  Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 (16 U.S.C. 668-668d)
  
• 
  Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544)
  
• 
  Federal Land and Policy Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)
  
• 
  Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a et seq.)
  
• 
  Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.)
  
• 
  Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1934 (16 U.S.C. 661-667)
  
• 
  Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 715 et seq.)
  
• 
  Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.)
  
• 
  Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 (16 U.S.C. 528-531)
  
• 
  National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.)
  
• 
  National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 1600 et seq.)
  
• 
  Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 1901 et. seq.)
  
• 
  Responsibilities of Federal Agencies to Protect Migratory Birds, Exec. Order No. 13186, 66 Fed. Reg. 3853 (2001)
  
• 
  Sikes Act of 1960 (16 USC 670a-670o)
  

Birds of Conservation Concern Species Preferred Habitats

BCR 5 (Northern Pacific Rain Forest, U.S. portions only)
Bird Species	Preferred Habitat
Yellow-billed Loon	Winters along the coast from AK to Baja CA. Transients can be found on inland bodies of water.
Godwit (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Prefer coastal mudflats, sandy ocean beaches, wet margins of large reservoirs or brackish lakes and sewage ponds.
Red Knot (roselaari ssp.) (nb) non-breeding in this BCR)	Found along the coast foraging in open estuarine tide flats, inland on margins of sewage ponds & at larger brackish lakes.
Short-billed Dowitcher (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	A bird of wet mud or shallow water with underlying mud. Common in tidal mudflats and adjacent shallow water.
Aleutian Tern	Primarily pelagic, coming to land only to nest and roost.
Caspian Tern	Found in marine, coastal estuarine, salt marsh brackish and freshwater habitats near large bodies of water. Often nests on islands in rivers and salt lakes.
Arctic Tern	Found offshore migrating along the coast, rarely near land.
Marbled Murrelet	Found in nearshore (within 5 km) waters and within 50 miles inland in old growth forest stands.
Kittlitz’s Murrelet	Alaskan species.
Black Swift	Nests on ledges or shallow caves in steep rock faces and canyons, usually near or behind waterfalls and sea caves. Forage over forests and open areas in montane habitats.
Rufous Hummingbird	Found in a variety of habitats, most likely in brushy areas with flowers and forests with a well-developed understory.
Allen’s Hummingbird	Found in narrow, moist coastal fog zones in open areas of coastal scrub. Nest in nearby wooded areas.
Olive-sided Flycatcher	Open conifer forests (< 40 % canopy cover) and edge habitats where standing snags and scattered tall trees remain after a disturbance.
Willow Flycatcher (c) non-listed subspecies or population of T or E species.	Associated with riparian shrub dominated habitats, especially brushy/willow thickets. In SE WA also found in xeric brushy uplands.
Horned Lark (strigata ssp.) (a) ESA candidate	Open fields with short herb dominated ground cover < 31 cm tall and patches of bare ground.
Oregon Vesper Sparrow (affinis ssp.)	Lightly grazed pastures with scattered shrubs and grass height < 30-60 cm) high & young (2-5 yr) x-mass tree farms with grass between the rows.
Western Grebe (nb) (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Marshes with open water and on lakes and reservoirs supporting emergent vegetation.
Laysan Albatross (nb) (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Pelagic, far offshore seabird
Black-footed Albatross (nb) (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Pelagic, far offshore seabird
Pink-footed Shearwater (nb) (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Pelagic offshore seabird
Red-faced Cormorant	Alaskan species
Pelagic Cormorant (pelagicus ssp.)	Year round nearshore marine and estuarine habitats, on ledges and vertical cliffs, on rocky islands and headlands.
Bald Eagle (b) ESA delisted	Associated with large bodies of water, forested areas near the ocean, along rivers, and at estuaries, lakes and reservoirs.
Northern Goshawk (laingi ssp.)	A habitat generalist that prefers to nest in mature forests with large trees on moderate slopes with open understories.
Peregrine Falcon (b) ESA delisted	Wide range of habitats, nests on cliff ledges, bridges, quarries.
Black Oystercatcher	Rocky shores and sand/gravel beaches along the coast.
Solitary Sandpiper (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Small and partly wooded patches of water, and high altitude bogs and wet meadows
Lesser Yellowlegs (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Migrates through east of the Cascade crest. A wader of shallow pools often found near mudflats on seasonally flooded fields and small isolated ponds.
Whimbrel (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Migrating through coastal estuarine mud flats and on sandy ocean beaches. Inland on fields or mud flats around lakes and ponds.
Long-billed Curlew (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Short-grass or mixed-prairie habitats with flat to rolling topography. Also found in agricultural fields.
Hudsonian Godwit (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Rare migrant along the west coast.
(a) ESA candidate, (b) ESA delisted, (c) non-listed subspecies or population of Tor E species, (d) MBTA protection uncertain or lacking, (nb) non-breeding in this BCR.

BCR 9 (Great Basin, U.S. portion only)
Bird Species		Preferred Habitat
Yellow-billed Loon		Winters along the coast from AK to Baja CA. Transients can be found on inland bodies of water.
Greater Sage-Grouse (Columbia Basin DPS) ESA candidate		Sagebrush obligate, found E. of the Cascades. They require large expanses of sagebrush with healthy native understories of forbes.
Eared Grebe (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Found on shallow alkaline lakes and ponds where open water is intermixed with emergent vegetation.
Black Swift	Nests on ledges or shallow caves in steep rock faces and canyons, usually near or behind waterfalls and sea caves. Forages over forests and open areas in montane habitats.
Calliope Hummingbird	Predominantly a montane species found in open shrub sapling seral stages (8-15 years) at higher elevations and riparian areas.
Lewis’s Woodpecker	Ponderosa Pine, Cottonwood riparian or Oak habitats with an open canopy, brushy understory, dead and down material, available perches and abundant insects.
Williamson’s Sapsucker	E. Cascades, mid to high elevation, mature open and mixed coniferous - deciduous forests. Snags are a critical component.
White-headed Woodpecker	Mixed conifer forests ( < 40 % canopy cover) dominated by old growth Ponderosa Pine and open habitats where standing snags and scattered tall trees remain.
Willow Flycatcher (c) non-listed subspecies or population of T or E species.	Associated with riparian shrub dominated habitats, especially brushy/willow thickets. In SE WA also found in xeric brushy uplands.
Loggerhead Shrike	Inhabits grasslands, pastures with fence rows, ag. fields, sagebrush with scattered juniper and open woodlands. Requires elevated perches throughout for hunting and nesting.
Pinyon Jay	In OR, Pinyon-juniper woodland, sagebrush, and scrub oak habitats.
Sage Thrasher	A sagebrush obligate dependent on large patches and expanses of sagebrush steppe and bitterbrush with shrub heights in the 30 -60 cm height. Prefers bare ground over grassy understories.
Virginia’s Warbler	In OR likes high elevation steep-sloped, xeric, pinion- juniper and oak woodland habitats.
Green-tailed Towhee	In OR prefers vigorous shrub stands with high shrub species diversity interspersed with trees.
Brewer’s Sparrow	A sagebrush obligate found in shrublands of contiguous big sagebrush, greasewood, rabbitbrush, and shadescale habitats.
Black-chinned Sparrow	Erratic presence in ceanothus and oak hillsides in sw OR.
Sage Sparrow	Found in se. and c. OR Associated with semi-open evenly spaced shrubs 1-2 m high in big sage up to 6,800 ft.
Tricolored Blackbird	OR colonies occur in hardstem bulrush, cattail, nettles, willows, and Himalayan blackberries.
Black Rosy-finch	Rare in OR found above timberline among bare rock outcroppings, cirques, cliffs, and hanging snowfields.
Bald Eagle (b) ESA delisted	Associated with large bodies of water, forested areas near the ocean, along rivers, and at estuaries, lakes and reservoirs.
Ferruginous Hawk	Occupy habitats with low tree densities and topographic relief in sagebrush plains of the high desert and bunchgrass prairies in the Blue Mtns.
Golden Eagle	Inhabits shrub-steppe, grassland, juniper and open ponderosa pine and mixed conifer/deciduous habitats preferring areas with open shrub component for foraging.
Peregrine Falcon (b) ESA delisted	Wide range of habitats, nests on cliff ledges, bridges, quarries.
Yellow Rail	Found in shallowly flooded sedge meadows at 4,100 – 5,000 ft. with a cover of senescent and live vegetation ~50%.
Snowy Plover (c) non-listed subspecies or population of T&E species	E. of OR Cascades a summer resident breeding on alkali flats and salt ponds. On the S. OR coast they nest on open sand areas along the upper beach and on un-vegetated spits at mouths of small estuaries.
Long-billed Curlew	Open grassland areas E of the Cascades. Found in small numbers in estuaries along the coast.
Marbled Godwit (nb) non-breeding in this BCR	Migrant along the coast prefer coastal mudflats, sandy beaches, wet margins of large reservoirs or brackish lakes and sewage ponds.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (w. U.S. DPS)	No known breeding population in OR. Found in large expanses of riparian forest, particularly black cottonwood, Oregon ash and willow
Flammulated Owl	Associated with ponderosa pine forests and mixed conifer stands with a mean 67% canopy closure, open understory with dense patches of saplings or shrubs.
(a) ESA candidate, (b) ESA delisted, (c) non-listed subspecies or population of Tor E species, (d) MBTA protection uncertain or lacking, (nb) non-breeding in this BCR.