Three towns scattered across the United States are dealing with vastly different bird issues.  In Taylor, Texas, residents are being encouraged by their police department, with the permission of the US Department of Fish and Wildlife, to harass Cattle Egrets before “nuisance rookeries” get established.  Apparently, people don’t like living beneath a host of nesting egrets. Who knew?

In Old Orchard Beach, Maine, the town is grappling with whether or not to accept a plan from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to help conserve the Piping Plover.  It is unclear what issue is holding up approval, but the article I found mentions requiring people to keep their dogs away from nesting plovers.  Hopefully, the town will do the right thing.

In Cape Coral, Florida, the town has a new population of Florida Scrub Jays living on land slated to be developed.  Should they continue with the development which would require them to conserve similar habitat or cancel the development and leave the birds be?  Interestingly, the article frames the issue just as a problem; apparently no one has told the folks in Cape Coral that lots of birders would kill to see Florida Scrub Jays.

Written by Corey
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.