Since last fall, when NAS released the first Partners in Flight (PIF) WatchList targeting 90 birds at risk, Audubon Science has worked closely with our partners in PIF to improve the WatchList. National WatchList '97 identifies 105 species of North American birds at risk, including a number of shorebirds, waterfowl, songbirds and seabirds. (One 1996 WatchList bird, the striking and elegant Steller's Eider, has unfortunately already been added to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's list of endangered species since WatchList '96 publication. Attempts to save species on the brink of extinction are difficult and costly; the WatchList calls attention to bird species at risk, in hopes of encouraging protective action before they become federally endangered.)

Stella's Eider -- by J. J. Audubon

Partners in Flight will publish the WatchList in the State of Our Birds, this winter, but you can see the new WatchList and related activities now! NAS, the Colorado Bird Observatory, and PIF have launched their revised and improved WatchList Web site: http://www.audubon.org/bird/watchlist/. The former WatchList Web site was successful, averaging 28,000 hits per month; this one is an exciting upgrade.

This new site is NAS's most extensive Web site, featuring over 180 linked pages. Each WatchList species has its own page, which interprets the science behind the PIF conservation-priority score assigned to each species and provides a brief account of the bird's natural history, a photograph, breeding/wintering range maps, and an outline of the threats its faces.

The site also features interactive sections: (1) "WatchList for Kids," designed with NAS's Education Division; (2) "Five Ways to Help WatchList Birds," with details and links to sources on gardening for birds, is coupled to our IBA and Project FeederWatch programs, and was designed with NAS Science staff; (3) a state-by-state breakdown of birds from the National WatchList; and (4) a detailed "WatchList FAQ," which answers frequently asked questions such as, "How is Audubon using the WatchList?" and, "How does the WatchList differ from endangered species lists?" The WatchList Web site is seamlessly linked to the entire birding community.

For More Info, or to receive a paper copy of the material at the WatchList Web site, Contact: Vincent Muehter, NAS-HQ, or visit the new WatchList Web site at http://www.audubon.org/bird/watchlist/.

Editor's Note: WatchList species are also being affected by coffee consumption choices; see related articles on shade-grown, bird-friendly coffees, here in the Networker.