2Nd Owl Symposium Importance of Prairie
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Predation by Gray Catbird on Brown Thrasher Eggs
March 2004 Notes 101 PREDATION BY GRAY CATBIRD ON BROWN THRASHER EGGS JAMES W. RIVERS* AND BRETT K. SANDERCOCK Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 (JWR) Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 (BKS) Present address of JWR: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 *Correspondent: [email protected] ABSTRACT The gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) has been documented visiting and breaking the eggs of arti®cial nests, but the implications of such observations are unclear because there is little cost in depredating an undefended nest. During the summer of 2001 at Konza Prairie Bio- logical Station, Kansas, we videotaped a gray catbird that broke and consumed at least 1 egg in a brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) nest. Our observation was consistent with egg predation because the catbird consumed the contents of the damaged egg after breaking it. The large difference in body mass suggests that a catbird (37 g) destroying eggs in a thrasher (69 g) nest might risk injury if caught in the act of predation and might explain why egg predation by catbirds has been poorly documented. Our observation indicated that the catbird should be considered as an egg predator of natural nests and that single-egg predation of songbird nests should not be attributed to egg removal by female brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) without additional evidence. RESUMEN El paÂjaro gato gris (Dumetella carolinensis) ha sido documentado visitando y rompien- do los huevos de nidos arti®ciales, pero las implicaciones de dichas observaciones no son claras porque hay poco costo por depredar un nido sin defensa. -
Key Points for Sustainable Management of Northern Great Plains Grasslands
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications Department of Natural Resource Management 2019 Looking to the Future: Key Points for Sustainable Management of Northern Great Plains Grasslands Lora B. Perkins Marissa Ahlering Diane L. Larson Follow this and additional works at: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/nrm_pubs Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, and the Environmental Sciences Commons REVIEW ARTICLE Looking to the future: key points for sustainable management of northern Great Plains grasslands Lora B. Perkins1,2 , Marissa Ahlering3, Diane L. Larson4 The grasslands of the northern Great Plains (NGP) region of North America are considered endangered ecosystems and priority conservation areas yet have great ecological and economic importance. Grasslands in the NGP are no longer self-regulating adaptive systems. The challenges to these grasslands are widespread and serious (e.g. climate change, invasive species, fragmentation, altered disturbance regimes, and anthropogenic chemical loads). Because the challenges facing the region are dynamic, complex, and persistent, a paradigm shift in how we approach restoration and management of the grasslands in the NGP is imperative. The goal of this article is to highlight four key points for land managers and restoration practitioners to consider when planning management or restoration actions. First, we discuss the appropriateness of using historical fidelity as a restoration or management target because of changing climate, widespread pervasiveness of invasive species, the high level of fragmentation, and altered disturbance regimes. -
Coyote Reservoir & Harvey Bear..…
Coyote Reservoir & Harvey Bear..…. February 24, south Santa Clara County Quick Overview – Watching the weather reports we all saw the storm coming, but a group of adventurous souls arrived with all their rain gear and ready to go regardless of the elements, and what a day we had! Once east of Gilroy and traveling through the country roads we realized that soaking wet birds create unique ID challenges. With characteristic feathers in disarray and the wet plumages now appearing much darker we had to leave some questionable birds off our list. We had wanted to walk some of the trails that make up the new Harvey Bear Ranch Park, but the rain had us doing most of our birding from the cars which was easy along Coyote Reservoir Road as it parallels the lake. It also makes it easy when no one else is in the park. We could stop anywhere we wanted and we were not in anyone’s way – a birder’s dream come true! Watching Violet Green Swallows by the hundreds reminded us all that spring is near. And at one stop we got four woodpecker species. Ending our day watching Bald Eagles grasp fish at the surface of the water was worth our getting all wet! And I’ll not soon forget our close encounter with the dam’s Rufous Crowned Sparrow. Since we started our day at the south entrance of the park we ended Rufous Crowned Sparrow our day at the north entrance. It was here we listened to above and hard working Western Meadowlarks and watched a Say’s Phoebe. -
Factors Affecting Feeding and Brooding of Brown Thrasher Nestlings.-The Nest- Ling Period Is a Particularly Stressful Time in the Lives of Birds
GENERAL NOTES 297 wind. An adult California Gull (Larus c&ornicus) was flying east 5 m above the water, 50 m from the shore, close to 150 Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) that were foraging low over the water. One swallow, heading west, passed 1 m below the gull, which dropped suddenly and caught the swallow with its bill, glided for a few meters and settled on the water. The gull proceeded to manipulate the swallow in its bill for 30 set before swallowing the still moving bird head first. The gull sat on the water for 20 min, then continued its flight to the east. Most reports of adult birds being taken by gulls have occurred while the prey were on land or water, e.g., Manx Shearwater (Puffi nus &&us) and Common Puffins (Fratercula arctica) in nesting colonies as they go to and from their burrows (Harris 1965), sick or injured birds up to the size of geese (Witherby 1948), Rock Doves (Columba &via) (Jyrkkanen 1975) and Eurasian Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) (Drost 1958) at grain piles and ground-dwelling birds which associate with gulls (e.g., Witherby 1948). Gull predation of adult birds on water is much rarer but does occur (Hafft, Condor 73:253, 1971). Attacks and capture of avian prey on the wing has rarely been reported and generally occurs over sea on migration (Drost 1958). Bannerman (1962) reports Herring Gulls (L. argentatus) capturing and eating Redwings (Turdus musicus) and Eurasian Blackbirds (2.’ merula) as they migrate over water by knocking the weary birds into the water. -
Owl Eyes Activity
EXPAND YOUR SENSES! TRY USING YOUR OWLTEX T EYES Age Range: Grades K-5 Time: 10-15 minutes Location: Indoor or outdoor space Materials: Yourself, a place to stand where you can focus your eyes on a fixed object at eye level. Instructional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch? Barn Owl v=2js74vxOXfg&feature=youtu.be Illustrations by Amira Maddison USING YOUR “OWL EYES” ACTIVATES YOUR PERIPHERAL VISION What is peripheral vision? It’s the ability to see movement and objects outside of what your eyes are directly focused on. ACTIVITY PART 1: BECOMING AN OWL Start by finding a quiet place to go and stand. Take a little bit of time to start imagining that you are becoming an owl. Notice where your feet are positioned. Make sure they are firmly positioned on the ground. Imagine that your feet have become talons and they are gripped around the branch of a tree. You are tucked away in the tree, so no one else can see you. Now it’s time to take it all in and comfortably stare into the distance. If you are outside, make sure you can see the sky and the ground. If you are inside, make sure you can see the ceiling and the floor. Notice your eyes going soft and imagine that you can now see everything happening around you. For a few minutes, take it all in. To finish, take a big breath in and when you breathe out, release that feeling of becoming an owl. Next, you will work on activating your eyesight. -
Black-Flies and Leucocytozoon Spp. As Causes of Mortality in Juvenile Great Horned Owls in the Yukon, Canada
Black-flies and Leucocytozoon spp. as Causes of Mortality in Juvenile Great Horned Owls in the Yukon, Canada D. Bruce Hunter1, Christoph Rohner2, and Doug C. Currie3 ABSTRACT.—Black fly feeding and infection with the blood parasite Leucocytozoon spp. caused mortality in juvenile Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) in the Yukon, Canada during 1989-1990. The mortality occurred during a year of food shortage corresponding with the crash in snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) populations. We postulate that the occurrence of disease was mediated by reduced food availability. Rohner (1994) evaluated the numerical re- black flies identified from Alaska, USA and the sponse of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) Yukon Territory, Canada, 36 percent are orni- to the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) cycle thophilic, 39 percent mammalophilic and 25 from 1988 to 1993 in the Kluane Lake area of percent autogenous (Currie 1997). Numerous southwestern Yukon, Canada. The survival of female black flies were obtained from the car- juvenile owls was very high during 1989 and casses of the juvenile owls, but only 45 of these 1990, both years of abundant hare populations. were sufficiently well preserved for identifica- Survival decreased in 1991, the first year of the tion. They belonged to four taxa as follows: snowshoe hare population decline (Rohner and Helodon (Distosimulium) pleuralis (Malloch), 1; Hunter 1996). Monitoring of nest sites Helodon (Parahelodon) decemarticulatus combined with tracking of individuals by radio- (Twinn), 3; Simulium (Eusimulium) aureum Fries telemetry provided us with carcasses of 28 ju- complex, 3; and Simulium (Eusimulium) venile owls found dead during 1990 and 1991 canonicolum (Dyar and Shannon) complex, 38 (Rohner and Doyle 1992). -
Birds of Perry County Contact Us the Tell City Ranger District of the Hoosier National Forest Is Open 8-4:30 Monday Through Friday to Serve Visitors
Birds of Perry County Contact Us The Tell City Ranger District of the Hoosier National Forest is open 8-4:30 Monday through Friday to serve visitors. Tell City Ranger District 248 15th Street Tell City, IN 47586 812-547-7051 Federal relay system for the deaf and hearing impaired: 1-800-877-8339 website: www.fs.usda.gov/hoosier Great Bllue Heron Tufted Titmouse __________________________ vV USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. America’s Great Outdoors Last updated 11/2011 Forest Service United States Department of Agriculture The third and fourth columns are the genus and Using the Checklist species of the bird. The fifth column shows the The first column after the bird’s common name is bird’s status in Indiana as of 2009. (Available at http:// evidence of the bird’s breeding status in our area. www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/Birds_Of_Indiana.pdf) CO = Confirmed breeding evidence FC = Federal Candidate FE = Federal Endangered PR = Probable breeding evidence FT = Federal Threatened SC - State Special Concern PO = Possible breeding evidence SE = State Endangered X = Exotic/Introduced OB = Observed, no breeding evidence Bird abundance will vary seasonally, and often from This shows highest breeding evidence value from year-to-year as well. Actual abundance is often dis- published 1985-1990 breeding bird atlas data and tinct from detectability. Some species may be com- draft 2005-2010 atlas data. (Available at http://www. mon but secretive and only rarely seen. Others may pwrc.usgs.gov/bba/) be numerically sparse, yet highly -
Wallowa Wolverine Project: 2011‐2012 - April Progress Report
Wallowa Wolverine Project: 2011‐2012 - April Progress Report Wallowa‐Whitman National Forest Field work began on 26 September 2011 and by the end of April 2012, we had established 26 camera stations in and adjacent to the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa‐Whitman National Forest (Table 1). Access to camera sites was on foot, horse, snowmobile, ATV, skis, and snowshoes. The 6 camera stations that had wolverine visits in late winter 2011 were reestablished this season. Ten of the stations were below 6000’ elevation (4784’‐5820’). The remaining stations were located between 6014’ and 7373’ elevation. Additional stations may be added in May or June, depending on travel conditions in the mountains. One station was removed (WCAM1) because of its proximity to where the wolverine Stormy was trapped in December to prevent habituation of the wolverine to this site. Of the 26 established camera stations, 24 (92%) have been checked at least once (total=57 checks) and at these stations, there were 2,680 active camera days. One wolverine (Stormy; Fig.1‐3) has been photographed at 7 stations, including 4 stations where he was photographed in 2011. No other wolverines have been photographed to date. Eighteen other species have been detected at the camera stations (Table 2). Marten have been detected at 21 of the 24 (88%) stations that have been checked so far, and marten hair was collected at many of these stations and submitted for DNA analysis. We flew tracking flights on 6 days (Fig. 4), most in April, and have located wolverine tracks, or probable wolverine tracks, in 3 areas. -
Native Or Suitable Plants City of Mccall
Native or Suitable Plants City of McCall The following list of plants is presented to assist the developer, business owner, or homeowner in selecting plants for landscaping. The list is by no means complete, but is a recommended selection of plants which are either native or have been successfully introduced to our area. Successful landscaping, however, requires much more than just the selection of plants. Unless you have some experience, it is suggested than you employ the services of a trained or otherwise experienced landscaper, arborist, or forester. For best results it is recommended that careful consideration be made in purchasing the plants from the local nurseries (i.e. Cascade, McCall, and New Meadows). Plants brought in from the Treasure Valley may not survive our local weather conditions, microsites, and higher elevations. Timing can also be a serious consideration as the plants may have already broken dormancy and can be damaged by our late frosts. Appendix B SELECTED IDAHO NATIVE PLANTS SUITABLE FOR VALLEY COUNTY GROWING CONDITIONS Trees & Shrubs Acer circinatum (Vine Maple). Shrub or small tree 15-20' tall, Pacific Northwest native. Bright scarlet-orange fall foliage. Excellent ornamental. Alnus incana (Mountain Alder). A large shrub, useful for mid to high elevation riparian plantings. Good plant for stream bank shelter and stabilization. Nitrogen fixing root system. Alnus sinuata (Sitka Alder). A shrub, 6-1 5' tall. Grows well on moist slopes or stream banks. Excellent shrub for erosion control and riparian restoration. Nitrogen fixing root system. Amelanchier alnifolia (Serviceberry). One of the earlier shrubs to blossom out in the spring. -
Role of Habitat in the Distribution and Abundance of Marsh Birds
s 542 .18 S74 no.;43 1965 Role of Habitat in the Distribution and Abundance of Marsh Birds by Milton W. Weller and Cecil S. Spatcher Department of Zoology and Entomology Special Report No. 43 Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station Iowa State University of Science and Technology Ames, Iowa- April 1965 IOWA STATE TRA YEUNG LIBRARY DES MOlNESt 'IOWA CONTENTS Summary ---------------------- -- --------------------------------------- --- ------------------------------ --- ----------- 4 Introduction ------------------- ---- ------ --- -------- ----- ------------------------------ ---------------------- --- ---- 5 Study areas --------- -- --- --- --- -------------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------- --------- 5 Methods ----------- --- ----------- --------- ------------------------------------------------------- --- -------------------- 6 Vegetation ---------------------------- ------------ --- -------------------------- --- ------------------ -- -------- 6 Bird populations ---------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- 6 Results ______ _ __ ____ __ _ __ ___ __ __ __ ______ __ ___ ___ __ _ _ _ ____ __ __ ___ __ ______ __ __ _____ ______ ____ ___ __ _ _ ____ ___ _____ __ __ ___ ___ _ 6 Species composition and chronology of nesting -------------------------------------- 6 Habitat changes at Little Wall and Goose lakes ------ -------------------------------- 8 Bird populations in relation to habitat ----------- ---- ----------- -------------------------- 11 Distribution -
2015 Disease Summary
SUMMARY OF DISEASES AFFECTING MICHIGAN WILDLIFE 2015 ABSCESS Abdominal Eastern Fox Squirrel, Trumpeter Swan, Wild Turkey Airsac Canada Goose Articular White-tailed Deer Cranial White-tailed Deer Dermal White-tailed Deer Hepatic White-tailed Deer, Red-tailed Hawk, Wild Turkey Intramuscular White-tailed Deer Muscular Moose, White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey Ocular White-tailed Deer Pulmonary Granulomatous Focal White-tailed Deer Unspecified White-tailed Deer, Raccoon, Canada Goose Skeletal Mourning Dove Subcutaneous White-tailed Deer, Raccoon, Eastern Fox Squirrel, Mute Swan Thoracic White-tailed Deer Unspecified White-tailed Deer ADHESION Pleural White-tailed Deer 1 AIRSACCULITIS Egg Yolk Canada Goose Fibrinous Chronic Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Canada Goose, Mallard, Wild Turkey Mycotic Trumpeter Swan, Canada Goose Necrotic Caseous Chronic Bald Eagle Unspecified Chronic Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Mute Swan, Redhead, Wild Turkey, Mallard, Mourning Dove Unspecified Snowy Owl, Common Raven, Rock Dove Unspecified Snowy Owl, Merlin, Wild Turkey, American Crow Urate Red-tailed Hawk ANOMALY Congenital White-tailed Deer ARTHROSIS Inflammatory Cooper's Hawk ASCITES Hemorrhagic White-tailed Deer, Red Fox, Beaver ASPERGILLOSIS Airsac American Robin Cranial American Robin Pulmonary Trumpeter Swan, Blue Jay 2 ASPERGILLOSIS (CONTINUED ) Splenic American Robin Unspecified Red-tailed Hawk, Snowy Owl, Trumpeter Swan, Canada Goose, Common Loon, Ring- billed Gull, American Crow, Blue Jay, European Starling BLINDNESS White-tailed Deer BOTULISM Type C Mallard -
Paleontological Resources of the Upper and Middle San Pedro Valley
Paleontological Resources of the Upper and Middle San Pedro Valley Robert D. McCord Arizona Museum of Natural History Geological setting Regional extension causing block faulting – creation of the Basin and Range ~15Ma Poorly developed drainage results in lakes in valley bottom ?-3.4 Ma Drainage develops with flow to north, marshes, ponds and lakes significant from time to time Early Pleistocene Saint David Formation ? – 3.4 million lakes, few fossils Well developed paleomagnetic timeframe – a first for terrestrial sediments! Succession of faunas from ~3 to 1.5 Ma Blancan to ? Irvingtonian NALMA Plants diatoms charophytes Equisetum (scouring rush) Ostracoda (aquatic crustaceans) Cypridopsis cf. vidua Limnocythere cf. staplini Limnocythere sp. Candona cf. renoensis Candona sp. A Candona sp. B ?Candonlella sp. ?Heterocypris sp. ?Cycloypris sp. Potamocypris sp. Cyprideis sp. Darwinula sp. Snails and a Clam Pisidium casertanum (clam) Fossaria dalli (aquatic snail) Lymnaea caperata (aquatic snail) Lymnaea cf. elodes (aquatic snail) Bakerilymnaea bulimoides (aquatic snail) Gyraulus parvus (aquatic snail) Promenetus exacuous (aquatic snail) Promenetus umbilicatellus (aquatic snail) Physa virgata (aquatic snail) Gastrocopta cristata (terrestrial snail) Gastrocopta tappaniana (terrestrial snail) Pupoides albilabris (terrestrial snail) Vertigo milium (terrestrial snail) Vertigo ovata (terrestrial snail) cf. Succinea (terrestrial snail) Deroceras aenigma (slug) Hawaila minuscula (terrestrial snail) Fish and Amphibians indeterminate small fish Ambystoma tigrinum (tiger salamander) Scaphiopus hammondi (spadefoot toad) Bufo alvarius (toad) Hyla eximia (tree frog) Rana sp. (leopard frog) Turtles and Lizards Kinosternon arizonense (mud turtle) Terrapene cf. ornata (box turtle) Gopherus sp. (tortoise) Hesperotestudo sp. (giant tortoise) Eumeces sp. (skink) “Cnemidophorus” sp. (whiptail lizard) Crotaphytus sp. (collared lizard) Phrynosoma sp. (horned lizard) Sceloporus sp.