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Capturing Adult American Bitterns Author(S): Gary Huschle, John E

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Capturing Adult American Bitterns Author(S): Gary Huschle, John E Capturing Adult American Bitterns Author(s): Gary Huschle, John E. Toepfer, Wayne L. Brininger, Jr. and David A. Azure Reviewed work(s): Source: Waterbirds: The International Journal of Waterbird Biology, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Dec., 2002), pp. 505-508 Published by: Waterbird Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1522538 . Accessed: 12/03/2013 17:59 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Waterbird Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Waterbirds: The International Journal of Waterbird Biology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded on Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:59:46 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions CapturingAdult American Bitterns GARYHUSCHLE', JOHN E. TOEPFER2,WAYNE L. BRININGER,JR.3'5 AND DAVID A. AZURE4'6 'Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, 22996 290th Street N.E., Middle River, MN 56737, USA Internet: [email protected] 2Society of Tympanuchus Cupido Pinnatus Ltd., Stone Ridge Suite 280, N14 W23777 Stone Ridge Drive Waukesha WI 53188, USA 3Department of Biological Sciences, Saint Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN 56301, USA 4Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, P.O. Box 9019, Grand Forks, ND 58201, USA 5Present address: Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Route 2 Box 67, McGregor, MN 55760, USA 6Present address: Kulm Wetland Management District, P.O. Box E, Kulm, ND 58456, USA Abstract.-Capture techniques were developed to study the American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus). Mirror traps, mist nets, landing nets, night capture, funnel traps and net gun techniques were evaluated. Mirror traps and mist nets were used with a tape recording of the pumping call of the male bittern. Mist nets were also used to capture females at nest sites. Long-handled fish landing nets were used to capture molting birds and females on nests. Fun- nel traps were set at feeding sites. Mirror traps had a 50% success rate and were the most efficient means of captur- ing males. Mist nets were versatile with success rates of 40% on males and 50% on females. Landing net success was 76% on males and 70% on females but restricted to specific situations. Night capture was successful 33% of the time and only on molting birds. Net guns had limited success (6%) due to lack of skill and difficult to get close to birds. Funnel traps were not fully tested. Received1 February2002, accepted15June 2002. Key words.-American Bittern, Botauruslentiginosus, funnel trap, mirror trap, mist net, net gun, night capture, trapping. Waterbirds 25(4): 505-508, 2002 A study to examine the life history of the flection (Tanner and Bowers 1948; Gullion 1965). Mir- ror have also been used on waterfowl known for American Bittern (Botaurus was traps lentiginosus) aggressive behavior during the breeding season (Savard initiated at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge 1985). Recordings of the territorial vocalization of male in northwestern Minnesota in 1994. We American Bitterns were used to bring adult male bit- wanted to American Bitterns for ra- terns to the traps and trails were used to orient them capture with the mirror. Mirror traps were constructed of 5 cm dio-marking to study home range, habitat x 10 cm mesh welded wire, 91 cm long, 40 cm wide by use, and breeding ground fidelity. American 61 cm high (Fig. 1). A single sliding door, measuring 25 Bitterns at National Wildlife cm x 40 cm, was released by a stiff 9-gauge wire connect- Agassiz Refuge ed to a treadle 35 cm inside the trap. A mirror, 30 cm x utilize grasslands, shallow marsh and deep 40 cm, was fastened to the opposite end of the trap. marsh habitats (Brininger 1996; Azure Mirror traps were deployed between dawn, and two to three hours after sunrise a 1998). This describes the use of mir- by approaching vocalizing paper male bittern to within 100 m in a shallow marsh setting. ror traps, mist nets, landing nets, night cap- Traps were set in water depths from zero to 15 cm. In ture, funnel traps and net gun techniques the first year, most traps were placed individually, but af- terwards were set in When set in developed to meet the field situations en- they pairs. pairs, traps were back to back in either existing trails or short trails countered and evaluates capture success made by stepping down vegetation for 3 m in length and from 1994 through 1998. 40 cm wide. When set individually, the back of the trap was placed against a clump of vegetation to discourage an approach from the rear. Vegetation was draped METHODS against the trap sides to prevent males from approach- ing from the side. A battery operated cassette tape play- er was to the of the and an Mirror Trap strapped top trap played endless loop cassette on which was recorded a sequence Mirror traps have been used to capture drumming of a male bittern vocalizing four times. The sequence Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)because male grouse was repeated at one-minute intervals at the maximum return repeatedly to the same spot and traps could be volume that did not distort the sound. Traps were left placed where the bird would be oriented to see its re- unattended for up to four hours. Flagging tied to the 505 This content downloaded on Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:59:46 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 506 WATERBIRDS small piece of black tape on vegetation directly above the nest to aid in placing the landing net over the nest. 40 cm 91 cm Night Capture To recapture radio-marked birds at night, hand Mirror held, 100,000 candlepower spotlights were used while 40 x 30 on the airboat. When walking spotlights were attached cm to a helmet and powered by a battery placed in a plastic 1 food cooler mounted on a similar to that used 61 cm backpack by Drewien et al. (1967). Birds that flushed prematurely Wiremesh from the approach of the airboat were picked up in the size beam in an attempt to confuse them and force them to 5x 10cm land. Most capture attempts were made by two people, Treadle Vertical approaching the bittern's approximate location on Sliding door mesh size 2.5 x 5 cm foot. A net was used to 40 x 25 cm 35 cm landing capture birds once they were located visually. Figure1. Mirrortrap used to captureadult male Ameri- Net Gun can Bittern.A recordingof a male bitternvocalizing on a continuousloop cassettewas playedin a cassettetape Two styles of net gun were tested. One gun was man- playerplaced on top of the trapto attractmale bittern to ufactured by Coda Enterprises, Mesa, Arizona and shot the set. A trailin frontof the door wasused to orientthe a square net with 3.3 m sides. The other gun, made by male bittern with the mirror.Drawing by Ell-KayFoss, Northern Prairie Science Center, Jamestown, North Da- Wildlife Technician,Red Lake Wildlife Management kota (Mechlin and Shaiffer 1980), shot a triangular net Area,Minnesota Department of NaturalResources. with three-m sides. Most net gun attempts were made on birds feeding in roadside ditches. Some attempts were made from the airboat at birds that did not flush imme- diately. Another technique involved a person crawling top of the door aided in determiningdoor closure.Use toward a vocalizing male bittern while carrying the net of binocularsincreased the distancerequired to check gun and a tape recorder and intermittently playing the trapsto avoidflushing uncaptured birds prematurely. recording of a vocalizing male bittern. The person and the bittern would approach each other and when the MistNets distance closed to less than ten m, the person would rise and shoot the net at the flushing bittern. Vocalizingmale bitternswere approachedto within 100 m bywading out from the shore or via airboatto set Funnel Traps mist nets. Three mist nets, 12 m long witha mesh size of 125 mm, were set in a "U"-shapeconfiguration with the Funnel traps (Toepfer et al. 1988; Schroeder and open side of the "U"toward the bittern.Nets werehung Braun 1991) were made of 2.5 cm x 5 cm mesh welded on two three-mtelescoping lengths of galvanizedcon- wire with two drift fences of poultry wire approximately duit (one 1.27cm diameterinside of a 1.90 cm diameter 10 m long. The drift fences were placed in a "V"-shape conduit) at each end of the net. The net top was about along the edge of ditches where birds were consistently 3.5 m high and the net bottomwas at vegetationlevel. A feeding. The open ends of the drift fence "V" were cassettetape playerwith the same recordingpreviously placed near the edge of the water. The funnel trap was describedwas placed approximatelytwo m in front of set at the pointed end of the "V"in vegetation about five the net. Aftersetting the net, observersmoved approxi- m from the water. Observers visited the trap frequently mately 100 m to the side. Malebitterns usually made a and when a bittern was between the poultry wire leads, low level flight to within20 m of the net or flew directly it was gradually disturbed so it would walk into the trap into the net. Observersapproached from behind the without flushing.
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