DOCSLIB.ORG

Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Distribution and Abundance, Habitat Use, And

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Distribution and Abundance, Habitat Use, And Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Steering Committee Members Federal Participant Group California Participant Group Bureau of Reclamation California Department of Fish and Game U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service City of Needles National Park Service Coachella Valley Water District Bureau of Land Management Colorado River Board of California Bureau of Indian Affairs Bard Water District Western Area Power Administration Imperial Irrigation District Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Palo Verde Irrigation District Arizona Participant Group San Diego County Water Authority Southern California Edison Company Arizona Department of Water Resources Southern California Public Power Authority Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern Arizona Game and Fish Department California Arizona Power Authority Central Arizona Water Conservation District Cibola Valley Irrigation and Drainage District Nevada Participant Group City of Bullhead City City of Lake Havasu City Colorado River Commission of Nevada City of Mesa Nevada Department of Wildlife City of Somerton Southern Nevada Water Authority City of Yuma Colorado River Commission Power Users Electrical District No. 3, Pinal County, Arizona Basic Water Company Golden Shores Water Conservation District Mohave County Water Authority Mohave Valley Irrigation and Drainage District Native American Participant Group Mohave Water Conservation District North Gila Valley Irrigation and Drainage District Hualapai Tribe Town of Fredonia Colorado River Indian Tribes Town of Thatcher The Cocopah Indian Tribe Town of Wickenburg Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District Unit “B” Irrigation and Drainage District Conservation Participant Group Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District Yuma County Water Users’ Association Ducks Unlimited Yuma Irrigation District Lower Colorado River RC&D Area, Inc. Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District Other Interested Parties Participant Group QuadState County Government Coalition Desert Wildlife Unlimited 1 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE, HABITAT USE, AND BREEDING ECOLOGY ALONG THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER (LIMITROPHE DIVISION AREAS, COCOPAH INDIAN RESERVATION, CIBOLA NWR, IMPERIAL NWR, PICACHO STATE RECREATION AREA, CA, MITTRY LAKE WMA/PRATT RESTORATION AREA, COLORADO/GILA RIVER CONFLUENCE, LOWER GILA RIVER AND QUIGLEY POND WMA, 2005). FINAL REPORT 25 March 2006 Prepared by: Matthew J. Johnson, Research Biologist, Northern Arizona University, Box 5614, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, 928-556-7466 ext. 236. Jennifer A. Holmes, Wildlife Biologist, Northern Arizona University, Box 5614, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, 928-523-7060. Robert Weber, GIS Specialist, Pinnacle Mapping Technologies, 2200 E. Cedar Avenue, Suite 11, Flagstaff, AZ 86004,(928) 774-1753. Michael S. Dionne, Biological Technician, Northern Arizona University, Box 5614, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, 928-556-7466 ext. 236. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................7 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO BREEDING BIOLOGY .....................................................................................7 OBJECTIVES.......................................................................................................................................................9 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO SURVEY SITES .................................................................................................9 METHODS..........................................................................................................................................................10 SELECTION OF STUDY SITES......................................................................................................................11 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO SURVEY METHODS.......................................................................................11 RIPARIAN HABITAT CLASSIFICATION .......................................................................................................12 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO SPATIAL DATA...............................................................................................12 RESULTS............................................................................................................................................................13 2005 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO SURVEY EFFORT..................................................................................13 2005 SPATIOTEMPORAL DETECTION PATTERNS AT ALL SITES............................................................13 STUDY AREAS DESCRIPTIONS AND SUMMARY OF SURVEY RESULTS .................................................15 CIBOLA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE .......................................................................................15 Summary of Yellow-billed Detections at Cibola NWR..............................................................................16 Cibola National Wildlife Refuge Site Descriptions ....................................................................................17 Aerial Photographs of Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Points, Detections and Patch Boundary..................18 IMPERIAL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE...................................................................................18 Summary of Yellow-billed Detections at Imperial NWR........................................................................... 20 Imperial National Wildlife Site Descriptions..............................................................................................20 Aerial Photographs of Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Points, Detections and Patch Boundary..................21 PICACHO CALIFORNIA STATE PARK.............................................................................................21 Picacho State Park Site Description............................................................................................................22 Aerial Photographs of Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Points and Detections .............................................22 MITTRY LAKE STATE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA (Colorado River) ...........................22 Mittry Lake Yellow-billed Cuckoo Detections...........................................................................................23 Mittry Lake Site Descriptions.....................................................................................................................23 Aerial Photographs of Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Points, Detections and Patch Boundary..................24 LIMITROPHE DIVISION NORTH and SOUTH (Colorado River)..................................................24 Limitrophe Division North and South Area Detections..............................................................................26 Limitrophe Division Area Habitat Description...........................................................................................27 Aerial Photographs of Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Points, Detections and Patch Boundary.................. 30 COCOPAH INDIAN RESERVATON (Colorado River)......................................................................30 Cocopah Indian Reservation Detections .....................................................................................................31 Cocopah Indian Reservation Habitat Description.......................................................................................31 Aerial Photographs of Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Points......................................................................32 GILA/COLORADO RIVERS CONFLUENCE (Colorado River, Gila River) ...................................32 Gila/Colorado Rivers Confluence and other Gila River sites detections ....................................................34 Site Descriptions of Gila/Colorado Rivers Confluence Area......................................................................35 Aerial Photographs of Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Points, Detections and Patch Boundary..................38 GILA RIVER NEAR HIGHWAY 95......................................................................................................38 Gila River at Highway 95 Detections .........................................................................................................40 Gila River at Highway 95 habitat description.............................................................................................40 Aerial Photographs of Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Points and Detections .............................................42 QUIGLEY STATE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA...................................................................43 Quigley Pond WMA Detections .................................................................................................................44 Quigley Pond WMA Site Descriptions.......................................................................................................45 Aerial Photographs of Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Points and Detections .............................................46 DISCUSSION......................................................................................................................................................46 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO PRESENCE DURING MIGRATION AND BREEDING SURVEYS ................46 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO HABITAT NEEDS ...........................................................................................47 EVALUATION OF SURVEY PROTOCOL FOR YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS..........................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Breeding Birds of the Texas Coast
    Roseate Spoonbill • L 32”• Uncom- Why Birds are Important of the mon, declining • Unmistakable pale Breeding Birds Texas Coast pink wading bird with a long bill end- • Bird abundance is an important indicator of the ing in flat “spoon”• Nests on islands health of coastal ecosystems in vegetation • Wades slowly through American White Pelican • L 62” Reddish Egret • L 30”• Threatened in water, sweeping touch-sensitive bill •Common, increasing • Large, white • Revenue generated by hunting, photography, and Texas, decreasing • Dark morph has slate- side to side in search of prey birdwatching helps support the coastal economy in bird with black flight feathers and gray body with reddish breast, neck, and Chuck Tague bright yellow bill and pouch • Nests Texas head; white morph completely white – both in groups on islands with sparse have pink bill with Black-bellied Whistling-Duck vegetation • Preys on small fish in black tip; shaggy- • L 21”• Lo- groups looking plumage cally common, increasing • Goose-like duck Threats to Island-Nesting Bay Birds Chuck Tague with long neck and pink legs, pinkish-red bill, Greg Lavaty • Nests in mixed- species colonies in low vegetation or on black belly, and white eye-ring • Nests in tree • Habitat loss from erosion and wetland degradation cavities • Occasionally nests in mesquite and Brown Pelican • L 51”• Endangered in ground • Uses quick, erratic movements to • Predators such as raccoons, feral hogs, and stir up prey Chuck Tague other woody vegetation on bay islands Texas, but common and increasing • Large
    [Show full text]
  • Great Egret Ardea Alba
    Great Egret Ardea alba Joe Kosack/PGC Photo CURRENT STATUS: In Pennsylvania, the great egret is listed state endangered and protected under the Game and Wildlife Code. Nationally, they are not listed as an endangered/threatened species. All migra- tory birds are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. POPULATION TREND: The Pennsylvania Game Commission counts active great egret (Ardea alba) nests in every known colony in the state every year to track changes in population size. Since 2009, only two nesting locations have been active in Pennsylvania: Kiwanis Lake, York County (fewer than 10 pairs) and the Susquehanna River’s Wade Island, Dauphin County (fewer than 200 pairs). Both sites are Penn- sylvania Audubon Important Bird Areas. Great egrets abandoned other colonies along the lower Susque- hanna River in Lancaster County in 1988 and along the Delaware River in Philadelphia County in 1991. Wade Island has been surveyed annually since 1985. The egret population there has slowly increased since 1985, with a high count of 197 nests in 2009. The 10-year average count from 2005 to 2014 was 159 nests. First listed as a state threatened species in 1990, the great egret was downgraded to endan- gered in 1999. IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: Great egrets are almost the size of a great blue heron (Ardea herodias), but white rather than gray-blue. From bill to tail tip, adults are about 40 inches long. The wingspan is 55 inches. The plumage is white, bill yellowish, and legs and feet black. Commonly confused species include cattle egret (Bubulus ibis), snowy egret (Egretta thula), and juvenile little blue herons (Egretta caerulea); however these species are smaller and do not nest regularly in the state.
    [Show full text]
  • MADAGASCAR: the Wonders of the “8Th Continent” a Tropical Birding Set Departure
    MADAGASCAR: The Wonders of the “8th Continent” A Tropical Birding Set Departure November 3—28, 2013 Guide: Ken Behrens All photos taken during this trip. All photos by Ken Behrens unless noted otherwise. TOUR SUMMARY Madagascar has long been a core destination for Tropical Birding, and with last year’s opening of a satellite office in the country, we have further solidified our expertise in the “Eighth Continent.” This was another highly successful set-departure tour to this special island. It included both the Northwestern Endemics Pre-Trip at the start and the Helmet Vanga extension to the Masoala Peninsula at the end. Although Madagascar poses some logistical challenges, especially in the form of the national airline Air Madagascar, we had no problems on this tour, not even a single delayed flight! The birding was great, with 196 species recorded, including almost all of the island’s endemic birds. As usual, the highlight was seeing all five of the incredible ground-rollers, from the roadrunner-like Long-tailed of the spiny forest to the wonderful rainforest-dwelling Scaly. There was a strong cast of vangas, including Helmet, Bernier’s, and Sickle-billed. In fact, we saw every member of the family save the mysterious Red-tailed Newtonia which is only regularly seen in the far south. As normal, the couas were also a favorite. From the shy and beautiful Red-breasted of Madagascar Set Departure Tour Nov. 3-28, 2013 the eastern rainforest to the huge Giant Coua of the dry western forest, we were looking for and at couas virtually every day! The bizarre mesites form a Malagasy endemic family, and we had superb extended views of all three members of the family.
    [Show full text]
  • Cattle Egret Bubulcus Ibis the Cattle Egret Has Enjoyed the Most Explosive Natural Range Expansion of Any Bird in Recorded His- Tory
    Herons and Bitterns — Family Ardeidae 139 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis The Cattle Egret has enjoyed the most explosive natural range expansion of any bird in recorded his- tory. In 25 years it went from being a new arrival to the most abundant bird in southeastern California’s Imperial Valley. In San Diego County, however, it has seen a reversal as well as an advance. Since the spe- cies first nested in 1979, colonies have formed and vanished in quick succession; from 1997 through 2001 the only important one was that at the Wild Animal Park. After a peak in the 1980s the popula- tion has been on the decline; the conversion of pas- tures and dairies to urban sprawl spells no good for this bird whose lifestyle is linked to livestock. Breeding distribution: The Cattle Egret colony at the Wild Animal Park (J12) is part of the mixed-species heronry in the Heart of Africa exhibit—a site eminently Photo by Anthony Mercieca suitable for this species of African origin. Maximum numbers reported here in the breeding season during the Beyond a 15-mile radius of the Wild Animal Park, the atlas period were 100 individuals on 15 June 1998 (D. and Cattle Egret is uncommon and irregular, especially during D. Bylin) and 43 nests on 9 May 1999 (K. L. Weaver). the breeding season. It is still rather frequent in the San Luis In 2001, one or two pairs nested in the multispecies Rey River valley between Oceanside and Interstate 15 (up to heronry at Lindo Lake, Lakeside (P14).
    [Show full text]
  • Egret Rookery Control
    City of Burleson Neighborhood Services Summer 2015 Community Information Egret Rookery Control Migratory Birds (Egrets/Herons) Texas is a major route for migratory birds shuttling between the United States and Canada. This annual event can impact residential, commercial and industrial properties. As you may know, your neighborhood is being affected by nesting egrets and herons. Initially only a few birds arrived during the early spring (March and April) of this year and abruptly hundreds of birds moved in and began establishing nests for nesting season. Although this natural cycle can be beautiful, the challenges associated can be overwhelming. The nesting birds bring challenges such as noise, odor and significant amounts of excrement covering streets, sidewalks, cars and mailboxes on public and private property. City staff is unable to address any of these issues while the birds are nesting. Cattle egrets are Protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which means that these birds or their young (including The Cattle Egret eggs), or their current active nests cannot be killed or destroyed. Is a stocky heron with a Violators LIGHT are subject to hefty WATERfines and or penalties. wingspan of 35” to 38” approx. 18” to 22” in It is in height and weighs 9.5 to everyone’s best 18.1 oz. interest to try and stop the Mainly white plumage, a yellow bill and long problem before it grayish yellow legs. starts next spring. The city needs the help of The EGRET feed mostly residents to on insects, especially EARLY SPRING address this grasshoppers, crickets, HABITAT HARRASMENT PROGRAM situation.
    [Show full text]
  • Reference Bird List
    Species R SP SU FA WI Notes:_________________________________________________ John G. and Susan H. Shrikes Laniidae Loggerhead Shrike (P) U U U U Vireo Vireonidae DuPuis, Jr. ________________________________________________________ White-eyed Vireo (P) C C C C Blue-headed Vireo (W) C Wildlife and Jays & Crows Corvidae American Crow (P) C C C C ________________________________________________________ Fish Crow (P) C C C C Environmental Blue Jay (P) C C C C Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers Swallows Hirundinidae ________________________________________________________ Purple Martin (S) U U Species R SP SU FA WI Area Northern Rough-winged Swallow (W) O O O O Parulidae Barn Swallow (P) O O O O Wood-Warblers Prothonotary Warbler (S) R R Tree Swallow (W) C ________________________________________________________ Pine Warbler (P) C C C C Wrens Troglodytidae Palm Warbler (W) C C C C Carolina Wren (P) C C C C Prairie Warbler (P) C C C C House Wren (W) U Yellow-rumped Warbler (W) C C C ________________________________________________________ Kinglets Regulidae Yellow-throated Warbler (W) C C Ruby-crowned Kinglet (W) C Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (W) C C C C Black-throated Green Warbler (W) O We are interested in your sightings. Please share your American Redstart (W) O observations with us. Thrushes Turdidae Black and White Warbler (W) C C Eastern Bluebird (P) R R R R Enjoy your visit! American Robin (W) C Northern Parula (W) R Common Yellowthroat (P) C C C C Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae Gray Catbird (W) C C Ovenbird (W) O O Additional contact information:
    [Show full text]
  • Electric Blue in the Bayou: the Mystery of the Beaumont Cattle Egret the Identity of This Bird Is Not in Question
    FEATURED PHOTO Electric Blue in the Bayou: The Mystery of the Beaumont Cattle Egret The identity of this bird is not in question. But how it got this way is. Frank Izaguirre • Morgantown, West Virginia • [email protected] Peter Pyle • Bolinas, California • [email protected] veryone knows birders love rarities, but we enjoy several anything, when, my oh my, there it was: an electric blue different kinds of rarities. First, there are vagrants, a key Cattle Egret, flying in tandem with a hundred other of its Eand addictive component to list-building. Then there kin. For a few seconds, I was filled with shock and awe at are birds that are globally rare, which we feel a special devo- the spectacle of it. Was this the rarest bird I’d ever seen? Or tion to, like Kirtland’s Warblers and Whooping Cranes. Yet was this just a bird with a rare application of acrylic? perhaps rarest of all, and in some ways the most exciting, is How do we solve the mystery of the Beaumont Cattle the rare morph, aberrant individual, or perplexing hybrid, egret? I asked Peter Pyle… even if common species are involved. In its way, an electric —Frank Izaguirre blue Cattle Egret I saw at Cattail Marsh in Beaumont, Texas, this past March is the rarest bird I have ever seen. ou might say that Cattle Egrets suffer plumage issues. Unless it wasn’t. Is this a naturally occurring color morph YFirst, it was long assumed that the orange–buff color- of the one-in-a-million variety like the viral superstar yel- ation of spring egrets is acquired through a prealternate, or low Northern Cardinal photographed in Alabama in Janu- pre-breeding, molt (Telfair 2006).
    [Show full text]
  • SURVEY of LOZA BAY, NORTH WEST of MADAGASCAR by FELIX Razafindrajao, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Programme Madagascar August 2015
    WATERBIRD SURVEY OF LOZA BAY, NORTH WEST OF MADAGASCAR By FELIX Razafindrajao, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Programme Madagascar August 2015 SUMMARY Through the ABC small grants scheme, three surveys of waterbirds were carried out in Loza Bay, north-west Madagascar in 2014 and 2015 (24 August to 02 September 2014 & 01-07 December 2014 and 10-15 February 2015). This was the first time that this important area of mangrove and bay has been surveyed for waterbirds. In total 37 waterbird species were recorded, belonging to 10 families. Four species are threatened with extinction; Madagascar fish-eagle Haliaeetus vociferoides (CR), Humblot’s heron Ardea humbloti (EN), Madagascar sacred ibis Threskiornis bernieri (EN), and Madagascar teal Anas bernieri (EN). Significant numbers of greater and lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber and Phoeniconaias minor were recorded during the surveys. In addition, 30 forest bird species were inventoried; all of them were endemic or regionally endemic species. Interviews were also conducted with local people, to collect information on their use of natural resources. Results from the interviews showed that local people are predominantly fishermen and there is significant pressure on natural resources through unsustainable use and disturbance. INTRODUCTION Loza Bay in the North West of Madagascar, district of Analalava and Antsohihy, is rich in biodiversity and plays an important role in the economy of the Sofia region. Three major rivers flow into the Loza Bay: the Tsinjomorona, the Maevarano and the Anjingo which feed into several wetland habitats for waterbirds. The bay is also important for transportation for local people as it links the Antsohihy and Analalava districts.
    [Show full text]
  • Cattle Egret Bubulcusibis ILLINOIS RANGE
    cattle egret Bubulcus ibis Kingdom: Animalia FEATURES Phylum: Chordata An adult cattle egret is 20 inches in length. Both the Class: Aves male and female have white body feathers. During Order: Pelecaniformes the breeding season the male has orange-tan feathers on its back, chest and top of the head. This Family: Ardeidae bird has a yellow bill. The mature bird will have ILLINOIS STATUS coral-colored legs while others have yellow-green legs. common, nonnative BEHAVIORS ILLINOIS RANGE The cattle egret is an uncommon summer resident in Illinois and a common but irregular migrant through the state. It lives on farms, mudflats, airfields, golf courses and marshes. This species mainly eats toads and insects, especially flies and grasshoppers. It is usually found near cattle and other livestock because they keep insects moving as they feed in the pasture. Its neck is held in an "S" formation during flight with its legs trailing straight out behind its body. This bird nests in colonies with other herons. Spring migrants arrive in March. Four to five pale blue eggs are laid in a nest. The cattle egret is native to Europe, Asia and Africa. It spread naturally to South and North America in the late 1800s. The first Illinois record is from 1952. © Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 2021. Biodiversity of Illinois. Unless otherwise noted, photos and images © Illinois Department of Natural Resources. adult male stevebyland/pond5.com © Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 2021. Biodiversity of Illinois. Unless otherwise noted, photos and images © Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Aquatic Habitats lakes, ponds and reservoirs; temporary water supplies Woodland Habitats none Prairie and Edge Habitats edge © Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
    [Show full text]
  • Breeding Birds of the Alabama Coast
    White Ibis • L 25”• Stable • Why Birds are Important of the White, mid-sized wader with long, • Bird abundance is an important indicator of the health Breeding Birds Alabama Coast downward-curving, red-orange bill and legs – juveniles mottled brown of coastal ecosystems • Nests in live and dead vegeta- Tricolored Heron • L 26”• Moderate • Revenue generated by hunting, photography, and Brown Pelican • L 51”• Stable • Large gray- tion • Uses touch-sensitive bill to Conservation Concern, declining • birdwatching helps support the coastal economy in brown bird with distinctive bill and pouch – probe shallow water and soft mud Tague Mid-sized heron; slate gray back and Alabama breeding adults have yellow head with dark in search of food dark breast with contrasting white belly Chuck brown neck• Colonial nesters on islands with • Nests in mixed-species colonies on dense vegetation and low shrubs • Plunge- islands in dense vegetation • Chases Black-bellied Whistling-Duck • L 21”• dives to feed on fish Tague Threats to Coastal Nesting Birds fish through water, crouching low and Moderate Conservation Concern • Goose- Chuck Tague • Habitat loss from erosion and wetland degradation Chuck quickly stabbing bill to catch prey like duck with long neck and pink legs, pinkish-red bill, black belly, and white eye-ring • Predators such as foxes, coyotes, and feral and free- Least Bittern ▪ 13” ▪ High Conservation • Nests in tree cavities, woody vegetation on Reddish Egret • High Conservation Con- roaming cats that eat eggs and young Concern, declining-limited
    [Show full text]
  • Entirely Electronic Journal Published Annually by the Institute for Bird Populations
    BIRD POPULATIONS A journal of global avian demography and biogeography Volume 13 2014 Published annually by The Institute for Bird Populations BIRD POPULATIONS A journal of global avian demography and biogeography Published by The Institute for Bird Populations Editor: DAVID G. AINLEY, H.T. Harvey & Associates, 983 University Avenue, Bldg D, Los Gatos, CA 95032; 415-272-9499; [email protected] Managing Editor: DAVID F. DESANTE, The Institute for Bird Populations, P.O. Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956-1346; 415-663-2052; 415-663-9482 fax; [email protected] Spanish Translation of Abstracts: BORJA MILA, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid 28006, Spain; [email protected] Layout and Typesetting: PRISCILLA YOCOM, 5018 Albridal Way, San Ramon, CA 94582 THE INSTITUTE FOR BIRD POPULATIONS A tax-exempt California nonprofit corporation established in 1989 and dedicated to fostering a global approach to research and the dissemination of information on changes in bird populations. President: DAVID F. DESANTE , P.O. Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956 Secretary-Treasurer: STEPHEN M. ALLAN, 962 Mistletoe Loop N, Keizer, OR 97303 Directors: CORDELL GREEN, IVAN SAMUELS, RODNEY B. SIEGEL, and DAN TOMPKINS All persons interested in birds are invited to join The Institute for Bird Populations. Individual membership dues are $35 per year. Institutional memberships are $50 per year; student and senior memberships are $15 per year. Please send check or money order (in U.S. dollars) payable to The Institute for Bird Populations, along with complete name, address, and email address to: The Institute for Bird Populations, P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • Meteorological Conditions and Cattle Egret Migration: an Update
    METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND CATTLE EGRET MIGRATION: AN UPDATE HOWARD A. BRIDGMAN1 & MAX MADDOCK2 Department of Geography University of Newcastle NSW 2308 Australia Department of Education, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, N. S. W. 2308 'and The Wetlands Centre, Shortland, N.S. W. 2287, Australia ABSTRACT The migration pattern of Cattle Egrets in 1990 and 1991 and its relation to meteorology are presented to extend initial results covering 1987-1989 (Maddock & Bridgman 1992). Cattle Egrets migrated to Victoria and Tasmania in waves during March and April in northerly air flow (western side of a high pressure system) in a series of stages, with periods of rest in between. Major staging points seemed to be Windsor (NSW), Nowra (NSW), and Baimsdale (Vic). Return migrations (October and November) appeared faster, with fewer and shorter rest stops, and were in southerly airflow. Staging points were Werribee (Vic), Nowra (NSW), and Wyong (NSW). Migrations to and from New Zealand were much more limited than in previous years due to adverse weather conditions, especially winds. KEYWORDS: meteorology, Cattle Egret, migration, Australia, New Zealand INTRODUCTION The migratory movements of the Cattle Egret (Bulbulcus ibis) and related meteorology in 1987-1989 were described by Maddock & Bridgman (1992). A second phase of research, which began in 1990 using an expanded observation network, developed a better understanding of the migration patterns. This paper presents the results of research for 1990 and 1991 and suggests an improved way to track migrating egrets in the future. It deals with the Tasman Sea area from Southern Queensland to Tasmania and across to New Zealand (Figure 1).
    [Show full text]