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Re: Deer as songbird predators



I saw a similar report in Natural History magazine some years back 
about cows in the Shetland Islands (or some other cold, windy 
European islands--my memory is not perfect) eating the chicks of 
colonial seabirds. The authors believed that this was an attempt to 
get minerals, esp. calcium, by the cows.

>
>   This was recently posted to the New York State bird list, and I thought it
>would be of interest elsewhere.  I'm not sure if the deer population
>explosion has hit the Carolinas yet.
>
>Bob Lewis
>Sleepy Hollow NY
>
>**********
>
>White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Predation on Grassland Songbird
>Nestlings by Pamela J. Pietz1 and Diane A. Granfors
>
>Abstract: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were videotaped
>depredating four songbird nests in grassland habitats in southeastern and
>northcentral North Dakota, 1996-1999. Deer ate two Savannah sparrow
>(Passerculus sandwichensis), two grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus
>savannarum), one clay-colored sparrow (Spizella pallida), one red-winged
>blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) and three brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus
>ater) nestlings. Deer removed nestlings quickly (5-19 sec/nest) at night
>(22:00 to 05:17 Central Daylight Time) and left no evidence of predation.
>Although probably opportunistic, deer predations clearly were deliberate
>and likely are more common than generally believed.
>
>http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2001/deerpred/deerpred.htm
>
>cite reference as: Pietz, Pamela J., and Diane A. Granfors. 2000.
>White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) predation on grassland songbird
>nestlings. American Midland Naturalist 144(2):419-422. Jamestown, ND:
>Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page:
>http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2001/deerpred/deerpred.htm
>(Version 09MAR2001).
>
>*********

-- 
Patrick Coin
Durham, NC
patrick@coinconsult.net