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dealing with exotics
- To: "'Mike Skakuj '" <mskakuj@nc.rr.com>, "'CarolinaBirds '" <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
- Subject: dealing with exotics
- From: "Harrold, Eric S" <esharrol@email.uncc.edu>
- Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 14:20:14 -0400
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Great idea Mike, but logistically, well it might be a bit much to pull off.
As a biologist, getting rid of exotics is a fundamentally sound notion. I'm
afraid we'd need participation from a vast majority of our society, most of
whom are ecologically ignorant on all fronts. About the most constructive
action I can't think of with Starlings and House Sparrows is to pick them
off one by one with a pellet rifle as they menace your feeder or nest boxes
and pretend that you've just eliminated another conservative right-wing
militant with a big-business political agenda.
Eric Harrold
Charlotte, NC
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Skakuj
To: CarolinaBirds
Sent: 5/7/02 12:27 PM
Subject: Re: Starling Attacks Flicker Nest
Dear Friends,
That what happens when you introduced new, aggressive species. I would
like to see some american plan to reduce population of Starlings,
Colored Dove and House Sparrow. That needs a good money, organization
and studies on interaction among native and these mentioned species.
That could be much more important than any Hummingbird action or find
Ivory-bill W. dream. Somebody from Audubon or other big organization
should start to control of these introduced species till it is not too
late. I wish you had no Starlings, Collared Doves or House Sparrows here
in US.
Mike
David Brinkman wrote:
> Dear Carolina Birders,
>
> I've seen this same thing happen, back in the 1980's,
> between starlings and flickers, but in one case,
> unfortunately, the starlings won. The flickers tried
> desparately to rid the starlings from their hole, but
> to no avail. They broke the flicker eggs and built a
> nest in the flicker hole and raised their own family.
> I've seen this happen with Red-headed and Red-bellied
> Woodpeckers as well.
> Meanwhile I have a flicker nesting in an existing hole
> in a dead tree (they did not excavate it themselves
> this year!) and so far I've only seen one interaction
> with starliings, but it was brief and the starling was
> successfully chased away.
>
> David A. Brinkman
> Cincinnati, OH
>
> --- John Argentati <johna@blue-lizard.com> wrote:
> > Dear Birders,
> >
> > Yesterday, I noticed a starling checking out the
> > nest box occupied by a pair
> > of flickers.
> > He would sit on the roof with nesting material in
> > his beak, eyeing the
> > opening.
> > My flickers have a habit of hanging their heads out
> > the hole so the starling
> > didn't try to enter - at least at first.
> >
> > Then, I watched in horror as the starling forced his
> > way into the nest box
> > while an adult flicker was inside.
> > I couldn't believe the starling would try this.
> > I held my breath...
> >
> > Fortunately the flicker successfully fended off the
> > starling, but I had to
> > wonder whether any of the eggs were damaged.
> >
> > This morning, I checked the nest box and found the
> > three little pink eggs
> > were just fine.
> >
> > Here's a picture:
> >
> > http://www.mybirdlist.com/FlickerEggs.jpg
> >
> > John Argentati
> > Greenview Pond
> > Raleigh, North Carolina
> >
>
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--
************************************************
Michal Skakuj Ph.D.
4600 University Drive # 1312
Durham, NC 27707
phone, fax: (919) 402 9961
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