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Bird feeding research; FW: Sandhill #355 (fwd); fossil thing



Hi Carolinabirders,

Today's sightings to follow in a separate e-mail. First:

On Sun, 26 Jan 2003, BILL HILTON JR The Piedmont Naturalist wrote:
>
> In the 26 Jan 2003 edition of The Charlotte Observer, Sally
> Kneidel--identified as a member of Mecklenburg Audubon Society--is
> reported as saying she will be taking down her birdfeeders at the end
> of cold weather, in part to discourage cat predation and in part
> because "new research shows birds do not benefit by being fed by
> people."
>
> Does anyone know the actual citations for such research?

I think this is it (1988, not *that* recent):
Brittingham, M. and S. Temple.  1988.  Impacts of supplemental
         feeding on survival rates of black-capped chickadees.
         Ecology 69:581-589.
The research is mentioned in several on-line articles. A brief summary:
Black-capped Chickadees in Wisconsin did not survive any better in
woodlots with feeders vs. those without, except in the most extreme of the
three years they studied, and even then the difference was slight. And in
a woodlot where they had been feeding chickadees for 25 years, when the
feeders were suddenly removed, the survival rate of those birds was no
different than for wild birds which had never been fed in the first place.

So, does this apply in North Carolina as well as Wisconsin? Probably; our
winters are much more mild. Does this apply to other bird species as well
as chickadees? Hard to say, but we keep getting surprised by hummingbird
survival of severe weather, and if they can do it, then... The other
species that seem most likely to suffer from severe weather tend to not
visit many feeders: kinglets, warblers, etc. Might the birds benefit from
feeding in ways other than winter survival? Quite possibly; a reliable
source of quick snacks in the breeding season might increase the parent
birds' ability to feed their young and increase nesting success. Do the
birds that come to our feeders really need help surviving? Not really;
unless you have Red-cockaded Woodpeckers visiting your suet, or Henslow's
Sparrows eating your millet, our feeder birds are generally common and
adaptable sorts; some people even happily feed starlings, House Sparrows,
and cowbirds, which we'd probably be better off getting rid of.

Do we enjoy bird feeding, and as a result do more to protect bird habitat?
Absolutely! If there's no other reason to feed birds, Reece's logic still
holds, that bird feeding can be an introduction that leads people to
preserve habitat, plant native plants, remove exotic species, vote for
convervation-minded political candidates, show up at public hearings
opposing short-sighted development ideas, and do many other things that
benefit wildlife far more than feeding birds could ever hurt.

Speaking of bird research, for anyone who missed it, they discovered a
fossil in China of a dinosaur with feathered forelimbs *and hindlimbs*!
The implications of this four-winged critter for the evolution of birds
and their flight are being hotly debated...
http://www.nature.com/nsu/030120/030120-7.html

Don Hendershot discovered more details about the past of Sandhill Crane
#355 and its mate, presently hanging around Lake Junaluska near Asheville,
NC. The short version is, the banded bird was hatched in captivity,
refuses to migrate, and is imprinted on people and prone to taking food
handouts. However, its mate is apparently a wild bird which is much less
approachable and trusting. So, if you're keeping an ABA list, the unbanded
bird is "countable", #355 is not. They spent last summer in Ohio, so maybe
the female is teaching her mate to migrate a little after all...

Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Biology (Zoology, R.I.P.)

jsr6@duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: don <don@smokymountainnews.com>
----------
From: "s macgillis" <hawkridgewc@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 14:37:05 -0500
Subject: Re: Sandhill #355

Dear Don,

I just sent you an email, but I was cut off on the net, lost the whole
message.  Since I don't think you received it I'll start over.  If you
already received this info I apologize.

I found my file on Operation Migration.  The small amount of info I have
deals with their first experiment in trying to teach sandhills to migrate by
following an ultralight aircraft.  The first group of birds were banded with
numbers in the 200's.  Although they claim this first experiment was a
success, I don't agree.  Fourteen birds followed the ultralight south and 7
did return to Ontario the following spring.  However all 14 birds had to be
placed in captive situations as they were terribly imprinted.

The birds were raised in a chainlinked enclosure.  Some of the people
feeding the birds wore baseball caps.  They followed an ultralight to
Virginia, Fall 1997.  They were overwintered in a chainlinked enclosure in
Virginia.  When they were released in Spring 1998, all the birds ended up in
schoolyards or chainlinked areas.  We picked up #209 from a baseball game.
He wouldn't leave the diamond.  He was attracted to the chainlink backstop
and the boys in baseball caps.  I have never seen a more imprinted bird.

I contacted O.M. for advice and they told me they didn't care what I did
with him.  Just to go ahead and release him.  We and our Division of
Wildlife strongly disagreed with them.  No. 209 was placed in a captive
situation.

Spring of 1998, #355 and 5 other cranes were hatched at Patuxent and raised
by O.M.  The only change made was the chainlink was covered with camouflage
canvas.  Fall 1998, #355 and his group were trucked to within 100 miles of
South Carolina.  They followed an ultralight aircraft the last 100 miles.
They were kept in an enclosure Winter1998-99.  When set free Spring 1999,
they refused to migrate.  O.M. gave up all responsibility for the birds
Summer 1999 (per email to me from Heather Ray of O.M.)  Dr. Ellis assumed
responsibility for the birds and holds the permits.  Summer 1999, Dr. Ellis
trucked the birds to Iroquois NWR in western NY.

No. 355 and his group never migrated south.  They have been sighted in NY,
PA and western OH.

No. 355 showed up at Sandy Ridge Reservation, a 600 acre wetlands, in N.
Ridgeville, OH Summer 2001.  He arrived with a wild mate.  As sandhills are
state endangered in OH, birders came from all over to see the pair.  No. 355
came right up to visitors on the path and (Ugh!) visitors started
handfeeding them.  The park staff put an end to that and educated visitors
to keep their distance from the bird.  Visitors did respect the pair after
that.  His wild mate was leery of people, but she would follow him as he
followed people down the path.

The birds did not migrate Fall, 2001.  They stayed at Sandy Ridge all winter
and at least until November 2002.  They never bred.

I saw them myself along the berm of a state route that borders the south of
the park late November 2002.  I was worried that they would get hit by a
semi.  I put in a call to the park to get the last date they were seen there
and left a message.

Thank you and Susan Roberts so much for contacting me!  I am so pleased that
they finally migrated. I personally believe the migration had to be the idea
of the wild female.  I will share this info with our audubon group.

I hope they will return in the spring and breed at Sandy Ridge.  Sandy Ridge
has other state endangered waterfowl breeding there each summer.
It is a fantastic place.

Here is O.M.'s email - opmig@durham.net.  Can't find their website address.
I understand that after these two groups, the 200's and 300's were so
imprinted, the USFWS took over the project.  O.M. still participates along
with a number of other wildlife organizations.

Visit our website at www.hawkridgewildlife.org.  No. 209 is pictured in the
History section after the narrative.  The Current Patients section is not up
to date.  We were hit had by West Nile in August.  In one week along we
received around 30 calls concerning sick and dying raptors.  We were
physically, emotionally and financially drained.  The website was put aside.
  Our hard work paid off and most birds recovered and were released.  It
took months for each bird to recover and we still have three great horneds
recovering.

Thanks again,

Susan MacGillis
Director
Hawk Ridge Wildlife Center
P. O. Box 39081
N. Ridgeville, OH  44039-0081

Number 355 was part of a group of 6 sandhills used in the second
experiment. Number 355 was hatched from an egg at Patuxent and raised by
O.M. in Ontario.

>From: don <don@smokymountainnews.com>
>
>Dear Susan,
>
>I know it's been a while since you encountered #355. The thread I found was
>dated Sept. '01.
>
>Well, #355 has been hanging out here, in Waynesville, NC since Jan. 13. It
>has a partner (untagged) and they are seen regularly at Lake Junaluska. I
>guess they could be considered the silver-lining behind the dark cloud of no
>water in Lake J this winter.
>
>The lake, a usually reliable source for winter waterfowl here in the
>mountains of western North Carolina was drained this winter for repairs on
>the dam. #355 and its partner seem to find the lake bottom with the rivulet
>of Richland Creek that runs through it hospitable - even in single digit
>temps.
>
>Lake J is about 40 miles west of Asheville, NC and 3-4 hours east of
>Hiwassee Refuge near Chattanooga, TN where numerous sandhills might be found
>from fall to spring.
>
>I was wondering if, during your research of #355 did you ascertain if it was
>reared from an egg at Patuxent or captured from the wild. There seems to be
>a question about ABA listing requirements, i.e. if the bird was raised from
>an egg it can not be listed - if captured, it could.
>
>Of course, there is no tag on its partner so I would assume it would be fair
>game.
>
>I haven't been able to track Dr. Ellis down as of yet and thought I would
>see what info you might have.
>
>Thanks for any help,
>--
>Don Hendershot
>Smoky Mountain News
>ph. 828.452.4251
>fax 828.452.3585
>email: don@smokymountainnews.com
>www.smokymountainnews.com