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Re: Comments on trends - re Jordan Lake CBC
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: Re: Comments on trends - re Jordan Lake CBC
- From: Norman Budnitz <nbudnitz@duke.edu>
- Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 14:40:58 -0500
- In-Reply-To: <3A5DBC03.C8611A94@ncmail.net>
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Though I am swayed by Clyde's comments, I am generally never content to
ascribe population issues to one factor. My own (very limited) experience
indicates that in my area of the piedmont, the decline in Bobwhites was
quite precipitous, almost sudden. Did agricultural changes happen that
quickly? (I'm being vague on time scale here because, quite honestly, I
have no data!)
I do wonder about disease. Commercial chicken production has been feeding
chickens antibiotics for many years. This could easily result in resistant
strains of diseases. Since nobody has been feeding the Bobwhites any
antibiotics, and since they are reasonably closely related gallinaceous
birds (fowl), might they be especially susceptible? Diseases certainly can
cause precipitous declines (note the local House Finches). Then the
habitat effects could keep the population from coming back.
I'm just arm-waving here, folks. As I said, I have no data. And I haven't
been reading the literature.
And while I'm on a roll. . . . I have friend who farms fish near
Wilmington, NC. He is especially unsympathetic to the Hooded Mergansers
that visit his ponds. Fish farming has grown tremendously in recent
years. Are the Mergs enjoying the fruits of this bountiful harvest?
Norm
***********************************************
Norman Budnitz 919-684-3592 (day)
nbudnitz@duke.edu 919-383-0553 (eve)
919-660-7293 (fax)
(work) Department of Biology, Duke University
Box 90338, Durham NC 27708-0338
(home) 4115 Garrett Drive, Durham NC 27705-8005
PROGRESS: the victory of laughter over dogma.
(Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas)