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United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

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Articles 1321 - 1350 of 1529

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

A New Approach To Understanding Canid Populations Using An Individual-Based Computer Model: Preliminary Results, William C. Pitt, Frederick F. Knowlton, Paul W. Box Jul 2001

A New Approach To Understanding Canid Populations Using An Individual-Based Computer Model: Preliminary Results, William C. Pitt, Frederick F. Knowlton, Paul W. Box

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Ensuring the welfare of wild canid populations depends upon the ability to integrate species biology, the environmental aspects upon which those populations depend, and the factors controlling species abundance. Toward this end, we developed an individual-based computer model using Swarm to mimic natural coyote populations. Swarm is a software platform that allows the user to describe individual behaviors for all individuals, link those behaviors in each concurrent time step, and assemble behaviors and objects in a hierarchical framework. Our model stands apart from previous modeling efforts because it relies on field data and explicitly incorporates behavioral features, such as dominance …

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Survival Of Avian Carcasses And Photographic Evidence Of Predators And Scavengers, Richard M. Kostecke, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier Jul 2001

Survival Of Avian Carcasses And Photographic Evidence Of Predators And Scavengers, Richard M. Kostecke, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Scavenging of carcasses may bias estimates of mortality following the use of pesticides. To assess carcass survival, we monitored bird carcasses in crop stubble, grassland, roadside, and wooded habitats in east-central South Dakota in early spring. Survival rates differed among habitat types in 1997 but not in 1998. Survival rates did not differ among species of carcass in 1997 or 1998. Within 5 d, 66% of carcasses had been scavenged in both 1997 and 1998. To assess potential hazards of secondary poisoning, we used infrared-triggered camera systems to identify predators and scavengers of live birds and bird carcasses. Mammals ( …

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Gray Wolf Restoration In The Northwestern United States, Ed Bangs, Joe Fontaine, Mike Jimenez, Tom Meier, Carter Niemeyer, Doug Smith, Kerry Murphy, Deb Guernsey, Larry Handegard, Mark Collinge, Rod Krischke, John Shivik, Curt Mack, Issac Babcock, Val Asher, Dominic Domenici Jul 2001

Gray Wolf Restoration In The Northwestern United States, Ed Bangs, Joe Fontaine, Mike Jimenez, Tom Meier, Carter Niemeyer, Doug Smith, Kerry Murphy, Deb Guernsey, Larry Handegard, Mark Collinge, Rod Krischke, John Shivik, Curt Mack, Issac Babcock, Val Asher, Dominic Domenici

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations were eliminated from Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, as well as adjacent southwestern Canada by the 1930s. After human-caused mortality of wolves in southwestern Canada began to be regulated in the 1960s, populations began expanding southward. Dispersing individuals occasionally reached the northern Rocky Mountains of the United States, but lacked legal protection there until 1974, after passage of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. In 1986, wolves from Canada successfully raised a litter of pups in Glacier National Park, Montana, and a small population was soon established. In 1995 and 1996, wolves from western …

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Managing Wolf Conflict With Livestock In The Northwestern United States, Ed Bangs, John A. Shivik Jul 2001

Managing Wolf Conflict With Livestock In The Northwestern United States, Ed Bangs, John A. Shivik

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wolves (Canis lupus) were once common throughout North America but were deliberately exterminated in the lower 48 United States, except in northeastern Minnesota, primarily because of depredations on livestock. Wolves remained abundant in areas with few livestock such as most of Canada and Alaska. Sixty years after being nearly exterminated, the gray wolf was listed under the United States Endangered Species Act (Act) in 1974. The combination of natural recovery in NW Montana, and reintroduction in central Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone area (NW Wyoming, eastern Idaho, and SW Montana) has resulted in an expanding wolf population (Bangs …

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Chemical Repellents And Other Aversive Strategies In Predation Management, J.R. R. Mason, J.A. Shivik, M.W. Fall Jul 2001

Chemical Repellents And Other Aversive Strategies In Predation Management, J.R. R. Mason, J.A. Shivik, M.W. Fall

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Chemical repellents and other aversive strategies are the core of non-lethal wildlife management. These strategies typically depend on irritation (pain), conditioning, or fear for their effectiveness, and none is universally successful. Thus, conditioned food aversions deter browsing and foraging by deer (virginianus , O. hemionus), but are less useful with predators, because killing, not consumption, is the behavior of interest. Broadly speaking, the utility of non-lethal strategies is affected by number and density of wildlife species, availability of alternative foods, palatability and novelty of treated items, and intensity of pain, sickness, or fear used to establish avoidance. Some …

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Comparison Of Commercial Deer Repellents, Andy Trent, Dale L. Nolte, Kimberly Wagner Jul 2001

Comparison Of Commercial Deer Repellents, Andy Trent, Dale L. Nolte, Kimberly Wagner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Foraging deer can severely hinder regeneration of newly stocked stands. Chemical repellents (along with fencing and individual tree shelters) are socially acceptable nonlethal tools to reduce deer damage. New products are continually entering the market, but their efficacy varies greatly. Availability or even registration of these products does not equate with effectiveness. Some repellents may contain active ingredients at concentrations below avoidance thresholds. Others may contain ingredients that don’t repel the target species. The Olympia Field Station of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center has conducted numerous studies to identify trends that …

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Effect Of Primary And Secondary Repellents On European Starlings: An Initial Assessment, Roger W. Sayre, Larry Clark Jul 2001

Effect Of Primary And Secondary Repellents On European Starlings: An Initial Assessment, Roger W. Sayre, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife managers need chemical repellents that are effective at deterring damage by birds, but these repellents must be environmentally and toxicologically safe. The number of commercially available bird repellents has been reduced because of concerns about environmental safety. Currently, there are 2 categories of avian repellents. Chemicals that are reflexively avoided by birds because they irritate the peripheral chemical senses are referred to as primary repellents. Chemicals that cause gastrointestinal illness and learned avoidance of ancillary sensory cues that are paired with the illness are known as secondary repellents. Secondary repellents most often identified as the most effective avian repellents …

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Surgical Sterilization As A Method Of Reducing Coyote Predation On Domestic Sheep, Cassity Bromley, Eric M. Gese Jul 2001

Surgical Sterilization As A Method Of Reducing Coyote Predation On Domestic Sheep, Cassity Bromley, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Predation by coyotes (Canis latrans) on domestic sheep is a problem for many livestock producers throughout the United States Intermountain West. We examined whether surgical sterilization of coyote packs would modify their predatory behavior and reduce predation rates on domestic sheep as compared to coyote packs with pups. From June 1997 to December 1997, we gathered baseline information on coyote pack size and movements. In winter 1998, we surgically sterilized and radio-collared members of 5 coyote packs. We also captured and radio-collared members of 6 packs that remained intact (i.e., reproductive). During summer 1998, only 1 sterile pack …

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Infrequent Cowbird Parasitism On Common Grackles Revisited: New Records From The Northern Great Plains, Brian D. Peer, H. Jeffrey Homan, Spencer G. Sealy Jun 2001

Infrequent Cowbird Parasitism On Common Grackles Revisited: New Records From The Northern Great Plains, Brian D. Peer, H. Jeffrey Homan, Spencer G. Sealy

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We report nine new records of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism on the Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula): six from Benson County, North Dakota, and three from Delta Marsh, Manitoba. These observations represent 30% of the total number of records of parasitism on this host. Parasitism frequencies were 0.8% of 727 nests in North Dakota, and 4.0% of 75 nests in Manitoba. The data from Manitoba, combined with previous data from this location (Neudorf and Sealy 1994), yields a parasitism frequency of 3.4% of 119 nests examined. These parasitism frequencies are the highest recorded for the Common …

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Importance Of Bacterial Decomposition And Carrion Substrate To Foraging Brown Treesnakes, S.M. Jojola-Elverum, J.A. Shivik, L. Clark Jun 2001

Importance Of Bacterial Decomposition And Carrion Substrate To Foraging Brown Treesnakes, S.M. Jojola-Elverum, J.A. Shivik, L. Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Brown treesnakes are an invasive species to the island of Guam that have caused extensive ecological and economic damage. Efforts to control the snake population have included trapping using live mouse lures, but for logistical and economic reasons a synthetic lure is needed. When searching for live food, brown treesnakes use both visual and odor cues. However, when searching for carrion, odor cues are sufficient. Attempts to develop synthetic lures based on chemical reconstruction of the complex carrion odor have not succeeded. We provide evidence that a microbial–substrate interaction is important for bait take by brown treesnakes. Microbial cultures taken …

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Territorial Defense By Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: Who, How, Where, When, And Why, Eric M. Gese Jun 2001

Territorial Defense By Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: Who, How, Where, When, And Why, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Territorial defense and maintenance are an important facet of the social ecology of most carnivore species. From January 1991 to June 1993, we observed 54 coyotes (Canis latrans) for 2507 h in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, during which we observed 112 instances of territory defense. The identity of the coyotes involved in challenging and evicting intruding animals was known. Alpha coyotes were most likely to be involved in territorial evictions of intruding animals, followed by beta individuals; pups participated little in territory defense. Coyotes evicting intruders generally had a numerical advantage when challenging the intruders. Territory-defense rates were …

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Evaluation Of Mirrors To Deter Nesting Starlings, Thomas W. Seamans, Charles D. Lovell, Richard A. Dolbeer, Jonathon D. Cepek Jun 2001

Evaluation Of Mirrors To Deter Nesting Starlings, Thomas W. Seamans, Charles D. Lovell, Richard A. Dolbeer, Jonathon D. Cepek

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) nesting in buildings and other structures can cause health, nuisance, and safety problems. We evaluated effectiveness of flashing lights combined with mirrors, and mirrors alone, as deterrents for starlings nesting in starling nest boxes in northern Ohio, 1998-2000. Each year, 100 nest boxes attached to utility poles were randomly assigned equally among 4 treatments (including untreated boxes): 1998- mirrored (internally placed on the back and 2 side walls of nest boxes), mirrored with red-flashing lights, and mirrored with green-flashing lights; 1999-convex mirror above entrance hole, convex mirror at back of nest box, and flat …

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Density Of Prairie Skinks (Eumeces Septentrionalis) In Old-Field Habitats, William C. Pitt May 2001

Density Of Prairie Skinks (Eumeces Septentrionalis) In Old-Field Habitats, William C. Pitt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

From 1996–1998 I estimated the density of prairie skinks (Eumeces septentrionalis) in old fields and evaluated the influence of habitat characteristics on density. I estimated prairie skink density from a trapping grid using a mark-recapture method in seven old fields. For each field I estimated arthropod density, percent plant cover and recorded field age and if the field had been burned in the last 5 y. Arthropod density was highly variable among years and fields. Percent plant cover did not explain this variation, as it varied little among fields and years. Prairie skink density ranged from 58–206 adults …

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Monitoring Changes In Feral Swine Abundance And Spatial Distribution, Richard M. Engeman, Bernice Constantine, Mark Nelson, John Woolard, Jean Bourassa May 2001

Monitoring Changes In Feral Swine Abundance And Spatial Distribution, Richard M. Engeman, Bernice Constantine, Mark Nelson, John Woolard, Jean Bourassa

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Swine (Sus scrofa) have been introduced in many places throughout the world, and in many places they adversely affect the environment, economically impact agriculture, and/or harbor diseases transmittable to domestic livestock or humans. An easily applied method to assess their abundance is an important need for their management. To monitor efficacy of a swine control program in Florida, data from passive tracking plots provide an index of feral swine abundance. The same track data coupled with plot locations to numerically describe the spatial pattern of swine activity gave an index of pervasiveness, and a simple rate of interception …

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Monitoring Raccoon Populations To Maximize Efficacy Of A Fixed-Cost Control Budget For Reducing Predation On Sea Turtle Nests, Richard M. Engeman, Bernice Constantin, Ryan Noel, John D. Woolard May 2001

Monitoring Raccoon Populations To Maximize Efficacy Of A Fixed-Cost Control Budget For Reducing Predation On Sea Turtle Nests, Richard M. Engeman, Bernice Constantin, Ryan Noel, John D. Woolard

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The fundamental focus for the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge on Florida's east coast is to provide and protect nesting habitat for three threatened or endangered sea turtle species. Nesting and hatching by three sea turtle species spans from early spring to fall each year. Left unchecked, predation by raccoons would destroy a high proportion of turtle nests. Raccoon removal is applied to reduce nest predation, but available funding only allows for about a one person-month control contract. We maximized the economical efficiency of this control budget by using a passive tracking index to: 1) optimize the timing and strategy …

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Solid Phase Extraction Gas Chromatography/Electron Capture Detector Method For The Determination Of Organochlorine Pesticides In Wildlife Whole Blood, S. A. Volz, J.J. Johnston, D.L. Griffin May 2001

Solid Phase Extraction Gas Chromatography/Electron Capture Detector Method For The Determination Of Organochlorine Pesticides In Wildlife Whole Blood, S. A. Volz, J.J. Johnston, D.L. Griffin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A gas chromatographic method for the analysis of 10 organochlorine pesticides in 0.5 mL of whole blood is described. Sample preparation involved an ethyl ether and hexane extraction, followed by a silica solid phase extraction cleanup. The pesticides are quantified by gas chromatography/electron capture detection. Method limits of detection ranged from 1.1 to 5.2 μg/L. The mean and standard deviation for the recovery of 10 pesticides was 97.9 ± 5.5%. Recoveries from whole blood were comparable to recoveries from plasma. This indicates that the preparation of plasma is unnecessary for the quantification of organochlorine pesticides in blood. This approach is …

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Solid Phase Extraction Gas Chromatography/Electron Capture Detector Method For The Determination Of Organochlorine Pesticides In Wildlife Whole Blood, S. A. Volz, J. J. Johnston, D. L. Griffin May 2001

Solid Phase Extraction Gas Chromatography/Electron Capture Detector Method For The Determination Of Organochlorine Pesticides In Wildlife Whole Blood, S. A. Volz, J. J. Johnston, D. L. Griffin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A gas chromatographic method for the analysis of 10 organochlorine pesticides in 0.5 mL of whole blood is described. Sample preparation involved an ethyl ether and hexane extraction, followed by a silica solid phase extraction cleanup. The pesticides are quantified by gas chromatography/electron capture detection. Method limits of detection ranged from 1.1 to 5.2 μ g/L. The mean and standard deviation for the recovery of 10 pesticides was 97.9 ( 5.5%. Recoveries from whole blood were comparable to recoveries from plasma. This indicates that the preparation of plasma is unnecessary for the quantification of organochlorine pesticides in blood. This approach …

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Introduced Wildlife Of Oregon And Washington , Gary W. Witmer, Jeffrey C. Lewis Apr 2001

Introduced Wildlife Of Oregon And Washington , Gary W. Witmer, Jeffrey C. Lewis

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Each species of wildlife occurs as part of an ecosystem, interacting in many ways with other plant and animal species in that system as well as with the abiotic components such as soil, air, water, and other substrates. The array of wildlife species around the globe has been shaped by geological and climatological events as well as by eons of evolution and natural selection. Species have come and gone and those remaining have, in most cases, co-evolved or co-adapted with many other species so that relatively stable, and often complex, relationships exist. Usually, a great many niches have been carved …

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Use Of Acetaminophen For Large-Scale Control Of Brown Treesnakes, Peter J. Savarie, John A. Shivik, Gary C. White, Jerome C. Hurley, Larry Clark Apr 2001

Use Of Acetaminophen For Large-Scale Control Of Brown Treesnakes, Peter J. Savarie, John A. Shivik, Gary C. White, Jerome C. Hurley, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Because the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) has virtually extirpated the avifauna on Guam and is a threat to other Pacific islands, the development of alternative and efficient control methods is required. Therefore, we performed a large-scale field experiment to determine whether the acetaminophen baits we developed could be used to reduce population levels of brown treesnakes on Guam. Toxic baits were made by inserting 80 mg of acetaminophen into dead neonatal mice, and these mouse baits were used to treat plots. Reference plots were baited with unadulterated baits. We used mark-recapture methods to estimate snake abundance on plots …

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Compound Drc-1339 Concentrate-Livestock, Nest, And Fodder Depredations (Epa Reg. No. 56228-29) Apr 2001

Compound Drc-1339 Concentrate-Livestock, Nest, And Fodder Depredations (Epa Reg. No. 56228-29)

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

DRC-1339 is an avicide registered by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS) program for the control of blackbirds, starlings, pigeons, crows, ravens, magpies, and gulls. Only certified applicators working for WS, or persons under their direct supervision, can apply this avicide. APHIS/WS has five DRC-1339 products registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use for bird problems that cannot be resolved by other commercially available products. The Compound DRC-1339 Concentrate- Livestock, Nest, and Fodder Depredations registration (1 339-COR) provides for the use of egg or meat baits to control damage to livestock, wildlife …

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Compound Drc- 1339 Concentrate-Staging Areas (Epa Reg. No. 56228-30) Apr 2001

Compound Drc- 1339 Concentrate-Staging Areas (Epa Reg. No. 56228-30)

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

DRC-1339 (3-chloro-4-methyl benzenamine HCI, Chemical Abstract Service Reg. No. 7745-89-3) is a slow- acting avicide that is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the control of several species of pest birds including blackbirds, starlings, pigeons, crows, ravens, magpies, and gulls. Technical DRC-1339 (Starlicide Technical, EPA Reg. No. 602-1 34) contains 97 percent DRC-1339. DRC-1339 was developed jointly by Ralston Purina, Inc., Purina Mills, Inc., and the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) of the U. S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Service's (WS) program.

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M-44 User Tips Apr 2001

M-44 User Tips

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

CONTENTS:

The M-44 Sodium Cyanide Ejector Mechanism
M-44 Cyanide Capsules
Capsule Storage
Sealants
Carrying Capsules for Use in the Field
Checking Capsules
Ejectors
Stakes
Driving Stakes
Keeping Dirt and Sand Out
Safety
Antidote Kits
Sources of Information

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Disease Emergence In Birds: Challenges For The Twenty-First Century, Milton Friend, Robert G. Mclean, F. Joshua Dein Apr 2001

Disease Emergence In Birds: Challenges For The Twenty-First Century, Milton Friend, Robert G. Mclean, F. Joshua Dein

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) conjunctivitis is an example of the rapid geographic spread that can result from disease emergence in naive populations. That event was neither novel nor transient relative to its occurrence or effects. Disease emergence and reemergence are hallmarks of the latter part of the twentieth century (Center for Disease Control 1994, Levins et al. 1994, DaSilva and Laccarino 1999, Gratz 1999). Current examples involving domestic animals include the problems in Europe with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or ‘‘mad cow disease’’) (Brown 2001) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) (Kitching 1999). Human health has been affected by diseases caused …

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Movements And Mortality Of American White Pelicans Banded At Marsh Lake, Minnesota, D. Tommy King Apr 2001

Movements And Mortality Of American White Pelicans Banded At Marsh Lake, Minnesota, D. Tommy King

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We analyzed 687 recovery records for American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) banded as nestlings at Marsh Lake, Minnesota, between 1972 and 1998 to determine mortality, migration, and dispersal patterns. About 84% of the recoveries were in the United States, 12% in Mexico, 3% in Canada, and 1% in Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Recoveries included 404 bands from birds reported as found dead or shot and 283 bands from birds due to other miscellaneous causes. Median age at recovery was 1.0 year. The mean distance from the banding site to a recovery location was 1240 km. Pelicans from …

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Impacts Of Supplemental Feeding On The Nutritional Ecology Of Black Bears, Steven T. Partridge, Dale L. Nolte, Georg J. Ziegltrum, Charles T. Robbins Apr 2001

Impacts Of Supplemental Feeding On The Nutritional Ecology Of Black Bears, Steven T. Partridge, Dale L. Nolte, Georg J. Ziegltrum, Charles T. Robbins

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Black bear (Ursus americanus) damage to managed conifer stands during the spring in the U.S. Pacific Northwest is a continuing management concern. Because bear damage to managed conifers may reflect the limited availability of nutritious foods, supplemental feeding has been used to decrease damage. Highly palatable, pelleted feed is provided ad libitum from April until late June when berries ripen and such damage stops. We examined black bear use of supplemental feed during the spring and summer of 1998 and 1999 in western Washington. Bears were captured in areas where supplemental feed was provided and in control areas …

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Compound Drc-1339 Concentrate- Feedlots Apr 2001

Compound Drc-1339 Concentrate- Feedlots

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

DRC-1339 is a slow-acting avicide registered by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS) program for the control of blackbirds, starlings, pigeons, crows, ravens, magpies, and gulls. Only WS certified applicators, or persons working under their direct supervision, can apply this avicide. WS has five DRC-1339 products registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use for bird problems that cannot be resolved by Starlicide Complete (EPA Reg. No. 67517-8) or other commercially available products. The Compound DRC-I 339 Concentrate-Feedlots (1339-FL) registration provides alternate baits for controlling blackbird and starling problems at feedlots and allows …

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Drc-1339 (Starlicide) Apr 2001

Drc-1339 (Starlicide)

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

DRC-1339 (3-chloro-4-methyl benzenamine HCI, Chemical Abstract Service Reg. No. 7745-89-3) is a slow-acting avicide that is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the control of several species of pest birds, including blackbirds, starlings, pigeons, crows, ravens, magpies, and gulls. Technical DRC-1339 (Starlicide Technical, EPA Reg. No. 602-134) contains 97 percent DRC-1339. Starlicide products and DRC- 1339 were developed jointly by Ralston Purina, Inc., Purina Mills, Inc., and the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Registrations are maintained by PM Resources, Inc., Earth City Resources, and APHIS.

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Egg Oil: An Avian Population Control Tool Apr 2001

Egg Oil: An Avian Population Control Tool

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Wildlife Services (WS) program uses many methods to manage populations of gulls, waterfowl, and other birds in areas where they create problems. Methods include trapping and relocation, surgical sterilization, mechanical scare devices, repellents, and hunting. However, these methods, and others that reduce or prevent eggs from hatching-such as shaking, freezing, addling, nest destruction, and egg removal-are labor intensive and may not be effective in operational programs.

The application of various oils (of mineral and vegetable origin) to eggs during the nesting season to prevent hatching is less labor intensive. In addition, this method …

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Dogs Increase Recovery Of Passerine Carcasses In Dense Vegetation, H. Jeffrey Homan, George M. Linz, Brian D. Peer Mar 2001

Dogs Increase Recovery Of Passerine Carcasses In Dense Vegetation, H. Jeffrey Homan, George M. Linz, Brian D. Peer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife managers use carcass searches to assess mortality resulting from biological (e.g., diseases) and physical (e.g., structure collisions) sources. Carcass searches may occur over large areas and need to be completed rapidly because of scavenging and decomposition. However, small carcasses are often missed when dense vegetation is searched. We placed carcasses of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in dense cover of residual and newly grown vegetation and compared searching efficiency of humans and canines. Dogs received no special training in searching for passerine carcasses. In 36 trials conducted in 5 x 40-m plots, human searchers found 45% (SD=19) of the carcasses …

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Comparison Of Active Ingredients And Delivery Systems In Deer Repellents, Kimberly K. Wagner, Dale L. Nolte Mar 2001

Comparison Of Active Ingredients And Delivery Systems In Deer Repellents, Kimberly K. Wagner, Dale L. Nolte

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In some situations chemical repellents are a socially appealing nonlethal alternative to reduce deer (Odocoileus spp.) damage to plants. New products are continually becoming available, but their ability to repel deer is very variable. We tested 20 repellents representing 4 modes of action (fear, pain, taste, and aversive conditioning) and 2 delivery systems (topical applications and area repellents [scent packets]) to evaluate current products and identify trends that could be used to predict efficacy of future products. During fall 1998, we placed treated western red cedar (Thuja plicata) seedlings in pastures with black-tai led deer (Odocoileus …

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