Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Peregrine falcons in southeast Michigan banded for monitoring


Peregrine falcon chick with bands on legs

DNR bands peregrine chicks in Detroit, Mount Clemens, Warren, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Flint and Southfield…

The Department of Natural Resources recently banded 15 peregrine falcon chicks hatched in southeast Michigan this spring.

At about 3 weeks of age, and before they can fly, peregrine chicks are given two bands on their legs. One is a bicolored band with large numbers and letters that can be read from a distance, and the other is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band that bears a serial number specific to that bird. These bands are placed on young birds so that scientists can monitor and track the dispersal, migration, life span, reproductive success, behavior and population growth of the falcons.

Peregrine falcon chicks banded in previous years have turned up in nearby states and provinces, including Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin and Ontario, and have even ventured as far as Florida.

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Wildlife

Study Recommends Whitetail Management…With Mountain Lions!

 From J.R. Absber…Today’s feature first appeared in The Archery Wire (www.archerywire.com

 

As wildlife managers in many whitetail-rich states struggle with sinking deer populations and expanding chronic wasting disease zones, an academic study released this week suggests that the escalating number of deer/vehicular accidents in selected Eastern states could be successfully reduced by introducing sustainable numbers of mountain lions to the region.

We swear we’re not making this up!

The study, published online this week in the journal Conservation Letters, ostensibly reflected an academic attempt to quantify the economic and social impact of reintroducing large carnivores into parts of the U.S. where they no longer exist. The student-led project was directed by the University of Washington’s Laura Prugh and initiated as part of a community ecology class she taught in 2014 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Utilizing the mountain lion (Puma concolor) as having value in reducing deer-vehicle collisions as a case study, the researchers concluded that within 30 years of the big cats recolonizing the Eastern U.S., the species could thin deer populations and reduce vehicle collisions by 22 percent — each year preventing five human fatalities, 680 injuries and avoiding costs of $50 million.

Again, Archery Wire readers, we swear we’re not making this up!

Forget about the ongoing the highly successful urban deer management efforts taking place through the efforts of bowhunters across much of the same area – not to mention professional game management and state agencies that use scientific data to set harvest numbers and limits to best manage whitetails. Evidently, Ms. Prugh and her associates didn’t take that into consideration.

Nor did the researchers factor-in any collateral mishaps or problems that could possibly occur in suburban and urban communities with high deer/vehicular accidents as part of a 30-year reintroduction of one of the country’s largest are most notorious predators (think pets and toddlers, for beginners).

Instead, the chief researcher painted a rosy picture of cougars roaming the parks and parkways of the Eastern U.S. Read more

Wildlife

Browning Dark Ops Elite Trail Cameras – Excellence in a Sub-Micro Package


Birmingham, AL: For 2016, Browning Trail Cameras has taken their highly celebrated and versatile Dark Ops series camera and made it even better. For this year, the Dark Ops Elite HD trail cameras have had a number of new features added to improve the trail camera experience while continuing to be one of the most versatile and valuable cameras on the market.The first of these upgrades that you will notice is that their proprietary camouflage pattern has been enhanced by including elements of both branches and foliage to improve your ability to conceal the cameras. Then, the design team took already optimal trigger speeds and recovery times and made both of them even faster to take the performance level of these cameras even higher. So moving into 2016, these cameras will now have trigger speeds of four-tenths of a second and less than one-and-a-half second recovery times. Read more
Wildlife

Michigan: Four Osprey Chicks Now Sporting GPS Satellite Backpacks

Biologists adjust GPS backpack on osprey chick

Osprey chick on nesting platform

Nearly absent from much of Michigan due to the effects of DDT, other pesticides and habitat loss, Michigan’s osprey population continues to rebound. In southern Michigan, monitoring efforts are in place to track the revitalization of this species.

This year, four osprey chicks from area nests were outfitted with “backpack” GPS telemetry units, funded by Huron Valley Audubon with donations from DTE Energy and a private donor. The GPS backpacks will help scientists track the young birds’ daily movements and seasonal migration patterns.

The chicks were hatched on platforms at Kensington Metropark, Pointe Mouillee State Game Area and the Strong Unit of the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge and on a cellular tower in Milford. Crews from MD Tower Services, Newkirk-Electric and Earthcom Inc. climbed the towers in order to access the chicks for both banding and transmitter deployment. Brad Pieczarka also assisted with climbing. Read more

Wildlife

Backcountry cabin and campsite closures announced for Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park


Officials at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park have announced the temporary closure for safety reasons of 10 backcountry campsites and three backcountry cabins in the wake of this week’s torrential rainstorms.A map graphic shows the area where the storm damage has occurred at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.The cabins and campsites are scheduled to reopen July 28. Read more
Wildlife

Delta Waterfowl Forecasts a Reduced Fall Duck Flight


BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA
Delta Waterfowl has analyzed and interpreted wetland conditions reports from the organization’s field researchers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pilots who conducted the annual survey of breeding ducks and habitat. Throughout many areas of the critical breeding habitat, spring pond conditions can be summarized by one word: dry.”A remarkably high number of returning ducks had to compete for a remarkably low number of wetlands,” said Dr. Frank Rohwer, Delta Waterfowl president and chief scientist. “That doesn’t mean good things for duck production.” Read more
Hunting, Wildlife

MI Deer Private Land Assistance Network grant application period opens


Young man pours bag of seed into seed drill

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced that the application period is now open for the Deer Private Land Assistance Network (Deer PLAN) grant program.

A total of $50,000 is available, through a competitive grant process, to support private-land deer habitat improvement projects in the northern Lower Peninsula. The focus area for 2017 will include Alcona, Alpena, Crawford, Montmorency, Oscoda and Presque Isle counties.

“The focus area concentrates habitat projects in a region to provide greater benefits to deer hunters in areas where habitat issues have been identified,” said DNR Deer Program biologist Ashley Autenrieth. Read more

Wildlife

Bushnell’s Trophy Cam HD Essential E2 Delivers Enhanced Imagery


Trophy Cam HD Essential E2 OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (July 11, 2016) – Bushnell, an industry leader in high-performance outdoor products for more than 65 years, has again raised the bar in performance and value. The new Trophy Cam HD Essential E2 defines long-lasting efficiency and ease of use while improving both day and nighttime imagery.

Built on the rugged Trophy Cam HD Aggressor chassis, the new Essential E2 employs and easy-to-use latch and lets hunters keep a watchful eye on their favorite outdoor hotspots around the clock.

The camera is amazingly efficient, too. The power-saving Trophy Cam HD Essential E2 runs up to 12 months on one set of eight AA batteries. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Browning Trail Cameras


Birmingham, AL- For the upcoming 2016 season, if you’re looking to hit a “home run” with your trail cameras, Browning Trail Cameras has taken their “best of the best” high-end trail cameras and made them even better. For 2016, the Platinum Series Recon Force FHD trail cameras have been equipped with a series of new features designed to ensure that Browning Trail Cameras will remain some of the best purchases you can make when gearing up for your hunting season.The first big change a customer can see on a Platinum Recon Force FHD camera is that Browning Trail Camera’s revolutionary camouflage pattern has been made better by adding elements of both branches and foliage to improve your ability to conceal the cameras. Then, the design team took the easy to use set-up feature and made it even more user-friendly by adding a 2-inch color monitor that makes it easier to navigate the menu options while also allowing the user to check both images and videos while in the field. With that said, one of the more overlooked uses of this feature is that it makes it so much easier toyou’re your camera exactly where you want it because the monitor will display a live feed of what the camera is seeing when your first turn on your camera. Read more
Wildlife
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