Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Fastest-flying birds in the world recently banded on Isle Royale

Isle Royale peregrine falcon bandingPeregrine falcons can dive for prey at speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour, making them the fastest-flying bird in the world.

Recently on Isle Royale National Park, Department of Natural Resources and National Park Service staff members banded three 4-week-old chicks. The chicks were in an eyrie, or natural nest, on a rock cliff 200 feet above Lake Superior, on Passage Island. Although no longer federally endangered, peregrine falcons still are considered rare and are listed on Michigan’s endangered species list. Approximately 139 peregrine falcons are found in Michigan.

Two female chicks and one male chick each received two bands on their legs – one bicolored band, with large numbers that can be read from a distance, and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Band, which usually is silver and 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.

Isle Royale peregrine falcon banding rappel“The banding went great for the unique location of these birds,” said DNR wildlife biologist John DePue. “Most falcons we band in Michigan nest on man-made structures. Here we had a natural nest, which made access a challenge. Banding was successful with the collaboration of staff from the National Park Service and the DNR.”

Typically, peregrine falcons will nest at high elevations on tall buildings, bridges or cliffs, where updraft currents are available. A ready food source, such as starlings and pigeons, is available in urban settings, which also offer great protection from natural predators like the great horned owl. In an undeveloped setting, such as the cliffs of Lake Superior, falcons’ diet consists of a wide variety of small birds, seabirds, shorebirds, songbirds and the occasional duck. Peregrines tend to return to the same nest annually, and normally birds from Michigan will be found in Canada, Ohio, Wisconsin and other surrounding states.

“We look forward to seeing just where these three peregrines end up,” said DePue.

Learn more about Michigan’s endangered and nongame wildlife species on the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/nongamewildlife. 

Wildlife

HSUS Misinterprets Endangered Species Act, Loses Petition Appeal on Wolves

By Glen Wunderlich

How thoughtful of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to send me a free gift.  In the mail this week came a 2015-2016 pocket planner with a signed letter from President and Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Pacelle, exclusively for me.  Imagine that.  CEO Pacelle says he needs friends like me – and, of course, my gift in any amount I can share.

In the letter, the Humane Society of the United States claimed that donations help the organization “investigate and expose brutal industries” including “internet hunting.”  Never mind that nobody has ever hunted over the internet and that not one single website offers it.

Oddly, there is no mention of its petition which sought to list gray wolves in the United States as “threatened,” under the Endangered Species Act in its list of good deeds.  Maybe that’s because that battle has just been lost.

Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) indicates the petition was filed by the Humane Society of the United States and other anti-hunting organizations including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Fund for Animals, the Detroit Zoological Society, National Wolfwatcher Coalition and the Detroit Audubon Society. It requested that gray wolves in the conterminous United States, except for the Mexican Gray Wolf, be listed as “threatened,” which would preclude any state from holding a hunting season for them for any reason. The USFWS ruled that the petition lacked “substantial scientific or commercial information” necessary to consider it any further.

“This decision by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists confirms that wolves are biologically recovered in the western Great Lakes and that state management plans, like Michigan’s, are sufficient to sustain the wolf population and are the appropriate way to manage wolves in the region,” said Amy Trotter, deputy director for Michigan United Conservation Clubs and a member of the Michigan Wolf Forum.

Among its findings, the USFWS stated that wolves in the conterminous U.S., which are made up of multiple distinct population segments of gray wolf, are not likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future due to any of the five listing factors, and that HSUS’s claim that they have to be present in all unoccupied suitable habitat to be considered recovered is “based on a misinterpretation of the Act.”

The USFWS further stated that state management plans are sufficient to sustain wolf populations in recovered areas, including where hunting and trapping is allowed.

“The existing state plans regulating take of wolves only allow take above certain population thresholds, such that if the other causes of mortality increased above certain levels, hunting and trapping would be reduced to prevent the population from dipping below those thresholds.”

“We are disappointed in the FWS’ decision not to consider this middle-ground approach to wolf management. A threatened listing is a reasonable compromise to this contentious issue…”says Michael Markarian, chief program and policy officer of HSUS.  But, a “threatened listing” means no hunting – the only reasonable means to keep wolf numbers in check.

Wolves in the western Great Lakes were delisted in 2011, only to be relisted by a lone federal judge in December 2014, who also claimed that wolves must be present in all unoccupied suitable habitat to be considered recovered – a decision currently being appealed.

Now, where’s that neat little planner, because I have some important dates to enter:  small game opener September 15th, archery deer October 1st, firearms deer November 15th…

Hunting, Wildlife

Arizona Youths Injured In Elk Encounter

Other people feeding wildlife believed to be cause

KINGMAN, Ariz. – The message has been clear and concise: stop feeding wildlife.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been informing people for years about the dangers of feeding wildlife. Last week, Mohave County Parks reported that two youths suffered minor injuries that likely were the result of elk seeking human food.

The encounter, which took place in Hualapai Mountain Park, involved a family at a picnic table. A group of elk approached the family and encircled the table. The two youths, a boy and girl, were injured by the hooves. The girl suffered a bloody nose and minor injuries to the forehead and lower leg, while the boy suffered a bump to the forehead. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan receives $600,000 in federal grants for bees and butterflies

Karner blue butterflyThe Michigan Department of Natural Recourses recently was awarded $600,000 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for bumble bee and Karner blue butterfly conservation.

Bumble bees and butterflies are important pollinators, which are vital to the production of healthy crops for food and medicines and as food sources for wildlife. They also are important visitors to backyard flower gardens. Pollinators as a group have seen severe declines in their populations. Those declines have been felt by the agricultural community.

To gauge bumble bee declines in Michigan, the DNR will provide the Michigan Natural Features Inventory with $100,000 to assess historic and current native bee diversity, distribution and status. This information will inform conservation decision making and enhance the next revision of Michigan’s Wildlife Action Plan. Read more

Wildlife

Pennsylvania Reports Record Number Of Bald-Eagle Nests

A bald eagle incubates two eggs during a March snowstorm, as its mate stands atop the snow in a nest near Hanover, Pa. The event, which was livestreamed on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Eagle Cam, drew national attention and helps to explain why the state’s bald eagles have been so successful in their comeback. So far this year, a record-high 277 nests have been documented statewide.

Mid-year survey documents 277 nests statewide.

It was a scene that warmed many hearts.

A bald eagle incubating two eggs in a falling snow, unwilling to budge as the nest turned white. As the flakes piled high, the bird was blanketed. Only its head could been seen, periscoping above the snow.

The images captured in early March on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Eagle Cam spotlighted the sacrifices parents make, and showed a lot about the resilience of bald eagles, and why they have been so successful in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.

And as the Game Commission releases its annual mid-year report on bald-eagle nests statewide, the preliminary numbers represent an all-time high.

So far this year, 277 bald-eagle nests have been documented in Pennsylvania, with nesting eagles present in at least 58 of the state’s 67 counties. Read more

Wildlife

MUCC Applauds U.S. Fish and Wildlife Decision Not to Downlist Wolves

USFWS Rejects HSUS Petition to List Wolves as ‘Threatened.’

LANSING—Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) praised the decision by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to reject a petition seeking to list gray wolves in the United States as “threatened,” under the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS announced its findings yesterday.

“This decision by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists confirms that wolves are biologically recovered in the western Great Lakes and that state management plans, like Michigan’s, are sufficient to sustain the wolf population and are the appropriate way to manage wolves in the region,” said Amy Trotter, deputy director for Michigan United Conservation Clubs and a member of the Michigan Wolf Forum.

The petition was filed by the Humane Society of the United States and other anti-hunting organizations including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Fund for Animals, the Detroit Zoological Society, National Wolfwatcher Coalition and the Detroit Audubon Society. It requested that gray wolves in the conterminous United States, except for the Mexican Gray Wolf, be listed as “threatened,” which would preclude any state from holding a hunting season for them for any reason. The USFWS ruled that the petition lacked “substantial scientific or commercial information” necessary to consider it any further.

Among its findings, the USFWS stated that wolves in the conterminous U.S., which are made up of multiple distinct population segments of gray wolf, are not likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future due to any of the five listing factors, and that HSUS’s claim that they have to be present in all unoccupied suitable habitat to be considered recovered is “based on a misinterpretation of the Act.”

The USFWS further stated that state management plans are sufficient to sustain wolf populations in recovered areas, including where hunting and trapping is allowed. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

Primos Proof Camera Gets High Marks in Annual Trail Cam Pro Review

Flora, Miss. — TrailCamPro.com, an independent online trail camera testing authority, recently posted the results of their annual trail camera tests, and the new Primos® Proof Camera 03 received high marks in several categories. More than 50 trail cameras from 13 different manufacturers were tested for trigger speed, detection range, picture/video quality, battery life and ease of use, and the Proof Cam surpassed many more expensive models.

The new Primos Proof Cameras are built for one purpose: To give hunters the most reliable, most simple-to-use camera money can buy with the functions that really matter and none of the extras that don’t. The Proof Camera 03 is designed to easily take photos, HD video or HD Time Lapse. Choosing the mode is easy with new illuminated slide switches and an improved On/Off switch. It features circular LED alignment to better light the field of view. The camera is extremely easy to use, while offering hunters the scouting technology required to know what animals are on their property. Read more

Wildlife

DNR begins mapping widespread spruce budworm defoliation

Caterpillars stop feeding; tree owners urged to wait to assess damage

Michigan Department of Natural Resources forest health staff is in the process of mapping the extent of this year’s spruce budworm spruce budwormdamage to balsam fir and white spruce in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula.

The last widespread outbreak of the insects in Michigan ended during the 1980s. Experts think we may be seeing the beginning of a new epidemic that will persist over the next several years.

“The spruce budworm has finished feeding for the year in most areas,” said Bob Heyd, a DNR forest health specialist in Marquette. “There are a few larvae still chewing on needles, but most have turned into pupae.”

Over the past few years, countless trees have been damaged by the budworm, which is one of the most destructive native insects in the northern spruce and fir forests of the eastern United States and Canada. Read more

Wildlife
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