Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

NDA Premiers “Aging Deer in the Field” Video and Aging Quiz

September 1, 2022 – The National Deer Association is pleased to announce the premiere of a new educational video project, “Aging Deer in the Field,” produced in partnership with The Bearded Buck. The 31-minute video uses footage of dozens of live, wild whitetail bucks to teach the aging technique, followed by a test using 20 additional bucks.

“The team at The Bearded Buck gave us full access to their incredible collection of whitetail footage from years of their hunts, with bucks of all ages, and then offered to produce the final product,” said NDA’s Chief Conservation Officer and host of the video, Kip Adams. “The result is NDA’s most comprehensive and realistic look at how to age deer in the field.”

Estimating buck age in the field is an important skill for any hunter who wants to increase the number of adult bucks in the woods they hunt and help balance the buck:doe ratio for improved herd health. NDA teaches aging skills in numerous media, including Quality Whitetails magazine, educational posters, live seminars, and the book Observing & Evaluating Whitetails by Dave Richards. But the new “Aging Deer in the Field” video is unique because of the extensive live footage of wild bucks.

“Aging deer in the field is not an exact science,” said Adams. “It’s a personal skill that is improved through practice, experience and follow-through. Fortunately, just like humans, whitetails possess distinct body characteristics by age class, and with a little practice hunters can become proficient at estimating the ages of bucks in the field. This video serves to introduce the topic and highlight the differences for each age class from yearlings to mature animals. The 20-buck quiz then allows viewers to practice what they learned.”

To view the new video, visit NDA’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/deerassociation. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Hummingbird Feeder Basics & Advanced

Hummingbirds that nest in northern latitudes are making important migration stopovers to rest and feed at backyard feeders.
Among the top hummingbird feeders that provide bee deterrents are the Perky-Pet top-fill feeders, like the Diamond Wine Top-fill Glass Hummingbird Feeder and Sugar Maple Top-Fill Glass Hummingbird Feeder.
Perky-Pet has developed colorful, soft, flexible artificial flowers for some hummingbird feeders that are designed with a long stem that acts as a bee guard to keep insects out while hummingbirds have no problem reaching the feeder’s nectar.

As late summer dispersal and migration continues, you may be looking for some tips and ideas about how to better serve hummingbirds in your yard, and perhaps at a business location or school. With that in mind let’s consider basics, some advanced ideas, and some potential problems: Problems like ants, bees, and wasps; Basics like cleaning feeders and providing sugar-water nectar, and Advanced aspects of hummingbirding like keeping feeders up after the last migrants pass through, just in case a vagrant Rufous Hummingbird finds its way to your yard.

Keeping it clean – Keeping your hummingbird feeder clean is easy, but like any other effort, it’s good to keep a regular schedule. Twice a week is a good cleaning plan, and that will keep the nectar clean and fresh too. Of course, if it’s particularly hot, or if you have many hummers feeding at your feeders, you may need to increase that cleaning and re-filling schedule.

Sugar-water ratio – The standard hummingbird sugar-water mix is 4 parts water to 1 part white cane sugar (never use honey, brown sugar, or sugar substitutes). We use a shot glass to easily measure parts although a measuring cup might be even better. This 4-to-1 mixture best represents the sugar content of natural nectar produced in flowers. Mix it yourself or buy one of the many options for pre-mixed hummingbird sugar-water nectar that use the same sugar-water mix ratio. Read more

Wildlife

America’s First Waterfowl Refuge is Dry

The Klamath Basin is dry! For the first time in history, America’s first National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) established for waterfowl conservation purposes by Theodore Roosevelt is a barren wasteland. Millions of migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and other essential wildlife species will not have anywhere there or at neighboring Tule Lake NWR to rest, refuel and prepare for their migration. This could have a permanent, lasting effect on migrating birds and local wildlife along the Pacific Flyway. Healthy wetlands in the Klamath Basin not only provide refuge for migratory and local species; they also help filter groundwater and recharge aquifers. Dry wetlands could result in people losing access to a vital water source that is necessary for drinking water and for sustaining the local economy.

HISTORY AND IMPACT

Due to reduced water deliveries, waterfowl counts in both 2020 and 2021 at the Klamath refuges were among the lowest ever recorded. In 2020, 60,000 waterfowl and other waterbirds also died from an avian botulism outbreak, which was exacerbated by low water conditions. Other wildlife like bald eagles, a large number of which spend the winter in the Klamath Basin, also suffered from lack of suitable habitat. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: Backpack the Porkies Intermediate Backpacking Clinic

Trip 1: Sept. 19-21

Trip 2: Sept. 21-23

Registration required by Aug. 29

Join the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Skills Academy on a three-day hike for intermediate-level backpackers. This class will build on your existing backpacking knowledge and skill set while you experience the rugged landscape of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

The Porcupine Mountains are a true wilderness, with more unforgiving terrain than most Michiganders are used to handling. Challenge yourself with a hike along the park’s escarpment, past Government Peak and Lake of the Clouds overlook, for a total of 19.6 trail miles through elevation changes rarely experienced in the Midwest.

Instructors will help you hone your gear list, improve your food planning and handling, reinforce the practice of conserving resources, introduce backcountry navigation skills, practice gear management, take a deeper dive into “Leave No Trace” principles and improve your basic wilderness first-aid skills. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: MDARD, Oakland County responding to invasive spotted lanternfly

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is working with Oakland County to limit the spread of spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). On August 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed a small population of spotted lanternfly in Pontiac in Oakland County. This is the first confirmed case of live spotted lanternfly in Michigan.

Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: Waterfowl Hunters Use Caution With Expected Surge of Avian Flu

With certain duck and goose hunting seasons starting September 1 throughout the state, and others to follow this fall and winter, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources asks all hunters to be observant and careful when harvesting and handling wild birds, due to the presence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus.

Although the rate of positive HPAI detections has slowed this summer, a recent uptick in reports of wild bird die-offs, neurologically abnormal wild birds and HPAI detections has prompted the DNR to issue additional guidance. Influenza experts expect a resurgence of this “bird flu” as waterfowl migrations get underway and fall hunting seasons begin.

The H5N1 virus continues to be detected through wild bird surveillance activities and is considered widespread in wild bird populations throughout Michigan, including all watersheds in both the Upper and Lower peninsulas. Dabbling ducks are the most commonly infected waterfowl, but geese, swans, shorebirds and other species also can be infected.

“Avian influenza or ‘bird flu’ is caused by viruses that infect both wild and domestic birds. Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses can severely affect the health of domestic birds, wild birds and, sometimes, humans and other mammals,” said Megan Moriarty, the state wildlife veterinarian with the DNR.

“As Michigan waterfowl hunters get out in the fields and marshes this season, we want them to know there is a lot they can do both to help prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza and to keep themselves, others and our bird and wildlife populations safe,” she said. Read more

Wildlife

Cameras for Feeding Station Photos

Photographing at your feeding station may allow you to take photos of birds in closer quarters, such as this male Northern Cardinal photographed by Dorian Anderson.
The Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80 Digital Camera is a great model to start with as you shop for a camera with a built-in zoom lens.
Photographing at your feeding station allows you to take photos of birds as they perch on your feeders or on nearby perches (Ruby-throated Hummingbird photos by Paul Konrad)

To follow up on last week’s introduction to photographing in your yard, and more specifically photographing at your feeding station, we wanted to share some ideas about how you can get a solid start at expanding your backyard birding activities to include a camera in hand and digital photos in your near future. Truly, this can be the most advanced and most rewarding aspect of backyard birding, so we are hoping folks without current bird photo equipment will consider some fairly easy to use, economy-minded equipment to get started in advance of all the excitement that fall migration brings. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: Get Paid for Picking Pine Cones

GW:  I love this form of exercise!

Are you a whiz at tree identification and would you like to make some money? Collecting a bushel of red pine cones this September will earn you $100 and help the Michigan Department of Natural Resources plant trees in state forests.

From Sept. 1-30, you can pick red pine cones and drop them off by appointment at several DNR locations in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula where red pines are most abundant.

What are foresters looking for in a quality seed pine cone from a red pine? Freshness, proper storage and most of all – the right species. Old cones or the wrong species of cone won’t be accepted.

To be paid for your collected cones, register as a vendor in the DNR’s online system. Read more

Wildlife

Vermont Game Wardens and Biologist Respond to Bear Attack in Strafford

MONTPELIER, Vt. – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department responded to a bear attack in Strafford on August 20.

Ms. Susan Lee, 61, of Strafford, was treated at Gifford Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries from the attack. She called 911 while being transported to the hospital by her neighbor. Game Warden Sergeant Jeffrey Whipple and Game Warden Kyle Isherwood responded.

Warden Isherwood interviewed Ms. Lee at the hospital. He advised her of the risk posed by rabies and collected her clothes from the attack as evidence.

Ms. Lee reported that she and her two dogs, a Jack Russell terrier and labradoodle, were walking trails on her Strafford property at the time of the attack. She stated that she had just recalled her dogs which had moved out of sight, when she heard a loud noise and realized a bear was charging her.

Ms. Lee stated that she tripped on a stone wall as the bear charged her. She then felt pain on her upper left leg and realized the bear was on top of her and had bitten her. Ms. Lee stated that her Jack Russel terrier intervened by barking at the bear, which got off her and appeared to focus on the dog. Ms. Lee stated that she got up and retreated down the trail, followed by her terrier and without further sighting of the bear.

Ms. Lee called 911 once she reached her residence and texted her neighbor for transportation to the hospital. She sustained a bite wound on her upper left leg and multiple scratches between two and nine inches long on both her sides. Read more

Wildlife

Annual Breeding Waterfowl Population Survey Returns, Estimates 34.2 Million Ducks

May pond counts are 4% above the long-term average, which should lead to good duck production and a strong fall flight

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — After being cancelled for the previous two years by concerns over COVID-19, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service were able to conduct the annual Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey this spring. The results were released today in USFWS 2022 Waterfowl Status Report.

The survey, which is used to set hunting regulations throughout North America, put the total spring breeding population index at 34.2 million ducks, which is 4% below the long-term average and 12% below the 2019 index. Importantly, the May pond count, a key indicator of duck production potential, showed 5.45 million ponds, which is 4% above the long-term average and 9% above the 2019 index.
“Given the widespread dry conditions last year across most of the prairies where ducks breed, it’s not surprising that the breeding population number is lower than it had been throughout most of the 2010s,” said Dr. Chris Nicolai, waterfowl scientist for Delta Waterfowl. “The good news is that much of the prairie — especially the Dakotas, Manitoba, and eastern Saskatchewan — was really wet this spring. Duck production should be good to excellent across the eastern part of the prairie and in the northern areas, too.”
Duck production is typically high the first year following a drought, said Dr. Frank Rohwer, Delta’s president and chief scientist.
“Predators have a hard time in drought years just like ducks do, so ducks tend to get a break the when the water comes back on the prairies,” he said. “Our Predator Management sites and duck nesting surveys are showing very high nest success this year.”
Delving into the survey results, the breeding mallard population was estimated at 7.22 million, which is 9% below the long-term average in the survey, which dates back to 1955. In fact, the breeding mallard population is the lowest since 2005. Still, mallard production should be good this year across much of the prairie.
Blue-winged teal, the second-most abundant duck in the survey at 6.49 million, are 27% above the long-term average and 19% above the 2019 population. Green-winged teal indexed at 2.17 million, a 32% decrease from 2019 but right at the long-term average.
“Teal numbers are the surprise of the survey,” Rohwer said. “It’s the opposite of what we might expect, with bluewings being so high and greenwings being down.”
Among other puddle ducks, gadwalls came in at 2.67 million, down 18% but still 30% above the long-term average. Wigeon declined 25% to 2.13 million, 19% below the long-term average, while shovelers at 3.04 million remain 15% above the long-term average.

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Wildlife
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