Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Vermont: Annual Rabies Bait Drop Set to Begin

Photo: Example of a rabies bait blister pack Image courtesy Vermont Department of Health

Distribution of baited rabies vaccine for wildlife to take place August 5 – 13

BURLINGTON, VT – The annual Rabies Bait Drop is scheduled to begin on August 5, 2022. The week-long bait drop is part of a nationally coordinated effort between the State of Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to prevent the spread of rabies – a fatal disease.

Rabies vaccine — in the form of a sweet-smelling oral bait that is attractive to raccoons and skunks — will be dropped in rural areas of Vermont from low-flying aircraft and placed by hand in residential centers. Pilots are able to control the release of bait in order to avoid residential areas. When an animal bites into the bait, it takes in the oral vaccine and will develop immunity to rabies. Approximately 450,000 quarter-sized blister packs containing rabies vaccine will be distributed in nearly 100 Vermont communities across 8 counties.

State Epidemiologist Patsy Kelso with the Department of Health said the annual bait drop represents the best in state and federal cooperation. “This is public health at work,” said Kelso. “The bait drop is an important part of our work to curb the risk of rabies in animals and humans. We value this years-long partnership with the Fish and Wildlife Department and USDA Wildlife Services in protecting the health of Vermonters.”

Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. Rabies is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get the disease. The virus is spread primarily through the bite of an infected animal. If a rabies exposure is left untreated, the disease is almost always fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment is 100% effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal. Read more

Wildlife

Montana: Wolf Report Shows Stable Population Numbers Through 2021

HELENA – Wolf numbers and distribution continue to be stable across Montana, according to numbers released Monday in the 2021 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wolf Report.

“What the data shows us really isn’t surprising,” said FWP Director Hank Worsech. “Our management of wolves, including ample hunting and trapping opportunities, have kept numbers at a relatively stable level during the past several years.”

In understanding this report, people must keep in mind that population trends are monitored by the calendar year, in this case 2021, which is consistent with how FWP and other agencies have tracked wolf populations since the 1980s and how wolf populations are tracked in other areas. However, the wolf hunting and trapping season ended March 15, 2022. The harvest realized during this first three months of 2022 isn’t reflected in the 2021 wolf population estimate.

Another interesting aspect of the data is that wolf trapping efforts were down this license year from past years. This means fewer trappers were on the landscape. Potential reasons for this include unfavorable weather conditions during the trapping season. Read more

Wildlife

‘Lodge and Learn’ on Higgins Lake for a summer camp-like experience

Find your favorite people and come explore the great outdoors, learn new skills and make memories that will last a lifetime with Lodge and Learn at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center, on the northern shore of Higgins Lake in Roscommon.

Designed for multiple generations to enjoy, this all-inclusive package for up to 12 people – offered Aug. 12-14, Aug. 19-21 and Aug. 29-31 – is like a private summer camp for your friends and family. Your group can lodge at the RAM Center and learn about local wildlife, Michigan ecosystems and outdoor skills.

The package includes three days filled with your choice of summer-camp style programs provided by your own nature educator, two nights of lodging for your group, an evening bonfire with s’mores, use of kayaks for those over 16, and all your meals for one rate of $2,200 for the stay!

Select your favorite Lodge and Learn programs when you register. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan DNR has Fall Employment Opportunities

Fall is a busy season for the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division.

We hire seasonal employees to work at various locations throughout the state, including DNR field offices, customer service centers and state game areas.

These positions involve duties like chronic wasting disease surveillance, conducting drawings for waterfowl hunting areas, entering database information, assisting the public with questions and more. The jobs are perfect for college students, those looking to reenter the workforce and seniors or retirees interested in getting more involved in the outdoors.

Get more details (including contact information) on these seasonal wildlife job opportunities by visiting Michigan.gov/DNRJobs and looking for the seasonal wildlife positions section.

The application period is open through Aug. 14. 

 

Wildlife

Coons in Can

Found these guys in my feed can this morning.

Nice Place to Visit

They’re all young ones but ingenious enough to lift the lid on the feed can.  They sure didn’t want to leave but I convinced them they couldn’t stay there.

Wildlife

Summer’s not over yet, but shorebird migration has begun

Across Michigan, new fledglings have left their nests and are learning what it means to be a bird. Mid-July is also when shorebirds begin their fall journeys, kicking off the migration season.

These early migrants will move through the state’s coastal mudflats, wetlands, beaches and flooded fields into August. Some will fly as far south as the coasts of Chile and Argentina! Michigan’s wetlands provide shorebirds and other migratory birds with water, food and shelter during their long voyages.

Because wetlands are such a valuable resource for migrating birds, many of these birds follow the Great Lakes coastlines on their journeys south. That makes wetlands and lakeshores some of the best habitats for birdwatchers to visit for shorebird migration. Prepare for your next birding trip by keeping a close eye on the weather. Cold fronts and storm events can result in an awe-inspiring migratory movement known as a “fall-out,” where flocks rapidly descend from the sky to seek shelter from detrimental weather. Check your weather regularly or visit BirdCast, a special forecast tool that predicts when birds will be moving near you. Read more

Wildlife

Michiganders asked to be on the lookout for spotted lanternfly

MDARD asks Michiganders to be on the lookout for spotted lanternfly, an invasive species threatening agriculture, natural resources

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is asking for the public’s help by being on the lookout for spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect with the potential to seriously affect Michigan’s agriculture and natural resources. This insect feeds on more than 70 different plants including grapes, apples, hops and hardwood trees.

“Our agricultural and natural resources are part of Michigan’s identity, and spotted lanternfly has the potential to forever change that landscape,” said Robert Miller, MDARD’s invasive species prevention and response specialist within the Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division. “With its ability to wreak havoc on grapes, apples, hops, stone fruits and more, this could be devastating to Michigan’s farmers and the state’s food and agriculture industry.”

First detected in the United States in 2014 in southeastern Pennsylvania, spotted lanternfly has been spreading rapidly across the northeastern states. To date, infestations have been confirmed in Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Although live spotted lanternfly has not been detected in Michigan, MDARD and the United States Department of Agriculture have confirmed five cases of dead spotted lanternfly found in separate locations across the state. In these cases, the dead insects were found in packaging materials or objects shipped from states with known infestations. Read more

Wildlife

Moultrie Mobile Releases New Edge Cellular Trail Camera with Auto Connect Technology

Available online and in stores now

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Moultrie Mobile, a leading pioneer in cellular trail cameras and all-in-one remote monitoring systems, today announced the release of its latest cellular trail camera, the Edge. Designed with innovative features that enhance performance and user experience, the Edge is unrivaled in ease of setup and includes built-in memory, flexible power options and an all-new Auto Connect Technology.

With the Edge, customers no longer need to choose a carrier-specific camera to match cellular coverage options for each camera location. Utilizing Auto Connect Technology, the Edge scans for and automatically connects to the strongest network available from several major U.S. cellular carriers with a single SIM card. A new custom antenna also improves connectivity and easily folds away for storage.

An industry-first internal memory system improves reliability by removing complications associated with SD cards, such as incorrect size or configuration, formatting errors and lockups. Customers will also appreciate the cost savings of not having to buy SD cards for each camera. The user-friendly interface further simplifies the operation with an on/off switch and a single button press to capture a test image. Read more

Optics, Wildlife

Woodpeckers’ Brain Power

Scientists continue to revisit the physical effects of the action of woodpeckers pecking wood on their brain and body (Red-headed Woodpecker photo by Paul Konrad).

Woodpeckers use their bills to excavate nesting cavities, to forage for insects and grubs found in wood or tree bark, and “drum” their beaks on wood to announce their territory. When we watch a woodpecker hitting its fairly pointed beak into a branch or tree trunk, it’s easy to wonder how the brain of a woodpecker withstands the seemingly unhealthy impact each time its beak hits the wood. This is especially true when we consider that during territorial “drumming,” some woodpeckers hit their beaks up to 25 times per second against trees.

Biologists have long described a woodpecker’s brain is protected from the impacts, perhaps by cushioning skull, a beak that absorbs some of the force, or a tongue that wraps around the brain to provide a level of protection from concussion or injury. However, results from a new study reveal the opposite: The birds actually minimize the need for shock absorption. How? Their head and beak essentially act like a stiff hammer, striking and stopping in unison upon impact.

“When we see these birds in action, hitting their beak against a tree quite violently, as humans we start wondering how does this bird avoid getting headaches or brain damage,” said Sam Van Wassenbergh, a researcher at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Van Wassenberg wasn’t convinced by the common explanations found in ornithology books and other publications, so he organized a team of researchers who recorded high-speed videos of woodpeckers while they were “pecking,” which revealed some remarkable slow-motion details.

For example, “They close their eyes at the moment they impact the wood to protect their eyes from splinters,” Van Wassenbergh revealed. The videos also showed that woodpeckers’ beaks often get stuck in wood, but they break free almost instantly, thanks to an adaptive beak design that provides independent motion of the upper and lower mandibles.

However, the videos did not show any sign that the woodpecker’s brain is somehow cushioned. “The way we see the head behaving is very rigid, like you would use a hammer hitting wood,” Van Wassenbergh explained. That means a woodpecker’s brain repeatedly experiences deceleration that would cause a concussion in a human brain. Yet the woodpecker brain appears to be unaffected, even after thousands of impacts during a single day. Read more

Wildlife

EP:102 | Jack Miner Duck Bands: Waterfowling’s Most Treasured Trophy

This week the Gamekeepers have accomplished waterfowler, Jim Ronquest, sitting between the turkeys and talking ducks, green tree reservoirs, red oaks and how he spots duck bands. We also talk to Amanda Everaert, of the Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary, about the history of the Jack Miner bands, and how he got started with his flying missionaries. It’s an amazing story that not enough people have heard. You will enjoy this one! In fact, we bet you’ll end up googling Jack Miner. Listen, Learn and Enjoy!

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Listen Links:

Website – https://mossyoakgamekeeper.com/podcasts/ep102-jack-miner-duck-bands-waterfowlings-most-treasured-trophy/

Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-102-jack-miner-duck-bands-waterfowlings-most-treasured/id1521483126?i=1000570442037

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Wpq7yTO7ufkIXYG47m8HI

Wildlife
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