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

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

During the pandemic, people across the country ventured outdoors in record numbers, to destinations including Michigan state parks, trails and waterways. In fact, visitation to state parks went up 30% over the past two years, with annual visitation jumping from approximately 28 million to 35 million people.

While the outdoors is an important component of many people’s leisure activities and healthy lifestyles, it’s just as critical that we each do our part to take care of these outdoor spaces so they are protected and here for future generations to enjoy and use.

“We’ve seen record numbers of both established and new visitors over the last couple years,” said Jason Fleming, chief of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division’s Resources Section. “Many visitors have grown up coming to state parks and others are new to outdoor recreation. We’re always excited to provide these opportunities to create new memories, but we also need everyone’s help to work together to maintain these natural and historical spaces.” Read more

GW:  Click on the link below and you can send an email directly to Ms. Stabenow

The Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act has been languishing in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry chaired by Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow. MUCC has sent an action alert urging Senator Stabenow to hold a hearing on the bill as soon as possible. That action alert can be found here.

www.wildsheepfoundation.org

Bozeman, Montana. July 20, 2022. Thanks to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) efforts, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the Utah Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation, and the D. Gary and Mary Young Family, Utah has its first nursery herd for desert bighorn sheep.

Thirty-one desert bighorn sheep were captured in late June in Nevada’s Muddy Mountain Wilderness and safely relocated to the 1,800-acre Skyrider Wilderness Ranch near Tabiona in Duchesne County, Utah. The ranch is owned and managed by the Young Family of Young Living Essential Oils.

“A nursey herd approach is a vital tool in the restoration and expansion of wild sheep populations,” said Gray N. Thornton, President and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “A cross-state translocation like this to a secure, private ranch holding-area takes a lot of cooperation and coordination. We applaud everyone who had a hand in making this a successful conservation action.”

Trapping and transplanting is the most successful and fastest way to expand wild sheep populations back to their historical ranges. A nursery herd has been used successfully for bighorn sheep on Utah’s Antelope Island, Montana’s Wild Horse Island, and Texas and New Mexico for desert bighorns in the USA. Nursery herds have also been a key component of desert sheep restoration in Mexico, exemplified by WSF’s Mexico Initiative.

Travis Jensen, President of the Utah Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation, explained, “The goal is to establish a protected, disease-free desert bighorn herd that will grow to the point of being able to supply animals for future transplant efforts in new suitable free-range habitats and to supplement existing herds throughout Utah and potentially other States if needed. This project was first outlined in 2018 and included in the Utah Bighorn Sheep Management Plan. It is a very exciting project for Utah’s wild sheep and should help ensure the future of Utah’s desert bighorn sheep for many years to come”

By 1960, research indicates that Utah had only a remnant population of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and desert bighorn sheep were gone entirely. Current estimates of the state’s desert bighorn sheep are approaching 5,000 animals.

“Wild sheep restoration is a business where the rewards outweigh the risks,” Thornton added. “We all know the risks that separation from domestic sheep to avoid disease transmission and predation from mountain lions can be factors in establishing new bighorn sheep herds, but these are not insurmountable obstacles. You do miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. Utah and other states would not be as successful have they have been by not taking shots.”

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The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), based in Bozeman, Mont., was founded in 1977 by wild sheep conservationists and enthusiasts. With a membership of more than 10,500 worldwide, WSF is the premier advocate for wild sheep and other mountain wildlife and their habitats. WSF has raised and expended more than $140 million on wild sheep habitat and population enhancements, education, and conservation advocacy programs in North America, Europe, and Asia to “Put and Keep Wild Sheep On the Mountain”®. These and other efforts have increased bighorn sheep populations in North America from historic lows in the 1950-60s of 25,000 to more than 85,000 today. www.wildsheepfoundation.org.

Media Contacts: Keith R. Balfourd 406-404-8754 or keith@wildsheepfoundation.org

The National Deer Association (NDA) partnered with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC) to provide a customized three-day Deer Steward course for AGFC staff and leadership in mid-July. NDA has held custom Deer Steward courses for five other state wildlife agencies, but with 86 certified graduates, the Arkansas course was the largest agency class yet.

“NDA’s Deer Steward course is a great opportunity for hunters and managers alike to learn more about the most recent deer and habitat research and how it directly applies to our management efforts here in Arkansas,” said Ralph Meeker, AGFC Deer Program Coordinator. “NDA did a great job communicating many of the individual components related to deer and habitat management and how they tie together. This made it much easier for our staff to not only understand but will undoubtedly help them communicate those same ideas with our constituents.” Read more