Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Vermont: Game Warden Response to Coyote Attack in Panton

MONTPELIER, Vt. – The Vermont Warden Service responded to a coyote attack in Panton on June 19. The complainant is a resident of Panton who has not responded to a request to be identified in this release.

The complainant reported that they were walking a farm road through an un-mowed pasture behind their residence with their dog, when an apparently healthy coyote emerged from the grass. They reported that the coyote attacked their dog—which the complainant has not confirmed was leashed—and subsequently attacked and bit the complainant, leaving a puncture wound in their cheek.

The complainant separated themself from the coyote and retreated with their dog while shouting to keep the coyote at bay.

Emergency medical services (EMS) and Game Warden Wesley Butler responded to the scene. The coyote was not present when Warden Butler arrived. The complainant was treated by EMS on site and was advised to seek medical advice regarding precautionary treatment for rabies.

“The complainant did many things right in this incident,” said Game Warden Wesley Butler. “Resolving the immediate threat, making loud noises to deter the coyote from attacking further if applicable, and retreating from the area and contacting emergency services are what we would recommend in any similar situation.” Butler added that there have not been further reports of a coyote in the area.

Coyote attacks on people are rare in Vermont. Since 1991 there have been only four prior coyote attacks in Vermont, one of which involved a rabid animal.

Other states advise that aggressive behavior by healthy coyotes is most common during the late spring and summer when coyotes defending young will be protective of the area around their dens, or in cases when coyotes have become habituated to finding food near people’s residences. Read more

Wildlife

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The 2022-23 Federal Duck Stamp goes on sale Friday, June 24. The stamps, which cost $25 and raise about $40 million for conservation each year, are valid from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023.

Purchased by millions of waterfowl hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and stamp collectors every year, duck stamps provide critical funding to purchase and protect wetlands and associated habitat for ducks, geese and other wildlife species.

“The Federal Duck Stamp is one of the most efficient and effective ways to support conservation anywhere in the world,” said Ducks Unlimited CEO Adam Putnam. “Buying Federal Duck Stamps is one of the easiest ways you can support habitat conservation. The stamps are one of the most successful conservation tools ever created to provide a funding source for wildlife conservation. Of every dollar spent on a Federal Duck Stamp, 98 cents is used by our friends at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire and protect waterfowl habitat. The first day of sale is our opportunity to celebrate and support the waterfowl and wildlife we love so much.” Read more

Wildlife

WSF: A New Breed of Sheep Dog

Bozeman, Montana- According to Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), dogs trained to detect diseases in wild and domestic sheep from their scat are part of a new program with the Montana-based nonprofit Working Dogs for Conservation (WD4C). The program is showing promise in combating disease pathogens, which are reducing live weights in domestic sheep and killing wild sheep.

“Poop sniffing dogs, who knew?” commented Gray N. Thornton, President and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “We are thrilled to have another tool in the toolbox for keeping wild sheep on the mountain. Beside over abundant predators, the bane of wild sheep today is disease transmission. There is more work to do, but what we’ve seen thus far, our canine friends could be a game-changer.”

The project is in partnership with the Wild Sheep Foundation, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, and Utah and Montana State Universities to put dogs’ extraordinary scenting abilities to use in saving wild sheep. Bighorn sheep face significant challenges from respiratory diseases transmitted from domestic sheep. Read more

Wildlife

Vermont: New Laws on Coyote Hunting with Dogs, Recovery of Game and Furbearers, and Trapping Best Management Practices

Hunters and trappers need to be aware of new legislation taking effect

MONTPELIER, Vt. – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says three new hunting or trapping related laws passed by the Vermont Legislature during the 2022 session are going into effect.

Under the new laws: hunting coyotes with dogs and training dogs to hunt coyotes will be temporarily banned in Vermont starting July 1; the retrieval and use of game and furbearing animals by hunters and trappers are now required with some exceptions; and the Fish and Wildlife Department is beginning a process with the Fish and Wildlife Board and Legislature to identify and implement new best management practices for trapping in the state.

“These laws are the outcome of a collaborative approach by legislators and the Fish and Wildlife Department,” said Christopher Herrick, Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife. “Vermonters care deeply and sometimes disagree vehemently about topics like wanton waste, hunting with dogs, and trapping. The three laws passed this session show that good public process backed by good science can guide us towards compromises that benefit wildlife and people.” Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: UP Motorists Cautioned to Be on Lookout for Moose

Moose: A moose stands in a wetland area alongside U.S. Highway 41 in Marquette County.

Motorists traveling in the Upper Peninsula are being urged to keep an eye out for moose and to exercise extra caution when driving after dark.

Over the past week, five bull moose have been struck and killed by vehicles along portions of M-95 and U.S Highways 141 and 41 West in Marquette and Baraga counties.

“All of the moose killed were struck after darkness fell, when moose, especially the darker colored bulls, are more difficult for motorists to see,” said John Pepin, Michigan Department of Natural Resources deputy public information officer. “Each of these accidents occurred in areas marked with ‘moose crossing’ signs.”

Specifically, three crashes occurred on June 10, two in Baraga County and one in Marquette County. The incidents in Baraga County were located a mile west of Nestoria on U.S. Highway 41 and 1.5 miles south of Covington on U.S. Highway 141. The mishap in Marquette County happened on M-95, a half-mile south of its intersection with U.S. Highway 41. Read more

Wildlife

Montana: Biologists Set To Begin Grizzly Bear Captures For Research Purposes In The Southern Madison Mountains

BOZEMAN – As part of ongoing efforts required under the Endangered Species Act to monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem, the U.S. Geological Survey, in conjunction with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, is informing the public that pre-baiting and scientific capture operations are once again beginning within the Gravelly and Madison Ranges of Montana. Biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) will begin work in southwest Montana beginning June 21st and will continue through July 30th. Capture operations can include a variety of activities, but all areas where work is being conducted will have primary access points marked with warning signs. It is critical that all members of the public heed these signs.

Monitoring of grizzly bear distribution and other activities are vital to ongoing recovery of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. In order to attract bears, agency biologists use natural food sources such as fresh road-killed deer and elk. Potential capture sites are baited with these natural foods and if indications are that grizzly bears are in the area, culvert traps, or sometimes foot snares, will be used to capture the bears. Once captured, bears are handled in accordance with strict safety and animal care protocols developed by the IGBST and approved by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Whenever bear capture activities are being conducted for scientific purposes, the area around the site will be posted with bright warning signs to inform the public of the activities occurring. These signs are posted along the major access points to the capture site. It is important that the public heed these signs and do not venture into an area that has been posted. For more information regarding grizzly bear capture efforts call the IGBST trapping hotline at 406-994-6675. Information about the grizzly bear research and monitoring is available from the IGBST website: https://www.usgs.gov/science/interagency-grizzly-bear-study-team

Wildlife

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces 2022 Florida Python Challenge®

MIAMI — Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that registration for the 2022 Florida Python Challenge® has opened and the annual 10-day event will be held August 5-14, 2022. Members of the public are now able to take the required online training and register to compete to win thousands of dollars in prizes while removing invasive Burmese pythons from the wild. The competition is open to both professional and novice participants.

“The Everglades is one of the world’s most prized natural resources, and we have invested record funding for Everglades restoration projects, including record funding for removal of invasive Burmese pythons which wreak havoc on the ecosystem,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Because of this focus, we have removed record numbers of invasive pythons from the Everglades. I am proud of the progress we’ve made, and I look forward to seeing the results of this year’s Python Challenge.”

“The Florida Everglades is an iconic habitat in Florida and removing Burmese pythons from this ecosystem is critical to the survival of the species that live in this vast wild area,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, the FWC and our dedicated partners continue to have great success conserving our native wildlife and managing this invasive predator.” Read more

Wildlife

Fledging Time

Everyone enjoys seeing new fledglings, such as an Eastern Bluebird, and observing interactions with an adult (Wild Birds Unlimited photo).
During the post-fledging period, fledgling birds like these robins are fed and protected by the adults while they learn to fly and find food on their own (photo by Paul Konrad).

It’s an exciting time as the nesting season becomes more obvious with each passing day, and you may already be seeing some new fledglings that are leaving their nests. As fledglings appear, witnessing the successes of the nesting season is a wonderful experience and a fulfilling part of of providing nesting habitat in our yard, along with foods and fresh water for adults and fledglings. It’s a time we can all learn more about the behavior of birds when they venture beyond their nest, which is a time that’s not often described.

This week we’ve been watching the progress of a particular fledgling American Robin, that on first encounter looked like it was so young that it had fallen out of the nest. But it could fly short spurts to collect food from an attending adult. By the next day, it left its ground-based hangouts for low branches in nearby trees – obviously moving around and flying better. By day 3, it was beginning to stand in a more upright posture, which made it look larger and more adult-like in stature; and by day 4 the fledgling was flying especially strong and reacting immediately to human movements in the area.

And that’s what’s really fun about this time of the year: Everyone enjoys seeing new fledglings such as bluebirds, robins, cardinals, chickadees, screech owls, and others. Part of the learning process for birders is that by observing young birds when they leave the nest, we find out that fledglings are not on their own. The next step is really just a continuation of birds’ development known as the “post-fledging period,” which takes place after new fledglings leave the nest and continue to be protected and fed by adults.

The Post-fledging Period

During this interesting period, Read more

Wildlife

Growing network of radio stations provide important data on small animal migration

Iowa joined other Midwestern states, and researchers in Canada and Central and South America to create a network of radio receiver stations to learn more about the long-distance migration patterns of birds, bats and insects.

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System, motus being the Latin word for movement, began in 2013 by Birds Canada near Toronto. Motus is a system of coordinated automated radio telemetry station used to track long-distance movements of small animals.

Automated antenna array connected to radio receivers are being installed throughout the Western hemisphere and birds, bats and insects are netted and trapped then outfitted with small tags that emit a radio signal every few seconds. When the tagged animal passes near a receiver station, it records the tag and identifies the animal to which it was attached. So multiple detections over time can build a map of migration for a tagged individual. Read more

Wildlife

Kirtland’s Warbler Tours in Michigan

Joining a Kirtland’s Warbler Tour will provide the best chance to observe a rare Kirtland’s Warbler in its jack pine habitat (photo by Roger Eriksson).

Michigan Audubon is conducting Kirtland’s Warbler Tours thru June 26 for birders to see a recovering species that was formerly one of the most endangered species in the United States. Kirtland’s Warblers remain a difficult species for birders to find considering that only a few counties in central Michigan represent its primary nesting range, but during June, Michigan Audubon in collaboration with Hartwick Pines State Park is offering Kirtland’s Warbler Tours daily at 7am, with an additional 11am tour on Saturdays and Sundays. The tours are based at Hartwick Pines State Park just north of the town of Grayling. Read more

Wildlife
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