Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 13:10:38 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Shireen Gonzaga Subject: Re: Dead red knot MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Anyone know if this could have been a normal kill, or could it have been > illegal hunting that I should have reported. My guess is a falcon got it. At that time of the month, the knots were quite plump, and would have made a good meal. Before departing they roost for a day or two without eating to absorb part of their digestive system. I guess a falcon saw an easy target. BTW, if you find a freshly dead (intact) knot (or other migratory shorebird), if it's not out of your way, please take the bird to the nearest wildlife refuge (USFWS's Prime Hook or Bombay Hook, or DNREC's St. Jones Reserve) -- ask them to bag it and put it in the freezer for their biologists, or tell them to contact Dave Carter or Jim Hewes (DNREC). Make a note of date and location where specimen was found. These specimens can be quite valuable for research or as educational displays. - shireen ============================ Shireen Gonzaga Freelance Science Writer Baltimore, MD whimbrel@home.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================