Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 22:23:45 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: rob gibbs Subject: Re: Prince George's County field trip -- Pheasant MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Rich, I know that pheasants were fairly well established in Mont. Co when I moved here in 1980 and have since totally disappeared along with Bobwhite (of more concern to me as a native spp). As you said the cause is a mystery and I agree with the possible explanations you listed especially change in farming practices- larger fields, cleaner farming, fewer hedgerows, fall and winter plowing and utilization of herbicides and pesticides that reduced winter cover and insects for food. I would add to the mix the changes in grass mixtures that farmers use for hay and pasture and that now dominate many other grassland habitats in the county. I'm convinced (as are many state wildlife agencies) that the change from native grasses and more traditional non-natives like Timothy and orchard grass to tall fescue has been devastating to pheasants and especially quail. The fescue is a sod forming grass that grows so dense that these birds cannot walk through it. The grassland/old field habitat that remains in much of Mont. Co. is, from their vantage point an impenetrable mass of fescue. I also am concerned that fescue is a problem for other grassland/open habitat specialists possibly including shrikes, which in winter depend on mice and shrews which are all but inaccessible under a think mat of fescue. Kestrel counts have declined in recent years on the sugarloaf CBC are possibly a result of general habitat loss and fescue. Any thoughts on the problem of fescue in PG county or other areas? Rob Gibbs Damascus, MD Rich Dolesh wrote: >"reports of pheasants south of the >Fall line (roughly the N-S route of Rte 95) have always been rare. Why? It >is somewhat of a mystery. I still have heard no fully reliable explanation. >What is different north and west of the Fall line from south and east? >Soils? Minerals? Trace elements? It certainly isn't just food supply or >habitat type. As to the primary cause of decline, that is still speculative >also. Changes in farming methods contributed, but herbicides and pesticides >may have played the greatest part, because even in very good habitat areas, >pheasants declined. > > >Rich Dolesh > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================