Re[2]: TV Show: Herons
ctaylor@seamail.nos.noaa.gov
Fri, 29 Jan 99 14:06:45 -0500
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Hi Marcia and Ospreyers:
I think a distribution site for that type of information is a great idea. Like
I said, our office helped DNREC with the plan for the island, although I did not
have any involvement myself. I do know that one of the major problems with the
island is its location. There is a great deal of ship traffic which interferes
with food gathering and fledging along the shore, not to mention the fact that
they are a pollution source. The other, more serious problem, is the proximity
to many sources of pesticide contamination from farms and other insect control
programs. The herons are eating fish and amphibians which have bioaccumulated a
great deal of the toxins which have their sources in commonly used chemical
agents (mainly pesticides). It is thought that these toxins act as
cholinesterase (an important natural enzyme) inhibitors which cause problems
with the nervous systems of the birds. Snowy egret, BCN heron, and Cattle egret
seem to have the most problems. The young are particularly effected. Many of
the young birds end up being eaten alive by insect parasites because they can't
feel them. They would normally pick them off and ingest them, but they are both
too lethargic and/or just don't feel their presence and develop open sores and
eventually die. Of course all this information is still just theory based on
limited research, as far as I know. My copy of the plan is over a year old and
was a draft to begin with. I'll have to get the updated info. Other problems
may account for the low fledging rates of some of the species on the island.
I will see if I can get a good 1 or 2 pager on the problem with the island, and
the management plan. I'll let you know what I find.
Christine Taylor
christine.taylor@noaa.gov
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Subject: Re: TV Show: Herons
Author: <mdosprey@ARI.Net >
Date: 1/29/99 9:50 AM
HCybelle@aol.com wrote:
> I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to view the segment on the
> Heron's at Pea Patch (snip) For those interested in acquiring a transcript
or
> copy of the 3 part
> segment on the Pea Patch Heron Rookery, here are some numbers and addresses to
> try....
>
> Website :WWW. WHYY.ORG
>
> E-mail : Talkback@WHYY.org
>
> Phone Numbers : Philadelphia (215) 351-1200
>
> Wilmington (302) 888-1200
Another possible contact is the Delaware Coastal Management Program in Dover, DE
at 302-739-3451. I just called there to see if I could get information about
tapes or printed materials, but no one is in that office today. I was told that
someone would return my call on Monday, and I'll post anything that I learn
here.
By the way, I learned about the TV show from an insert that appeared in the
Wilmington News Journal earlier this week. One of my colleagues here at UD
kindly
brought it in for me. The insert says that more information is available on the
Delaware DNREC website at http://www.dnrec.state.de.us, but I checked that site
and could not find anything beyond general mentions of the heronry. The
newspaper
insert is in the form of a four-page letter-size brochure and contains a good
summary of the problems at Pea Patch. I'll find out from the DCMP office if the
insert is available for distribution - it's the kind of thing that bird clubs
might like to distribute to their members.
Marcia W-W
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