Your findings from the mid-1970s don't surprise me, Charlie. We have Autumn Olives planted along one side of our back yard and on years when they have a good fruit crop, we've seen the local mockingbirds acting in decidedly bizarre ways after pigging out on the ripened fruits. I mean, mockers can act a little weird at the best of times, but a drunk mocker is a true sight to behold. Oh, and regards seasickness....I just make sure I stand upwind of Franny and I'm usually safe...grin. Best, Norm From: stamps@sea-east.com Date sent: Fri, 04 Jun 1999 09:09:36 -0400 To: mdosprey@ARI.Net Subject: [MDOsprey] Cedar waxwing mortalities Send reply to: mdosprey@ARI.Net > Norm, > > The Cedar Waxwing observation below bring to mind a very similar circumstance > that we were involved with in 1974-75. Our daughter, Daphne, who at that > time was 8-9 years old, found dead Cedar Waxwings at her school. She > picked some of them up and put them in her lunch box and brought them > home. I wrote the following to Fred Scott of Richmond, VA, who at that > time was regional editor for Audubon Field Notes, > > "Cedar waxwings were very noticeable in the Salisbury are late > Feb. and most of March. Many (30+) died at a local school where > they ate fermented berries, got intoxicated and flew into windows > and brick walls (honest - we had an autopsy done.)" > > The birds were eating the berries from an ornamental planting at the > school. The bushes were planted along a walkway between two sections of > the school. The walkway had glass panels along the length. Most of the > birds were killed as they tried to fly through the glass panels while > swarming around the berried bushes. > > Memory fails on the details of the great bird kill of '75, but Gail took > several of the birds to the Univ. of MD extension service here in > Salisbury. They sent the birds for an autopsy to try to figure out what > was going on. We had exactly the same questions that the VA people > express below; were the birds simply killing themselves because of lack > of attention to a local hazard, or was there something else going on? > Gail went to the school and observed a number of the birds on the > ground, some of them some distance from the windows. She was able to > approach and pick up live birds - even ones that had not apparently > collided with the windows. > > The only funny part of the story is that the second day Daphne brought > home birds we got a call from the school principal's office wanting to > know if we were aware of the strange behavior of our daughter. They > thought she was putting the birds in her lunch box for a later snack. > She had explained that we were birdbanders and otherwise interested in > birds. The school thought that too convenient a cover story so had to > check further into their deviant student's behavior. > > Charlie > > P.S. - Don't believe everything you read about what to do about seasickness. > > > > > At 06:17 PM 6/3/99 -0500, you wrote: > >Carol Jelich of the Anne Arundel Chapter brings this to my attention and > >I thought y'all might be interested. > > > >Norm > >------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- > >From: "Carol Jelich" <jrj_csj@mindspring.com> > >To: "Saunders, Norm" <osprey@ari.net>, <dolesh@aol.com> > >Subject: Cedar waxwing mortalities > >Date sent: Thu, 3 Jun 1999 13:16:22 -0400 > > > >This disturbing e-mail was forwarded to me by Britt Slattery of the US Fish > >and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office. I'm passing it along to > >you for possible MOS interest. > > > >I don't know if this stuff is still planted by the state and counties in Md, > >but it shouldn't be. I'm sure what they're describing is actually Eleagnus > >angustifolia, Russian Olive, and it's listed as a nasty invasive species by > >the Maryland Native Plant Society (even if the birds do love the fruits!) > >____________________________________________________________________________ > >___ > >-- Carol > > > >From: rick_giovengo@mail.fws.gov > >To: <kegiovengo@aol.com> > >Subject: Cedar Waxwing Mortalities > > > > FYI > > > >____________________________ Forward Header > >__________________________________ > >Subject: Cedar Waxwing Mortalities > >Author: Terry Tarr at FWS > >Date: 04/30/1999 11:49 AM > > > >From: Don Patterson AT 5HA-RLE@5HA~MAIN1 on 04/30/99 10:45 AM MDT > > > >To: Terry Tarr/R5/FWS/DOI, George Haas > > > >Subject: Cedar Waxwing Mortalities > > > > ****Please pass this message to SA's, Ecological Services, Refuges > > > > On April 22, Agent Holmes discovered dead birds in the median strip > > of The Downtown Expressway in Richmond, Virginia. Eric recovered > > approximately 145 dead Cedar Waxwings. The birds appeared to have > > been feeding on Elegunes Angustifiola, a shrub, six to fourteen > > foot tall which bears a fleshy, pinkish berry in early Spring. > > This shrub is used by Virginia Department of Transportation as a > > visual, "glare barrier" in Interstate and divided highways in the > > area (median) between opposing lanes. > > On April 28, we returned with VDOT officials to this scene. 16 > > more Cedar Waxwings were picked up with 1 Robin and 2 Doves. > > After leaving VDOT, we crossed town and saw the same shrub in the > > median, east of Richmond. We stopped and recovered 132 Cedar > > Waxwing carcasses and 3 Robins. > > On April 29, Al Hundley and I searched another area of about one > > mile on I64 east of Richmond and recovered 71 Cedar Waxwings, 1 > > Cardinal, and 1 Robin. > > We will search another area today, April 30. > > Observations yesterday of Cedar Waxwings indicate that they ;simply > > are highly attracted to the shrub and are hit by traffic attempting > > to enter or exit the median. We had at first, thought the berry > > may be an intoxicant rendering the birds more susceptable to > > vehicle collision. We have not ruled that out and lab tests are > > pending. But we now believe the birds are just highly attracted > > during their migration. > > > > VDOT says they plant this shrub "all over the state". We have > > searched maybe 2 miles and have recovered 364 Cedar Waxwings. > > We do not know how widespread the use of this shrub is by other > > states; hence this alert. This appears to be a significant > > mortality issue that is species specific. > > > > SRA Patterson > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >=============== > >Norm Saunders > >Colesville, MD > >osprey@ari.net > > > =============== Norm Saunders Colesville, MD osprey@ari.net