The nice thing about the Wilson journal of ornithology is that it’s geared more to field work than some other professional ornithological journals such as the Auk and the Condor, although the Journal of field ornithology is completely dedicated to the field. So many of the articles in these journals depend on biochemistry, biophysics, mathematics, and/or statistics that an interested but unschooled and ageing English major such as myself is left with trying to understand the abstracts and to finding relief in the letters, book reviews, and editorials. Most of these journals are largely un-illustrated except for complex graphs, charts, and tabular information.
So it is a pleasant surprise to find 3 articles in the December 2009 issue of the Wilson journal of ornithology that are based on field work and have relevance to the Eastern Shore.
“Effects of prescribed fire on depredation rates of natural and artificial Seaside Sparrow [hereafter SESP] nests” by Barbara S. Almario et al. (pp. 770-777) reports the results of studies at Blackwater N.W.R. and adjacent Fishing Bay W.M.A. in 2002 and 2003. Prescribed burns are a significant part of the mission of the refuge and some biologists I know feel they are overemphasized. 96 active SESP nests were found in 2002 and 146 in 2003, in itself a remarkable achievement.
In addition “Artificial nests” were constructed that look like SESP nests and 2 Japanese Quail eggs and one “plasticine” egg were placed in each one. Study results were mixed. “Natural nests on burned sites in 2002 were depredated at a higher rate (35.3%) during the incubation stage, compared to unburned sites (13.3%)” but at similar rates during the nestling stage (p. 770) and similar in both stages in burned vs. unburned areas in 2003. “ … burns … may pose problems for ground-nesting saltmarsh species which may be adapted to less frequent, large-scale losses of nesting cover … We recommend managers use more caution and increase the periodicity [I think that means do them less frequently] of prescribed burns in saltmarsh habitats …” (p. 776).
The authors encourage more research on the effects of prescribed burns. I find it heartening that the refuge and unaffiliated biologists are investigating these phenomena.
“First documented cases of polygyny in the Grasshopper Sparrow [hereafter GRSP),” by Daniel E. Small, Maren E. Gimpel, Jared Parks, Jason B. Guerard, and Douglas E. Gill, pp. 822-825. Usually “socially monogamous”, apparently GRSPs can get a little randy once in a while. “Polygyny increased reproductive success for males in two of four cases” (p. 822). Jared Parks is the son of my friend Floyd Parks of Kent County, or, put another way, Floyd is the father of Jared. I have not been to Chino Farms, where much of this research took place. I wanted to but didn’t last year and Dan Small was most encouraging. Several 1000 GRSPs have been banded in this area, a remarkable achievement. “Seventy-one species of passerine birds (26%) within the United States and Canada have been reported to exhibit some form of socialpolygyny” (p. 822).
“Reproduction and microhabitat selection in a sharply declining Northern Bobwhite [hereafter NOBO] population,” p. 688-695, by Bridget M. Collins et al. Although this study was done in southern New Jersey I’d say it has some application to the Eastern Shore. It’s been apparent for years that NOBO numbers have been declining alarmingly “throughout their range’ (p. 688) but “some of the sharpest declines have been documented in the Mid-Atlantic states” (p. 688).
“Conservation efforts to increase NOBO reproductive success in southern New Jersey should focus on increasing the quantity of available breeding habitat” (p. 688). Perhaps but in many areas I frequent there still seems to be good habitat yet quail are declining (or else gone) from even those. Best regards. – Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.
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