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The Prairie Naturalist Vol. 8, Nos. 3 And 4 September-December 1976

The Prairie Naturalist

SPRING MORTALITY OF INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS IN SOUTHERN MANITOBA ▪ J. R. Serie and R. E. Jones

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA—1976 ▪ R. N. Randall

MOSSES OF THE GREAT PLAINS: INTRODUCTION AND CATALOGUE ▪ S. P. Churchill

NOTES

Fulvous Tree Duck in North Dakota ▪ L. A. Jones

Unusual Mortality of a Saw-whet Owl ▪ H. A. Kantrud

Cardinal and Mockingbird in Jamestown, North Dakota ▪ D. H. and J. E. Johnson

BOOK REVIEWS

Essence of Wilderness ▪ K. T. Killingbeck

The Changing America ▪ L. M. Kirsch

A Government Bird Book ▪ J. F. Cassel

Wildflowers ofthe Rockies …

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (December 1976) 44(4)

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Food Remains from a Barn Owl Nest in Nebraska ........................54

1976 Fall Field Day ........................57

Parasitic (?) Jaeger at Lake Manawa, Iowa ........................58

Book Reviews ........................59

Notes ........................60

Index of Volume XXX XIV ........................62

Some Platyhelminth Parasites Of Sirens (Amphibia: Sirenidae) From North America, Daniel R. Brooks, Richard L. Buckner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A new genus and species of digenean and a new species of cestode are described and a previously described species of digenean reported for the first time from Siren intermedia from Illinois. A new genus is proposed for a previously described digenean, and another known species of digenean reported from Siren lacertina in Florida. Progorgodera foliata from S. intermedia has a foliate hind- body characteristic of members of Phyllodistomum and multiple testes arranged in 2 longitudinal rows characteristic of members of Gorgodera. Ophiotaenia sireni from the same host resembles O. filaroides in number of testes, O. amphiumae and O. …

Telorchis Gutturosi Sp. N. (Trematoda: Telorchiidae) From Graptemys Pseudogeographica Gray In Nebraska, With Reports Of Additional Species Of Trematodes From Nebraska Turtles, Daniel R. Brooks, Monte A. Mayes

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

One species of digenean is described and 8 others reported from turtles in Nebraska. Telorchis gutturosi, described from Graptemys pseudogeographica, resembles T. stossichi, T. pseudoaculeatus, and T. pleroticus in having an acetabulum significantly smaller than the oral sucker, but differs by possessing a pharynx which is as large as the acetabulum and having the ovary only 1/10 the body length from the acetabulum. Telorchis necturi is considered the senior synonym of T. cryptobranchi; Graptemys pseudogeographica is a new host. Hapalorhynchus stunkardi is reported for the first time since its description. Based on new morphological evidence, …

Two Tetraphyllidean Cestodes From The Freshwater Stingray Potamotrygon Magdalenae Dumeril 1852 (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) From Colombia, Daniel R. Brooks, Thomas B. Thorson

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Two new tetraphyllidean cestodes are described from the freshwater stingray Potamotrygon magdalenae from Colombia. The new genus Potamotrygonocestus is proposed for P. magdalenensis, which differs from Pedibothrium by having a bilobed rather than X-shaped ovary, and simple rather than bifid hooks. It further differs from Pachybothrium hutsoni by having bothridial hooks inserted immediately posterior to an accessory sucker rather than inserted in the middle of a thick muscular pad. Potamotrygonocestus magdalenensis is unique among known tetraphyllideans by possessing vitellaria which are compact, cylindrical bands in the lateral portions of the middle of the proglottid. The second new species, Rhinebothrium …

Groundwater Levels In Nebraska, 1975, Michael J. Ellis, Darryll T. Pederson

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Growth Analysis Of Tall Fescue Genotypes Differing In Yield And Leaf Photosynthesis, Wallace Wilhelm, C. J. Nelson

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Leaf growth, dry matter distribution , and carbohydrate content of four tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) genotypes selected for high and low net C02 exchange (NCE) and forage yield were studied in controlled environments t o evaluate the leaf NCE-yield relationship. High yield genotypes produced greater amounts of all plant parts and carbohydrate than the low yield genotypes. Within each yield level the high NCE genotypes produced more dry matter and carbohxdrate. Leaf growth of all genotypes was linear throughout light and dark periods, but rates were 50% greater for high yield genotypes, RGR was similar for all genotypes. NAR …

Nitrate Reductase Activity In Tall Fescue, D. D. Randall, Wallace Wilhelm, R. F. Feuers, C. J. Nelson

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

An in vitro assay for tall fescue leaf nitrate reductase activity (NRA) was established that required either O.5 % casein or polyvinylpyrrolidone in the extraction medium for maximal activity. Leaf NRA was proportional to light intensity and fertility levels. Mature tissue and high temperature decreased NRA. NRA showed significant genetic variability in broadly based genotypes and genotypes selected for photosynthetic rates and forage yields. However, progeny of the latter did not show significant genetic variability. High coefficients of variation (30-50%) among the heterogeneous progeny may have masked true genetic differences. No significant correlations were found between NRA and photosynthesis or …

Reply To “Comment On 'Resonance Raman Scattering And Collision-Induced Redistribution Scattering In I2’ ”, D. L. Rousseau, G. D. Patterson, P. F. Williams

P. F. (Paul Frazer) Williams Publications

We demonstrate that neither laser broadening nor inelastic collisional broadening plays a dominant role in the data of our recent experiments as has been suggested, and again we conclude that our results can only be explained by redistribution emission resulting from phase-changing processes.

Piezomodulated And Specular Reflection Spectra Of A Polydiacetylene Crystal, Craig J. Eckhardt, H. Muller, J. Tylicki, R.R. Chance

Craig J. Eckhardt Publications

A class of potential quasi-one-dimensional organic conductors is the monocrystalline polydiacetylenes. These polymers can be obtained as single crystals that have high structural perfection and a chain configuration that permits extensive π-electron delocalization. The poly-2, 4-hexadiyne-1, 6-diol-bis-(p-toluene sulfonate) (PTS) has been the most extensively studied system and interest centers upon the extent of delocalization along the two chains compromising the P2₁/c unit cell.

Experimental Use Of Av-Alarm For Repelling Quelea From Rice In Somalia, Larry C. Holcomb

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

The Av-Alarm is a device for producing loud intermittent sounds which are sometimes effective in repelling pest birds or mammals. (Av-Alarm is manufactured by Av-Alarm Corp, P.O. Box 2488, Santa Maria, California 93454.) The sound is intended to irritate or cause anxiety in animals, perhaps by interfering with normal sound communication sufficiently to repel them from the area. Boudreau(1972) and Stewart (1974) report factors relating to alarm stimuli in bird control. Stewart (1974), HcCracken (1972) and Palmer (1976) reported the use of Av-Alarm in repelling pests under several different situations. However, Jeffrey Jackson (pers. comm.) has reported the use of …

Protecting Ripening Sorghum With Methiocarb From Bird Damage In Senegal, Richard L. Bruggers

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

The simultaneous completion of the rainy season and nesting of granivorous birds between October and November in the Sudano-sahelian region of Senegal often results in very extensive bird damage to cereal crops. This occurs from both increased bird populations, due to the presence of juveniles as well as from their accompanying change in diet from insects to seeds. The damage is caused by several species of birds, most notable the Red-billed Dioch (Quelea quelea) and the Village and Black-headed Weavers (Ploceus cuculiatus and Ploceus capitalis) . The Buffalo Weaver (Bubalornis albirostris) and the Glossy Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus) also are at …

Proceedings Seventh Bird Control Seminar -- Frontmatter & Contents

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
November 5 - 11, 1976

DR. WILLIAM B. JACKSON CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN AND EDITOR

SPONSORED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES CENTER, BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AND NATIONAL PEST CONTROL ASSOCIATION, VIENNA, VIRGINIA

Registered Participants -- Seventh Bird Control Seminar, November 1976

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Tests Of Bird Damage Control Measures In Sudan, 1975, Lee R. Martin

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

The Red-billed Quelea (Quelga quelaa), because of its widespread destruction of grain crops throughout its range in Africa, is one of the most studied and written about granivorous bird species. Less publicized are more local bird pests in Africa which may be equally Important. The Village Weaver, (Ploceus cucullatus), for example, is a pest in many countries, while some other Ploecids with limited destructive habits create local problems. Significant crop losses also occur where there are large populations of Golden Sparrows (Passer luteus), House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), Red Bishops (Euplectes oryx), Doves (Streptopelia spp.), Glossy Starlings (Lamprotornis chalybaeus), Parakeets (Psittacula …

Plant-Animal Interactions: Simulation Of Bird Damage On Corn Ears, M. I. Dyer

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

Within the past decade interactions among plants and animals have received increasing attention, mostly pertaining to selection of plants that produce toxic secondary compounds as a direct result of herbivory (Gilbert and Raven, 1975; Feeny, 1975; and Rhoades and Cates, 1976) and in turn selection of animals that detoxify these plant compounds (Freeland and Janzen,1974). Indeed, the plant-herbivore association has been regarded in the context of predator-prey relationships, especially for seed eaters (Scott, 1970, 1976; Janzen, 1971; Smith, 1975; and Pulliam and Brand, 1975). However, there are other important plant-animal associations. Regulation of plant nutrients (Mattson and Addy, 1975; Chew, …

Species Composition, Food Habits, And The Economic And Ecologic Impact Of Winter Blackbird Flocks, Raleigh J. Robertson, Patrick J. Weatherhead, Frank J. S. Phelan, Geoffrey L. Holroyd, Nigel Lester

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

Crop depredation by blackbirds (Icteridae) and Starlings (sturnus vulgaris) in North America has long prompted experimentation with control techniques. These efforts have been centered in the northeast and northcentral United States where concentrated cultivation of vulnerable crops coincides with the location where flocks of blackbirds congregate in the fall prior to their migration south (Stone, et al., 1972; Wiens and Dyer, 1975). In these areas the high cost and logistic impracticality of implementing widespread controls has suggested the need for modifying agricultural practices instead (Wiens and Dyer, 1975). More recently, attention has been focused farther south, particularly in Kentucky and …

Response Of Maturing Corn To Simulated Bird Damage, Paul P. Woronecki, Charles R. Ingram, Richard A. Dolbeer

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

Economic losses attributed to pests are usually estimated by visual assessments of the damage. In all cases, the amount of injury to plant parts is correlated with reduction in production, and any effects of plant response or compensation are ignored. Some recent experiments, using prairie grass grown with different degrees of grasshopper feeding activity, indicated that some plant processes were triggered by insect feeding (Dyer and Bokhari, 1976). Responses, such as the increase of net primary production on grasslands by livestock grazing, have been suggested in studies by Westlake (1963), Pearson (1965), and Hutchinson (1971); Vickery (1972) confirmed these findings …

Linking Of Breeding And Wintering Populations Of Red-Winged Blackbirds By Color-Marking Territorial Males, Olin E. Bray, Willis C. Royall Jr., Joseph L. Guarino

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

Three approaches were taken to link breeding and wintering areas of Red-winged Blackbirds: (1) banding in wintering areas, (2) banding nestlings, and (3) banding territorial males. Information gained from the first two approaches was meager compared to the manpower involved. The third approach was to capture, band, and color-tag male Redwings on northern breeding territories and then search for the birds the following winter in known roosts and surrounding feeding areas to the south. The third approach was very productive. It resulted in the linking of Redwing breeding areas in Wyoming and Montana with wintering areas in Colorado. Infor- mation …

Survey Of Effectiveness Of Avitrol Fc Corn Chops-99 In Field Corn In Northern Ohio, A. R. Stickley Jr., S. B. Williams, K. M. Simpson

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

Goodhue and Baumgartner (1965) described a chemical, 4-aminopyridine (hereafter referred to as "4-AP"), that causes certain flocking birds [e.g., Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), Grackles (Quiscalus guiscula), House Sparrows (passer domesticus), and Starlings (stnrnus vulgaris)] ingesting it to act before death in a manner (squawking, erratic flight, tremors, convulsions) that repels other birds. The 4-AP was found to be effective as a treatment on cracked corn when applied to the ground in cornfields at the rate of 1 lb per acre [1.1 kg per ha (De Grazio, et al., 1972; Stickley, et al., 1972)] and 1.3 lb per acre [1.4 kg …

Protecting Ripening Sweet Corn From Blackbirds In Wisconsin With 4-Aminopyridine, C. Edward Knittle, Joseph L. Guarino, Olin E. Bray, John L. Cummings, Mary R. Ouellette

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

Goodhue and Baumgartner (1965) described the use of a chemical, 4-aminopyridine (4AP), that causes birds ingesting it to emit distress calls and exhibit erratic flight behavior that frighten other birds from the Immediate vicinity. Using 4AP baits in Brown County, South Dakota, in 1965, De Grazio, et al. (1972) reported a savings of $6,449 worth of field corn at a cost of $634 for treatment. Baiting field corn with 4AP also provided significant protection from blackbirds in a study in northern Ohio in 1969 (Stickley, et al., 1976). Efficacy data gathered in these and other studies provided a basis for …

Protecting Ripening Sweet Corn From Blackbirds In Idaho With 4-Aminopyridine, Donald P. Mott

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

Chemicals recently have been used to reduce bird damage in a variety of crops. One such chemical, 4-aminopyridine (4AP), first reported for this use by Goodhue, et al. (1964), was tested by De Grazio, et al. (1971, 1972) and was shown to be a safe, economical, and effective chemical for reducing blackbird damage to ripening field corn. Blackbirds ingesting 4AP emit distress cries and perform aerial displays that frighten other members of the flock from the field. An advantage of this method of reducing damage is that usually less than one percent of the blackbird flock ingest baits and become …

Protection Of Ripening Sunflowers From Blackbird Damage By Baiting With Avitrol Fc Corn Chops-99s, Jerome F. Besser, Joseph L. Guarino

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

On August 26, 1976 Avitrol FC Corn Chops-99S (AFCC-99S) was federally registered (EPA Registration No. 11649-15) for use in protecting ripening sunflowers from damage by blackbirds. The registration was the culmination of seven years of effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to extend the use of AFCC-99, which was registered for use against blackbirds in field corn in April 1972. Ripening sunflowers are probably more intensively damaged by blackbirds in the U.S. than any other crop. In a 1972 survey in 469 randomly selected sunflower fields in North Dakota and Minnesota, Stone (1973) found that 9.7% of heads …

A Progress Report On A New Avicide: 2-Chloro- 4-Acetotoliudine (Cat), S. Anderson Peoples, Anne Barger, A. C. Crabb, R. G. Schwab

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

In California Starlings are not only causing serious damage to many agricultural crops, but they are crowding out some of our native birds. In 1966 Decino, et al. found that a compound, DRC 1339 (CPT), was toxic to Starlings but not to mammals. Our laboratory studied this compound; and, due in part to this work, the compound was registered for use as an avicide for use in baits for control of Starlings at feed lots, dairies, and chicken farms with the trade name Starlicide. In our studies on its fate in the mammal, one of the metabolities was CAT, the …

Bird Problems And Food Storage And Processing Facilities, Robert M. Russell, Robert Yeager, Fred Baur, James R. Dupre

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

For the bird control problems in the food industry I think we have a good pair to work with us. We have Bob Yeager, a pest control authority. Fred Baur is from Procter and Gamble, a great company with a long record of association with the pest control industry. Third, we have with us Jim Dupre, whose experience is with the Food and Drug Administration. And with all the government controls we've learned to expect from the government in the last few years, I think it's good for us to know that we have had a long and good record …

Land Use Planning For Control Of Birds Near Airports, Michael J. Harrison

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

During the 1966 Bird Control Seminar, we began to look at birds as a hazard to air- craft, and a possible new role was emerging for the pest control industry. Ten years later, we have yet to see the concept of bird control as seen through the eyes of our Canadian and European counterparts. You know of the assistance role the Air Force is playing in reducing bird strikes, and the Federal Aviation Administration is beginning to actively participate in bird control programs. Success has been seen in habitat modification as a means of reducing bird strikes. The Canadians (Blokpoel, …

Environmental And Health Studies Of Kentucky Blackbird Roosts, Burt L. Monroe Jr., Lois S. Cronholm

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

At the present time we are under contract from the Kentucky Environmental Quality Commission to study three aspects of Kentucky starling-blackbird roost problems: (1) a study of birds killed this coming winter through PA-14 treatments, to obtain more accurate data on species composition, sex ratios, kill success and food items; (2) a compilation of breeding and wintering data on Kentucky populations through analysis of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service summer bird counts and banding returns; and (3) a study of spore dispersal of various fungal species, most notably Histoplasma capsulatum, from roost sites. The winter sampling is yet to be …

Perches And Repellents, Gene Meester

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

Some of the things that you must know in bird control are your state and local regulations. The state law may read that a license is required for bird control. A state law may read that the techniques and manners of your control must conform with their law. A state law may require registration of the poison you're going to use. State law may also prohibit placement of baits at a certain time during the day or year. And most important, a state law may prohibit control of specific types of birds. In Nebraska and most of the other states, …

A Method Of Evaluating Blackbird Depredation Using Food Habits, Robert E. Williams

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

An accurate economic analysis of pest species, such as birds depredating agricultural systems, would entail a thorough understanding of the species1 ecological relationships with all components of their environment. Understanding behavioral patterns (e.g., seasonal territorialism and gregariousness, reproductive characteristics, and annual food habits), population dynamics (e.g., natality, mortality, and sex ratios), and environmental pressures (e.g., carrying capacity and interspecific competition) would only begin to provide a base for a valid evaluation. No single parameter could integrate the complex interactions which affect agricultural production. However, evaluation of one such parameter, food habits analysis, could provide enough useful information for estimating one …

Redwinged Blackbird Flock Feeding Behavior In Response To Repellent Stress, M. I. Dyer

Bird Control Seminars Proceedings

The use of 4-Aminopyridine (Avitrol, a Phillips Petroleum trade-name, or AFCC 99, a name designated by Environmental Protection Agency) as an avian repellent when placed on agricultural crops has been reported upon (DeGrazio, et al., 1971, 1972; Stickley, et al., 1972, 1976); and its status in the United States and elsewhere has been recently reviewed (Bessek, 1976). Much more information has been collected; but unfortunately, it has not been made accessible in published form (see Besser, 1976). Thus, much of the information and opinions about this repellent material is anecdotal, and the scientific community must rely upon relatively sparse information …