I was raised here in the Panhandle, so I have no qualms what-so-ever with discussing some of the "not so correct" teachings we grew up on.
Prairie dogs carry plague. Fiction: This could not be further from the truth, but the myth is rampant! Plague originated in Eur-Asia, and came across with ship rats when man started sailing back and forth between Europe and the colonies. In the original range of plague, there are no colonial rodents. None!
To be a carrier of a disease such as plague, the carrier has to be able to survive it. Plague is new to prairie dogs and when plague is brought into a prairie dog colony by fleas on a carrier animal, 95-100% of the colony dies rapidly! Prairie dogs cannot survive it. It is too new of a disease to them and their colonial lifestyle does not help one bit.
So how do they get it? Certain species of mice can survive it and serve as carriers. So can coyotes. Mice populations are a continuum across the landscape (in some situations) and so plague can spread through this continuum. Radio-marked coyotes have been known to move 30-plus miles, thus they are able to transport fleas considerable distances. USDA-Wildlife Services monitors plague by collecting coyotes throughout the Panhandle and they test for plague titers.
Again, folks....prairie dogs cannot live with plague. So, if you see an active colony of prairie dogs, plague is not present. Now....if you see an absence of prairie dogs for several weeks or you see lots of dead prairie dogs, DON'T GO OUT THERE!
Prairie dogs are the "canary in the coal mine for plague." An active colony in your area means that plague is not around.
Trust me!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Series on Myths: Don't Touch a Bird's Nest or Baby Bird
I was raised here in the Panhandle, so I have no qualms what-so-ever with discussing some of the "not so correct" teachings we grew up on. This is part one, of several that I plan to cover.
If a mother bird smells human scent on its nest or the nest's contents, the mother will abandon them. Fiction: First off, with the exception of vultures and condors - who's survival depends on locating dead animals - bird's sense of smell is poorer than that of humans. We can smell a bird as well, or better, than a bird can smell us. Secondly, as the nesting cycle progresses, the parent bird's investment has built to such a degree, that the chances for abandonment goes to practically zero. So, touching a nest, or eggs, or baby birds is not going to cause abandonment.
Continual flushing of a bird off its nest, particularly, in the nest-building, egg-laying and early stages of incubation (that investment has not tallied up, yet) is not advised, and technically any harassment or harm to a migratory bird or its nest, eggs, and young is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (any bird but European starlings, House Sparrows, pigeons, and the Eurasian collared dove). Game birds (quail, turkey, pheasant) are covered by similar state laws.
But don't let that prevent you from building a child's interest in wildlife, the outdoors, and respect for wildlife law. Show them the nest and explain to them that they need to stay clear so that the parent birds can attend to their young, and so that cats don't follow their scent trails to the nest. Perhaps have them select a location, that with your approval, they can set quietly and watch the progression of the nest. If the bird's seem reluctant to visit the nest, have them back off another ten feet or so, or behind some object that provides some concealment.
If a mother bird smells human scent on its nest or the nest's contents, the mother will abandon them. Fiction: First off, with the exception of vultures and condors - who's survival depends on locating dead animals - bird's sense of smell is poorer than that of humans. We can smell a bird as well, or better, than a bird can smell us. Secondly, as the nesting cycle progresses, the parent bird's investment has built to such a degree, that the chances for abandonment goes to practically zero. So, touching a nest, or eggs, or baby birds is not going to cause abandonment.
Continual flushing of a bird off its nest, particularly, in the nest-building, egg-laying and early stages of incubation (that investment has not tallied up, yet) is not advised, and technically any harassment or harm to a migratory bird or its nest, eggs, and young is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (any bird but European starlings, House Sparrows, pigeons, and the Eurasian collared dove). Game birds (quail, turkey, pheasant) are covered by similar state laws.
But don't let that prevent you from building a child's interest in wildlife, the outdoors, and respect for wildlife law. Show them the nest and explain to them that they need to stay clear so that the parent birds can attend to their young, and so that cats don't follow their scent trails to the nest. Perhaps have them select a location, that with your approval, they can set quietly and watch the progression of the nest. If the bird's seem reluctant to visit the nest, have them back off another ten feet or so, or behind some object that provides some concealment.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Rattlesnakes Not Rattling Anymore!
Ok. I heard this one again this morning:
"In the last ten years rattlesnakes have quit rattling." Some are attributing this to the rattlesnake's hereditary response to predation by feral hogs....
Folks, don't fall for this one. Facts:
1). Rattlesnakes have always had predators, including man.
2) Rattlesnakes order of defense is and has always been:
a) camouflage; rattlesnakes blend in perfectly to their environment and they know that.
b) escape; slipping into a hole or cover.
c) rattling; the last thing a rattlesnake wants to do is give away its biggest "weapon" - camouflage - by rattling. Anyway, it has long been theorized that rattling is actually an adaptation to warn the large grazing animals from stepping on it - NOT TO WARN PREDATORS!
Even where there our no pigs (yet!), radio-tracking studies show that the prairie rattlesnake, which is quicker to anger than the diamondback, relies on camouflage and escape before rattling. A certain researcher in the Panhandle will tell you, "99.9% of our rattlesnakes carrying radio transmitters will allow you to walk up, take a G.P.S. reading directly on top of him/her, and walk away, without even a tongue flick, let alone a round of rattling." "And I use to assume that prairie rattlers always warned you."
Why people will make up stuff......I just don't understand. Trust me on this one! Laugh at it when someone tells you this one!
"In the last ten years rattlesnakes have quit rattling." Some are attributing this to the rattlesnake's hereditary response to predation by feral hogs....
Folks, don't fall for this one. Facts:
1). Rattlesnakes have always had predators, including man.
2) Rattlesnakes order of defense is and has always been:
a) camouflage; rattlesnakes blend in perfectly to their environment and they know that.
b) escape; slipping into a hole or cover.
c) rattling; the last thing a rattlesnake wants to do is give away its biggest "weapon" - camouflage - by rattling. Anyway, it has long been theorized that rattling is actually an adaptation to warn the large grazing animals from stepping on it - NOT TO WARN PREDATORS!
Even where there our no pigs (yet!), radio-tracking studies show that the prairie rattlesnake, which is quicker to anger than the diamondback, relies on camouflage and escape before rattling. A certain researcher in the Panhandle will tell you, "99.9% of our rattlesnakes carrying radio transmitters will allow you to walk up, take a G.P.S. reading directly on top of him/her, and walk away, without even a tongue flick, let alone a round of rattling." "And I use to assume that prairie rattlers always warned you."
Why people will make up stuff......I just don't understand. Trust me on this one! Laugh at it when someone tells you this one!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)