Publications

Thirty-nine bald eagles found sick or dead in 13 States during 1969 and 1970 were analyzed for pesticide residues. Residues of DDE, dieldrin, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's), and mercury were detected in all bald eagle carcasses; DDD residues were detected in 38; DDT, heptachlor epoxide, and dichlorobenzophenone (DCBP) were detected less frequently. Six eagles contained possible lethal...

A total of 9,643 American woodcock (Philohela minor) was banded in eastern Maine during the summers of 1962-74. The fall migration of these woodcock, based on 620 recoveries, occurred along a broad front between the Appalachian Mountains and Atlantic Ocean. Most birds wintered in a region extending from southern Virginia to northern Florida; a few woodcock moved as far west as Louisiana...

Before 1920, native populations of brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis) were estimated at 50,000 to 85,000 birds in Louisiana and 5,000 in Texas. By 1958, brown pelicans had vanished from two wintering areas in each state, and wintering and breeding birds disappeared from additional areas between 1959 and 1961. By 1963, the disappearance of the brown pelican from...

Mery (1966) showed an almost equal sex ratio, males returned more frequently than females, over 50% of returns paired with other returns, an adult return rate of 20%, and no pair bonds maintained for more than one season. Her study lasted 13 years. Our study has shown that the return rate of locals to parent colonies is 4.1%, sex ratios are nearly equal (combination of banding and...

No abstract available.

The art of falconry in North America, practiced by a few individuals for many years, attracted little attention until the 1960?s. Presently about 2800 falconers are licensed in the United States with less than one half considered to be active. While interest in this art is expected to increase, we believe growth will be slow, probably 5 to 10% per year, due to rigorous demands on time...

Common flicker (Colaptes auratus) and mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) eggs were examined 1 year after DDT application and showed a marked difference. Residue levels in mountain bluebird eggs were approximately 10 times higher than in common flicker eggs (5.29 to 0.58 ppm wet weight). These differences can be explained by disparate dietary habits. The mean level in American kestrel...

Adult female free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) were collected at Bracken Cave, Texas, and shipped to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Treated mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) containing 107 ppm DDE were fed to 17 bats; five other bats were fed untreated mealworms. After 40 days on dosage, during which one dosed bat was killed accidentally, four dosed bats were frozen and the...

Twenty-two female big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) were collected in a house attic in Montgomery County, Maryland. Seventeen were fed mealworms (Tenebrio molitor larvae) that contained 166 ppm DDE; the other five were fed uncontaminated mealworms. After 54 days of feeding, six dosed bats were frozen and the remaining 16 were starved to death. In a second experiment, 21 female big brown...

This paper reports the results of studies in Maine (1975-77) and New Brunswick (1974) on the utilization of commercial timber areas by woodcock (Philohela minor). Openings created by logging operations were utilized for singing grounds and nocturnal roosting habitat. Singing male densities of 3.4 birds/1oo ha on were found on New Brunswick elearcuts, 0.24 birds/IOO ha on northern Maine...

The lethal dietary toxicity of dieldrin was estimated repeatedly during 8 years of testing young bobwhites (Colinus virginianus), Japanese quail (Coturnix c. japonica), ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Toxicities, quantified as 8-day LC50 values (5 days on toxic diet, followed by 3 days of untreated feed), were estimated at least 18 times...

No abstract available.