Begin forwarded message:
From: Range Bayer <range.bayer@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: October 5, 2016 3:31:28 PM PDT
To: Wayne Hoffman <whoffman@xxxxxxxx>, Lars Per Norgren
<larspernorgren@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Oregon Birders OnLine <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Fwd: [obol] Re: Eastern Oregon birds [Birds at Columbia Dams]
Hi all,
I am not on BOO (which is included in Wayne's email below), and this topic
seems off-topic for OBOL, but bird predation and control at Columbia River
dams are discussed in the following report that is available for free by
clicking open/view at
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/8430 ;
Bayer, R. D. 2003. Review: Bird Predation of Juvenile Salmonids and
Management of Birds Near 14 Columbia Basin Dams. Yaquina Studies in Natural
History No. 10.
If this report would be of interest to BOO, I hope someone will please
forward it to BOO. Note that it was written in 2003 and listings of
threatened and endangered salmon stocks have probably changed since then, but
I suspect that bird management issues have not changed much.
I have thought of including the abstract in this email, but it raises issues
that I think may be more suited to BOO.
Range Bayer, Newport, Oregon
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <whoffman@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, Oct 5, 2016 at 2:45 PM
Subject: [obol] Re: Eastern Oregon birds
To: Lars Per Norgren <larspernorgren@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: obol <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, boo <boo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Hi -
The gulls, and likely the Caspian Terns that feed below the Columbia River
dams probably eat a lot more injured or killed smolts coming out of the
turbines than healthy ones. The "Avian Predator Deterrent System" is part of
the ongoing effort to divert blame for salmon deaths from the dams to birds
and other wildlife scapegoats.
Wayne
From: "Lars Per Norgren" <larspernorgren@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "obol" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, October 5, 2016 2:22:47 PM
Subject: [obol] Eastern Oregon birds
Sept 30 (Fri) there were half a dozen gulls at the foot of John Day
Dam.
All California, mostly 2nd year, save one adult GLAUCOUS-WINGED. This
location is equipped with an "Avian Predator Deterent System" . Bare wires
are stretched across the entire river, attached to enormous hoolow metal poles
on the banks. I'm mystified as to the species meant to be deterred. This
summer
there were plenty of White Pelicans feeding in mid-stream under the "system"
and 100 or more D-c Cormorants loafing on the nearest gravel bar gave off an
air of satiety last Friday. Caspian Terns and Ospreys hunt from aloft, but I
don't imagine
either has put a dent in the smolt being "protected". Almost no water was
coming
over the dam, hence no treats for the gulls.
The many trees in the park always strike me as a good migrant trap.
But it
was extremely windy. One YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER validated the theory.
Oct 1(Sat) there were about 500 Barn Swallows at the Ontario Sewage
Treatment
ponds around 8 am. The following day at noon there were only a few dozen. The
ponds
are surrounded by cornfields (all quite dead from frost) and perhaps this is
a roost.
4 Avocets were swimming about 20 feet offshore in the easternmost pond. There
must
have been some kind of food as they continued to frequent the zone the whole
time I was there.
Lots of American Pipits and a single Yellow-rumped Warbler. What may have
been an
Orange-crowned Warbler flew away east as I was parking on Saturday. Duck
selection
was highly reminiscent of the Philomath ponds, 'though diminished from
mid-August.
170 Ring-necked Duck seemed noteworthy.
The trees at Owyhee State Park on the reservoir gave shelter to a
whopping 2
Yellow-rumps on Sat Oct 1. Once again wind was a real problem for passerine
birding. Flocks of White-crowned Sparrows are building down along the Snake.
A Flicker was eating the fruit of Russian Olive at the State Park. This is
the
first evidence I've seen of that plant benefitting wildlife. The Flicker was
hanging
upside down, as I have seen Pileated Woodpeckers do to eat dogwood fruit.
Lars POST: Send your post to obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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