I thought after last week’s talk some of you might be interested in this!
Jim
From: okbirds [mailto:OKBIRDS@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jerry Davis
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2016 4:32 PM
To: OKBIRDS@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Fw: Louisiana Waterthrush defends nest against snake
From: Lee Bryant<mailto:lee.bryant@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2016 3:26 PM
To: ARBIRD-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ARBIRD-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Louisiana Waterthrush defends nest against snake
Hello all! My name is Lee Bryant and I am a graduate student at Arkansas State
University. I am working with Dr. Than Boves on my MS thesis studying Louisiana
Waterthrush and the possible impacts of eastern hemlock decline on the species'
fitness and habitat use. Though my field sites are in Great Smoky Mountains
National Park in Tennessee, waterthrush do breed along streams and rivers in
Arkansas.
While filming provisioning behavior this breeding season, I recorded a near
depredation of a Louisiana Waterthrush nest by a juvenile ratsnake. The male
waterthrush arrived back at the nest just in the nick of time to fend off the
snake. Check it out at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3HdVWtuGKo
Empirical evidence of successful parental nest defense is lacking in scientific
literature. This video provides an opportunity to observe rarely seen behavior
and test theories of optimal nest defense. And, it's pretty cool to watch!
This project is funded in part by the Arkansas Audubon Society.
--
Lee Bryant
Graduate student, M.S. in Biology
Department of Biological Sciences
Arkansas State University
Jonesboro, AR 72401
