National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) |
|
 |
|
|
||
Field Station Leader: Dr.
Michael L. Avery, USDA/APHIS/WS/NWRC Research Program Primary emphasis is on identifying, evaluating, and developing nonlethal methods to manage depredation, nuisance, and property damage problems associated with vultures, crows, monk parakeets, and other species. To do this, scientists conduct behavioral and physiological studies with captive wild birds at the Florida field station and carry out field trials in Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and elsewhere. Studies are conducted with the cooperation and support of Wildlife Services (WS) Operations, growers’ organizations, private companies, and state and federal agencies. Facility The Gainesville facility was built in 1963 and has served as a bird and mammal research field station ever since. In June 1993, the Florida WS State Director’s Office moved from Tallahassee to the Gainesville office. The 26-acre site is located 3 miles east of the University of Florida. There is a main building holding offices and laboratories, and 3 roofed outdoor aviaries for maintaining and testing wild birds. In addition, there are eight 10 x 30 foot enclosures and 2 ½ acre flight pens where trials can be conducted throughout the year under natural environmental conditions. Current Research Areas Vultures Movements and roost dispersal. Vultures roost communally
at night with up to several hundred birds sharing the same structure
or group of trees. Roost composition is not static, however, and birds
often shift among several roost sites from one night to the next. Thus,for
effective management of vulture populations, it is necessary to identify
the locations of all major roosting sites within the area of interest
and to document the movement patterns of the birds among roosts as well
as their daily activity between the roost and their feeding sites. Population dynamics. As vulture populations increase,
so does the frequency of interactions with human activities which has
generated the demand for improved methods of managing these burgeoning
black vulture populations. Development of effective long-term management
strategies requires an understanding of the target population, including
age distribution, age at first breeding, etc. Such information is especially
important because the species can live more than 20 years, and not every
bird in the population has the same capacity to contribute to the growth
of the population. Age structure data are crucial to the development
of realistic models that can simulate population responses to various
management alternatives, such as lethal control and reproductive inhibition.
One promising means to obtain age structure data is the recent demonstration
that accumulation of the chemical pentosidine (Ps) in bird skin is correlated
to age in a variety of wild bird species. For black vultures, this method
will potentially shed light on important questions such as age of first
reproduction, life span in the wild, and survivorship. For such a long-lived
bird there appears to be no other feasible method to obtain such information. The monk parakeet is an invasive species native to South America that
has become established in Florida and several other states. The bird
is unique among parrots in that it builds a nest of sticks instead of
nesting in tree cavities. For reasons that are not known, parakeets
often select electric utility facilities as sites to build their large,
bulky nests. This behavior frequently results in power failures as nest
materials and birds come into contact with conductors which creates
short-circuits. In cooperation with electric utility companies, field
station biologists are investigating methods to reduce nesting activity
by monk parakeets on utility poles and electric substations. The research
project includes development of effective trapping methods, evaluation
of chemical and physical deterrents, documentation of parakeet food
habits and reproductive activity, and assessment of diazacon as a potential
chemosterilant to reduce population levels. Historical Research Activities Previous research activities at the field station have included wading bird predation at tropical aquaculture ponds, field evaluations of candidate bird deterrent chemicals, and pen trials to define the responses of frugivorous species to variation in fruit sugar composition, and development of a nonlethal method to reduce raven and crow predation on eggs of endangered species, with particular emphasis on the California least tern. Resource Protection Through Avian Population Management* *the official "Research Project" that describes the primary focus of research performed at this NWRC field station. The Project Web pages, in turn, describe goals, objectives and accomplishments of the research. National Support 2007 Exotic Wildlife Rapid Response Team Initiated in Florida—In August 2007, two biologists from the NWRC Gainesville field station and one biologist from Florida Wildlife Services met with representatives from various state, federal, and tribal entities to form a Rapid Response Task Force for invasive animal species that threaten the Everglades ecosystem. This meeting was a result of the Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area Summit held in Miami July 25–27, 2007, where groundwork was laid for cooperative education, research, and funding to address management of invasive animals. At the Rapid Response Team meeting, WS was nominated as the primary response agency for the eradication of newly detected invasive wildlife species. Cooperative agreements are being developed to facilitate yearly funding of the necessary management and research activities. The long-term goal of the team is to extend coverage beyond south Florida to other areas of the state with invasive wildlife conflicts.
|
Last Modified: March 6, 2008