Archive for September, 2006
cliffswallowhelp.com
Abolish can solve any type of Swallow bird problem! All products and services are environmentally safe, harmless to birds and blend in with structures. Discreet installations can be designed to be virtually undetectable from ground level and difficult access structures are one of our specialities. Our Swallow bird Control methods are proven to work and at times replace other Pest Control companys’ mistakes
Abolish’s Swallow control consists of legally removing the nest, cleaning, and proofing to prevent future nests. Our Methods and products will guarantee satisfaction!
About Swallow Birds
Swallows feed on insects and spend a large part of each day in the air catching flies, beetles, and mosquitoes. Their long, pointed wings give them great speed and maneuverability. Normally, swallows are not seen on the ground except when collecting mud for their nests. Most do not have musical voices but only twitter or squeak.
The cliff swallow is 5 to 6 inches in length and is the only square-tailed swallow in California. In contrast, its long, deeply forked tail distinguishes the barn swallow. The cliff swallow is also recognized by its pale, orange-brown rump, white forehead, dark rust-colored throat, and steel blue crown and back.
These small, nimble birds enjoy special legal protection. Once they have laid their eggs in the nest, you can not disturb them. You must wait until they leave to remove the nests and then exclude them using BirdSlide, installed along the underside of the eaves at an angle to prevent them from building their nests there the following year.
Swallows and the law
Swallows and their nests are fully protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which makes it illegal to intentionally kill, injure or take any migratory bird. It is illegal to intentionally damage or destroy the nest, eggs, or young of a swallow while it is being built or in use. The Act allows fines or prison sentences for every bird, egg or nest destroyed.
Swallow Identification
Cliff swallows and barn swallows are slender, sleek birds that spend their spring and summers in North America. Swallows are very territorial and will return to the same nesting site over and over. Buildings, eaves and other structures often replace cliffs these days to build their distinctive mud pellet nests (see photo at right). Swallows have brownish red faces and light colored bellies. Cliff swallows have squared off tails, but barn swallows have long forked tails (see top photo). Young swallows have similar coloring, but lighter.
Swallows are small birds with dark glossy backs, red throats, pale under parts and long distinctive tail streamers. They are extremely agile in flight and spend most of their time on the wing. They are widespread breeding birds in the Northern Hemisphere, migrating south in winter. Recent declines due to loss of habitat quality in both their breeding and wintering grounds mean they are an Amber List species.
Amber-list species are those with an unfavorable conservation status in Europe; those whose population or range has declined moderately in recent years; those whose population has declined historically but made a substantial recent recovery; rare breeders; and those with internationally important or localized populations.
Damage Caused by Swallows
Swallows are often a nuisance in suburban areas as they build their mud nests that damage and deface the outer walls and eaves of residences and office buildings. Swallow feces often end up on the sides of buildings and the ground below from the colony of birds in residence. Building owners report extra clean up costs and concern over slip and fall liability from swallow dropping buildup, plus an unclean, dirty company image. The bacteria, fungal agents and parasites found in swallow droppings and nests can carry hosts with serious diseases, including histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella, meningitis, toxoplasmosis and more.
Swallow Proofing
There are many swallow proofing products and techniques used to prevent swallows from nesting. The proofing is usually done after legal removal of the swallow’s nest is finished. Many pest control companies use netting, wire, and scare techniques. Abolish does its proofing legally and harms no birds.
September 14th, 2006
bright.net
Violet-green Swallows are similar in appearance to Tree Swallows. Males have nonglossy, velvety green or greenish bronze upperparts, and they are white underneath. Unlike Tree Swallows, however, the white on the face of the Violet-green Swallow extends above the eyes. Also, the Violet-green has two white patches on its rump.
Compared to the males, female Violet-green Swallows are dull in color. They are bronze green to bronze purple on the upperparts, and grayish on the forehead, the sides of the head, and the upper breast. The rump and tail feathers are a dull green.
Juveniles are grayish-brown with a faint bronze sheen on the back. The belly is white, but the breast and sides are brown and sometimes mottled.
Violet-green Swallows are found from the Rocky Mountains west to the Pacific coast. Their range spans from central Alaska and central Canada south to the Mexico’s highlands. Violet-green Swallows prefer open, deciduous, or mixed coniferous-deciduous forests containing ponderosa pine, aspen, willow, and spruce trees. In the northern part of its range, this species breeds at lower elevations on the coast and in wooded canyons. In the southern part of their range, they breed at higher elevations (2,000 to 3,000 meters).
Violet-green Swallow Range Map
Violet-green Swallows are aerial feeders, and their diet mainly consists of flying insects such as leafhoppers, beetles, wasps, ants, flies, and bees. They forage off the surface of ponds and occasionally on the ground. Unlike most other swallows, Violet-green Swallows often forage above the tree canopy. If food is abundant (for example, a swarm of insects), Violet-green Swallows forage in small flocks or loose aggregations, with conspecifics and other species. They do not eat seeds or berries.
Violet-green Swallows nest either alone or in colonies of up to 25 nests. Violet-green Swallows are apparently monogamous, but complete information about the mating system is still lacking. In the northern portion of their range, pair formation begins in mid-April and breeding begins in late May. In the southern portion, breeding begins in early May. Although their territorial behavior has not been completely described, Violet-green Swallows appear to defend their nests from other Violet-green Swallows and from other species.
Violet-green Swallows compete intensely with House Wrens, Mountain Chickadees, and other cavity-nesting species for nest sites. House Wrens are the most fierce competitors, often actually evicting nesting pairs of Violet-green Swallows from their nest sites.
Violet-green Swallows nest in cliff crevices, natural tree cavities, woodpecker holes, in old nests of Banks and Cliff Swallow, under the eaves of buildings, and in nest boxes. They can nest in close association with Cliff Swallows, Tree Swallows, White-throated Swifts, and Western Bluebirds. One report documented a pair of Violet-greens assisting a pair of Western Bluebirds in raising young. The swallows guarded the nest and tended the bluebird nestlings, and after the bluebirds fledged, the swallows used the nest site.
Nests are built three to five meters off the ground. The female is the primary nest builder. The nest is constructed of stems, twigs, grasses, fur, and horse hair. During egg-laying and incubation, the male brings feathers with which to line the nest. Nest building is accomplished in the morning and early afternoon and can take from six days to three weeks.
Little information exists on first-egg dates, but first eggs appear to be laid in mid-May. Females lay one egg per day. Laying can begin before the layer of feathers in the nest is complete or may not begin until a few days after nest completion. A complete clutch contains four to six white, unmarked, smooth eggs, with little or no gloss.
There are no reports on when incubation begins. The female incubates the eggs,and when the female leaves the nest, the male guards the nest or stands over the eggs to prevent heat loss.
After 13 to 15 days, the eggs hatch. Hatching is asynchronous; it can take up to five days for all the eggs to hatch. While little information exists on brooding behavior, one female reportedly brooded her young for 10 days after hatching. The diet of the nestlings is unknown but probably consists of insects. The female tends the young, with the male assisting. As with Tree Swallows, the nestlings’ fecal sacs are initially removed, but as the young grow older this practice ceases, and the nest becomes dirty.
The young fledge after 23 to 25 days. They are fully developed but still depend upon the parents for food. The age at which the young attain independence is unknown.
If the first nesting attempt fails, pairs will nest again. How soon a pair can begin renesting is not known. Violet-green Swallows have one brood per season; second broods are rare. Pairs do not use the same nest site within a season, but may use it again in subsequent seasons.
Adult female Violet-green Swallows display extreme fidelity to the breeding site. Approximately 80 percent return to the same breeding area every year. Only half of the returning females, however, use the same nest site they used the previous year. Whether males show similar site fidelity is unknown.
September 13th, 2006
all-birds.com
Feeding and watching birds is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the America. Around 60 million people feed birds in the US. The only outdoor hobby that is more popular is gardening and the two are natural partners. Feeding Birds and watching them at feeders is enjoyed by all ages. For birds the benefit is reliable food sources provided by feeders. Many birds depend on feeders to get them through the winter.
All birds need food, water and shelter, but they all have different needs. You are more likely to find certain birds if you look in their normal habitat. You will also have more success in your backyard or garden if you are feeding the birds what they like.
Natural foods that birds eat include insects, worms; berries and other fruit, flower nectar, nuts and seeds, tree sap, buds of trees and shrubs, fish and small animals or other birds, eggs, they even scavenge dead animal.
You can get a clue what a bird eats by the type of beak or bill the bird has.
A thick cone shaped bill is good for cracking seeds. Examples would be Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Finches, Sparrows and Towhees. These birds eat seeds all year long. When seeds are scarce they eat insects.
For a look at different types of bird beak see Anatomy.
Other factors that determine a birds diet include flight habits, sight, and hearing. For example birds like the Swallow that feed while flying rely mostly on insects for food. The eyesight of Eagles and Hawks let them see prey from great distances. The hearing of an Owl helps it detect rodents in darkness. A Heron not only has ability to see fish, but it is able to allow for refraction of the water. Robins can see and hear slight movements of earthworms.
Seasons
Since the availability of food plays a large role in determining what a bird eats, seasonal changes make a difference. When fruits are ripe the birds feed on fruit. Insects are more plentiful at certain times of a year. Birds are great opportunists and will eat what is available. Most migrating birds will eat to help build fat for their migration.
WATER
Most birds cannot resist water and will make frequent trips to a water source. A birdbath or pool in the backyard or garden will usually attract a variety of birds. Birds usually prefer water close to protective comer like shrubs or trees. Garden birds usually like water far enough from vegetation that they can keep an eye on what is around them and close enough for them to dive for cover. They will check out the water from a close by tree then dive down for a drink or splash. For garden birds keep the water shallow. They need to water to clean their feathers for flying and insulation
During cleaning most birds rub oil from the Preen gland on their feathers. Some do what is called Anting where they rub an ant on their feathers to help fight parasites. This is thought by some to fall under the use of tools and be a sign of intelligence.Â
When birds find a good source of water they likely return repeatedly. By observing birds around water in the wild you can create a spot in your backyard or garden that will attract them. You can buy a bird bath or it is easy to make a small pool. Use an old barrel, a plastic pool, or line a hole it the ground with plastic sheeting.
Garden
The best way to develop a backyard that will attract birds is to observe the birds in the wild. Birds like natural habitats. A garden that looks like the natural habit is more likely to be visited by birds then one with excessive pruning. The reason nest boxes are used by birds is they have the same function as tree cavities in the wild. By watching birds in their natural surroundings you will get a good idea of where to put your nest box or feeder.
Feeding Hummingbirds
Their unique habits and beautiful jewel colors make Hummingbirds one of the most popular birds to watch. The two main sources of food for Hummingbirds are nectar and small insects. They will visit all flowers but are especially attracted to red, orange and bright pink. To attract these little bird jewels plant flowering annuals, perennials and shrubs.
There are many different Hummingbird feeders sold or you can make your own. As they say if you build it they will come. They love sugar water. Here is a simple formula. About 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water. Boil the water, add the sugar until it dissolves and let it cool. Once you get Hummingbirds coming to you feeders fill them daily. You should clean them every few days. Rinse them with hot water. A little vinegar added to the water will help fight mold.
Unfortunately insects also like sugar water. For a hanging feeder a little petroleum jelly on the wire will keep ants away. Flying insects are a little harder. Try a small amount of the jelly around feeder openings. You can also get bee guards, plastic grates that cover the openings. Other birds such as Sparrows, Woodpeckers, and Chickadees will also visit the feeders, especially if there is a perch for them.
Providing food for birds
The main food bird feeders provide are grains, seeds, nuts, and fats in the form of suet. Fruit and sugar water and even bakery products are also good.
In addition to bird feed it is good to provide grit. Birds do not have teeth and depend on hard particles in their gizzards to grind up their food. You can get grit at bird feed stores and garden centers. Some forms of grit are ground oyster shells, sand with particles of quartz, crushed eggshells. Eggshells will also give the bird calcium. Spread the grit on the ground or put it in small containers away from the feeders to avoid bird droppings.
Seeds and Grains
Bird seed can be found in a variety of retail stores. Many experienced bird watchers will avoid much of commercial mixes because they have inexpensive seeds in them the birds will not eat.
You can attract specific birds by offering only certain feed. One way to find out what the bird you want to attract eats is to put containers of different foods out and watch which food they eat. Preferences do change though so you may want to test at different times of the year.
To get started go with the most popular feed.
Sunflower
Black Sunflower was designed specifically to feed wild birds. Most birds that eat Sunflower prefer it. It is better for the birds because it is rich in oil. Sunflower can be purchased unshelled to lessen the mess.
Safflower
This seed will help you attract bird favorites and discourage unpopular birds. It has hard shells and some birds like Starlings have more trouble eating it. Other birds like Cardinals, Chickadees and Nuthatches will love it. It is also good for birds because it is rich in oil.
Niger Seed
This small black seed is a favorite of certain birds like Goldfinches and Pine Siskin. Many other birds will prefer other seeds. Again the best way to know is to test.
Corn
There are a number of forms corn can be offered in. Northern Cardinals, Sparrows, Blackbirds and many others love cracked corn. Corn cobs or corn meal mush are also popular. This makes a great winter food because the high carbohydrates are good for keeping birds warm.
Nutmeats
Nuts are a great winter food because they are high in calories and fat. Some birds may have trouble with harder shelled nuts. Peanuts have a lighter shell than most.
Other Bird Foods
Suet
Next to back-oil Sunflower suet is a favorite of people who feed birds. Woodpeckers, nuthatches, Bluebirds, Chickadees and many more birds are attracted to suet. Beef suet is the best. You can get it from a butcher. If you are going to melt it ask the butcher to grind it for you. Suet cakes can be made with all kinds of tasty treats in them. Heat the suet to melt it. Let it cool a little to thicken and add your ingredients. You can add Raisins, peanut butter, fruits and cornmeal. Pour the mixture in to small containers and store in a freezer. If you donât like the work you can buy commercial suet cakes. They have the advantage of not spoiling as fast, but many birds prefer the soft home made cakes.
Baked Goods
Most birds love baked goods. White bread crumbs, doughnuts, crackers, pancakes and more.
Fruit and Jelly
A bowl with cut up fruit and jelly will attract Robins, Mockingbirds, Orioles and many others. Try putting half an orange on a stick.
Mealworms
Orioles, Warblers, Purple Martins, and other birds will come for mealworms. Wild bird supplies, pet stores and fish bait shops will have mealworms.
Sugar Water
As mentioned earlier this is great for Hummingbirds. Many other birds also like it. Grosbeaks, Cardinals, Finches, Woodpeckers, and chickadees are just few of the birds that will come to sugar water feeders.
September 13th, 2006
Rocky Mountain News
By Mary Taylor Young, Special to the News
August 14, 2006
The bluebirds have flown.
That’s what we discovered this month when we checked our trail of bluebird nest boxes in Las Animas County, west of Trinidad.
We have 10 boxes positioned at the edge of a series of meadows. By April, western bluebirds were paired up and searching for nest sites. By Memorial Day, one box held newly hatched babies: naked, featherless “pinkies” with stubs for wings, bright yellow beaks and enormous, dark, unopened eyes visible through their transparent skin. Five other boxes held clutches of four or five eggs. Most of the eggs were sky blue, but one set was white with brown streaks.
The blue eggs belonged to our most common tenants: western bluebirds. Bluebirds spend winter in southeastern Colorado, so it is a short commute to their summer nesting grounds. Some bluebirds remain in the area for the winter, though I don’t know if these are the same birds that nest here. Bluebirds incubate their eggs for about 14 days, then brood the young for 21 days.
The white and brown eggs belonged to ash-throated flycatchers. They raise one brood a year: this year a nest of four young.
By the end of the summer, 2006 had turned out to be the most successful nesting season since we put up our first boxes in 2000. All 10 of the boxes had nests. We had second broods of bluebirds in two of the boxes. Violet-green swallows, which begin nest-building quite a bit later than bluebirds, took over two other nest boxes after the bluebirds had fledged their young. Between them, the two boxes held seven baby swallows.
We can’t take credit for all these baby birds. We’re just glad to be helpful landlords, and privileged observers.
September 12th, 2006
Daily Mail
By LUCY BALLINGERLast updated at 22:10pm on 23rd August 2006
It’s a situation which might leave any parent all aflutter.
Faced with three hungry mouths, each one squawking for attention, this swallow seems unsure which chick to feed first.
Perched on the side of the nest, she stares into the gaping beaks - before finally making up her mind and dishing out dinner.
The scene was captured by photographer Martin Chainey who spotted the swallows in his barn in Devauden near Chepstow.
The nest had been built on a ledge next to one of the stone walls. Mr Chainey managed to take the picture by climbing a ladder in one stable and using a long lens to capture the swallows in the adjoining stable.
He said: ‘They come every year and my wife keeps an eye on them. They were still 15ft away when I took the photo.’
Are you an amateur photographer who has taken a stunning wildlife picture? Send your shots to the Daily Mail and the best entry will receive ÂŁ500 of camera equipment. Entries should be emailed to: wildlifepictures@dailymail.co.uk The closing date for entries is August 31. The winner will be picked by a panel of judges. The editor’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
September 12th, 2006
Santa Fe New Mexican, NM - Aug 5, 2006
By STELLA DAVIS | Associated Press
August 5, 2006
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) - Nobody knows for certain how many cave swallows share the home of the Mexican free-tail bats at Carlsbad Caverns, but for the past 26 years, volunteers have come back year after year to learn more about them.
Since 1980, Steve West, a science teacher at Carlsbad High School and an avid birder and researcher, has been part of a cave swallow banding project that he helped initiate to determine their migratory range and lifespan.
Also a member of the Chihuahuan Desert Conservation Alliance, West said members of his organization and volunteers from 38 states and 15 countries have over the years banded an estimated 17,000 cave swallows starting each spring and ending in the fall when the birds leave the cave for the winter and head to Mexico.
“We needed to know their winter range and where they spend half a year when they are not living in the entrance to the caverns,” West said. “But we have collected a lot of other data about them in the past 26 years.”
West said the cave swallows were discovered inside the cavern’s big entrance 40 years ago.
“There were three nesting pairs found there in 1966. There was a population explosion in the 1970s, but by the early 1980s, the population had maxed out,” he said.
Although the banding project has been ongoing since 1980, West said determining the number of cave swallows is difficult at best. He estimates about 1,600 swallows make their home at Carlsbad Caverns during the summer months.
West said banding the birds is not an easy task. They have to be captured in a net, then an aluminum band with data relating to the capture is placed around the leg.
“Although we have not had many birds returned documenting where they were found, we have had a few that had died and were returned to us because of the bands. When that happens, it gives us good data of their range and when they were banded by us.”
The oldest bird to be recaptured in the cave was 12 years old; its band showed it was first captured in 1993. West said about two-thirds of the birds die in the first year, and those who make it can live about eight years.
West’s group gets federal and state approval for its work and permission from park officials to be in the cave. He said the data gathered is shared with the park, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others who are conducting cave swallow research.
“My philosophy is that what good is the scientific data if it is not shared?” he said.
West became interested in cave swallows shortly after he left the military in the 1970s. His experience banding cave swallows began in Alpine, Texas, with the Texas Bird Banding Association.
West moved to Carlsbad in 1980 and it was only logical that he continue banding cave swallows. With park permission, he and a band of volunteers began the project.
Banding generally takes place in the evenings after visitors have left and before the bats leave for a night of feeding.
“The bats and the cave swallows co-exist. The birds fly out in the morning when the bats come in after being out all night,” he said.
Through his research, West has determined the cave swallows winter as far south as El Salvador and in Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, Mexico.
Over the years, West also has seen a shift in the migratory pattern of the cave swallows summering at Carlsbad Caverns. The birds used to return in early March, but now they’re showing up in January.
West said the birds are expending less energy by living in the cave, where they are protected. He also said global warming may play a role in the birds’ schedule.
September 11th, 2006
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - Aug 17, 2006
By Lori Buttars
The Salt Lake Tribune
San Juan Capistrano it isn’t.
   But the outdoor-garden center at Smith’s Marketplace on 3300 South and 3300 East has become a summer mecca for barn swallows.
   ”Unfortunately, they have a habit of pooping in high-traffic places and that has become a problem,” says Smith’s spokeswoman Marsha Gilford.
   As the name “barn swallow” implies, dozens of the tiny birds - easily identified by their light-colored chests and long forked tails - have set up shop at the store. The birds have even built nests in the eaves of the outdoor shelter that covers the garden area. They are especially fond of the area closest to the building, including the walkway leading to the grocery store.
   According to workers, the birds can be beneficial - and entertaining. Even though their nesting area is often white with droppings, the swallows are known to feast on flies and mosquitoes.
   ”I’ve seen nearly 10 pair and watched them fledge their young,” says Jack Nielsen, assistant manager of the home and garden center. “In the mornings, you can watch them snap bugs right out of the air. The customers love them. People bring their kids to see them.”
   For some customers, though, the swallows have been tough to stomach.
   ”I got hit,” laughs Holladay resident Tammy Adams. “It wasn’t a big problem because I was wearing my gardening clothes, just embarrassing.”
   Adams, however, cut her shopping trip short. That is a concern for store managers.
   “It has happened several times,” Gilford says, “and we’ve had customers complain. And it’s become more of a problem because more and more birds are coming every year.”
Maggie Shoa, a horticulturist with the Utah State University
Advertisement
Extension
Service, says the conditions at the garden center are likely the draw for the swallows.
   “They construct their nests out of mud, so they like to be near a good source of soil,” she says. “Water is also an attractant.”
   Some customers were rattled when store workers removed some of the nests near the doorway. One wrote a letter to the editor pointing out that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act forbids removing occupied nests.
   “I just don’t think people realize what they’ve got,” says bird aficionado Allan Daly. “These things eat copious amounts of mosquitoes. In a season known for West Nile Virus, these birds are beneficial.”
   Gilford says store officials are taking a hands-off approach for the rest of the season. But the store may take Shoa’s advice and put up physical barriers in the corners of the shelter for next summer.
   “We’d like to keep them in the areas over the plants and places that are easy to wash down,” Gilford says. “They do lend a sort of natural charm to the garden area.”
   lorib@sltrib.com
September 11th, 2006
uiowa.edu
Bird Hall renovations take flight
Spring has officially arrived. This means longer days, milder weather, and the happy, melodic banter of songbirds.
At the Museum of Natural History, it means crunch time. Staff members have been working since December on the installation of the museumâs newly renovated bird exhibition in what is now known as the Hageboeck Hall of Birds. The renaming of the hall is in recognition of a gift from William and Eleanor Hageboeck of Iowa City.
Though a grand opening event for the exhibition is set for May 5, staff members hope to welcome the public as early as next month.
Julia Golden, the museumâs interim director, says visitors can expect many improvements to the hallâs exhibition, which has a new title, “Taking Flight: The World of Birds.” Not only have all the murals been repainted and the birds cleaned and remounted, but new displays will allow for more education and interpretation.
“Weâre going to feature new sections on birdsâ nests and skeletons. One display will include real nests, most of which were collected more than 100 years ago. Weâll also have a wall of feathers,” she says, pointing to a bright orange plume from a red ibis.
In addition, new displays will feature information on eggs and bird DNA. Other new elements will include flip panels and tip-out drawers with more information; extensive labeling with stories identifying characteristics of specific groups of birds; an interactive computer program on bird song; and a 15-minute video on bird flight produced by the Audiovisual Center. Additionally, each bird will have a badge indicating which seasons, if any, one might see the bird in Iowa.
The gallery, which opened in 1904 and has one of the Midwestâs largest collections of North American birds, has had only one facelift in its lifetime and that was 30 years ago, Golden explains. The current renovation project has been in the works for a decade.
Five years ago, an advisory committee comprised of James Fuller, professor emeritus of operative dentistry, Jeffry Schabilion, professor of biological sciences, Jeff Klahn, lecturer in biological sciences, and Vera Jean Fitzgerald, lecturer in biological sciences, began meeting to plan the new components.One new display is a suspended wandering albatross, whose skeleton had been shown in a perched position before the renovation. It now hangs from the ceiling with a wing span of more than 11 feet. Former museum director George Schrimper took apart the skeleton, cleaned it, and repositioned it. Terry Brown, of Minneapolis, designed the flying model that surrounds the skeleton.
Perhaps the most significant development in the gallery, Golden says, is the addition of updated and expanded labels. One can learn, for example, what characteristics distinguish a swallow from other birds or how owls digest rodents. The information has a wide appeal.
“The content is at the college level but presented in language that is less scientific than what might be used in a college lab courseâitâs also suitable for tours of K-12 students,” she says.
As a curator of paleontology in the Department of Geoscience, Golden says sheâs learned a lot about birds in recent months.
“Yesterday I saw a bird,” she says. “I wasnât sure what it was, but when I heard it sing, I said to myself, âThatâs a flicker, I can tell. Before this renovation, I might not have been able to identify it.”
Most of the installation, she notes, should be complete by the end of the month. Staff members will then spend time finishing the gallery before opening it to the public. Two areas that will be open at a later date are “Iowa: The Most Altered Landscape,” which will depict how environmental, cultural, and industrial changes in Iowa have affected birdlife, and “Birds and You,” which will illustrate human relationships with birds and offer tips on how to attract backyard birds.
The museum has more than 30,000 visitors each year, nearly half of whom are schoolchildren and University students. Exhibit designer Bruce Scherting, who came to campus from Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum in Chicago, says the museum is impressive for its size.
“Itâs quite a good collection,” he says. “People are always surprised when they visit.”
To learn more about the museum or to check on the galleryâs progress, see www.uiowa.edu/~nathist.
Article by Sara Epstein
  Â
September 11th, 2006
eeza.csic.es
JUAN JOSEu SOLER*, JOSEu JAVIER CUERVOâ , ANDERS PAPE MĂLLER⥠& FLORENTINO DE LOPE§ *Departamento de Biologi Ěa Animal y Ecologi Ěa, Universidad de Granada â Estacio Ě n Biolo Ě gica de Don Ěana, C.S.I.C. âĄLaboratoire dâEcologie, CNRS URA 258, Universite Ě Pierre et Marie Curie §Departamento de Zoologi Ěa, Universidad de Extremadura (Received 19 March 1998; initial acceptance 28 April 1998; final acceptance 16 June 1998; MS. number: 5827)
ABSTRACT Females may use male nest building to assess male parental quality, and nest size would then be a sexually selected trait. In the barn swallow, Hirundo rustica, females select their partner by his tail length, a character believed to signal good genes. Both sexes participate in nest building, although male participation is negatively related to his attractiveness as reflected by tail length. We tested the hypothesis that nest building is a sexually selected trait: females paired with males of high parental quality (as shown by the male during nest building) may obtain a mate providing large amounts of parental investment, while, as has been shown previously, females mated to attractive (long-tailed) males will acquire mates with good genetic quality. Therefore, since nest building in barn swallows occurs after mating, we predicted a postmating sexual selection process by which the female invests differentially in reproduction depending on the maleâs nest-building effort (reflecting his willingness to invest in reproduction). The volume of material in a nest was related to the maleâs contribution to nest building and, in agreement with our hypothesis, in a multiple regression analysis, male tail length and nest material volume were negatively related to laying date and positively to female investment in reproduction (total number of eggs laid during the breeding season). Moreover, females paired with long-tailed males (which contribute very little to nest building), but using the same amount of nest material as females paired with short-tailed males, reduced the thickness of the nest and hence increased its capacity. Therefore, in the barn swallow two different traits appear to be sexually selected: tail length of males owing to the good genes process and nest-building ability owing to the good parent process. ď 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Nest-building behaviour is often associated with courtship and pair formation in birds. The degree to which this behaviour is used in courtship varies from mere manipulation of a piece of nest material or display of a potential nest site to the building of an entire nest by the male (Collias & Collias 1984). Nest-building behaviour is also used in sexual display by both polygynous and monogamous bird species (see examples in Collias & Collias 1984) in a postmating sexual selection process (Møller et al. 1995). Nest-building behaviour may signal the reproductive condition of individuals and physiologically stimulate a partner (Collias 1964), but there is very little information on the importance of the nest itself and its role in mate choice (Hoi et al. 1994). The nest may indicate parental quality, experience or genetic quality, and females could therefore benefit from mating with a superior nest builder. Nest-building behaviour could provide information to pair members about the quality of the potential partner, and such assessment of mate quality may allow individuals to choose a mate in nonmonogamous species, while in monogamous species assessment may also allow partners to invest differentially in reproduction relative to the quality of the mate (Burley 1986; Møller 1994). In a comparative study of nest size in relation to parental effort in birds, Soler et al. (1998) showed that bird species in which both sexes build the nest have larger nests than those in which only the female builds. Nest size (relative to body size) was positively correlated with Correspondence: J. J. Soler, Departamento de Biologi Ěa Animal y Ecologi Ěa, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain (email: jsolerc@goliat.ugr.es). J. J. Cuervo is at the Estacio Ěn Biologica de Don Ěana, C.S.I.C., Apartado 1056, E-41080 Sevilla, Spain. A. P. Møller is at the Laboratoire dâEcologie, CNRS URA 258, Universite Ě Pierre et Marie Curie, BaËtiment A, 7e Ěme e Ětage, 7 quai St Bernard, Case 237, F-75252 Paris cedex 05, France. F. de Lope is at the Departamento de Zoologi Ěa, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, E-06071 Badajoz, Spain. 0003â3472/98/121435+08 $30.00/0 ď 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour1435
September 8th, 2006
barn-swallows.net
Cliff swallows nest in colonies and often live in close association with humans. Many swallow colonies on buildings and other structures are innocuous. In some situations, however, they can become a major nuisance, primarily because of droppings they deposit. In such instances they may create aesthetic problems, foul machinery, and cause health hazards by contaminating foodstuffs. Their mud nests eventually fall to the ground and can cause similar problems. Parasites found in swallow nests, including swallow bugs, fleas, ticks, and mites, may bite humans and domestic animals, although these are not the usual hosts. In addition, cliff swallow nests are often used by house sparrows, introducing another avian pest and its attendant damage problems and potential health hazards.
September 6th, 2006
Next Posts
Previous Posts