Coastal Georgia Birding Festival

Paul Sykes co-led two field trips (Harris Neck NWR and Jekyll Island State Park) at the first Coastal Georgia Birding Festival combined with the Georgia Ornithological Society Annual Fall Meeting held October 10-12, 2003.  He also presented a poster on the trapping technique for capturing Painted Buntings for banding as part of the study on annual survival of the eastern population of that species. The gathering also included a National Wildlife Refuge Centennial Celebration.   The festival, celebration, and meeting were held at the Jekyll Island Convention Center (near Brunswick, GA) and were attended by 350 plus people.  Guest speakers were:  Kenn Kaufman, noted author of bird books and lecturer on North American natural history; Dr. Peter Stangel, Director of the Southern Partnership Program for the National Wildlife Refuge Foundation; William S. Hartwig, Chief, National Wildlife Refuge System of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and James Steven Criles, Deputy Secretary for the U. S. Department of the Interior.

Contact Paul Sykes, Athens, GA; 706-542-1237

Captive Seaduck Colony Initiated at Patuxent for Physiological Studies

After extensive planning and field work an initial captive seaduck colony has been established at USGS-Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.  During the spring of 2003, egg collection was conducted in the Lac Malbaie area of Quebec and the Goose Bay area of Labrador for surf scoters and at Redberry Lake, Saskatchewan for white-winged scoters.  Common eider eggs were collected from an island in the Penobscot River of Maine.  Members of the Cree Nation assisted with egg collection in Quebec.  The Canadian Wildlife Service and provincial governments also provided assistance.  Incubation of eggs and propagation of ducklings were conducted at Patuxent facilities. 

Numerous measurements were taken on all ducklings at one day of age and weekly thereafter to establish growth patterns of the two scoter species and eiders.  Mortality of young was greater than expected and could have been related to the extremely wet and humid conditions experienced in Maryland during the summer of 2003.  It is possible that seaducks that normally breed in more northern areas may be more susceptible to fungal infections. 

Pen studies dealing with nutrition, physiology, and behavior will be conducted with the scoters.  The eiders will become part of a study of selenium contamination conducted by researchers of the National Health Laboratory in collaboration with contaminant scientists at Patuxent.  Two new dive tanks are located within the pen complex, and a building is being constructed to enclose the tanks for research.  More egg collection is planned in the spring of 2004 in Quebec and Saskatchewan. 

Volunteer, Leanne Elson, from Labrador, searching for surf scoter nests in dense habitat near a pothole area about 15km southeast of Goose Bay, Labrador.

Research Biologist, Alicia Wells, is assisted with egg collection by a Native American from the Cree village of Chisasibi, Quebec while working near James Bay. 

Contacts Mathew Perry, Laurel, MD, 301-497-5622 and Alicia Wells, Laurel, MD, 301-497-5730

HiLites Contact: Regina Lanning, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 301-497-5509

See Previous HiLites:

January 13, 2003
January 27, 2003
February 4, 2003
February 11, 2003
March 3, 2003
March 17, 2003
March 24, 2003
April 4, 2003
April 18, 2003
April 25, 2003
May 9, 2003
May 23, 2003
June 2, 2003
June 16, 2003
June 23, 2003
July 7, 2003
August 11, 2003