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Scent Trails and NestboxesIn addition to Messages that have appeared in the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic, the following are on the Audubon Society of Omaha website: The study of nesting birds raises the question of the effect of observer presence on breeding success Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 08:17:10 -0700 Hi Haleya and all: I am repeatedly amazed at the "experts" who continue to repeat the "conventional wisdom" that approaching the nestbox by the same path will lead predators to it. This is about as sound as the old adage that if you touch the baby birds the mother will desert the nest. Poppycock! (Whatever that means :)) I have worked with trained search dogs for over 25 years and am asked to give lectures on scent and scent behavior in dogs. As a wildlife biologist, I've observed wild animals and cannot help but make comparison in the modes of operation. Predatory mammals depend on their scenting ability or their eyesight to successfully prey on other animals. The cat will observe birds' comings and goings to a nestbox, or see a mole or gopher pop into a hole. Having seen the activity, they use patience and quick reflexes to lie in wait till opportunity presents itself. Nocturnal hunters -- raccoon, opossum, skunk-- rely almost entirely on their scenting ability. Canids-- fox, coyote, wolf, dog -- will more likely track or trail their prey and then run them down. A mountain lion uses a combination of patience (lying in wait) and a terrific burst of speed for a short distance. My main premise is that few of these animals consider man as prey. Therefore, why follow man's footsteps to find food? The only reason predators follow in man's footsteps is because he has trodden the grass down to make a path (game trail) which is easier to walk on than pushing through high grass or shrubbery and stepping over fallen limbs, etc. I can assure you, none of the predators needs help in smelling the nest with eggs, adult, or baby birds in it. I recently noticed my 3-yr-old trained German Shepherd walking with me on my initial visit to a nestbox trail we hadn't been on since last July. After she figured out what I was doing, she would trot ahead and sit in front of the next nestbox -- often unseen from our approach route. It was helpful for me -- I depend on my map to locate each box in this particular park. She wasn't smelling birds -- she was smelling the box(!); probably with some remembrance of the scent of the place from last year. A dog has 44 times more scent receptacles in the nose than a human; 8 times more brain cells devoted to memory of scent; probably 100,000 times more ability to scent than we. I can talk for hours on the subject, but trust me. Your repeated approach to your nestboxes is NOT why the predators find the nest. They would find it anyway. Now quit wasting your time on alternate routes, etc., and work on raising the boxes on elevator poles, hanging them from tree limbs, installing predator guards or something useful. And scoff at the "experts" who certainly would never touch a baby -- cause you know what would happen. Have a good season. Hatch Graham Haleya Priest wrote: Hi Hatch, ... Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 13:59:01 -0400 Ok Friends... here is the scoop from my local expert(first let me say Hatch Graham is one of my all time favorite people on any list--so I do not dispute a word he says out of respect and civility and admiration and also the fact I know nothing about his field of knowledge) But mostly because I think he is one of the Outstanding Gentlemen that makes this such a good list--simple as that. Notwithstanding the foregoing(I am in love with that phrase), I checked with my local secret expert who remains nameless and does not belong to this list. Plus I have some knowledge about training coons and smelling skunks and the management of garbage. Now I give testimony on how our local 'coons behave and how they are trained. I walk around the nestbox. Our coons follow ME. They know that I am the guy who is very responsible about being in charge of garbage. When I circle the box they know sooner or later if we follow this guy we are going to get an easy meal namely garbage--or many times missing fries from a McDonald's Happy meal along the side of the trail. But if I walk straight to the box and back they think I am in the box with my fries and come looking for me and/or my garbage and happen to run across a bird. They would much rather take the easy road to my garbage than struggle with a pole and burn energy climbing and clawing when following old Wendell is an easy road to the garbage dump and they have learned to trust me! Of course when my Golden Retriever--Butter Bear--was alive it was a different story--but now that his ashes are spread-skunks and coons and 'possums show more respect as to where they walk because they know if they step on hallowed ground they will be blasted to kingdom come, no questions asked! Now I realize things in California are different. Wendell Long PS: Thanks Hatch for usual interesting, informative post. Good to hear from you!
From: "Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana" yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net When walking to my nest boxes, I try to change my walking pattern each time so as not to make a "trail". Whether this makes a difference or not, I'm not for sure, but it makes me feel better anyway. I know my dogs will take the easiest path thru anything. Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: "Gary Springer" springer"at"alltel.net Hi all, I've always been amazed how a canine following a trail by scent can so quickly determine in which direction the trail leads. It seems there would be no distinguishable difference in the strength of the scent in either direction after an hour or two considering the entire scent trail may have been made in a minute or less. It seems probable that predators such as foxes and snakes and other animals such as deer that rely upon scent for defense must have a scent based mental image of their surroundings as clear as our visual mental images. Judging by my experiences of observing deer and fox from elevated stands of various heights, the odds of a bluebird nest being detected by snakes and other predators that rely upon scent greatly decreases with each foot of additional height the nest box is mounted. Gary Springer PS Yesterday I slowly made my way through the forest carefully panning the area with a pair of binoculars hoping to spot deer before they spotted me. If you do this while walking into the wind you will be surprised at how many more deer, fox, and other animals you will see. John's description of waking the sleeping fox by tossing pebbles is one I've experienced with deer many times. If you don't make a great deal of noise and these animals don't scent you, they will quite often spot you just a little before you spot them, and, if you use binoculars, you will very often see them before they see you, or in many other cases, well before they feel threatened by your approach. Anyway, I did get within about 60 feet of a small doe. Some sound I made must have startled it and it startled me equally as it's brown coat completely filled the view inside my binoculars. But, I had spotted it before it knew what had awakened it from its midday sleep so it only bounded a distance of 20 or 30 feet. Frozen in my position, I panned the area further and located another doe about 120 feet away. It was looking in every direction but mine as it scanned the woods trying to figure what all the commotion was about. Quite by accident I learned that if I whistle a single soft extended sorrowful note beginning with a high pitch then dropping to a lower one, sort of like an Eastern Wood Pewee, animals seem to drop their guard and become more curious than alarmed. I whistled in this manner a couple times and suddenly I heard something coming towards me from the other side of the hill. A red fox, probably thinking it was about to get an easy meal, came to within about 60 feet, but, unlike deer, the fox has not only an awesome sense of smell but great vision too. When it saw me, it burst into a sprint and in an instant put the trunk of a large oak tree between us and I never saw the fox again as it increased the distance between us. A fox is one slick animal. The deer stood around for a few more moments then slowly made their way up
the hill and out of sight, apparently still unaware of what had awoken them from
their sleep. Keith & Sandy Kridler wrote: ... |
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