[MDOsprey] (Fwd) Cedar waxwing mortalities
Norm Saunders (osprey@ARI.Net)
Thu, 3 Jun 1999 18:17:08 -0500
Carol Jelich of the Anne Arundel Chapter brings this to my attention and
I thought y'all might be interested.
Norm
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: "Carol Jelich" <jrj_csj@mindspring.com>
To: "Saunders, Norm" <osprey@ari.net>, <dolesh@aol.com>
Subject: Cedar waxwing mortalities
Date sent: Thu, 3 Jun 1999 13:16:22 -0400
This disturbing e-mail was forwarded to me by Britt Slattery of the US Fish
and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office. I'm passing it along to
you for possible MOS interest.
I don't know if this stuff is still planted by the state and counties in Md,
but it shouldn't be. I'm sure what they're describing is actually Eleagnus
angustifolia, Russian Olive, and it's listed as a nasty invasive species by
the Maryland Native Plant Society (even if the birds do love the fruits!)
____________________________________________________________________________
___
-- Carol
From: rick_giovengo@mail.fws.gov
To: <kegiovengo@aol.com>
Subject: Cedar Waxwing Mortalities
FYI
____________________________ Forward Header
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Subject: Cedar Waxwing Mortalities
Author: Terry Tarr at FWS
Date: 04/30/1999 11:49 AM
From: Don Patterson AT 5HA-RLE@5HA~MAIN1 on 04/30/99 10:45 AM MDT
To: Terry Tarr/R5/FWS/DOI, George Haas
Subject: Cedar Waxwing Mortalities
****Please pass this message to SA's, Ecological Services, Refuges
On April 22, Agent Holmes discovered dead birds in the median strip
of The Downtown Expressway in Richmond, Virginia. Eric recovered
approximately 145 dead Cedar Waxwings. The birds appeared to have
been feeding on Elegunes Angustifiola, a shrub, six to fourteen
foot tall which bears a fleshy, pinkish berry in early Spring.
This shrub is used by Virginia Department of Transportation as a
visual, "glare barrier" in Interstate and divided highways in the
area (median) between opposing lanes.
On April 28, we returned with VDOT officials to this scene. 16
more Cedar Waxwings were picked up with 1 Robin and 2 Doves.
After leaving VDOT, we crossed town and saw the same shrub in the
median, east of Richmond. We stopped and recovered 132 Cedar
Waxwing carcasses and 3 Robins.
On April 29, Al Hundley and I searched another area of about one
mile on I64 east of Richmond and recovered 71 Cedar Waxwings, 1
Cardinal, and 1 Robin.
We will search another area today, April 30.
Observations yesterday of Cedar Waxwings indicate that they ;simply
are highly attracted to the shrub and are hit by traffic attempting
to enter or exit the median. We had at first, thought the berry
may be an intoxicant rendering the birds more susceptable to
vehicle collision. We have not ruled that out and lab tests are
pending. But we now believe the birds are just highly attracted
during their migration.
VDOT says they plant this shrub "all over the state". We have
searched maybe 2 miles and have recovered 364 Cedar Waxwings.
We do not know how widespread the use of this shrub is by other
states; hence this alert. This appears to be a significant
mortality issue that is species specific.
SRA Patterson
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Norm Saunders
Colesville, MD
osprey@ari.net