Fellow Ospreyers,
You're invited!!
ALL YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT VULTURES BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK
Hear Dr. James Fraser, a vulture expert, speak on the ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF BLACK AND TURKEY VULTURES on Friday, May 6, 2005, at the 8:00 p.m. meeting of the Anne Arundel Bird Club at Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center, Crownsville.
Dr. Jim Fraser, a leader in the Raptor Research Foundation, will speak on Black and Turkey Vultures, both of which nest in Maryland and Virginia. He will discuss how in the breeding season, pairs spread out across the countryside and seek out nest sites that may be best described as dark recesses. Nest sites include caves, spaces between boulders, hollow trees, spaces under logs and even abandoned houses. Nonbreeding birds may congregate overnight in communal roosts, either permanent roosts, seasonal roosts, or ephemeral roosts. Vultures consume a wide variety of carrion, from road killed rabbits to cows. Recently Virginia's Wildlife Services, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, requested a permit to kill up to 4,000 vultures a year, citing damage to livestock and nuisance roosts. Modeling suggested that this level of kill could substantially reduce the Virginia population. After an outcry from conservation organizations led by American Bird Conservancy, only a smaller kill was allowed. Dr. Fraser will discuss how vulture management will be a matter of conservation concern for the foreseeable future. Jim Fraser is professor of wildlife sciences at Virginia Tech. He received a bachelor's degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources from the University of Idaho and Master's and Ph.D. Degrees fro the University of Minnesota. He has studied threatened and declining bird species for more than 30 years. In addition to vultures, Jim and his students have studied Bald Eagles, Madagascar Fish Eagles, Piping Plovers, and Red Knots. He teaches courses in conservation biology and endangered species management.
Sue Ricciardi for
Gerald Winegrad, Program Chair
Anne Arundel Bird Club |