Date of Award

2010

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Awarded

Master of Science (MS)

Program

Natural Resources Management

Department

Natural Resources Management

College

Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources

Faculty Advisor

Bleier, William

Description

The viability of a management program using DRC-1339 (3-chloro-4-methylanaline hydrochloride) rice bait and live decoy blackbirds to reduce avian depredation on sunflower was assessed. In fall 2007 and 2008, observations were conducted at bait trays attached to decoy traps in central North Dakota. Study participants randomly visited the bait sites for 1-h intervals throughout daylight hours to record numbers, species, and ages (when possible) of blackbirds (targets) and nonblackbirds (non-targets) on the bait trays and nearby baited gravel roadsides. Researchers observed the bait trays for 1011 hand recorded 3,888 birds, representing 25 species, 12 families, and 3 unidentified birds. The red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) (n=3,006) was the most common target species, whereas clay-colored sparrows (Spizel/a pa/Iida) (n=12) and savannah sparrows (Passercu/us sandwichensis) (n=12) were the most numerous non-target species observed on trays. The sparrow family (Emberizidae) was the most prevalent of non-target observations, with 50 individuals representing 8 species and 21 unidentified individual sparrows. Overall risk to non-target species appears minimal, and use by blackbird species was minimal in comparison to the local population. Baited roadsides were used infrequently by blackbirds. Based on this research, use of DRC-1339 rice-baited trays with accompanying live decoys and rice-baited roadsides are not cost-effective methods of reducing blackbird damage to sunflower.

Rights

NDSU policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/33539

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