Evaluation of Lorsban®-4E Aerially Sprayed on Sunflower Plots for Bird Repellency

Ripening sunflower fields in the northern Great Plains provide blackbirds with easily accessible sources of high-energy food. As many growers can attest, blackbirds can be nearly impossible to discourage from foraging in favored fields. To date, no single management method has been especially effective at consistently discouraging blackbirds

Using Geographic Information System (GIs) Software to Predict Blackbird Roosting Locations in North Dakota

Cattail stands provide roosting and staging areas for large congregations of blackbirds in North Dakota in late summer and early fall. Since 1991, the U.S. Depamnent of Agriculture, Ammal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (WS) program has conducted a cattail management program in North Dakota to alleviate blackbird damage to ripening sunflower. To extend the capabilities of the program, a geographical mformation system (GIS) will be incorporated to help WS personnel find blackbird roosts more effectively. We will use the GIs to construct field maps showing the association between areas of moderate to hgh sunilower damage (\u3e5%) and cattail-dominated wetland basins \u3e2 ha. Buffer distances comparable to the distances blackbirds typically travel to forage will be placed around sunflower planting areas susceptible to high damage. This will lrclp WS ynsu~ult.l Cutiw heir eKurh un locating cattail-dominated wetlands that should be enrolled in the management program and improving current and fuhlre blackbird damage management programs

Movements of House Sparrows Captured at an Experimental Grain Station in Fargo, North Dakota

From 2 August through 1 October 1993 we banded and leg flagged 362 house sparrows (126 adults, 236 juveniles) captured in a decoy trap at an experimental grain station on the campus of North Dakota State University, Fargo (NDSU). We documented sightings of leg-flagged birds between 3 August 1993 and 14 December 1994. Over this period, 56 (66%) of the total 76 observations of leg-flagged birds were on the NDSU campus; 21 (28%) of the 76 observations occurred between March and December 1994, a minimum of 5 months after the leg flags were attached and following the 1993-1994 winter. Of the 21 observations in 1994, 16 (76%) occurred on campus. The farthest sighting of a leg-flagged bird was 6.5 km (4 mi.) from the trap site. The data indicated that we captured and marked a localized population. A concerted effort based on trapping could reduce house sparrow damage on the small, experimental plots of cereal grains and sunflower grown at the station

HAS AN INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT APPROACH REDUCED BLACKBIRD DAMAGE TO SUNFLOWER?

Since the mid- 1970s many new and modified damage abatement methods have been used to reduce blackbird damage to ripening sunflower in the northern Great Plains. To assess the overall impact of these techniques, we analyzed the dynamic relationship between breeding blackbird densities and sunflower damage. Breeding density estimates were made at both the regional and county levels, whereas, sunflower damage estimates were made at the county level only. Periodic regional estimates of breeding densities between 1967 and 1998 for red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula), and yellow-headed blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) showed no differences among years. To increase our ability to detect changes in breeding density, we started intensive county-level surveys in 1996. These surveys, in four counties in North Dakota and South Dakota, showed that blackbird densities were greater in 1998 and 1999 than during the previous two years. We surveyed sunflower damage in two of these counties from 1994 to 1998 and found no difference in damage (F= 1.8%) among years. In 1997 and 1998, with the two other counties added to the survey, we found that damage was similar between years, averaging 2.2%. Dollar loss per hectare was trending lower in three of the study counties that had a historical database for comparison. This supports the idea that \u27local\u27 breeding densities are not correlated with damage levels. We will continue to use annual estimates of breeding densities and sunflower damage to assess the effects of an evolving Integrated Pest Management program

Neurostimulatory and ablative treatment options in major depressive disorder: a systematic review

Introduction Major depressive disorder is one of the most disabling and common diagnoses amongst psychiatric disorders, with a current worldwide prevalence of 5-10% of the general population and up to 20-25% for the lifetime period. Historical perspective Nowadays, conventional treatment includes psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy; however, more than 60% of the treated patients respond unsatisfactorily, and almost one fifth becomes refractory to these therapies at long-term follow-up. Nonpharmacological techniques Growing social incapacity and economic burdens make the medical community strive for better therapies, with fewer complications. Various nonpharmacological techniques like electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, lesion surgery, and deep brain stimulation have been developed for this purpose. Discussion We reviewed the literature from the beginning of the twentieth century until July 2009 and described the early clinical effects and main reported complications of these methods. © The Author(s) 2010.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Using Color-infrared Photography and GIS Using Color-infrared Photography and GIS

Analyzing changes in habitat features at very large scales requires digital images with both high spatial and spectral resolutions. As part of an experiment to reduce blackbird (Icterinae) damage to sunflower, we used large-scale color-infrared photography to monitor regrowth of herbicide-treated cattail (Typha spp.) in wetlands used by roosting blackbirds. In this presentation we describe the methods used to collect, convert, interpret, and analyze high resolution images

Linear Modeling of Blackbird Populations Breeding in Central North America

Accurate estimates of blackbird populations are needed to develop and assess management programs to reduce blackbird damage to sunflower. Our objective was to use North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) indices to estimate the total blackbird population causing sunflower damage in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota

REDUCING BLACKBIRD-HUMAN CONFLICTS IN AGRICULTURE AND FEEDLOTS: NEW METHODS FOR AN INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT APPROACH

In the United States, blackbirds are abundant and widely distributed. with their winter populations estimated to be between 500 million and 1 billion. Annual damage to grain, fruit, and berry crops from blackbirds exceeds $100 million in direct costs. Additional costs, not estimated, include those spent to prevent human health and safety hazards and those from damage abatement efforts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture\u27s Wildlife Services (WS) is charged with reducing the magnitude of health. safety, nuisance, agriculture, and feedlot/dairy problems caused by these birds. WS\u27 goal is to improve profitability to agricultural producers, enhance the human health and safety, and protect the environment through the development of new or improved management strategies. In this paper, we outline WS research and operational needs to resolve the health, safety, nuisance, and agricultural problems caused by blackbirds. We also discuss needs and actions to protect desirable migratory birds from the negative impacts of blackbirds

Using Geographic Information System (GIs) Software to Predict Blackbird Roosting Locations in North Dakota

Cattail stands provide roosting and staging areas for large congregations of blackbirds in North Dakota in late summer and early fall. Since 1991, the U.S. Depamnent of Agriculture, Ammal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (WS) program has conducted a cattail management program in North Dakota to alleviate blackbird damage to ripening sunflower. To extend the capabilities of the program, a geographical mformation system (GIS) will be incorporated to help WS personnel find blackbird roosts more effectively. We will use the GIs to construct field maps showing the association between areas of moderate to hgh sunilower damage (\u3e5%) and cattail-dominated wetland basins \u3e2 ha. Buffer distances comparable to the distances blackbirds typically travel to forage will be placed around sunflower planting areas susceptible to high damage. This will lrclp WS ynsu~ult.l Cutiw heir eKurh un locating cattail-dominated wetlands that should be enrolled in the management program and improving current and fuhlre blackbird damage management programs

PROGRESS ON CATTAIL MANAGEMENT TO REDUCE BLACKBIRD DAMAGE TO SUNFLOWER

In 1989, the USDA began experimenting with cattail management to reduce sunflower damage caused by blackbirds. Dense stands of cattail, which often hold large numbers of blackbirds in late summer and early fall, were thinned with glyphosate-based herbicide. Based on promising results from initial research, a statewide cattail management program was started by the USDA in 1991