Smith, Kenneth L.

English

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 40 Article 35 1986 Survey of the Interior Least Tern on the Arkansas and White Rivers in Arkansas Kenneth L. Smith Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas  Part of the Ornithology Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons Recommended Citation Smith, Kenneth L. (1986) "Survey of the Interior Least Tern on the Arkansas and White Rivers in Arkansas," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 40 , Article 35. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol40/iss1/35 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This General Note is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu. 94 Proceedings Arkansas Academy off Science, Vol. XXXX,1986Arkansas Academy off ScienceHEIDT, G. A., J. H. PECK, T. SHELDON, and J. D. CLARK.1985. Analysis ofArkansas furharvest records - 1942-1984: 1. Stateand regional accounts. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 39:80-83..PECK, J. H., and G. A. HEIDT. 1985. Amodel to predict Arkansasgray fox fur harvests. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 39:92-94.PECK, J. H., J. D. CLARK, T. SHELDON, and G. A. HEIDT.1985. Analysis of Arkansas fur harvest records-1942-1984: II.Species accounts. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 39:84-88.ROHLF, F. J., and R. R. SOKAL. 1981. Statistical tables, 2nd. ed.W. H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco. 219 pp.TUMLISON, C. R., M.KARNES, and A. W. KING. 1982. The riverotter inArkansas: II.Indications of abeaver-facilitated commen-sal relationship. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 36:73-75.JAMES H. PECK, GARYA. HEIDT, and ANITAJ. GIGGLEMAN, Department ofBiology, University ofArkansas at LittleRock, LittleRock,'AR 72204.DRYOPTERIS CARTHUSIANA AT MT. MAGAZINE,LOGAN, CO., ARKANSASUntil the present, the only verifiable Arkansas population ofthe spinulose wood fern, Dryopteris carthusiana (Villars)H.P. Fuchs (D. spinulosa[O. F. Muell.] Watt), was one discovered by D. M. Moore on 7 August, 1960, at the entrance to Rowland Cave in Stone Co. This populationrepresents the most extreme southwestern population of this species ineastern North America (Carlson & Wagner, Contr. Unif. Michigan. Herb.15:141-162, 1982). Inspite ofthe phytogeographic importance ofthis species inArkansas, itspresence and location has not been known withmuchcertainty.Itwas first reported for Arkansas by Lesquereux (A catalog of the plants of Arkansas, Pp. 346-399 in Owen, Second report ofa geologicalreconnaissance ofthe middle and southern counties ofArkansas made during the years 1859 and 1860, 1860) from "woods". Based on this report,itwas included in state lists by Harvey (Bot. Gaz., Crawfordsville 6:188-190, 1881) and Branner &Coville (A list of the plants of Arkansas, Pp.155-242, in Branner, Annual report of the Geological Survey of Arkansas for 1888, Vol. IV, 1891). Buchholz (Am. Fern J. 14:33-38, 1924)expressed doubt about the presence of this species in Arkansas, in that he could not locate voucher material. Based on a discovery by DwightM.Moore in 1924 (Moore, Am. Fern J. 31:63-71, 1941), Buchholz and Palmer (Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 25:91-155, 1926) reported this speciesfrom the north side of Mt. Magazine, Logan Co., Arkansas. Recent efforts to locate a voucher or plants at that locality were also unsuccessful(Taylor & Demaree, Rhodora 81:503-548, 1979; Taylor, Arkansas ferns and fern allies, 1984, p. 106).On 5 October, 1985, while surveying the status of Woodsia scopulina D. C. Eat. on Mt. Magazine, Ilocated 4 plants of D. carthusiana onthe northside of the mountain, near its summit, in the vicinity of Brown's Spring. This population, associated with three other fern species alsooccurring as peripheral populations (Dennstaedtia punctilobula [Michx.] Moore, Dryopteris marginalis [L.] Gray, and Woodsia scopulina D. C.Eat.), is most probably the population initiallydiscovered by Moore in 1924. Verification of the occurrence ofa Mt. Magazine population extendsthe known range of D carthusiana 300 km to the southwest of the Stone Co. population. The occurrence of this northern species in Arkansasappears to be related to "northern" environmental factors provided inLogan Co. by elevation (860 m) at the top of the tallest mountain in Arkan-sas and in Stone Co. by moderated, cool, moist air blowing froma cave entrance. Based on the known locations of D. carthusiana in Arkansas,it is most improbable that Lesquereau ever saw this species inArkansas during his travels; the earlier attributions of this species in the Arkansasflora must be considered spurius.This research was sponsored, in part, by the State of Arkansas' Nongame Preservation Program Committee, by a faculty research grantfrom Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and by the College of Science, Office of Research, Science and Technology, at the Universityof Arkansas at Little Rock.JAMES H. PECK, Department ofBiology, University ofArkansas at LittleRock, LittleRock, AR 72204.A SURVEY OF THE INTERIOR LEAST TERN ON THE ARKANSAS AND WHITE RIVERS INARKANSASPotential tern sites were first identified by aerial surveillance and then explored by boat. The initial step involved a two-day helicopter searchfor evidence of nesting terns on the Arkansas River from LittleRock to the Oklahoma state line (26 June), and from Newport to St. Charles onthe White River and again on the Arkansas River from Lock and Dam #3 to Little Rock (27 June). Due to a need to refuel frequently, and thelimited availability of refueling stations, the lower 30 miles of the White River and the Arkansas River from its mouth to Lock and Dam #3 werenot surveyed from the air.Allpotential tern colonies identified by air on the Arkansas River, upstream from Little Rock, were visited by boat (1,2, and 8 July), andthe lower White River fromLock and Dam #1 to the Mississippi River and back up the Arkansas River to Dam #2 also was surveyed by boat (17 July).The helicopter, provided by the Corps of Engineers and piloted by Army Reserve pilots, flew at heights of 100 to200 feet above the groundat speeds of 30 to 75 m.p.h. Care was taken not to disturb tern colonies withprop wash. Visits to sandbars upstream from LittleRock were madein early morning (before 9:00 a.m.) and evening (after 6:30 p.m.) hours to avoid exposing young birds and eggs to the heat of the mid-day sun.However, sandbars on the lower White and Arkansas rivers were searched from the water in mid-day due to the late start of that survey.Four rookeries were observed, one of them previously known, on the Arkansas River above Little Rock, and one rookery was found at themouth of the Arkansas River. Approximately 80 adult least terns, 86 juveniles, and 40 eggs were counted at the fiverookeries. No terns were foundelsewhere on the Arkansas River or on the White.The rookery at river mile 147, located on a side channel bar (spoilbank), was surveyed three times. On 1 July, 14 adults and one downychick were found. No eggs or egg fragments were seen. A second trip to the ternery on 19 July proved more fruitful. Eight juvenile birds, sevenof which were highly mobile, and 16 adults were counted. On a third visit, made 27 July, two flying young of the year were seen, but only sixadults and no nests or flightless young. Though adults dive-bombing in one area of the spoilbank indicated that at least one nest was still active,94Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 40 [1986], Art. 35Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1986Proceedings Arkansas Academy off Science, Vol. XXXX,1986 95General Notesit appeared that several adult and juvenile birds had left the rookery.Farther upstream at river mile 161.5, four adult birds were counted 1 July on a large side-channel bar. No juveniles, eggs, or nests werefound, although three nests with three eggs each plus six empty nests and 16 adult birds had been observed there 26 May (Carroll Green pers.comm. 30 May 1985), and 30 adults, five flying young, and a nest with one hatching and one egg were found on 14 July 1984.Amid-channel sandbar at river mile 240.4 provided habitat for ten adult birds. No juveniles and only one scrape with two eggs were counted.Fragments ofthree other eggs were discovered, possible indications that juvenile birds were on the island. The observation of an adult tern carryinga minnow also suports the possibility of young birds having been present.A rookery located on a mid-channel sandbar at river mile 275 was the largest ternery on the Arkansas River above Little Rock. Twenty- fouradults, seven juvenile birds (one of which was dead), and 36 eggs were found. Twenty nests, several of which contained eggs, were observed justdownstream of river mile 275 on 4 July 1981. Closer to Fort Smith, six nests and three eggs were found in June 1958. In June 1959 two nestswere discovered, and later in July, two juveniles were observed at the same site.Downstream on a side-channel sandbar at the mouth of the Arkansas River (Mississippi River mile 582) was the second largest tern colonyever reported in the state. More than 20 adults and 70 juvenile birds were counted along a two-mile stretch ofbeach on the Mississippi River sideof the island.The distribution of interior least terns on the Arkansas River is determined by water levels. As terns move upriver into Arkansas, they settleonly on exposed sandbars. Because sandbars on the lower reach of the Arkansas River from LittleRock to its confluence with the MississippiRiver and the White River from Newport to the navigation channel often are inundated in May and early June, these lower river sections probablyare bypassed by terns. Therefore, inMay and June, the beginning of the tern nesting season inArkansas, terns willbe found upstream wheresandbars are exposed.The slope of the Arkansas River also has much to do with the location of terns and their rookeries. In the river's upper reach, the slopeis greater—which causes the river to cut deeper into the channel, therefore creating higher sandbars. Below LittleRock, the slope is less, theriver is broader, and sandbars are flatter, more spread out. Consequently, it takes less water (volume) to inundate downstream sandbars, whichoften can remain wet into June or early July.Because of its location, the sandbar at the mouth of the Arkansas River is not influenced significantly by water levels on the Arkansas. Mostof the island borders the Mississippi River and the rookery here actually should be considered a Mississippi River colony. However, since it wasfound as part of the Arkansas River survey, it is included in this report.Incontrast to the Arkansas River, sandbars on the White River are not as extensive. The channel of the White River is narrower and muchmore convoluted. Long, wide bends, ideal for the deposition of sand and gravel and common on the Arkansas River, are absent on the White.Sandbars on the White River, therefore, are smaller and usually are found on the inside bend of the channel. These areas normally remain underwater into June. Together, the lack ofsandbars and high water levels prohibit the use ofthe White River and itsmajor tributaries for least tern nesting.Colonies of interiorleast terns on the Arkansas River are vulnerable to several threats including high water levels, dredging operations, cattlegrazing and all-terrain-vehicle (ATV)use. Of these, high water is probably the most serious threat to rookeries and the most difficult to control,given the unpredictability of Arkansas weather and the frequence of summer flooding in the state. For example, the sandbar downstream of FortSmith that had a rookery on itin June 1981 was under water the next year. Had terns reused the island in 1982, eggs and newly hatched chickswouldhave been swept away. After such an experience, itmight take several days or weeks before adult terns would attempt to renest. To illustratefurther the potential threat, high water levels have been recorded at river mile 275, in May and June, six times in the last five years.Considerable habitat destruction occurred at three of the fiverookeries surveyed this year. The rookery at river mile 147 may have beenimpacted by a bulldozer leveling spoil material from a nearby dredging operation on 1 July 1985. Only one chick, no eggs, and very few scrapswere found in an area which had been leveled recently. A part of the rookery apparently survived the bulldozing since eight juvenile birds werediscovered in an undisturbed area on 19 July.Dredging itself, posed no threat to tern colonies since no sandbars used by the terns were located in the navigation channel. The depositionof spoil during the nesting season, though, could cause serious problems for the Arkansas River rookeries.Unusual as itmay be, at river mile 161.5, cattle may have reduced a thriving colony of least terns and young in 1984 and on 26 May 1985to only four adult birds by 1 July 1985. The sandbar, one ofthe most extensive surveyed on the Arkansas River, was covered with cattle tracks.On the other hand, eggs and juvenile birds observed inMay could have developed into fledged young by July and left the sandbar along withthe adult terns.At river mile 240.4, ATVs were a serious threat to a rookery. ATV tracks criss-crossed the primary nesting area on the sandbar. Severalscrapes were located, but only one scrape had eggs and no young or tracks of young were discovered. Spent rockets and fireworks also coveredthe area. The fourth of July, no doubt, is a peak period for ATV recreationists on the Arkansas.The author appreciates the valuable contributions made to the interior least tern survey by the LittleRock District of the Corps of Engineersand the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. As noted earlier, the Corps procured a helicopter and pilots for the aerial survey and provideda river-worthy boat for the lower Arkansas River survey. The Game and Fish Commission made available a truck and boat for the upper ArkansasRiver tern survey. The contributions of biologists Clyde Gates (Corp of Engineers) and Craig Uyeda (Game and Fish Commission) are noted withappreciation. Gates and Uyeda stayed with the survey throughout its duration and assisted in many ways.The assistance provided by BillShepherd of The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission was invaluable. Billprovided excellent guidanceat every phase of the project, and his keen eyes and expert identification skills kept me from mistaking killdeer for terns. Lance Peacock of theArkansas Nature Conservancy assisted by participating inthe aerial survey. Special thanks are extended to Carol Smaniotto for typing the report.KENNETHLEE SMITH, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, The Heritage Center, Suite 200, 225 East Markham, LittleRock, AR 72201.ADDITIONALRECORDS OF DISTRIBUTION AND HOSTSFOR THE BAT BUG, CIMEXPILOSELLUS INARKANSASThe bag bug, Cimex pilosellus Harvath, is a wingless, parasitic insect approximately 6mm in length. Itis a common ectoparasite of manychiropteran species. As reported by Usinger (1966, Monograph of Cimicidae, Entomol. Soc. Amer., College Park, Maryland) this insect usuallystays in the roost while bats forage. Itis in the roost that the insect obtains its blood meal.The initialrecord of C. pilosellus, inArkansas was reported by Price et. al. (1982, Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 37:98). This record was obtained95Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 40 [1986], Art. 35https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol40/iss1/35

Survey of the Interior Least Tern on the Arkansas and White Rivers in Arkansas

ScholarWorks@UARK

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 40 Article 351986Survey of the Interior Least Tern on the Arkansasand White Rivers in ArkansasKenneth L. SmithArkansas Natural Heritage CommissionFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasPart of the Ornithology Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology CommonsThis article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able toread, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking priorpermission from the publisher or the author.This General Note is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the ArkansasAcademy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu, ccmiddle@uark.edu.Recommended CitationSmith, Kenneth L. (1986) "Survey of the Interior Least Tern on the Arkansas and White Rivers in Arkansas," Journal of the ArkansasAcademy of Science: Vol. 40 , Article 35.Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol40/iss1/3594 Proceedings Arkansas Academy off Science, Vol. XXXX,1986Arkansas Academy off ScienceHEIDT, G. A., J. H. PECK, T. SHELDON, and J. D. CLARK.1985. Analysis ofArkansas furharvest records - 1942-1984: 1. Stateand regional accounts. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 39:80-83..PECK, J. H., and G. A. HEIDT. 1985. Amodel to predict Arkansasgray fox fur harvests. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 39:92-94.PECK, J. H., J. D. CLARK, T. SHELDON, and G. A. HEIDT.1985. Analysis of Arkansas fur harvest records - 1942-1984: II.Species accounts. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 39:84-88.ROHLF, F. J., and R. R. SOKAL. 1981. Statistical tables, 2nd. ed.W. H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco. 219 pp.TUMLISON, C. R., M.KARNES, and A. W. KING. 1982. The riverotter inArkansas: II.Indications of abeaver-facilitated commen-sal relationship. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 36:73-75.JAMES H. PECK, GARYA. HEIDT, and ANITAJ. GIGGLEMAN, Department ofBiology, University ofArkansas at LittleRock, LittleRock,'AR 72204.DRYOPTERIS CARTHUSIANA AT MT. MAGAZINE,LOGAN, CO., ARKANSASUntil the present, the only verifiable Arkansas population ofthe spinulose wood fern, Dryopteris carthusiana (Villars)H.P. Fuchs (D. spinulosa[O. F. Muell.] Watt), was one discovered by D. M. Moore on 7 August, 1960, at the entrance to Rowland Cave in Stone Co. This populationrepresents the most extreme southwestern population of this species ineastern North America (Carlson & Wagner, Contr. Unif. Michigan. Herb.15:141-162, 1982). Inspite ofthe phytogeographic importance ofthis species inArkansas, itspresence and location has not been known withmuchcertainty.Itwas first reported for Arkansas by Lesquereux (A catalog of the plants of Arkansas, Pp. 346-399 in Owen, Second report ofa geologicalreconnaissance ofthe middle and southern counties ofArkansas made during the years 1859 and 1860, 1860) from "woods". Based on this report,itwas included in state lists by Harvey (Bot. Gaz., Crawfordsville 6:188-190, 1881) and Branner &Coville (A list of the plants of Arkansas, Pp.155-242, in Branner, Annual report of the Geological Survey of Arkansas for 1888, Vol. IV, 1891). Buchholz (Am. Fern J. 14:33-38, 1924)expressed doubt about the presence of this species in Arkansas, in that he could not locate voucher material. Based on a discovery by DwightM.Moore in 1924 (Moore, Am. Fern J. 31:63-71, 1941), Buchholz and Palmer (Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 25:91-155, 1926) reported this speciesfrom the north side of Mt. Magazine, Logan Co., Arkansas. Recent efforts to locate a voucher or plants at that locality were also unsuccessful(Taylor & Demaree, Rhodora 81:503-548, 1979; Taylor, Arkansas ferns and fern allies, 1984, p. 106).On 5 October, 1985, while surveying the status of Woodsia scopulina D. C. Eat. on Mt. Magazine, Ilocated 4 plants of D. carthusiana onthe northside of the mountain, near its summit, in the vicinity of Brown's Spring. This population, associated with three other fern species alsooccurring as peripheral populations (Dennstaedtia punctilobula [Michx.] Moore, Dryopteris marginalis [L.] Gray, and Woodsia scopulina D. C.Eat.), is most probably the population initiallydiscovered by Moore in 1924. Verification of the occurrence ofa Mt. Magazine population extendsthe known range of D carthusiana 300 km to the southwest of the Stone Co. population. The occurrence of this northern species in Arkansasappears to be related to "northern" environmental factors provided inLogan Co. by elevation (860 m) at the top of the tallest mountain in Arkan-sas and in Stone Co. by moderated, cool, moist air blowing froma cave entrance. Based on the known locations of D. carthusiana in Arkansas,it is most improbable that Lesquereau ever saw this species inArkansas during his travels; the earlier attributions of this species in the Arkansasflora must be considered spurius.This research was sponsored, in part, by the State of Arkansas' Nongame Preservation Program Committee, by a faculty research grantfrom Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and by the College of Science, Office of Research, Science and Technology, at the Universityof Arkansas at Little Rock.JAMES H. PECK, Department ofBiology, University ofArkansas at LittleRock, LittleRock, AR 72204.A SURVEY OF THE INTERIOR LEAST TERN ON THE ARKANSAS AND WHITE RIVERS INARKANSASPotential tern sites were first identified by aerial surveillance and then explored by boat. The initial step involved a two-day helicopter searchfor evidence of nesting terns on the Arkansas River from LittleRock to the Oklahoma state line (26 June), and from Newport to St. Charles onthe White River and again on the Arkansas River from Lock and Dam #3 to Little Rock (27 June). Due to a need to refuel frequently, and thelimited availability of refueling stations, the lower 30 miles of the White River and the Arkansas River from its mouth to Lock and Dam #3 werenot surveyed from the air.Allpotential tern colonies identified by air on the Arkansas River, upstream from Little Rock, were visited by boat (1,2, and 8 July), andthe lower White River fromLock and Dam #1 to the Mississippi River and back up the Arkansas River to Dam #2 also was surveyed by boat (17 July).The helicopter, provided by the Corps of Engineers and piloted by Army Reserve pilots, flew at heights of 100 to200 feet above the groundat speeds of 30 to 75 m.p.h. Care was taken not to disturb tern colonies withprop wash. Visits to sandbars upstream from LittleRock were madein early morning (before 9:00 a.m.) and evening (after 6:30 p.m.) hours to avoid exposing young birds and eggs to the heat of the mid-day sun.However, sandbars on the lower White and Arkansas rivers were searched from the water in mid-day due to the late start of that survey.Four rookeries were observed, one of them previously known, on the Arkansas River above Little Rock, and one rookery was found at themouth of the Arkansas River. Approximately 80 adult least terns, 86 juveniles, and 40 eggs were counted at the fiverookeries. No terns were foundelsewhere on the Arkansas River or on the White.The rookery at river mile 147, located on a side channel bar (spoilbank), was surveyed three times. On 1 July, 14 adults and one downychick were found. No eggs or egg fragments were seen. A second trip to the ternery on 19 July proved more fruitful. Eight juvenile birds, sevenof which were highly mobile, and 16 adults were counted. On a third visit, made 27 July, two flying young of the year were seen, but only sixadults and no nests or flightless young. Though adults dive-bombing in one area of the spoilbank indicated that at least one nest was still active,94Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 40 [1986], Art. 35Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1986Proceedings Arkansas Academy off Science, Vol. XXXX,1986 95General Notesit appeared that several adult and juvenile birds had left the rookery.Farther upstream at river mile 161.5, four adult birds were counted 1 July on a large side-channel bar. No juveniles, eggs, or nests werefound, although three nests with three eggs each plus six empty nests and 16 adult birds had been observed there 26 May (Carroll Green pers.comm. 30 May 1985), and 30 adults, five flying young, and a nest with one hatching and one egg were found on 14 July 1984.Amid-channel sandbar at river mile 240.4 provided habitat for ten adult birds. No juveniles and only one scrape with two eggs were counted.Fragments ofthree other eggs were discovered, possible indications that juvenile birds were on the island. The observation of an adult tern carryinga minnow also suports the possibility of young birds having been present.A rookery located on a mid-channel sandbar at river mile 275 was the largest ternery on the Arkansas River above Little Rock. Twenty- fouradults, seven juvenile birds (one of which was dead), and 36 eggs were found. Twenty nests, several of which contained eggs, were observed justdownstream of river mile 275 on 4 July 1981. Closer to Fort Smith, six nests and three eggs were found in June 1958. In June 1959 two nestswere discovered, and later in July, two juveniles were observed at the same site.Downstream on a side-channel sandbar at the mouth of the Arkansas River (Mississippi River mile 582) was the second largest tern colonyever reported in the state. More than 20 adults and 70 juvenile birds were counted along a two-mile stretch ofbeach on the Mississippi River sideof the island.The distribution of interior least terns on the Arkansas River is determined by water levels. As terns move upriver into Arkansas, they settleonly on exposed sandbars. Because sandbars on the lower reach of the Arkansas River from LittleRock to its confluence with the MississippiRiver and the White River from Newport to the navigation channel often are inundated in May and early June, these lower river sections probablyare bypassed by terns. Therefore, inMay and June, the beginning of the tern nesting season inArkansas, terns willbe found upstream wheresandbars are exposed.The slope of the Arkansas River also has much to do with the location of terns and their rookeries. In the river's upper reach, the slopeis greater — which causes the river to cut deeper into the channel, therefore creating higher sandbars. Below LittleRock, the slope is less, theriver is broader, and sandbars are flatter, more spread out. Consequently, it takes less water (volume) to inundate downstream sandbars, whichoften can remain wet into June or early July.Because of its location, the sandbar at the mouth of the Arkansas River is not influenced significantly by water levels on the Arkansas. Mostof the island borders the Mississippi River and the rookery here actually should be considered a Mississippi River colony. However, since it wasfound as part of the Arkansas River survey, it is included in this report.Incontrast to the Arkansas River, sandbars on the White River are not as extensive. The channel of the White River is narrower and muchmore convoluted. Long, wide bends, ideal for the deposition of sand and gravel and common on the Arkansas River, are absent on the White.Sandbars on the White River, therefore, are smaller and usually are found on the inside bend of the channel. These areas normally remain underwater into June. Together, the lack ofsandbars and high water levels prohibit the use ofthe White River and itsmajor tributaries for least tern nesting.Colonies of interiorleast terns on the Arkansas River are vulnerable to several threats including high water levels, dredging operations, cattlegrazing and all-terrain-vehicle (ATV)use. Of these, high water is probably the most serious threat to rookeries and the most difficult to control,given the unpredictability of Arkansas weather and the frequence of summer flooding in the state. For example, the sandbar downstream of FortSmith that had a rookery on itin June 1981 was under water the next year. Had terns reused the island in 1982, eggs and newly hatched chickswouldhave been swept away. After such an experience, itmight take several days or weeks before adult terns would attempt to renest. To illustratefurther the potential threat, high water levels have been recorded at river mile 275, in May and June, six times in the last five years.Considerable habitat destruction occurred at three of the fiverookeries surveyed this year. The rookery at river mile 147 may have beenimpacted by a bulldozer leveling spoil material from a nearby dredging operation on 1 July 1985. Only one chick, no eggs, and very few scrapswere found in an area which had been leveled recently. A part of the rookery apparently survived the bulldozing since eight juvenile birds werediscovered in an undisturbed area on 19 July.Dredging itself, posed no threat to tern colonies since no sandbars used by the terns were located in the navigation channel. The depositionof spoil during the nesting season, though, could cause serious problems for the Arkansas River rookeries.Unusual as itmay be, at river mile 161.5, cattle may have reduced a thriving colony of least terns and young in 1984 and on 26 May 1985to only four adult birds by 1 July 1985. The sandbar, one ofthe most extensive surveyed on the Arkansas River, was covered with cattle tracks.On the other hand, eggs and juvenile birds observed inMay could have developed into fledged young by July and left the sandbar along withthe adult terns.At river mile 240.4, ATVs were a serious threat to a rookery. ATV tracks criss-crossed the primary nesting area on the sandbar. Severalscrapes were located, but only one scrape had eggs and no young or tracks of young were discovered. Spent rockets and fireworks also coveredthe area. The fourth of July, no doubt, is a peak period for ATV recreationists on the Arkansas.The author appreciates the valuable contributions made to the interior least tern survey by the LittleRock District of the Corps of Engineersand the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. As noted earlier, the Corps procured a helicopter and pilots for the aerial survey and provideda river-worthy boat for the lower Arkansas River survey. The Game and Fish Commission made available a truck and boat for the upper ArkansasRiver tern survey. The contributions of biologists Clyde Gates (Corp of Engineers) and Craig Uyeda (Game and Fish Commission) are noted withappreciation. Gates and Uyeda stayed with the survey throughout its duration and assisted in many ways.The assistance provided by BillShepherd of The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission was invaluable. Billprovided excellent guidanceat every phase of the project, and his keen eyes and expert identification skills kept me from mistaking killdeer for terns. Lance Peacock of theArkansas Nature Conservancy assisted by participating inthe aerial survey. Special thanks are extended to Carol Smaniotto for typing the report.KENNETHLEE SMITH, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, The Heritage Center, Suite 200, 225 East Markham, LittleRock, AR 72201.ADDITIONALRECORDS OF DISTRIBUTION AND HOSTSFOR THE BAT BUG, CIMEXPILOSELLUS INARKANSASThe bag bug, Cimex pilosellus Harvath, is a wingless, parasitic insect approximately 6mm in length. Itis a common ectoparasite of manychiropteran species. As reported by Usinger (1966, Monograph of Cimicidae, Entomol. Soc. Amer., College Park, Maryland) this insect usuallystays in the roost while bats forage. Itis in the roost that the insect obtains its blood meal.The initialrecord of C. pilosellus, inArkansas was reported by Price et. al. (1982, Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci. 37:98). This record was obtained95Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 40 [1986], Art. 35http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol40/iss1/35

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Survey of the Interior Least Tern on the Arkansas and White Rivers in Arkansas

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