Sunday, June 1, 2008
Do vehicles disturb Oyster Catchers?
Adult birds are captured using a decoy and noose carpet method developed at NCSU (McGowan and Simons 2005b).
A remote-controlled decoy and song playback device is used to lure territorial breeding oystercatchers to a bal-chatri type noose carpet. We mount the decoy on a wooden box containing two radio-controlled servomotors. The motors and controller were adapted from a standard model airplane remote control kit available at many hobby shops. One servomotor turns the decoy from side to side. The second servomotor activates a mercury tip switch that controls an amplified speaker andmp3 player with oystercatcher territorial calls. The device allows us to move the decoy and play calls at will. The noose carpets are made out of four-foot by one-foot panels of one-inch by one inch welded wire fencing. Each panel is covered with hundreds of slipknot “nooses†tied from 50 lb. test clear fishing line. The panels are staked down and covered with one to two inches of sand so that the nooses protrude out of the sand. We place several panels around the oystercatcher decoy in the middle of an active oystercatcher territory (Figure 13). Placing the decoy in an active breeding territory stimulates the resident pair to display to and attack the decoy as if it were a real intruder. The birds tangle their feet in the slip-knot nooses as they approach the decoy.
A remote-controlled decoy and song playback device is used to lure territorial breeding oystercatchers to a bal-chatri type noose carpet. We mount the decoy on a wooden box containing two radio-controlled servomotors. The motors and controller were adapted from a standard model airplane remote control kit available at many hobby shops. One servomotor turns the decoy from side to side. The second servomotor activates a mercury tip switch that controls an amplified speaker andmp3 player with oystercatcher territorial calls. The device allows us to move the decoy and play calls at will. The noose carpets are made out of four-foot by one-foot panels of one-inch by one inch welded wire fencing. Each panel is covered with hundreds of slipknot “nooses†tied from 50 lb. test clear fishing line. The panels are staked down and covered with one to two inches of sand so that the nooses protrude out of the sand. We place several panels around the oystercatcher decoy in the middle of an active oystercatcher territory (Figure 13). Placing the decoy in an active breeding territory stimulates the resident pair to display to and attack the decoy as if it were a real intruder. The birds tangle their feet in the slip-knot nooses as they approach the decoy.
