DEC Warns Against Feeding Waterfowl After Finding Dead & Dying Geese
November 21, 2008
Birds Afflicted with a Fungal Disease After Ingesting Moldy Grain
Recently, a dozen Canada geese were found sick or dead on a pond in northern Clinton County by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Wildlife staff responding to a report from a concerned citizen.
The sick geese were disoriented and unable to fly, and all are expected to die. A necropsy of the dead geese determined that they were infected with Aspergillosis, a fungus that grows in the birds’ lungs and air sacs causing respiratory distress and, eventually, suffocation.
Aspergillosis is transmitted to waterfowl by the ingestion of moldy grain, such as bread or livestock feed. It has been known to cause large-scale mortality events in waterfowl, and for every one dead bird recovered, many more may die in remote locations or go unnoticed. Aspergillosis is not contagious and does not present a health risk to humans.
DEC is attempting to locate the food source that contains the fungus. Once located it will be removed and disposed of (or covered) to prevent any further waterfowl deaths.
DEC is asking the public to not feed geese, ducks, and other waterfowl to help prevent this disease and other negative impacts on waterfowl populations. Feeding causes poor nutrition, overcrowding, unnatural behavior, delayed migration, and facilitates the spread of diseases, like Aspergillosis, that may result in death.
DEC recommends that anyone feeding waterfowl, stop before winter sets in, and remove any food, such as bread or corn, that is or may become moldy. In recognition that some insist on feeding, despite the negative impacts on waterfowl, DEC urges the following precautions to prevent the spread of Aspergillosis:
- Only provide enough food that will be consumed in less than a day.
- Remove all food and food remnants from the feeding area at the end of each day.
- Check the food while putting it out and remove any moldy food items.
- NEVER feed moldy bread to any birds - throw it out.
Farmers should keep grain piles covered and dispose of moldy grain or silage by burial or tilling into the soil. Ducks and geese must be discouraged from using areas where moldy agricultural products have accumulated.
Please report diseased or dead waterfowl to your nearest Department of Environmental Conservation Wildlife Office. The phone number of the nearest DEC wildlife office may be obtained from the DEC web site.
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Kids Recommend Osprey to be New State Bird of Florida
November 6, 2008
The osprey is the winner in a statewide vote of fourth- through eighth-graders to be Florida’s new official state bird. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Department of Education teamed up to conduct the election as a civics lesson for the kids.
Students across the state participated in campaign activities at their schools, researching their favorite candidates, designing posters and participating in debates regarding the bird they would most like to have considered for Florida’s state bird as an alternative to the current state bird, the mockingbird.
The civics lesson for the kids doesn’t end with this vote. They also will have the opportunity to follow this initiative as the students’ selection will go through the legislative process to decide if the osprey should become the new state bird. The FWC will prepare a bill for introduction for the 2009 Legislative Session. The bill must be approved by the House, the Senate and Gov. Charlie Crist before the osprey is officially designated as the state bird. Teachers and students can follow this process at www.vote4bird.org
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“This project gave students the chance to participate in the democratic process in a very meaningful way,” said Judy Gillan, outreach coordinator for the FWC. “They learned about exercising their vote, and they will learn about bills becoming laws. It also gave them an opportunity to learn about some of Florida’s greatest species of birds.”
After the osprey, in popularity, were the snowy egret, great egret, brown pelican and black skimmer. More than 77,000 students voted in Florida, with fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders casting the most votes. Broward, Orange and Brevard counties had the most students participating, but students in all counties in Florida were represented in the vote.
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Wildlife Officials to Test Hunter-Harvested Ducks for Avian Influenza
November 3, 2008
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services biologists will collect samples from hunter-harvested ducks to test for highly pathogenic avian influenza – H5N1. Sampling will occur at various times during the migratory game bird hunting season at several duck-hunting hot spots throughout Florida.
Hunters will not need to surrender their ducks, and participation is voluntary. Biologists will obtain the samples by swabbing the ducks’ respiratory and digestive tracts. Scientists at a diagnostic lab will test the samples for avian influenza and other diseases.Â
The sampling is part of a continuing international surveillance effort to determine if migratory birds carry the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza in North America. Last year, more than 65,000 samples were collected nationwide, including more than 1,200 samples from Florida. None of the samples tested positive for the virus, including the 481 collected at check stations in Florida’s wildlife management areas.
While it is extremely unlikely that hunters could contract avian influenza from wild birds in Florida, officials recommend taking common-sense precautions to reduce the risk of contracting any disease from wildlife. For instance, do not harvest or handle wild birds that are obviously sick or found dead; wear rubber gloves while cleaning game; clean game outdoors and stay upwind of game while cleaning; and do not eat, drink or smoke while cleaning game.
It’s also important to wash hands with soap and water immediately after handling game or cleaning bird feeders. Wash tools and work surfaces used to clean game birds with soap and water, then disinfect with a 10-percent bleach solution.
In addition, hunters should separate raw meat, and anything it touches, from cooked or ready-to-eat foods to avoid contamination.
The FWC recommends cooking game birds thoroughly. Meat should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill disease organisms and parasites.Â
For more information about avian influenza and the FWC’s monitoring program, including how to report observations of dead birds, visit MyFWC.com/bird/AvianInfluenza.htm.
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Pennsylvania Game Commission Announces Results of October Board Meetings
October 27, 2008
BOARD TAKES STEP TO EXPAND MENTORED YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES
HARRISBURG – Taking a step forward to grow the agency’s popular Mentored Youth Hunting Program (MYHP), the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to add coyotes to the list of species that may be hunted by youths under the age of 12 while under the supervision of a mentor.Â
The addition of coyotes to the MYHP line-up was recommended by the Governor’s Youth Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation and the Pennsylvania Fox and Coyote Hunters Association.
Under the MYHP, a mentor is defined as a properly licensed individual at least 21 years of age, who serves as a guide to a mentored youth while engaged in hunting or related activities, such as scouting, learning firearm and hunter safety and wildlife identification. A mentored youth is defined as an unlicensed individual under the age of 12, who is accompanied by a mentor while engaged in hunting or related activities.
The mentor-to-mentored youth ratio may not exceed one mentor to one youth, and the pair may possess only one sporting arm while hunting. While moving, the sporting arm must be carried by the mentor. When the pair reaches a stationary hunting location, the mentor may turn over possession of the sporting arm to the youth and must keep the youth within arm’s length at all times.
“As with other MYHP opportunities, mentored youth who choose to hunt for coyotes must do so from a stationary hunting location,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director.Â
The MYHP, first implemented by the Board in 2006, also enables participating youth to hunt for squirrel, woodchuck (groundhog), spring gobbler and antlered deer. Antlerless deer are not legal, so mentored youth may not participate in any antlerless-only deer seasons. Also, if mentored youth are participating in the early or late archery deer seasons, or the late flintlock muzzleloader seasons, they must use the sporting arms legal for those seasons to take antlered deer only.
Youth and mentors are required to abide by all fluorescent orange regulations, and the mentored youth must tag and report any antlered deer or spring gobbler taken. Mentored youth may participate in the youth-only squirrel season and the youth-only spring gobbler day, as well as the general squirrel and spring gobbler seasons.
Youths participating in the Mentored Youth Hunting Program are required to follow the same antler restrictions as a junior license holder, which are two or more points on one antler or one antler three or more inches in length. Mentored youth may only pursue antlered deer, and may only participate in seasons in which antlered deer are legal and must follow appropriate sporting arm restrictions.
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BOARD APPROVES ADDITIONAL URBAN DEER MANAGEMENT OPTION
Continuing to implement recommendations of its Urban Deer Management Plan, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to a regulatory change to allow homeowners associations and nonprofit land-holding organizations to apply for a Deer Control Permit under the same process provided for political subdivisions, such as boroughs and townships.
“In developed landscapes, lower deer populations result in fewer deer human conflicts,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. “And, although we prefer to use hunting to manage deer populations, hunting is not always feasible in an urbanized setting due to safety zone restrictions. We must, therefore, consider alternative herd reduction tools for communities to address their growing deer populations.
“Recognizing that urban deer issues do not always affect an entire township or borough, the Board is proposing to expand the list of authorized Deer Control Permit applicants to include homeowners associations and nonprofit land-holding companies. This does not change the requirements of the review process, but it does make this tool available to more groups experiencing unacceptable levels of deer-human conflicts in developed areas.”
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BOARD GIVES PRELIMINARY APPROVAL TO EXPANDED USE OF CROSSBOWS
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to expand the lawful use of crossbows to include both the archery deer and bear seasons. The Board would need to approve the measure at another public meeting in order for the proposal to take effect, so this change will not be in place for the 2008-09 seasons.
The proposal given preliminary approval also would remove the lawful use of crossbows during the October muzzleloader or late flintlock muzzleloader season.
Other changes made by the proposal would simplify and make the language of the regulations easier to understand.
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BOARD APPROVES SIX STATE WILDLIFE GRANTS PROJECTS
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved six projects that will study or help species of concern in Pennsylvania. The projects approved are funded from an allocation provided by the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program, administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Federal Aid Program.
The SWG program focuses on endangered species prevention and ensuring that common species remain common. To be eligible for SWG appropriations from the federal government, Pennsylvania developed a “Wildlife Action Plan” that focuses on species with low and declining populations and species that are in great need of proactive conservation, by monitoring more abundant species for which Pennsylvania bears a special responsibility in their long-term conservation, and by incorporating habitat-level management rather than case-by-case, species-specific intervention.
“The SWG program has made Pennsylvania a better place for many species of concern and provided managers with important background to improve resource management programs,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. “This work, conducted largely by both local and national partners to our agency, has accomplished great good for wildlife and the environment. But there’s much more work to do, and the cost of doing that research and intervening usually becomes more expensive with each passing year. That’s why the SWG program is critical to Pennsylvania. It makes an important difference for some species before it’s too late.”
Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) can be viewed on the internet by going to the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on “Wildlife” in the left column, and then selecting “Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Action Plan” in the “Wildlife Grants & Programs” box.
The projects approved by the Board today are as follows:
EASTERN WOODRAT (NEOTOMA MAGISTER) MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS: Classroom and on-site instruction (at four, two-day regional workshops), will provide 90 or more resource managers with a foundation for the adaptive management of insular, surface rock communities, emphasizing the delineation of N. magister habitat sites and the avoidance, reversal or mitigation of factors potentially contributing to the decline of this species and ultimately federal listing as a threatened species. Concurrently, a workshop steering committee will form the nucleus of a N. magister recovery team (Jerry Hassinger - $30,000).
STATE GAME LAND 214 (PYMATUNING) WETLAND RESTORATION: This work will restore and enhance 113 acres of emergent and scrub-shrub wetlands for WAP species of high concern (Kurt Dyroff, Ducks Unlimited - $63,000).
TESTING SOLUTIONS TO BAT FATALITIES BY WIND TURBINES: PROACTIVE RESPONSE TO THREATS: This is the first time a wind power facility is participating in a program designed to test deterrence and curtailment options to reduce the threat of wind turbines to bats. This work will ensure substantial and measurable progress in understanding patterns of activity and fatalities and implementing deterrence and curtailment options to reduce fatalities (Ed Arnett, Bat Conservation International - $45,000).
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP NGTC GRASSLAND HABITAT: Improve high quality native warm-season grassland habitat by implementing an ecosystem based restoration plan to benefit 19 WAP priority species. Rehabilitating former grasslands and expanding current grasslands at FIG will have a tremendous impact on the cohesiveness and connectivity of this segmented habitat (Todd Bacastow, Pennsylvania State University - $41,549).
PINEY TRACT IMPORTANT BIRD AREA GRASSLANDS MANAGEMENT: This project will improve habitat at the Piney Tract IBA, a site of global significance to several grassland-obligate bird species of conservation concern. Invasive trees and shrubs will be removed and bird populations will be monitored in response to the removals. The results will help inform additional restoration efforts on similar habitats (Sarah Sargent, National Audubon Society - $30,000).
ANALYSIS OF BREEDING BIRD ATLAS DATA IN PREPARATION FOR PUBLICATION: This effort will compile and analyze data resulting from 5 years of the successful 2nd PA Breeding Bird Atlas that resulted in an average of over 68 birds in nearly all 5,937 blocks. The result is a new comprehensive assessment of all breeding birds, summary of broad distribution and abundance patterns, and thousands of point-specific locations for priority species. The resulting report will focus on new conservation guidance and tools for conservation and management of breeding birds and new evaluation of habitat associations. (Bob Mulvihill, Carnegie Museum of Natural Science at a cost of $120,000).
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BOARD APPROVES THREE LAND DONATIONS
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved three land donations offered in Greene, Lebanon and Luzerne counties to be added to the agency’s network of 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands.
In Greene County, the Board approved accepting a donation of 125 acres in Richhill Township, adjoining SGL 302, which currently is comprised of 1,196.2 acres in Greene and Washington counties. This donation from Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, of Pittsburgh, consists of 60 acres of mixed hardwoods, 35 acres of shrub lands and reverting old fields and 30 acres of agricultural land; of which 20 acres are tillable. There is a small stream originating from ground water and springs on the property that flows into the Enlow Fork of Wheeling Creek. Indiana bats, which are a federal- and state-listed endangered species, are present on or near the property. There is no surface mining taking place on the tract, but there is a 10-foot square fenced vent shaft and a two-acre vent shaft adjacent to the tract, which will need to be subdivided prior to the donation. The entire property currently is being long-wall mined and will be subject to planned subsidence. No evidence was seen of acid mine drainage.
In Lebanon County, the Board approved accepting a donation of 1.99 acres in Cornwall Borough, adjacent to SGL 156, which currently consists of 5,184 acres in Lancaster and Lebanon counties. This donation from Catherine M. Fitzgibbons, Cornwall, is a forested parcel about 4,268 feet long by 20 feet wide and is adjacent to an existing electric transmission line right-of-way on SGL 156. Oak, hickory, black gum and sassafras make up the overstory with arrowwood, witch-hazel, maple-leaf viburnum and blackberry in the understory.
Finally, in Luzerne County, the Board approved accepting a donation of one acre in Dennison Township, which is about 2.3 miles away from SGL 187, which currently consists of 8,186.2 acres in Luzerne County. This donation from Patricia A. Davis, of Greenville, South Carolina, is a detached parcel predominately forested with northern hardwoods and eastern hemlock.
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BOARD APPROVES LAND EXCHANGE IN WARREN COUNTY
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved a land exchange with the Tony L. Stec Lumber Company Inc. that will result in 100 acres of additional land being added to State Game Land 86 in Warren County.
Stec previously was the high bidder on a Game Commission timber sale on SGL 86 and agreed to pay the agency $202,020 for the timber. The Stec family is the owner of a tract of land comprised of 100 acres in Deerfield Township, Warren County, which is an indenture into SGL 86. As the Game Commission is interested in acquiring this tract to protect potential encroachment into SGL 86, the agency and Stec have agreed to the value of $170,000 for the 100-acre parcel.
As part of the exchange, Stec will transfer the 100-acre parcel to the Game Commission, and the agency would credit Stec’s timber contact $170,000 toward the $202,020 commitment.
The property is entirely forested with mostly mixed northern hardwoods to include hickory, oak and cherry. The majority of the tree species are in early forest succession. A small one-acre wetland is located on the property and an unnamed tributary, which supports native brook trout, flows across the property.
SGL 86 currently consists of 14,271 acres in Warren County.
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BOARD APPROVES GAS STORAGE LEASE AMENDMENT
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved a lease amendment with Steckman Ridge to its existing 753.32-acre oil/gas lease on State Game Land 49 in Monroe Township, Bedford County.
The lease amendment consists of the addition of gas storage rights in the Oriskany formation for 82.36 storage acres and 398.6 buffer acres. Steckman Ridge is converting 1,906 acres of the now depleted Oriskany sandstone formation to a natural gas storage field, of which 82.36 acres is under the Game Commission’s ownership.
In exchange for the lease amendment, Steckman Ridge will make a one-time bonus payment of $48,460 to the Game Fund. Steckman Ridge also will pay the Game Commission an annual rental of $15,067 per year or a storage fee rate of three-cents per MCF of the storage field proportionally owned by the Game Commission, whichever the greater.
The project will be regulated by the Commonwealth’s oil/gas regulations and the Game Commission’s standard lease agreement. There will be no surface use of the lease area associated with this proposed gas storage lease amendment. All other terms and conditions of the lease will remain unchanged.
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BOARD APPROVES COAL REFUSE REMOVAL AND RECLAMATION LEASE
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved a lease with CMT Energy Inc., of Brisbin, to mine and remove abandoned coal refuse disposed on a portion of a 20.2-acre tract of State Game Land 60 in Gulich and Beccaria townships, Clearfield County.
The proposed coal refuse removal will entail about 9.3 acres of unreclaimed coal refuse spoil piles. The remaining lease acreage will be utilized for access to the coal refuse removal site, construction of erosion and sedimentation controls and operational support. The accumulated coal refuse royalty value of this proposed project has been calculated at approximately $25,000.
Removal and reclamation of the spoil piles will reduce ongoing pollution into Muddy Run.
Reclamation will be regulated by the Commonwealth’s surface Mining regulations and the Commission’s coal refuse removal and reclamation lease agreement. The five-year lease will include a $10,000 performance bond and environmental protection standards.
Further, CMT Energy will be obligated to carry out a site specific wildlife habitat and reclamation plan as per the direction of the local Land Management Group Supervisor. The reclamation plan will include the development of a 1.5- to two-acre shallow water wetland complex. No merchantable timber is to be affected by this reclamation operation.
In exchange for the coal refuse removal and reclamation lease, CMT Energy will pay the Game Commission a royalty of 10 percent F.O.B pit price or a minimum of $1/ton, whichever the greater for each and every ton of coal refuse mined and removed from the site.
BOARD TAKES OTHER ACTION
In other action today, the Board of Game Commissioners:
- Gave final approval to a series of technical changes to the agency’s regulations governing those operating under a wildlife rehabilitation permit;
- Gave final approval to a series of technical changes to the agency’s regulations governing those operating under a commercial wildlife pest control permit, which will be renamed nuisance wildlife control operator permit, consistent with industry standards. Additionally, those who possess a nuisance wildlife control operator permit will be able to take a second test and become authorized to address nuisance deer situations;
- Gave preliminary approval to a regulatory change to permit the use of electronic calls during the snow goose conservation hunt. The agency continues to await approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on it’s snow goose conservation hunt proposal;
- Recognized the final meetings of Game Commissioners Russell Schleiden and Roxane Palone. While this was the final meeting in their eight-year term, both Commissioners have the option of serving up to an additional six months, or until their successor is confirmed by the state Senate;
- Approved a resolution proposed by Game Commissioner Jay Delaney to support and advocate the implementation of the agency’s Ring-Necked Pheasant Management Plan; and
- Reaffirmed that the Board’s first meeting of 2009 to be held on Jan. 25-27, in the auditorium of the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., just off the Progress Avenue exit of Intestate 81 in Dauphin County.
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Texas Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report - 10/15/2008
October 15, 2008
Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.
North Zone Dove: Rain throughout the Panhandle from a stalling cool front put a damper on the dove flight. Waterfowlers are welcoming the rain as it recharges playa lakes. Doves have been best in milo and sunflowers near Abilene, Amarillo, Dumas and Knox City. More doves have moved into the areas north of Fort Worth. Fields around Paris have been fair to good in the afternoon. Expect more birds in the area with the front. The season ends Oct. 30. Prospects are fair to good.
Central Zone Dove: Lack of hunting pressure has allowed doves to build in Central Texas fields. Brownwood, Stephenville and San Saba have taken birds around watering holes in the afternoon. San Antonio fields have been best in the afternoon on the full moon. Many of the whitewings have been staying in town early then leaving late in the afternoon to feed. Milo and sunflowers near Uvalde and Del Rio have been good for near-limits. Brookshire and Sealy fields of goatweed saw an influx of birds with the recent fronts. Outfitters said few hunters are in the field which has allowed birds to build. The first split of the season ends Oct. 30. Prospects are fair to good.
South Zone Dove: Best hunts in South Texas have come around water in the afternoon. The full moon and dry conditions have been a factor in the evening flight. Forecasted rain this week with the approaching front could put more water on the parched ground. Good hunts have been posted near Laredo, Harlingen, Freer and George West for mourners and whitewings. In the northern portion of the South Zone, El Campo continues to produce limit shoots in fields of sunflowers. A few more birds are showing around Bay City and Collegeport as well. Prospects are fair to good.
Waterfowl Migration: Despite the mild conditions, significant numbers of specklebellies continue to find the rice prairie. Many are finding wet second-cropped rice fields. With rice prices up, quite a bit more rice acreage was farmed on the prairie this year. This bodes well for all waterfowl. Pintails, teal and shovelers are showing on bay flats and marshes. Expect another push of birds with the front moving through Texas this week. Conditions look good in the High Plains Mallard Management Area. The region has received heavy rains during the past two months which has playas in good shape. The youth season in the HPMMA runs Oct. 18-19. The regular seasons runs Oct. 25-26 and Oct. 31-Jan.25, 2009. Duck season for the rest of the state opens Nov. 1.
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New Hampshire Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend Is September 27-28
September 16, 2008
CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire’s 2008 Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days will be held statewide on Saturday and Sunday, September 27-28. To participate, youth must be 15 years of age or younger and must be accompanied by a properly licensed adult age 18 or older. The adult may not hunt. The youth does not need a hunting license or duck stamp.
“The youth weekend is a great way to get kids involved in waterfowl hunting by giving them a chance to go along with an adult who knows the sport, at a time when it’s still fairly warm and when good numbers of birds are around,” said Ed Robinson, a waterfowl biologist for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. “Quality time spent with a child during the youth weekend can help instill in them an appreciation of hunting lore, ethics and our outdoor environment.”
The hunting rules and daily bag limits for young hunters are the same as those for license-holders in the open season. CLICK HERE for specific seasons and bag limits for various waterfowl.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state’s fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats.
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Idaho Chukar Numbers Low Again
September 12, 2008
Chukar numbers in Idaho’s most reliable hot spots are low again this year.
Recent aerial counts at Brownlee Reservoir on the Snake River showed chukar numbers below last year’s and only about one-third of the 10-year average. Observers saw 453 birds, compared with last year’s 506 and the 10-year average of 1,325. This was about 38 chukar per square mile; 111.8 birds per square mile is the 10-year average.
The number of groups of chukar is also down from 70 last year to 61 this year. The average is about 107 groups observed. This is the third year in a row of below average chukar populations at Brownlee, dropping sharply from 2005 when the bird count was 2,085, the second-highest on record.
Idaho Fish and Game upland manager Don Kemner said chukars tend to follow a “boom and bust” cycle affected by severe winter snows and spring nesting success. The winter in the Hells Canyon area was heavier than usual and cut into a carryover of birds that was already low last year. Two years of favorable weather could, however, have chukar numbers back up to a level high enough to bring a smile to a pointing dog’s muzzle.
Chukar hunters had an unusually long run of back-to-back good years from the late 1990s through 2005 at Brownlee with birds per square mile figures of 109 to 174.
Lucky Peak chukar numbers show a less sharp decline, though overall populations around the reservoir east of Boise have never approached those of the Snake River canyon. Observers saw 176 birds there this year, compared with a 10-year average of 243. Birds per square mile are 17.6, compared with an average 24.3. Groups per square mile are 1.7 compared with the average of 2.5. Birds in each group, though, are a bit above average at 10.4 compared with an average 10.2.
Farther north in the Clearwater Region, the chukar news is not much cheerier. Big wildfires in chukar habitat there in 2007 then a wet, cool spring kept numbers low. No counts were done in 2006 and 2007 because of a lack of helicopter availability. Bird numbers are down more than one-third from the five-year average.
Observers saw 64 birds per square mile along the Snake and Salmon rivers, down 34 percent from the 96.6 bird average. Groups seen were down 31 percent from 108.8 average to 75. Those groups, however, averaged a little larger than in 2005 and were only off seven percent from the average of 10.8.
The decline was not as steep on a separate Salmon River count area where observers saw 33 birds per square mile, down from 54 in 2005 and 19 percent off the five-year average. Groups seen were down just nine percent. Birds per group were off from 2005 - from 16 to 11 - but that is just 8 percent below average.