File:Bulletin (Pennsylvania Game Commision), no. 9 (1911) (20492000582).jpg

Title: Bulletin (Pennsylvania Game Commision), no. 9
Identifier: bulletinpennsylv09penn (find matches)
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Pennsylvania Game Commission
Subjects: Game protection; Birds
Publisher: Harrisburg, Pa. : Pennsylvania Game commission
Contributing Library: Penn State University
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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•y Photograph by Ralph B. Simpson, Warren. Fig. 10. NEST OF RUFFED GROUSE One reason game birds are able to persist in spite of their many enemies is that they lay large sets of eggs. that birds are a welcome part of the existence we are enjoying in the world; that they are constantly helping us in our problems of living, and that we therefore wish to protect them. May we not then deem it worthwhile to study the needs of birds that we may better know how to protect and attract them? • I I " - 19 THE ENEMIES OF PENNSYLVANIA BIRD-LIFE If we are to understand birds and help them we must acquaint ourselves with their problem of existence. The foregoing discus- sion has stressed heavily the food-supply of birds, for finding of food is the principal problem in the life of all living creatures. Of but slightly lesser importance however, is the problem of evading or overcoming enemies—and every living thing is faced with this problem also. Disease of birds is sometimes serious; but our regulation of such disease is in the nature of the case almost impossible. Abrupt changes of the weather such as freezes just after rains may cause great loss of bird-life, just as tornadoes, hail-storms, and hurricanes sometimes do; but these factors are largely beyond our control. Forest f^res are terrific scourge, and every possible means should be used to prevent them. Although we cannot regulate tempera- ture, we may save our bird-life from actual starvation at times when ice or deep snow has covered their food-supply, or where for some reason or other their normal food is scarce. Predatory mammals including man, rapacious birds, and reptiles are the most serious direct enemies of bird-life. In regions where Wildcats, Raccoons, Foxes, Skunks, Weasels, Red Squirrels, Oppos- sums, Rats, certain snakes and Snapping Turtles, some hawks and owls. Crows, and occasionally other carnivorous birds are abundant, any of these creatures may be a great menace. Often the ground- nesting birds are particularly preyed upon. If there is an over-abun- dance of these predatory animals a carefully managed campaign of reduction seems to be our only means of improving conditions. Care should be used, however, that blame be laid upon the proper animals. Great injustice may be meted out to certain creatures unless it is certain that these creatures are doing the damage; and too often a wholesale slaughter brings nothing but worse conditions in its wake because the situation was not fully understood in the first place. FEATHERED ENEMIES OF BIRDS Not all birds of prey are enemies of birds. Among the hawks the large Goshawk, somewhat smaller Cooper's Hawk and Duck Hawk, and the small Sharp-shinned Hawk and Pigeon Hawk are the principal enemies of birds. The Goshawk is usually not com- mon but if it does occur is a particular enemy of the Ruffed Grouse. During some winter^ there is a southward movement of Goshawks whichis a serious menace to Pennsylvania bird-life. The Duck Hawk and Pigeon Hawk are also comparatively rare. The Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk are quite common locally and are great destroyers of small birds. The Marsh Hawk, particularly dur-

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