Woodland birds

A threatened bird, rarely seen in the south, has been recorded and ringed by the West Wilts Bird Ringing Group. Volunteers, who were working in Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Ravens-roost Wood nature reserve, near Malmesbury, recorded and ringed a first-year male lesser spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos minor – the smallest and rarest of the three woodpeckers which can be found in Britain. Once common, the tiny woodpeckers are said to have suffered a massive decline of over 50 per cent in the past 25 years. According to the RSPB, there are only about 1,400-2,900 breeding pairs of lesser spotted woodpeckers in the UK.

A Hawaiian forest bird is being considered by federal officials for the endangered species list.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday it has initiated a year-long review period of a petition to list the iiwi (Vestiaria coccinea) as threatened. The petition was submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity and Life Net. Wildlife officials say the iiwi, known for their bright scarlet feathers, plays a crucial role as a pollinator of native plant species. 'I'iwis breed and winter mainly in wet or moderately wet forests with 'ohi'a and koa as the dominant trees. 'I'iwis spend most of their time foraging on 'ohi'a trees, feeding primarily on 'ohi'a nectar, but also catching butterflies, moths, and other insects. Mamane nectar is another major part of 'I'iwis' diets, and in some areas, the nectar of the introduced banana poka is also an important food source. Accounts of 'I'iwis from the early 1900s described a coevolutionary relationship between the birds, with their long, decurved bills, and the similarly-shaped, tubular corollas of Hawaiian lobelioids. During the past century, though, many of these lobelioids have become endangered or gone extinct, and 'I'iwis now feed mostly on 'ohi'a flowers, which have open, non-tubular corollas.

I enjoy watching the birds at my feeders, but this was a much more entertaining activity in the mid-1990s when I first began feeding birds. I still remember the first time these large, chunky finches arrived, literally just outside my bedroom window. That was back in November of 1993, but I still recall the incident quite clearly. I was still in bed when I heard some unusual bird sounds that I could not recognize. About a dozen or so large yellow songbirds fought with each other for dominance in the “pecking order” hierarchy at my feeders, which were well-stocked with sunflower seed. I am describing the male Evening Grosbeak. The female is more subdued. These hungry birds quickly emptied my small hanging feeders. For several consecutive winter seasons in the 1990s, I hosted Evening Grosbeaks at my feeders. I last saw an Evening Grosbeak in 2000. These large, noisy and conspicuous finches have simply not visited in the last 12 years. At the start of each winter season, I am hopeful that this might be the year the Evening Grosbeaks return. So far, that’s not been the case.

Das Auerhuhn (Tetrao urogallus) ist ein Waldtier. Es besiedelt Nadel-, Misch- und Laubwaldzonen von Schottland über Nordeuropa bis in den Osten Zentralsibirien. In Europa besiedelt es boreale und gemäßigte Zonen oberhalb von 1.000 Höhenmeter. Nur sehr vereinzelt kommt es auch in tieferen Lagen vor wie beispielsweise in Ostpolen und der Niederlausitz. Es ist sehr scheu und stellt große Anforderungen an seine Umgebung. In Mitteleuropa ist es nur noch selten und nur in alten, unberührten Bergwaldregionen anzutreffen, z. B. in Österreich, der Schweiz, Slowenien, dem Bayerischen Wald, dem Fichtelgebirge und im südlichen Berchtesgadener Land. Da es ein sehr geringes Ausbreitungspotenzial hat, sind Kleinpopulationen rasch isoliert. Insbesondere in den ersten Tagen werden als Kükennahrung Ameiseneier sowie Larven und Puppen von Spinnen und Insekten bevorzugt. Die Nahrung der Altvögel besteht vorwiegend aus Nadeln, Trieben, Knospen und Beeren. Auf Waldwegen werden vor allem im Herbst Sandkörner und kleine Steine aufgenommen, die dann als «Magensteinchen» die Nahrung im Magen zusätzlich zerkleinern und zermahlen. Es kommt in der Schweiz nur noch vereinzelt in lichten, strukturreichen Wäldern im Jura, in den nördlichen Voralpen sowie in den zentralen und östlichen Alpen vor. Der Rückgang der Populationen in den letzten Jahrzehnten ist dramatisch und konnte trotz verstärkten Schutz-Anstrengungen in den 90er-Jahren bisher nicht gebremst werden.

Between 1985 and 2005, at least 25 exotic species of wood borers were found to have become established in the United States. Due to the lack of both natural enemies and coevolved tree-resistance mechanisms to control these borers, these exotic species may become destructive and uncontrollable invasive tree pests. One example is the European woodwasp, Sirex noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae), which has become a serious pest in each country to which it has been introduced. Another example is the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), discovered in North America in 2002. Methods to control or eradicate wood-boring insects are still being developed, but the newest methods usually involve application of systemic insecticides, such as imidacloprid through direct trunk injection, soil injection, or soil drench. This chemical moves within trees to reach cryptic larvae as well as affecting adults of some species that feed externally. The desired level of control, however, is seldom achieved by this approach due to unpredictable translocation of insecticides within trees and asynchronous larval development, both of which allow many insects to evade treatment. Moreover, chemical insecticides are usually broadly toxic, resulting in risks to non-target organisms and potential groundwater contamination. Many chemical insecticides and formulations require handling by licensed applicators resulting in prohibitive costs.

The Asian longhorned beetle’s (ALB) recent introduction to the United States is a serious threat to hardwood trees. This beetle has no known natural predator in the United States and the potential to cause more damage than Dutch elm disease, chestnut blight, and gypsy moths combined, destroying millions of acres of America’s treasured hardwoods, including national forests and backyard trees. Recently the insecticide Imidacloprid has presented good results in field applications and is increasingly being used in conjunction with other methods to protect trees and eradicate the pest. The citrus longhorned beetle (CLB), a very close relative of ALB, is a severe pest of citrus, but it also attacks most of the same tree species attacked by ALB. Unlike ALB, however, CLB typically attacks its host in the lower 0.5 metres of the trunk, around the root collar and on exposed roots. Therefore, CLB quickly girdles and kills its hosts. While CLB is also native to Asia (e.g. China, Japan), it has been intercepted twice in the USA (once on bonsai) and in a number of locations in Europe. More alarming are the new CLB infestations found in the Netherlands in 2007 and in Germany in 2008. Furthermore, the first CLB infestation found in Europe, specifically in northern Italy, has continued to expand in the past few years.

The large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis, is the most important pest of replanted coniferous sites in Ireland and throughout northern Europe. If left unchecked, it can kill every young tree on a site. the normal method to control weevils is to use chemicals, but another approach being developed uses more natural methods. Pine weevil is the only forest pest against which chemical insecticide is routinely applied in Ireland and there is a real need to develop an ecologically sustainable management strategy for it. The weevils develop in the stumps of recently cut conifers and emerge as adults which attack newly planted trees, both conifer and broadleaf. Weevils feeding on the bark can kill a young tree within days. The traditional approach is to treat each seedling with insecticide.

The invasive red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), has become the major pest of palms in the Mediterranean Basin. Chemical control against this species is difficult because of its cryptic habits and is mainly based on the repeated application of large quantities of synthetic insecticides. The aim of this work has been to evaluate in the field the efficacy of imidacloprid (Confidor® 240 OD) and Steinernema carpocapsae Weiser with chitosan (Biorend R® Palmeras) as soil and stipe treatments respectively, alone or in combination, against this pest. All treatments significantly reduced the mean number of immature stages of R. ferrugineus per palm. However, there were no significant differences among the different treatments considered. Efficacies ranged from 83.8 to 99.7% for the mean number of immature stages found in the palms and resulted in a significant increase in palm survival compared with the untreated control (75.0–90.0% versus 16.5% respectively). Both imidacloprid and S. carpocapsae in a chitosan formulation proved highly effective against R. ferrugineus in the field, and their efficacies did not significantly change when used in combination.

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) covers 16 million ha of forestland in the southeastern United States, more than half of which consists of plantations. Regeneration pests of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) threaten growth and survival in intensively managed loblolly pine plantations throughout the southeastern United States. The Nantucket pine tip moth, Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock), in particular, often reduces growth of loblolly pine but has been difficult to control with traditional insecticides due to multiple annual generations and multi-year infestations which are difficult to predict in timing and location. Relatively new systemic insecticide products offer a solution in that their efficacy persists through multiple generations and years after a single application. Efficacy of systemic imidacloprid and fipronil were evaluated side by side across multiple sites in Virginia. Significant reductions in Nantucket pine tip moth damage were noted in trees treated with either the imidacloprid or fipronil product compared with check trees. After 2 yr, growth improvement of treated trees relative to controls was modest and not signiÞcant at all sites, but per acre volume indices were significantly greater in treated blocks as a result of higher tree survival. Reduced seedling mortality was attributed primarily to prevention of damage by pales weevil, Hylobius pales Herbst (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), by both insecticide treatments. Control of pales weevil in addition to pine tip moth suggests that systemic insecticide products with a long window of efficacy might control additional nontargeted pests.

Many kinds of lace bugs, family Tingidae, feed on landscape plants throughout the United States. Hosts include alder, ash, avocado, azalea, coyote bush, birch, ceanothus, fruit trees, photinia, poplar, sycamore, toyon, walnut, and willow. Several dozen species of lace bugs occur in the western United States, mostly on trees and woody shrubs. California Christmas berry tingid (Corythucha incurvata), ceanothus tingid (Corythucha obliqua), Western sycamore lace bug (Corythucha confraterna), and the recently introduced avocado lace bug (Pseudacysta perseae) are some of the species that can be pests. Almost any insecticide will control lace bugs if it is sprayed directly onto the insects. Insecticides that are absorbed and move within plants can provide longer-lasting control than contact sprays. Imidacloprid is available to both homeowners and professional applicators. In situations where IPM-compatible insecticides are inadequate, imidacloprid is usually the preferred choice. It may provide season-long control if applied in spring before populations dramatically increase. Imidacloprid can be applied as a foliar spray or soil drench. It can be injected directly into trunks if their diameter is relatively large.