Current Issue
Community
Sign up to get
Explore
Search
Bay Nature Institute
- Magazine
- Online
- On the Air
- BN Hikes & Outings
- BN Special Events
- About Us
- Contact Us
Connect with us on
RSS Feed
Nest Predation at Picnic Areas
by Alan Hopkins — published October 01, 2007
I can't tell you how pleased I was to read "Nature at the Table: The Many Lives of a Picnic Area" (July-September 2007). As someone who is very aware of, and concerned about, the problems with unintentional and intentional wildlife feeding, I thought I would pass on this quote from Robert Askins's Restoring North America's Birds, about nest predation on the endangered marbled murrelet: "Of 32 nests that were monitored by researchers along the Pacific Coast between 1974 and 1993, 72 percent were unsuccessful, and the leading cause of nest failure was predation of eggs or chicks. Nest predation may be particularly frequent near campgrounds and picnic areas that attract ravens, crows, and other predators. This problem is especially serious in California, where many of the ancient redwood forests are in state or national parks." Many of us who are concerned about protecting endangered species such as the marbled murrelet and western snowy plover ask people to stop logging, fishing, or just running their dogs in sensitive areas. Isn't it time we ask people to stop subsidizing the species that prey on the animals we are trying to protect? Thanks for making people aware of this problem.
Top Stories
Eight Miles at Point Reyes for a Warbler, with Bonus Damselflies and More
Amongst marshes, a salty past, A walk along the Hayward shoreline
Berkeleyans closer to selling backyard produce , Residents want local food sustainability