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F. G. Buckley

Publications and source records attributed to F. G. Buckley.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2010

Highly variable acquisition rates of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) by birds on an Atlantic barrier island

Acquisition of ticks by bird hosts is a central process in the transmission cycles of many tick-borne zoonoses, but tick recruitment by birds has received little direct study. We documented acquisition of Ixodes scapularis Say on birds at Fire Island, NY, by removing ticks from mist-netted birds, and recording the number of ticks on birds recaptured within 4 d of release. Eight bird species acquired at least 0.8 ticks bird −1 day −1 during the seasonal peak for at least one age class of I. scapularis . Gray Catbirds, Eastern Towhees, Common Yellowthroats, and Northern Waterthrushes collectively accounted for 83% of all tick acquisitions; and six individuals apportioned among Black-billed Cuckoo, Gray Catbird, Eastern Towhee, and Common Yellowthroat were simultaneously infested with both larvae and nymphs. Bird species with the highest acquisition rates were generally ground foragers, whereas birds that did not acquire ticks in our samples generally foraged above the ground. Tick acquisition by birds did not differ between deciduous and coniferous forests. Among the 15 bird species with the highest recruitment rates, acquisition of nymphs was not correlated with acquisition of larvae. Tick acquisition rates by individual bird species were not correlated with the reservoir competence of those species for Lyme borreliae. However, birds with high tick acquisition rates can contribute large numbers of infected ticks, and thus help maintain the enzootic cycle, even if their levels of reservoir competence are relatively low.

New York↗
USGS2000

The role of helicopters in seabird censusing

The advantages and disadvantages of fixed-wing, helicopter, photographic, vidoegraphic, and ground-count methods of surveying and censusing seabirds are described and compared. Critical terminology is distinguished, and use of small helicopters with multiple, trained observers is firmly recommended for work with diurnal, non-burrow-nesting seabirds in the West Indies and elsewhere. Details of how to use helicopters effectively are provided, along with recommendations for aerial photography, and for data recording, analysis, and presentation.

Book chapter↗
USGS2000

Patterns of colony-site use and disuse in saltmarsh-nesting Common and Roseate terns

Nearly all previous studies of saltmarsh-nesting Common Terns on the east coast of the United States have concluded that tidal saltmarshes were suboptimal or marginal breeding habitats. Questioning that conclusion, we analyzed patterns of both saltmarsh and nonmarsh colony use (stability, movement, establishment, abandonment, and size) obtained during 5 yr of annual helicopter censuses of all Common and Roseate terns breeding on Long Island, New York. We found 1900-3600 pairs at 10-33 saltmarsh and 22-30 nonmarsh sites; there were few biologically important differences between Common Terns nesting at marsh and at nonmarsh sites. We did find that (1) marsh sites and colony sizes increased through the study period; (2) both marsh and nonmarsh colonies grew with duration of occupancy; (3) smaller marsh and nonmarsh colonies (<50 pairs) usually lasted only 12 yr, while larger colonies were equally likely to persist for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 yr; (4) numbers of marsh and nonmarsh sites used each year were generally unrelated to population sizes; (5) 5yr sites composed only 10.6% of total marsh and 17.6% of total nonmarsh sites; (6) the mean sizes of both newly established and about-to-be-abandoned colonies were smaller than the mean sizes of all others when averaged between but not within years; (7) most previously occupied sites, once abandoned, remained so for only 1 yr, and most new sites were occupied for only a single year; (8) annual turnover rates were 32%-49% for both marsh and nonmarsh sites; (9) marsh and nonmarsh breeding populations were correlated each year, allowing estimation of the total Long Island population to within +4% by censusing only the 20-25% in saltmarshes. Roseate Tern data were few, especially in marshes, obviating marsh-nonmarsh comparisons, except that Roseates failed to persist in saltmarshes, and their overall mean colony sizes across the same numbers of years' occupancy were usually smaller than Commons', although their turnover rates were roughly the same. We conclude that saltmarsh-nesting Common Terns are well adapted to marsh nesting and that they have probably been doing so for perhaps hundreds of generations. We hypothesize that it may have been a relict population of saltmarsh-nesters that saved the species from extirpation in the late 1800s. In contrast, Roseate Tern's failure to exploit extensive saltmarsh habitat seems yet another factor abetting its precarious status in northeastern North America.

Journal of Field Ornithology↗