John S. Barclay

The use of tall grass prairie singing sites and associated diurnal habitat by American woodcock was analyzed on the Oklahoma State University Ecology Preserve near Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma. The effect on woodcock use of breeding display habitat via artificially creating singing sites by mowing was observed in conjunction with an extensive study of display behavior. Woodcock preferred sparsely vegetated singing sites, regardless of their floral composition, aspect, shape, size, area, perimeter, soil texture, and pH. Preferred singing sites were well drained, had moderate slopes...

The impact of predation by common mergansers (Mergus merganser americanus) wintering on Lake Carl Blackwell (650 ha) in Payne County, Oklahoma was investigated. Parameters measured included merganser usedays, daily food consumption, and food habits; plus the standing crops offish in the lake. There were 27,500 use-days in the winter of 1971-72 and 13,100 in the 1972-73 winter. The approximate daily food consumption was determined to be 454 g (1 pound) per merganser. Common Mergansers consumed an estimated 12.5 and 6.0 percent of the mean standing crop of fish in the winters of 1971-72 and...