Richard M. Kaminski

The American black duck (Anas rubripes) has been declining throughout its range since the 1950s, especially in the Mississippi Flyway. Loss of quality wintering habitat and competition and hybridization with mallards (A. platyrhynchos) have been suggested as factors contributing to black duck decline. Tennessee and Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) are two primary wintering areas for midcontinent black ducks recording long-term population declines. To better understand habitat selection and habitat-related survival of black ducks at Tennessee NWR (TNWR), we radio marked 64...

Grain sorghum provides energy-rich seeds for waterfowl and may provide important alternative foraging habitat considering a noted decrease of waste agricultural seeds for wintering waterfowl in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. We conducted experiments in 22 sorghum fields in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana during falls 2006-2007 to evaluate abundance of ratoon grain (i.e., post-harvest, second crop), waste grain from the harvested first crop, and natural seeds. Nitrogen fertilized plots in 2007 produced >4 times more ratoon grain (x- = 219.57 ± 39.65 [SE] kg (dry)/ha) than other...

Agricultural seed left in harvested fields is an important source of energy for migrating and wintering waterfowl. However, rates of seed loss from germination, decomposition or depredation have not been quantified for corn, soybean, or grain sorghum. Because seed loss rates directly influence habitat quality and management recommendations for waterfowl and other wildlife, we estimated rates of germination, decomposition, and depredation for scattered seed and aggregate seed heads in 98 harvested corn, soybean and grain sorghum study plots across Tennessee from September - January 2006...

Flooding harvested rice fields in winter provides important ecological services, including benefits to waterfowl, other waterbirds, agronomics, and soil and water conservation. We conducted experiments in six rice fields in Arkansas during winters 2004-2006 to evaluate effects of different post-harvest stubble-management practices and flooding on abundance of dabbling ducks, geese, and waste rice. During both winters, rolled rice paddies attracted the greatest diurnal density of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos; x− = 4.18 birds/ha/survey, SE = 0.36). Burned paddies attracted the greatest...

Rice seeds escaping collection by combines during harvest (hereafter, waste rice) provide quality forage for migrating and wintering waterfowl in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) and other rice growing regions in the United States. Recent sample surveys across the MAV have revealed abundance of waste rice in fields declined an average of 71% between harvest and late autumn. Thus, we evaluated the ability of common post-harvest, field-management practices to conserve waste rice for waterfowl until early winter via controlled experiments in Mississippi rice test plots in 2001 and...

During winters 1990-1992, we manipulated food availability 5%-20% less than that of ad libitum feeding for captive groups of wild-strain North American wood ducks (Aix sponsa) to test effects of increasing levels of food restriction on prebasic molt of females. Birds fed ad libitum and 5%-15% restricted diets exhibited a protracted molt (>90 days) of low intensity. Most females fed a 20%-restricted diet did not initiate molt until resumption of ad libitum food availability. We hypothesize that a 20% restriction exceeds a threshold in food availability and possibly body condition needed...

Multi-year studies in wildlife science and management can provide novel insights not detected in short-term investigations. Therefore, we continued a 2-year study by Stephens et al. (1998) to evaluate wood duck (Aix sponsa) reproduction in conventional and small nest boxes (i.e., approximately one-half conventional size) at Noxubee and Yazoo National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in Mississippi. Small nest boxes were designed to deter excessive dump nesting by wood ducks at these refuges. During 1994-1997, use of large boxes by wood ducks remained high (≥70%) at both study areas, but use of...