Wayne R. Marion

Seasonal bird use in 5 habitat types associated with phosphate mining was examined in Hamilton County, Florida, in 1979 and 1980. Bird densities were highest in late successional settling ponds and lowest in reclaimed habitats. Early successional settling ponds contained the greatest number of species. Conversion of unreclaimed mines or late successional settling ponds to reclaimed habitats resulted in decreases in all abundance and diversity estimates. Creating wetlands in settling ponds and establishing littoral, shoreline, and upland vegetation in reclaimed habitats would encourage use...

Seasonality of nesting by mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) in north-central Florida was investigated in 1979-80 by assessing changes in call (coo) counts, gonad size, nesting activity, and crop gland development. We assessed the incidence of nesting during the fall and possible impacts of hunting on dove productivity. Weekly call counts taken during this study indicated that incidence of cooing was highly variable; the highest levels of cooing occurred during February and March and they diminished as the spring and summer progressed. Very little cooing was recorded from October through...

Sixty-eight night surveys of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) were conducted from 17 June 1976 to 12 July 1977 on a large cypress-fringed lake in north-central Florida. Multiple regression analyses of the effects of II environmental variables (water temperature, air temperature, wind speed, wave height, cloud cover, water level, moonlight, precipitation, 24-hour precipitation, 24-hour maximum temperature, and 24-hour minimum temperature) on surveys with a white light (n = 44) indicated that counts were positively correlated with water temperature and negatively associated...