WILDLIFE REPORT FROM N.H. FISH AND GAME - MARCH 18, 2005 

The raucous concert of the spring peepers will soon announce the 
official beginning of spring across New Hampshire. Secretive wood frogs will 
chime in the chorus with their quacking calls. Silent spotted 
salamanders will slide across our rural roads on the first warm rainy spring 
nights. The rest of the year, these salamanders remain under the debris of 
the forest floor, invisible to us. Avoiding after-dark trips on the 
first warm, rainy nights can help save amphibians on the march in search 
of mates in the wooded wetlands. -- Eric Orff, Wildlife Biologist

Interested in the Karner blue butterfly? Come to a free talk on the 
butterfly's status and efforts to restore the Concord pine barrens -- 
unique habitat for our endangered State Butterfly and many other wildlife 
species -- on Tuesday, April 19, at 7 p.m. at Fish and Game headquarters 
in Concord. Find out how you can get involved as a volunteer! 

Save the date! Discover WILD New Hampshire Day - Fish and Game's 
biggest event of the year -- is coming April 30, with hands-on activities and 
over 35 conservation groups. 

Know someone who'd enjoy getting this free monthly report? Have them 
sign up at 
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Inside_FandG/join_mail_list.htm. Let us 
know about wildlife topics you'd like to see covered by emailing 
jvachon@wildlife.state.nh.us. 

In this issue:
   * Bears on the Move
   * Watching for Red-tails
   * Wintering Eagles Sighted
   * Clean-up Crew: N.H.'s Turkey Vultures 
   * April Hearings on Wildlife Proposals


BEARS ON THE MOVE

March has looked more like winter than December, January and February 
did! Despite recent snowstorms that have dumped feet of snow across the 
state, the strong sun and increasing day length are reminders that 
spring is just around the corner. This is a welcome trend to those species 
that have been hunkered down all winter, including both humans and 
bears. The exact date when bears begin to wander from their winter dens is 
difficult to estimate, but we can generally count on seeing bear 
activity by April 1.

Spring is a critical time for bears. Many adult sows (females) will be 
accompanied by newborn cubs or yearlings, while adult males will be 
more solitary. Bears will feed heavily on any available food to replenish 
fat reserves depleted during the long denning period. New Hampshire has 
experienced very poor food conditions during the past two years. The 
mast failure during 2003 and 2004 may cause bears to be in poorer 
condition this spring than normal. The leftover mast on the forest floor 
(i.e., beechnuts and acorns) that bears rely on for their early spring 
foods, before vegetation begins to green up, will be scarce.

The statewide bear population is considered stable and is estimated at 
about 5,300 bears. Although productivity and survival of bears may have 
been reduced during the past two years, the impacts on the bear 
population have not been fully realized. These impacts will become clearer as 
we monitor the age and sex class distribution in the harvest and the 
population estimate in the next few years. 

We can be assured that bears will be hungry as they emerge from their 
dens this spring, so homeowners should be prepared. It is important to 
remove all attractants in our yards to prevent them from becoming a 
cafeteria for bears. Furthermore, it is critical for bears to find natural 
foods and not become dependent on human-related food sources. 

What can you do to help? Stop all bird feeding by April 1, or as soon 
as snow melts. Also, clean up any spilled seed and dispose of it in the 
trash. Secure all garbage in airtight containers inside a garage or 
adequate storage area, and put garbage for pickup out on the morning of 
pickup. Avoid putting meat or other food scraps in your compost pile. 
Don't leave pet food dishes outside overnight. Properly clean and store 
outdoor grills after each use. Finally, never intentionally feed bears! 
These steps will ensure that your backyard does not become attractive to 
bears, preventing property damage by bears and keeping bears from 
becoming nuisance animals. Following these simple steps will help to 
minimize bear/human conflicts, allowing us to coexist with these magnificent 
animals. - Andrew Timmins, Bear Project Leader, N.H. Fish and Game


WATCH FOR RED-TAILS 

[A Wildlife Report reader, recalling a special connection with 
red-tailed hawks that would soar overhead as she galloped over the spring hills 
on her first pony, requested a story about the bird that will always be 
a symbol of freedom and independence.] 

Looking up at the brilliant blue sky, the hawk circling overhead was 
easy to identify because of its fox-red tail and dark band streaking 
across its white belly. The red-tailed hawk made a lazy arc across the sky, 
finally coming to perch on a lone branch in a tree. Mature red-tailed 
hawks that live south of the White Mountains, unlike most of the hawks 
found here, maintain their territories year round. Immature red-tails, 
and those in more northern areas, migrate to points further south in the 
fall and return in the spring. 

Red-tails hunt over wetlands and field. They are opportunistic, 
frequently hunting from trees bordering fields. They have excellent binocular 
vision that lets them see prey at a great distance. They watch for prey 
from their perch and then, with a few powerful wingbeats, glide in, 
snatching their prey from the ground with their talons. They mostly eat 
small mammals, but will also take amphibians, snakes, birds and insects. 
Adults sometimes make a falcon-like swoop at a bird or bat in flight, 
grabbing it out of the air. 

Red-tails' nests are large, about three feet around, shallow and built 
with sticks. The nest is lined with tree bark. In January, the hawks 
begin their aerial courtship on a warm day. The male, which is smaller 
than the female, will soar in the sky, making large circles, until it 
achieves great heights. At a certain point, it will rapidly dive out of 
the sky toward the female. She will flip herself over and present her 
talons. They make a hoarse rasping scream that sounds like escaping steam, 
"kree-ee-e-e," starting high and slurring downward as they return to 
the nest site where they may copulate. This will be repeated until the 
female lays eggs in late March to mid-April.

Two to four eggs are incubated by both parents for about 30 days. Then 
both parents hunt and provide food, although the female has the 
dominant role. The young will leave the nest in five to six weeks, although 
they'll only take short flights for the next couple of weeks. You can 
often hear young crying for food during this time. Soon, they're perching 
and learning to hunt from the adults. In September, the young red-tails 
are ready to hunt on their own. They're also ready to leave and begin 
migrating south, returning next year to establish territories, mate and 
become part of the cycle. - Judy Silverberg, Wildlife Educator, N.H. 
Fish and Game 


WINTERING EAGLES SIGHTED

New Hampshire Audubon staff and volunteers counted record numbers of 
wintering bald eagles in the state during both the Mid-Winter Bald Eagle 
Survey and the new Late-Winter Survey. Findings indicate that New 
Hampshire's wintering bald eagle population continues to increase strongly 
as the Northeast's regional eagle population recovers from the long-term 
negative effects of DDT, a pesticide used widely between the mid-1940s 
and the early 1970s. We will use these Late-Winter Survey results, in 
combination with the long-established January Mid-Winter Survey, to give 
us a better understanding of the abundance, distribution and timing of 
this federally threatened species in the state. Results from both 
surveys this winter are an encouraging sign that these magnificent birds are 
finding healthy winter habitat in New Hampshire.

This was the first year a Late-Winter Bald Eagle Survey was conducted 
in New Hampshire. New Hampshire Audubon and N.H. Fish and Game developed 
this survey to provide an index of bald eagle presence in the state 
near the end of their wintering season. On the survey day, a total of 67 
eagles were located, by far the highest number of bald eagles EVER 
counted in a single census day in New Hampshire and more than double the 
number of birds we counted just seven weeks earlier! 

The official count date occurs within a more inclusive two-week "count 
period" from February 15 through March 1. We also record the number of 
eagles seen during this two-week interval, combining survey day data 
with any verifiably different individuals seen before and after the 
survey day to get a count period total. During this year's Late-Winter count 
period, we found total of 75 eagles.

Where were all the eagles? In the state's five major eagle-wintering 
areas during the Late-Winter Survey day and count period, we found: 
Androscoggin River -- 17; Connecticut River -- 13; Great Bay -- 8; Lakes 
Region -- 11; and Merrimack River -- 26.

ASNH staff and volunteers monitor wintering eagles throughout the state 
each year under a contract with Fish and Game's Nongame and Endangered 
Wildlife Program. Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's 
Mid-winter and Late-Winter Bald Eagle surveys! Happy birding! -- Chris 
Martin, Senior Biologist, N.H. Audubon Society


CLEAN-UP CREW: N.H.'S TURKEY VULTURES
 
[A reader in Nashua was amazed to see seven large turkey vultures 
landing on a neighbor's roof in a residential area and wanted to know more 
about these eerie visitors. Don't read this one before lunch!]

What is that large bird that glides and then soars with its wingtips 
upturned in a V-shape (dihedral)? It's a TV! No, not the one you find in 
your living room, but rather a turkey vulture. From March until 
October, turkey vultures are common sights along the Interstate highway in New 
Hampshire. They are migrants, coming back to breed after spending the 
winter a little further south, where the weather is milder. 

These large birds, with a 72-inch wingspan and bald (featherless) head, 
play an important role as part of Mother Nature's clean-up squad. 
Vultures gobble up road kill. That's one of the reasons for the bald head. 
When the vulture is eating carrion (dead animals), it often sticks its 
head inside the carcass to reach the meat. 

Turkey vultures are unusual for a number of other reasons, too. They 
are the only bird in North America with a sense of smell. While turkey 
vultures have few natural predators, they do have a defensive behavior 
that is really smelly. They simply cough up a foul smelling lump of 
semi-digested meat. If the offending animal gets close enough, the bird will 
vomit in its face or eyes. Turkey vultures often direct their urine 
onto their legs. This does two things -- helps cool the bird, and kills 
any bacteria that might be on the bird's legs from stepping in its meal.

Vultures choose caves, rock piles, hollow stumps and even cliff ledges 
to lay their eggs. They raise one brood a year of one to two young, 
then send them off to join the road crew! - Judy Silverberg, Wildlife 
Educator, N.H. Fish and Game 


APRIL HEARINGS ON WILDLIFE PROPOSALS 
 
Hunters and other interested parties are encouraged offer their input 
at two public hearings on proposed state rule changes affecting wildlife 
and wildlife management: April 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Fish and Game 
headquarters on Hazen Drive in Concord, and April 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Fish and 
Game's Region 1 Office at 629B Main Street in Lancaster. The hearings 
will address Fish and Game proposals to amend the rule on night hunting 
for coyote by extending the season through August 31; to make changes 
in various other wildlife rules, and the rules relative to wildlife 
control operators.

_____________________

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the 
state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. Spring 
fishing is around the corner...buy your license and help wildlife. Visit 
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us. 

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-- 
Copyright 2004 New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, 
Concord, NH 03301.  Comments or questions concerning this list should 
be directed to lpoinier@wildlife.state.nh.us.