Showing posts with label Stellar Jays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stellar Jays. Show all posts

Friday, September 5, 2014

Thinking Outside the (nest) Box

Marbled Murrelet
odysseykayaking.com 

Portia Halbert, of Humboldt State University, was thinking outside the (nest) box when she came up with a unique idea to save the endangered Marbled murrelet, a small seabird that feeds at sea and nests only in old growth forests. 

Stellar jays and Ravens eat murrelet eggs, so giving them a reason to never eat another was her clever idea. So far so good, but outsmarting a Jay can be tricky. Read the full story: Dietary Lessons
A box of chicken eggs painted to look like marbled murrelet eggs. The eggs contain a chemical that induces vomiting. Scientists are trying to teach the endangered bird's predator, a type of jay, to avoid murrelet eggs.


blackhills.audubon.org
Marbled Murrelet conservation