We’re well past the days of the simple scarecrow.
The sun was rising over the Mojave Desert as crews prepared to demonstrate a devastating new weapon in the war among man, bird and reptile.
As the large, strutting predators piggyback on the spread of human civilization, they are expanding into territories where they have never been seen in such large numbers. This expansion has come at the expense of several threatened species, including the desert tortoise, whose soft-shelled hatchlings and juveniles have been devoured by the birds.
So far, human efforts to defend the desert tortoise from aerial attacks and create “no-fly zones” over the arid Southern California landscape have met with little success. Biologist Kerry L. Holcomb checks out a male Mojave desert tortoise crossing a dirt path in North Barstow. , an aggressive and extraordinarily clever species. Attracted by the scent of garbage, they have one of the broadest diets in the avian world, and they will try to eat almost anything that will fit in their beaks, as well as things that won’t if they can be torn apart into bite-size chunks.
Four years ago, Vaughn and Shields began to experiment with egg oiling, a long-established, relatively humane method for reducing reproductive output of ground nesting birds such as Canada geese, which damage lawns, and double-crested cormorants, which compete with trawlers for fish. They also began studying raven nesting behavior in order to determine the ideal time to treat a full clutch of as many as five raven eggs.
“This is particularly unfortunate,” the organization said, “when the species in question are already at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, disturbance or climate change.”
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