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 Beating the Birds January 2002 Beating the Birds The last thing a sunflower grower wants to think about in January is blackbirds. For those suffering economic loss at the beaks of these winged marauders, dealing with them in August or September is itself sufficiently time consuming, tiresome and expensive. Yet the most-effective blackbird control programs tend to be those which are planned well ahead of late summer and involve a multi-faceted management plan. Spending some time over winter developing that strategy can pay dividends when those flocks of blackbirds start homing in on your fields. The obvious should be stated up front: Despite a quarter century of effort involving many people, there's still no "silver bullet" for the control of blackbirds in sunflower fields. No hybrid is immune to blackbird depredation; no single management tool can deliver complete protection. Some of those tools quickly came and went (remember cracked corn doused with Tabasco sauce?); others - propane boomers, Avitrol, shotguns, rifles and hazing aircraft - are still here, providing at least some help. The affected grower's best odds lie in utilizing any and all weapons at his disposal. Along with the above-noted measures, field placement can be a big factor. Sometimes planting sunflower adjacent to sloughs, other wetlands or groves of trees is unavoidable. But since such areas are roosting and nesting sites for blackbirds, it should not be surprising that they simultaneously serve as launching pads for hungry birds looking for a meal. Three other important weapons also are available to blackbird-plagued sunflower growers. One - a federal cattail management program - has been offered to Dakota growers (at no cost) for several years. The second - a food-grade bird repellent called BirdShieldT - came on the market just last year. Both can help producers gain the upper hand in their battles with the birds. The third tool is Starlicide, for blackbirds hanging around feedlots and dairies. Cattail Management Over the past decade, the cattail management program administered by the Wildlife Services Division of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has treated tens of thousands of North and South Dakota cattail acres with an EPA-approved aquatic herbicide ("Rodeo"). The primary goal is to reduce the breeding habitat which dense cattail stands provide for blackbirds. Simultaneously, waterfowl and other wildlife also benefit when cattail-choked wetlands are "opened up." APHIS contracts with private aerial applicators to do the spraying, commonly via helicopter. The area to be sprayed must consist of at least 10 continuous acres; acreage cannot be along free-flowing streams and rivers; and larger eligible wetlands are given priority over smaller ones. The actual herbicide treatment covers about 70% of the overall acreage, typically in a strip pattern. The APHIS cattail management program is operated free of charge to participating landowners. Interested Dakota landowners* should contact their state APHIS Wildlife Service office for details and to enroll. The number at Bismarck, N.D., is 701-250-4405; for Pierre, S.D., call 605-224-8692. Phil Mastrangelo, state Wildlife Services director for North Dakota, encourages landowners to start planning now for participation in the 2002 cattail management program, rather than waiting until spring or summer. (Spraying starts in late June and continues into August.) He points out that while the program covered 5,800 North Dakota acres in 2001, Wildlife Services had to turn away some interested landowners simply because of limited time and resources. The earlier a landowner applies for the program, the better his or her chances of being enrolled, Mastrangelo emphasizes. The Wildlife Services official says the cattail-reducing effect of the herbicide treatments can often still be seen up to six or seven years later. Higher water levels in recent years also has helped extend suppression of cattail regrowth. Of course, landowners also can act on their own to manage cattails via burning, disking or other means - including arranging themselves for the spraying of Rodeo. Ward Eichhorst, who farms with his father and father-in-law near the central North Dakota community of Coleharbor, has already taken steps to reduce cattail density in wetlands near the planned locations for his 2002 sunflower fields. "The first thing we did, back in late August and early September, was to get as close as we could with a sickle mower and cut some down," Eichhorst says. "Then, as areas started to dry up later in the fall, we went out and burned those." Also, on ground which was sufficiently dry and firm, "we took in a 30-foot disk and worked down the cattails." Eichhorst applied for the APHIS cattail management program in 2001, but was among those who were too late. He's already on the list for 2002 and expects his enrolled acreage will be sprayed. Like many other bird-impacted producers, Eichhorst knows a multi-faceted battle plan works best. He'll use a rifle and shotgun to disperse birds, has had an aerial applicator "buzz" fields on several occasions, and also has treated field portions with Avitrol in recent years. The key, he stresses, "is to keep the pressure on the birds. Don't let them get comfortable." Eichhorst also will consider using BirdShield in 2002. The McLean County producer may pull one more arrow from his quiver as well over the coming weeks and months. He and his farming partners run a cow-calf operation, and he know blackbirds tend to congregate around feedlots. So Eichhorst is considering using Starlicide, a slow-acting, restricted-use pesticide that is highly toxic to starlings and other blackbird species, as a way to reduce those feedlot populations without harming game birds and other nontarget species. (See article on page 26 for more on Starlicide.) Larry Kleingartner, executive director of the National Sunflower Association, points out that producers also can spray cattails with Roundup when no water exists in the wetland. "In fact, the best approach in the fall would be to spray them with Roundup, let the chemical translocate in the cattails, and then burn, cut or till to keep that area as dry as possible for the next spring," he suggests. Kleingartner adds that if a producer is not enrolled in the APHIS cattail spraying program but has cattails in standing water, he still has the option of arranging for the application of Rodeo or other labeled aquatic herbicides on his own to reduce cattail density. "It is a good investment," he states. BirdShield Repellent BirdShield is a taste-aversion product which has been used nationwide for years on fruit crops like cherries, blueberries and table grapes. It recently gained EPA approval for use on corn and sunflower, and was available commercially on 'flowers for the first time in 2001. BirdShield is a biodegradable food-grade repellent (its active ingredient is a component in Concord and other grapes) which is aerially applied to the face of sunflower plant heads. The treated seeds are distasteful to blackbirds, prompting them to leave the field in search of other food sources. The product's effective life-span is in the range of seven to 10 days, though weather may shorten (hot, sunny) or lengthen (cool, overcast) that period. Leonard Askham, BirdShield's developer and a prior Washington State University animal control researcher, says the product was applied to more than 100,000 sunflower acres in North Dakota alone last year. User reports generally have been quite positive, he says. In those instances where BirdShield was not as effective as hoped, the reason usually could be traced to one of three circumstances, according to Askham: (1) The aerial applicator was not sufficiently familiar with the product and how to apply it. Spray nozzles were not adjusted properly, resulting in larger droplets which could not be "sucked up" by the plane wings' vortex to adequately cover the faces of inverted (hanging) sunflower heads. (2) Timing, i.e., growers waiting too long before ordering an application. It is very important for BirdShield to be applied when the birds begin showing up in a sunflower field. While the repellent will discourage "new" feeding, it cannot undo damage already done. (3) "Some growers have been unable to distinguish between 'old' and 'new' [blackbird] damage. Even if they get the repellent on early, or use other hazing devices, there will still be some damage to the 'flowers that occurred previously. This can lead them to conclude that what they are doing or using is not working - which may not be the case." Askham defines old damage as empty sunflower head bracts that are dark and "crusty," while the face of a newly damaged head will be lighter in color, moist and softer when touched. While he's obviously very pro-BirdShield, Askham concurs the product is not a one-stop answer to blackbird depredation. He says it's more effective than most traditional forms of blackbird control; but growers are well-advised to supplement BirdShield treatments with harassment tools like propane boomers and guns. Also, some of BirdShield's effectiveness will depend on the intensity of bird appetites. "If you have birds that are starving to death, they're going to eat anything," Askham observes. Harvey, N.D., producer Stan Buxa, who treated a sizable percentage of his '01 sunflower acreage, agrees timing is critical when applying BirdShield. "We found it worked best when you put it on as early as possible after you see birds [in the field]," he reports. "Don't put it on as a protectant; wait until the birds are starting to feed there." That point underscores the importance of close field monitoring. Buxa says those fields where BirdShield didn't appear to be as effective were ones on which he fell behind with monitoring due to the busy small grain harvest season. "We had some [sunflower acreage] where the birds were already established, and it wasn't nearly as effective there," he reports. "I also thought it worked a little better [when combined] with harassment. We chased a lot of birds from petal drop on," Buxa adds. "Monitoring is a real key," agrees APHIS' Phil Mastrangelo. "I know it's difficult when growers are so busy with grain harvest; but often they'll go back [after grain harvest], look at their sunflower fields after petal drop, and the birds will have already been in there. And it's always difficult to changes those feeding habits once they've been established for a few weeks." With a per-acre cost of $11 or $12 (product + application), many growers will opt to treat field portions rather than the entire field. In Buxa's case, he treated a couple fields in their entirety, "but mostly it was blocks next to sloughs, cattails - wherever the feeding pressure was highest," he says. Askham says his company has not yet developed recommendations in that regard, but he does advise growers to treat not only sunflower acreage, but also those adjacent wetlands, waterways and tree groves which can serve as "loafing areas" for birds when they are not actively feeding. - Don Lilleboe * Though the USDA-APHIS cattail management program currently operates only in the Dakotas, other states' Wildlife Services Division offices also can be contacted for blackbird control information: Lakeland, Colo. (303-969-5775); Manhattan, Kan. (985-532-1549); and Lincoln, Neb. (402-434-2340). A Year-Round Blackbird Battle Plan Winter - . If blackbirds have been a serious problem, try to locate the coming season's sunflower fields away from sloughs and other wetlands, if possible. . Interested North and South Dakota landowners should be contacting their state office of USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services for information on enrolling acreage in the coming year's cattail management program. . If conditions allow, cut or burn cattail areas near future sunflower fields. (Wetlands located on federal or state property or under CRP may require permission from the appropriate agency. That's also the case with such acreage if to be sprayed under the APHIS program.) . Do you operate a feedlot or dairy where blackbirds tend to congregate? Consider the use of pelleted Starlicide according to label recommendations. Also, if neighbors have such operations, seek their cooperation in a similar effort. (See article on page 26.) Spring - . Once conditions permit, consider disking dry cattail areas which could serve as roosting sites later on. Summer & Early Fall - . As sunflower fields move toward petal drop, monitor those fields regularly for the presence of blackbirds. . If birds begin moving in, disperse or unsettle them by applying BirdShield and/or setting up propane boomers. Gunfire, hazing aircraft and other legal means of harassment also can be employed. . If not enrolled in the APHIS Wildlife Services cattail management program, consider arranging yourself for the application of a labeled aquatic herbicide on cattail areas which harbor threatening populations of blackbirds. Late Fall - . With wetland water levels often lower, this can be a good time to cut, burn or disk cattail areas. Feedlot Management of Blackbirds Blackbirds often congregate around feedlots and dairies, taking advantage of the food sources they can find there. This commonly occurs in the spring as flocks move northward. Breaking into smaller groups, they'll loiter around feedlots and dairies since other feed sources are limited at that time of year. "It is these blackbirds that will be setting up breeding grounds in your wetlands," NSA's Larry Kleingartner observes. "They will raise several young and will be the first to attack your ripening sunflower fields in August. They'll also attract other migrators in the fall." Spring deployment of Starlicide avicide is the most effective way to control these particular blackbird populations. To use this product, the birds must be baited onto the bait site. "Use a pre-bait (any grain) first and place it on a wagon or other location inaccessible to the cattle or other animals. Then, after a few days of baiting, switch to Starlicide," Kleingartner says, "keeping it dry to ensure its activity. "Starlicide is a slow-acting product, so you are unlikely to see any dead birds [on site]," he notes, adding that "dead blackbirds are safe for scavengers since the active ingredient is excreted." Starlicide is distributed by Earth City Resources of Bridgetown, Mo. (phone 314-291-6720). It is a restricted-use pesticide; follow label directions closely.  Back to Birds Stories Back to Archive Categories
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