Jeremy
The fishing line does not rip the bird's foot off. It abrades the skin,
tendons, blood vessels, until the foot atrophies.
Cheers
David
Sent from my iPhone
On 23/02/2013, at 9:11 PM, "Jeremy O'Wheel" <> wrote:
> Thanks Mike. I was a little skeptical about the fishing line/rubbish
> explanation since it seemed unlikely to tangle so tightly as to cut off
> circulation, or for birds when tangled to fly away with so much force as to
> rip their feet off (not to say that could never happen).
>
> Jeremy
>
> On 21/02/2013 2:28 PM, "Mike Carter" <> wrote:
>> Although fishing line and hooks cause the maiming and deaths of many birds I
>> do not think it likely that it is the major cause of toe loss in
>> Oystercatchers. I suggest two other causes, bird bands and clams are to
>> blame. I've often seen Oystercatchers belaboured by up to five bands limping
>> badly. Because of this many years ago the Rangers on French Island here in
>> Victoria were reluctant to grant and possibly refused permission to band
>> Oystercatchers there.
>>
>> But there may be a more natural cause. The bivalves they seek to eat fight
>> back by closing over their toes! David Melville, currently based in NZ is
>> currently researching the phenomena for a paper after witnessing in China
>> two Bar-tailed Godwits apparently trapped by clams. One remained motionless
>> for over three minutes before escaping. He asked me for a copy of a note on
>> the subject that I published in Australian Birding in Autumn 1999.
>>
>> This is the gist of the note. On 19 January 1999 on a beach at Ballina NSW,
>> I saw an Australian Pied Oystercatcher (OZPO) that was foraging in the
>> wash-zone suddenly leap into the air uttering a loud yelp. A 3-4 cm bivalve
>> presumably a pipi Donax deltoides had clamped around one of its toes.
>> Continuing to call and obviously in some distress it flew to a height of 1.5
>> m shaking its leg vigorously. This dislodged the pipi which fell into the
>> sea. The OZPO landed on the dry beach supporting itself mainly on the
>> unaffected leg, occasionally lifting and shaking the one that had been
>> caught. After several minutes it resumed feeding normally. Three of the 52
>> OZPOs on that beach were limping. According to Bo Totterman who studied the
>> OZPOs there and incidentally had just found Australia's first South Island
>> Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO), one bird known as 'Hoppy' had lost all its toes
>> on one foot and the stub end of the other tarsus was clubbed. The other two
>> limpers were not so badly
disabled. He claimed that there was no evidence that the trauma had been
caused by bands.
>>
>> Mike Carter
>> 30 Canadian Bay Road
>> Mount Eliza VIC 3930
>> Tel (03) 9787 7136
>>
>>
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