Re: Hadrosaur nesting strategy...

[HPBredow@aol.com]

John Bois wrote
<<Some goose species nest in areas where there is
little food (see reference in earlier post).  Indeed, their anorexia is
apparently an adaptation to _low_ or unpredictable food supply available
to vast numbers of birds! Also, if food were a prime concern, and not
predation, one would expect nesting sites to be in more temperate regions
where there is lots of food.  Why then, do they not nest in these places.
The reason for this is straightforward: given the choice between food and
no predators, and food and plenty of predators, the geese have, by and
large, opted for low predator density.  It is very expensive to fly to
these places. >>

Reminds me of a story some weeks ago in my local newspaper.

There are some small islands called Ostfriesische Inseln in the North Sea. 
It's a place where you can spend a fine summer vacation at the seaside. But 
there are also many birds nesting in summer.
I don't recall which one, but a small one of these islands without human 
inhabitants has now a predator problem. Normally it can't be reached by feet 
and has no foxes or whatsoever. But suddenly a fox has appeared which takes 
quite a toll among the breeding birds. It is even speculated that this fox 
was brought intentionally by someone to this island and set free! Now it is 
planned to kill this fox after the breeding season, so the birds won't be 
disturbed even more  now.


Greeting afrom the North Sea

Heinz Peter Bredow
Bremen/Germany