Re: Hadrosaur nesting strategy...(was Re: The Life of Birds- Pa

[Casey <TUCKERCJ@muohio.edu>]

 > I would also like to point out that Ross's geese & Snow geese do migrate
 > into temperate climates during the harsh winters.
 
 Yes.  Difficult choices here, perhaps.  Do I stay and get killed by the
 cold or move and get eaten by predators?
 
**Of course staying could also get them killed by the predators that would
be desperately seeking a fat goose**

 > Being a bird-watcher I
 > have had the opportunity to see them as far south as Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 > They come down, after many of the Canada Geese have migrated south for
the
 > Winter so that competition is lessened.
 
 Do you mean they are breeding there? >>

**Taking Mr. Varner's advice concerning more reality & more books I turned
to my National Geographic Field Guide to North American Birds (2nd edition)
which relies on both & shows migratory patterns for at least the U.S. 
Oddly enough it shows Canada Geese, Snow Geese, Ross' Geese, & Greater
White-Fronted Geese all migrate at least as far South as the southern tip
of Texas, and several of these along the coast of Mexico where they
overwinter.  One of the few species that actually stays in the North is the
Emperor Goose which is shown to migrate from the Northern coast of Alaska
to the Aleutian Islands, where it overwinters.  All of them are shown to
migrate South during the Winter.  As for the Breeding, if they follow true
to most breeding patterns breed in the Spring.  Snow Goose is listed as
breeding in the high arctic tundra.  Since I've never been to a tundra
habitat I have to consult my zoology textbooks which say "Temperatures
range from cool in summer to below freezing in winter.  Rain and snow are
sparse, but evaporation is low because of low temperatures.  Sunlight is
nearly continuous for three summer months.  Then, short plants grow
profusely, flowers bloom, and seeds ripen quickly."  Which would probably
correspond to the hatching of alot of Snow Geese since the field guide
shows that they are present during the summer months.  In fact I just
happen to have _The LIfe of Birds_  written by David Attenborough, &
supposedly corresponds to the 10-part documentary that started this
discussion.  Here's what he has to say about snow geese (pg. 60 & 61 of the
hardcover edition) & predators, "With so many geese nesting, these foxes
are faced with far more eggs than they can possibly consume.  Those they
cannot eat immediately they bury to be devoured later, but even so, the
foxes are so few that they have little  effect on the huge assembly of snow
geese (*sounds like predator saturation to me* ;-)....All over the tundra,
these goose families are busy feeding, the adults digging for roots of
bull-rushes and the young nibbling the tender tips of marsh grass leaves. 
They all put on weight fast.  They need to.  They cannot stay much longer
in the face of the approaching winter.  They have a long journey ahead of
them."  So I guess one would have to take the argument up with David
Attenborough himself at this point, because I've utilized most of the
resources at my disposal (real-life experience, & books), without taking up
too much of my time to track down obscure papers.***

Casey Tucker




" Maybe it's time to buy some more zoology books...or get in 
touch with reality."   Dan Varner.