Davis Field Station Records ---
Scope and Contents
The Davis Field Station Records consists of 5 boxes of records pertaining to bird damage studies and is arranged into 4 series based on content of the records. Series II, Bird Damage to Crops, is divided further into 5 subseries according to crop type.
Series I consists of a half box of records related to bird trapping and banding, roost survey data, and bird population studies in the Western United States dated 1960 to 1977. Series II consists of nearly 5 boxes of records and includes bird damage assessments, trip reports, progress reports, study plans, chemical repellent studies, and studies on frightening devices. Studies on bird damage to cherries, wine grapes, rice, and sprouting crops such as corn, lettuce, and sugar beets are included. Records in Series II are dated 1961 to 1980. Series III consists of a partial box of records related to chemicals used for bird control, dated 1967 to 1984. Series IV includes 4 folders and contains monthly narrative reports for the Davis Field Station dated 1965 to 1980.
Dates
- 1960 - 1984
- Majority of material found within 1965 - 1980
Biographical / Historical
The Denver Wildlife Research Center (predecessor to the National Wildlife Research Center) investigated birds damaging crops in California at the Davis, California, Field Station from the early-1960s through 1980. The DWRC was part of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, Division of Wildlife Research under the Department of Interior at that time. Station personnel at the Davis Field Station worked in close cooperation with scientists and graduate students at the University of California-Davis.
The field station primarily addressed bird depredations on ripening rice, wine grapes, and other fruit but also on blackbird damage to sunflower. Researchers at the Davis Field Station investigated roost sprays, chemical repellents, and other nonlethal methods for controlling bird damage to fruit and grain crops using cage and pen tests as well as field trials.
In addition to depredation studies, field station personnel participated in roost surveys and trapping and banding thousands of birds for movement and food habit studies. During the 1960s, the field station collaborated with the California Department of Agriculture, University of California-Davis, and the California Agricultural Commissioners, in a banding program to define the movement patterns of Starlings. Over 41,000 Starlings were banded in California during the interagency program.
During the 1970s, researchers evaluated the potential use of the carbamate insecticide Mesurol or Methiocarb as a chemical bird repellent on wine grapes. Researchers at the station investigated the differences in the repellency of grapes treated with Methiocarb among three species of birds that commonly damage wine grapes in California: European starlings, American robins, and house finches. Biologists at the field station also investigated the use of aerial infrared photography to detect and define areas of bird damage to grain crops. Also in the 1970s, frightening devices such as propane exploders, recorded distress calls, and kite balloons (raptor-mimicking kite suspended from a helium filled balloon) were evaluated at the Davis Field Station.
In 1980, the DWRC transferred studies and biologists stationed at the Davis Field Station to the DWRC field station in Dixon, California.
Extent
5 linear feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The Davis Field Station Records consists of five record cartons and is arranged into four series. Series II is further divided into five subseries based on subject matter.
Series I: Bird Banding/Population Studies, 1960-1977
Series II: Bird Damage to Crops Studies and Reports, 1961-1980
Subseries 01: Bird Damage Control Reports, 1962-1980
Subseries 02: Bird Damage to Cherries, 1975-1980
Subseries 03: Bird Damage to Grapes, 1973-1984
Subseries 04: Bird Damage to Rice, 1964-1978
Subseries 05: Bird Damage to Sprouting Crops – Corn, Lettuce, and Sugar Beets, 1961-1979
Series III: Chemical Studies on Bird Control, 1967-1984
Series IV: Davis Field Station Monthly Reports, 1965-1981
Legal Status
Copyright restrictions may apply. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Repository Details
Part of the National Wildlife Research Center Archives Repository