IDENTIFICATION OF NEST PREDATORS AT FARM/FOREST EDGE AND FOREST INTERIOR SITES

Abstract

Using cameras at artificial ground nests we found no major quantitative differences in species richness or the relative abundance of nest predators photographed in farm/forest edge and forest-interior sites at five locations in eastern Pennsylvania. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) were the most commonly photographed visitors to nests at both farm/forest edge and forest interior sites, followed by female Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula), southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans), gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus), and Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis). Rate of egg loss was higher at the edges than in the forest interior. Although the total number of photographs of predators averaged 11 among the five edge sites and 7.4 among interior sites, this was not significantly different.