SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS 99 none were taken in this study from Gray Fox (n=8), Red Fox (n=8), Bobcat (n=2), and Coyote (n=2) in Virginia. Most species of chewing lice are very host- specific and all specimens reported here were taken from the type host species. Prevalence of infestation and parasite loads were lower than those reported by Whitaker (1982). Some of the road-kill animals were not very fresh and no detergent washing technique was used to recover lice. These differences in technique may account for the low numbers. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Lance Durden, John Whitaker, Jr., and editor Steve Roble all made valuable suggestions that improved the manuscript. LITERATURE CITED Emerson, K. C. 1972. Checklist of the Mallophaga of North America (north of Mexico). Part III. Mammal host list. Desert Test Center, Dugway, UT. 28 pp. Price, R. D., R. A. Hellenthal, R. L. Palma, K. P. Johnson, & D. H. Clayton. 2003. The Chewing Lice: World Checklist and Biological Overview. Illinois Natural History Survey Special Publication 24. 501 pp. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. 1982. Ectoparasites of Mammals of Indiana. Indiana Academy of Science Monograph No. 4. Indianapolis, IN. 240pp. Ralph P. Eckerlin Natural Sciences Division Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, Virginia 22003 reckerlin@nvcc.edu Banisteria, Number 43, pages 99-101 © 2014 Virginia Natural History Society CHIRONOMID MIDGE HATCH LEADS TO MASS MORTALITY EVENT FOR CHIMNEY SWIFTS (CHAETURA PELAGICA). — Breeding populations of the Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) have declined in most sectors of its breeding range in eastern North America since the initiation of standardized breeding bird surveys in 1966 (Sauer et al., 2012). Most of the decline has been attributed to range-wide reduction in the number of suitable nesting sites in chimneys and other manmade structures (Cink & Collins, 2002). However, a recent study suggested that populations at the northern periphery of its breeding range were limited by factors other than the scarcity of nesting sites (Fitzgerald et al., 2014). A third study proposed that changes in the insect prey base after the broad-scale introduction of pesticides has adversely affected swift populations (Nocera et al., 2012). Finally, mass mortality events associated with strong storms have been implicated in the recent population decline (Dionne et al., 2008). Here we report a notable mortality event caused by vehicular traffic adjacent to a midge (Chironomidae) hatch. On 6 October 2010, at 1715 h, CJA observed several hundred swifts foraging over Interstate 295 (38° 48.77′ N, 77° 1.27′ W) and the adjacent Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Washington, District of Columbia. An estimated 300 swifts were dead on the north- and southbound lanes of the highway and mowed right-of-way (Fig. 1). CJA salvaged sixty of the more intact carcasses for preservation as museum specimens. On the morning of 7 October, we revisited the site and observed several hundred swifts foraging low over the wastewater treatment plant and highway. We salvaged an additional 30 carcasses from the highway right-of-way. A return trip on 8 October revealed only a few swifts foraging over the wastewater treatment plant. The closest treatment ponds were only 30 m from the mowed highway right of way. The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DCWSA) was contacted to determine if there was a direct connection between the swift mortality event and the sewage treatment plant. Representatives from the DCWSA, the District of Columbia Department of Health, Fire and Emergency Medical Services, and the National Guard Civil Support Team determined that there were no chemicals or hazardous materials at the wastewater treatment plant that could have caused the Fig. 1. Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica) killed by automotive traffic adjacent to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in the District of Columbia on 6 October 2010. 100 BANISTERIA NO. 43, 2014 deaths and that the birds had most likely been struck by cars. During specimen preparation, we confirmed signs of blunt-force trauma, including broken sterna and pneumatized skulls filled with blood, further confirming the collision hypothesis. Smithsonian and US Geological Survey staff prepared 79 individuals as museum skins and partial skeletal specimens. The stomachs, all packed with insects, were preserved in ethanol. Specimens consisted of 45 males, 24 females, and 10 that could not be sexed. The majority were hatch year individuals (n = 43). Twenty-three were adults (after hatching year) and the age of the remaining individuals (n = 13) could not be determined. JHE identified the stomach contents of two individuals (USNM 644439 and USNM 644447). One species of chironomid midge (Chironomus calligraphus) constituted 99.5% of the 1365 insects in the two stomachs. Bulk samples of stomach contents and swift specimens were deposited in the Division of Birds, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. Chironomidae (non-biting midges), especially members of the genus Chironomus, are often dominant members of insect faunas of sewage treatment plants. Eutrophic conditions prevalent at these facilities can promote the growth of huge populations of emerging midges that may create severe nuisance situations for animals and humans. Chironomus calligraphus, a Neotropical species, was first reported in the United States from California (Spies, 2000). It was present in Florida at least as early as 1965 (Spies et al., 2002) but because of difficulties associated with species level identification of Chironomus, it remained essentially unnoticed. The northernmost record in the eastern United States was recently reported from southern Georgia (Gray et al., 2012). The collection of this species from the District of Columbia represents a significant northward range extension. The species may have been present for years, but, as noted above, difficulties associated with species level identification of many Chironomus species (see Spies et al., 2002) have allowed this species to remain taxonomically undetected. Laboratory and field investigations in Argentina have shown that C. calligraphus has a temperature-dependent life cycle with a minimum generation time of 18 days, with several overlapping cohorts in spring through summer and one to two generations in winter (Zilli et al., 2008). The Blue Plains mortality event was one of the largest on record for swifts (Cink & Collins, 2002; Dionne, et al., 2008) and certainly the largest caused by automobile collision at a single site (Glista et al., 2008). The frequency of such events is unknown but if large chironomid midge hatches occur annually at the Blue Plains site during the first two weeks of October, then significant swift mortality may be a regular occurrence. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Graves thanks the Alexander Wetmore Fund of the Smithsonian Institution and the Smoketree Trust for support. LITERATURE CITED Cink, C. L., & C. T. Collins. 2002. Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica). The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/646 Dionne, M., C. Maurice, J. Gauthier, & F. Shaffer. 2008. Impact of Hurricane Wilma on migrating birds: the case of the Chimney Swift. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120: 784-792. Fitzgerald, T. M., E. van Stam, J. J. Nocera, & D. S. Badzinski. 2014. Loss of nesting sites is not a primary factor limiting northern Chimney Swift populations. Population Ecology 56: in press DOI: 10.1007/s10144- 014-0433-6 Glista, D. J., T. L. DeVault, & J. A. DeWoody. 2008. Vertebrate road mortality predominately impacts amphibians. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 3: 77-87. Gray, E. W., C. Royals, J. H. Epler, R. D. Wyatt, B. Brewer, & R. Noblet. 2012. Chironomus calligraphus (Diptera: Chironomidae), a new pest species in Georgia. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 28: 258-259. Nocera, J. J., J. M. Blais, D. V. Beresford, L. K. Finity, C. Grooms, L. E. Kimpe, K. Kyser, N. Michelutti, M. W. Reudink, & J. P. Smol. 2012. Historical pesticide applications coincided with an altered diet of aerially foraging insectivorous chimney swifts. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 279: 3114- 3120. Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, J. E. Fallon, K. L. Pardieck, D. J. Ziolkowski, & W. A. Link. 2012. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2011. Version 07.03.2013 USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD. Spies, M. 2000. Non-biting "nuisance" midges (Diptera, Chironomidae) in urban southern California, with notes SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS 101 on taxonomy, ecology and zoogeography. Pp. 621-628 In O. Hoffrichter (ed.), Late 20th Century Research on Chironomidae: An Anthology from the 13th International Symposium on Chironomidae. Shaker Verlag, Aachen. Spies, M., J. E. Sublette, M. F. Sublette, W. F. Wülker, J. Martin, A. Hille, M. A. Miller, & K. Witt. 2002. Pan- American Chironomus calligraphus Goeldi, 1905 (Diptera: Chironomidae): species or complex? Evidence from external morphology, karyology and DNA sequencing. Aquatic Insects 24: 91-113. Zilli, F. L., L. Montalto, A. C. Paggi, & M. R. Marchese. 2008. Biometry and life cycle of Chironomus calligraphus Goeldi 1905 (Diptera, Chironomidae) in laboratory conditions. Interciencia 33: 767-770. Christopher M. Milensky Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MRC 116 National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution P.O. Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012 Claudia J. Austin 2602 Horseshoe Road Creedmoor, North Carolina 27522 John H. Epler 461 Tiger Hammock Road Crawfordville, Florida 32327 Christina A. Gebhard Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MRC 116 National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution P.O. Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012 Gary R. Graves Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MRC 116 National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution P.O. Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012 Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate University of Copenhagen 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark email: gravesg@si.edu Banisteria, Number 43, pages 101-103 © 2014 Virginia Natural History Society SNAKE PREDATION ON AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER EGGS ON FISHERMAN ISLAND, VIRGINIA. — Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge is located at the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula in the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The island is an important breeding area for several species of beach-nesting birds, including American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus), Least Terns (Sternula antillarum), and Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) (Wilke et al., 2007; Denmon et al., 2013). A bridge connecting the mainland to the island, as well as their close proximity (ca. 600 m), has facilitated the presence of mammalian and avian predators, including Raccoons (Procyon lotor), American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Fish Crows (Corvus ossifragus), Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), and Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla), all of which prey on birds, eggs, and nestlings (Nol, 1989; Sabine et al., 2006). Here we summarize observations of a large snake that consumed eggs from an American Oystercatcher nest. Two species of snakes known to eat bird eggs, Eastern Ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) and North American Racer (Coluber constrictor), have been documented for Fisherman Island (Mitchell & Reay, 1999; Mitchell, 2012) and both are potential predators of birds that nest on this barrier island (Fitch, 1963; Mitchell, 1994). During the 2006 American Oystercatcher breeding season, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff deployed several wildlife cameras on Fisherman Island to monitor nest success using the techniques described in Denmon et al. (2013). Each camera was mounted to a post that was buried with about 0.5 m visible above ground. Posts were camouflaged using wrack from the beach and all wires were spray-painted light tan and covered with sand. The cameras took pictures every five seconds; because the data consisted of a series of digital pictures rather than video footage, images were often grainy and only of fair quality. The nest identified as 6F51 was located on the northwest side of Fisherman Island. The habitat consisted of low sand dunes with piles of wrack and some beach grasses. Directly behind the nest (shoreward) was a sheer sand cliff topped with grasses that resulted from erosion. Thick grassland and shrubs constitute the upland habitat in the area. The oystercatcher pair at this site laid their first egg on 18 May 2006; a second egg was laid by 20 May. Camera deployment was delayed until 25 May to reduce the chance of the birds abandoning the nest. Analysis of the digital images taken at nest 6F51 on