June 17, 2011 -- Volume 49, Number 24   

Congressional CC is Ready - And So Are We!

Researchers at the College of William and Mary document the survival of eastern bluebirds fledged on and off golf courses.

by Allyson K. Jackson and Daniel A. Cristol

Unlike their brightly colored parents, juvenile eastern bluebird fledglings are gray/brown colored to help with camouflage. Young fledglings are weak flyers and thus vulnerable to predation.

Birds are particularly visible residents of golf courses, and few are more attention-grabbing than the eastern bluebird. Eastern bluebirds prefer to nest and forage in areas at the intersection of forest and field. Golf courses, with their juxtaposed fairways and trees, are prime real estate for bluebird nests. Bluebirds are secondary cavity nesters because they nest only in cavities that have been excavated first by another species. Historically, they nested in old woodpecker holes, but, in the present day, they nest successfully in artificial nest boxes. Many local bird clubs and golf course managers now provide nest boxes for bluebirds, which attracts them to golf courses in high numbers. However, it is unknown how successful bluebirds fledged on golf courses are at surviving to produce offspring of their own, and how the survival of golf course fledglings compares to non-golf sites.

Allyson K. Jackson, M.S.,BioDiversity Research Institute, Gorham, Maine; and Daniel A.Cristol, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies, Department of Biology, The College of William and Mary,Williamsburg, Va.

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Northeast Region News Update

byJim Skorulski, senior agronomist  

June has brought some long-awaited heat and drier weather conditions that have helped saturate golf courses in the northern parts of the region and pushed the growth of seedling plants in winter-damaged areas. It did not come without a big price, however, as some violent thunderstorms and even tornadoes left a destructive and deadly path across central Massachusetts. Portions of the Veterans Golf Course in Springfield, Mass., remain closed as the staff continues to clean trees and other debris left in the wake of the storm.

The changing weather brought with it some disease activity, including dollar spot disease, red thread, leaf spot, brown ring patch and, surprisingly, Fusarium patch. It did not take long for isolated dry spots to pop up following the windy and dry conditions.

Florida Region
Rain, Rain, Please Come Today

Along with increased fairy ring and localized dry spot problems on putting greens (L), cart and equipment traffic damage is much more of a problem on Florida courses because of the severe drought (R).

June 1 marks the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, and typically by this date afternoon thunderstorms occur on a regular basis throughout Florida. However, a record-setting drought continues to plague the state. Palm Beach County, the Treasure Coast region, and the southeast coast have been especially hard-hit and are experiencing rainfall deficits of 30 inches or more for the past 12 months.  A Phase 1 water use restriction (15 percent reduction) was mandated for all golf courses in the South Florida Water Management District; and on June 1 monthly allocation reductions also took effect, further reducing the water available for irrigation. The result is a marked increase in drought stress and off-color turf on golf courses.

During recent Turf Advisory Service visits, a greater incidence and more severe outbreaks of fairy rings are occurring on putting greens due to the drought and heat stress. Adjustments in course management programs are essential to minimize turf damage and loss until rainfall occurs on a regular basis.

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North Central Region
The Theory Of Relativity

Raising the height of cut on greens to 0.175" - 0.200" will facilitate faster recovery from winter injury. Covering a green during early spring to raise soil temperatures and taking the putting surface out of play will also help promote rapid healing.

It's been an interesting spring across the upper Midwest; waiting, waiting and waiting for a sustained period of warm weather to arrive. There have been short teasers, such as two consecutive days of temperatures above 100 degrees last week, but sweater weather returned within 48 hours of the oppressive heat. The numerous courses affected by significant winterkill have suffered the most. Recovery has progressed at a snail's pace and many greens are still affected by localized areas of thin and bare spots just waiting for Poa annua to ultimately fill into the voids.

Attempts to encourage rapid recovery on greens have varied widely between courses. Some courses have done little more than spike in a little bentgrass

and apply starter fertilizer, while others in Minnesota have constructed propane heated tents over damaged turf to increase soil temperature enough to germinate bentgrass in April. No doubt, some techniques have performed better than others. 

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