A Natural Areas Inventory of the - Kansas Natural Heritage Inventory ...

history attributes of this species. It is the largest member of the genus Nicrophorus in North
America and requires larger carrion (80–300 gm; 3–11 oz) for best reproductive success (U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service 1991). This species is associated with specific soil types (Lomolino et
al. 1995) and habitats with abundant small birds and mammals (Holloway and Schnell 1997).
Only limited areas on the uplands of FLMR currently support habitat potentially suitable for
American burying beetle populations. Extensive human activity, particularly agricultural
development, in the historic past throughout the Glaciated Region of Kansas and Missouri has
greatly reduced the amount of suitable habitat for this species. It is unlikely to occur on FLMR.
Recommendations. If populations of the American burying beetle are discovered close to FLMR,
additional surveys should be conducted on the post.
Bald eagle: Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus)
Past Records. The bald eagle is a large raptor that is a regular winter visitor and local breeder in
Kansas (Thompson and Ely 1989, Collins et al. 1995). It bred historically along major rivers in
Kansas, but breeding populations were extirpated shortly after Euro-America settlement
(Levenson and Bee 1980). The first confirmed nesting in more than a century occurred in Kansas
in 1989, and the breeding population continues to expand (Watkins et al. 1994). Winter
populations also have been expanding for several decades and current winter populations
sometimes exceed 600 birds. During aerial surveys of eagles in the winters of 1991–1993, the
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks documented that, at times, the Missouri River hosts
large numbers of bald eagles.
Available Habitat and Surveys. The preferred habitat of the bald eagle includes areas of open
water and along large rivers. In Kansas, the greatest numbers in winter occur at large reservoirs
and along the major rivers. Breeding pairs currently are found at large reservoirs in eastern
Kansas and in riparian areas in western Kansas (Watkins et al. 1994, 1996). No winter surveys
were conducted due to the abundance of existing information (Table 3.6). No bald eagles were
seen on FLMR during breeding season surveys, and there is no evidence that eagles nest on the
post. Because of regular winter use by bald eagles, all lands and waters in a corridor along the
main stem of the Missouri River from the Nebraska state line downstream to Wyandotte County,
Kansas, are designated as critical habitat by KDWP.
TABLE 3.6. Aerial surveys for bald eagles conducted by KDWP from 1991–1993. FLMR = Ft.
Leavenworth; LC = Leavenworth County; and MR = Missouri River (in Kansas).
Number of bald eagles
Date FLMR LC MR
1991-02-13 0 1 12
1992-02-10 3 6 42
1992-12-16 3 4 23
1993-01-14 9 35 80
1993-02-22 4 6 55
NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY OF FT. LEAVENWORTH II 52