Fall & Winter 2012: Volume 33, Numbers 3 & 4 - Missouri Prairie ...

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NOPPADOL PAOTHONG/MDC MDC’s Aimee Coy set up decoys and played recordings of prairie-chicken booming on Wah’Kon- Tah to simulate a lek and help draw translocated males to the historic lek site. Dispersal of translocated greater prairiechickens in Missouri from 2008 to 2012. Although most birds remained on or very near Wah’Kon-Tah, telemetry confirmed that some did disperse beyond the release landscape. Dispersing individuals moved up to 30 miles or more, across rivers, roads, and woodlands. Their ability to navigate across the countryside and their choices to settle in at places that had held prairie-chickens in decades past was uncanny. Notable case studies of individual dispersal include: • A male translocated in 2010 flew to Taberville Prairie and, within days of release, became the dominant cock on the established lek of native birds. • A hen flew to Walker, nine miles west of Wah’Kon-Tah, and successfully hatched a brood on private land in 2011. She remained in the Walker area until 2012, when she returned to Wah’Kon-Tah and hatched a successful brood. • A hen flew to Taberville Prairie, then to Niawathe Prairie during the same month in the winter of 2011. She spent the winter on and around Niawathe, mated with the lone male on nearby Horse Creek Prairie, then nested and hatched a brood of 14 chicks on Shelton Prairie during the spring of 2012. • A hen translocated during 2012 flew to the Walker vicinity in late April, disappeared for two weeks, and was then located via helicopter telemetry north of Fort Scott, Kansas. • A hen translocated during 2012 flew to Butler, Mo. and then returned to Wah’Kon-Tah to mingle with the newly established flock. Lek Establishment: Prior to our initial 2008 release, three simulated leks were established to mimic habitat occupancy, a cue that released birds often use to determine initial habitat suitability. Simulated leks consisted of silhouette decoys of displaying males and broadcast calls of booming and cackling. Eight recently released males displayed on two of the three simulated leks during 2008. Four males released in 2008 also established a lek at Wah’Kon-Tah and continued their courtship display. During spring 2009, 13 males established a lek 700 meters southeast of a simulated lek; this time with a female audience. In 2010, as many as 22 males displayed on three booming grounds at Wah’Kon-Tah. The peak lek count in 2011 was 20, although lek location shifted as compared to 2010. During 2012, 27 males used the same three leks established in 2011. Nest Site Selection: Patterns of nest site selection among radio-marked hens are emerging. However, analysis of telemetry data is ongoing and definitive statements related to habitat preferences cannot yet be made. It appears that management treatments such as patchburn grazing and high-clipping, which reduce the height and density of herbaceous vegetation, do influence nest site selection. Documenting how the juxtaposition of areas receiving such management, and time elapsed since treatment, impact nest site selection remains an important monitoring objective that will guide future management. Anecdotal observation indicates that a majority of nests are located near an herbaceous edge (soft edge), as defined by a visually significant change in herbaceous vegetation structure. Soft edge is often associated with cattle or vehicle trails or firelines, as well as where boundaries of differently managed units meet. Observations thus far suggest that management history and vegetation height influence nest site selection. Nest Fate: During 2009, apparent nest success among translocated females was comparable to that reported by studies of resident birds. Apparent nest success from 2010–2012 was higher than that expected among native greater prairiechickens. Fewer nests were monitored during 2012 than in 2011 because fewer females were translocated during 2012 (44) than in 2011 (60). 14 Missouri Prairie Journal Vol. 33 Nos. 3 & 4
Fate of 67 nests of radio-collared hens monitored from 2009 to 2012. Area # 2009 Nests # 2009 Successful # 2010 Nests # 2010 Successful # 2011 Nests # 2011 Successful # 2012 Nests Wah’Kon-Tah 4 3 6 5 22 15 11 9 Taberville 4 2 4 3 8 5 6 6 Walker 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Shelton 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Totals 8 5 10 8 31 21 18 16 # 2012 Successful Telemetry Monitoring Observations: Tracking radio-marked females and the fate of their nests and broods has added to our understanding of the vegetative cover that greater-prairie chickens prefer for nesting, raising broods, feeding, and evading predators. Although additional monitoring is needed for statistical confirmation, observations to date indicate the importance of maintaining a patchwork of varying herbaceous vegetation types across large, unfragmented grasslands of at least several hundred acres. Prescribed fire, patch-burn grazing, and high-clipping relatively small, 40- to 80-acre units within larger grassland landscapes all appear important to create and maintain this variety of herbaceous cover heights and densities. Additional telemetry monitoring observations include: • Given comparatively poor survival among translocated juveniles, spring translocation is recommended over the two-phase approach, which included summer recapture of previously radiomarked females and their broods. • Translocation efforts proved successful in terms of lek establishment, site fidelity, and production at Wah’Kon-Tah and interaction with native birds at Taberville Prairie (Jamison and Alleger 2009). • Dispersal rates are higher and survival is lower among first-year translocated birds compared to resident birds (Kemink 2012). • The acclimation period over which translocated birds experience depressed survival is approximately six months (Kemink 2012). • Increasing winter flock numbers at Taberville Prairie indicate an increase in bird recruitment from local subpopulations. It is not known whether this is a direct result of translocation. • Winter trapping documented successful brood-rearing at Wah’Kon-Tah, as juvenile birds lacking transmitters and leg bands have been observed and/or trapped. • With regard to the Partners in Flight Grassland Bird habitat model (PIF Model), birds prefer Departmentmanaged “core” habitat, and survival is lower on smaller, privately owned, “satellite” tracts (Kemink 2012). • The presence of fences and trees reduces the amount of usable space (Kemink 2012). • Future translocation efforts should consider releasing larger numbers of birds, biased toward females (Kemink 2012). MDC staff will continue monitoring this re-established population at Wah’Kon-Tah to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of translocation as a greater prairie-chicken recovery tool. Winter trapping will continue at Wah’Kon-Tah and Taberville prairies over the next four years to further document individual survival, nest site selection and success, and brood survival, with special emphasis on understanding habitat While habitat preference data are still being analyzed, it appears that management treatments such as patch-burn grazing and high-clipping, shown above, which reduces the height and density of vegetation, influence prairie-chicken nest site selection. selection patterns. This documentation will inform future management methods and priorities. Lek counts will help determine post-translocation population stability. Thinking Forward This translocation project has succeeded in reestablishing a functional greater prairie-chicken population at Wah’Kon- Tah. The long-term stability of that population hinges on the continuation of intensive grassland management on MDC-managed lands, as well as upon further efforts to reduce fragmentation and add viable nesting and brood-rearing cover on nearby private lands. Each time I’ve returned home from greater prairie-chicken trapping I’ve been struck by the daunting difference in scale between our grasslands and those in Kansas’ Smoky Hills. Do we have enough unfragmented prairie Steve CLubine Vol. 33 Nos. 3 & 4 Missouri Prairie Journal 15
Page 1 and 2: Fall/winter 2012 Volume 33 Numbers
Page 3 and 4: Contents Fall/Winter 2012 Volume 33
Page 5 and 6: MPF’s Third Annual Prairie BioBli
Page 7 and 8: Carol Davit Carol Davit carol davit
Page 9 and 10: Brian Edmond ATCHISON HOLT NODAWAY
Page 11 and 12: 2012 Campaign for Prairies Please k
Page 13: allow mosquitoes to swarm. We used
Page 17 and 18: Max ALleger For the rest of our ann
Page 19 and 20: “The purpose of the park is to ma
Page 21 and 22: DNR FILE PRAIRIE STATE PARK JUSTIN
Page 23 and 24: SCOTT WOODBURY Carol Davit SCOTT WO
Page 25 and 26: Susan Hilty Moving Forward from the
Page 27 and 28: Cattle producers can benefit both c
Page 29 and 30: Prairie Postings Cécile Lagandré
Page 31 and 32: tion Lifetime Members Don Lowry Kay

Fall & Winter 2012: Volume 33, Numbers 3 & 4 - Missouri Prairie ...

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