Abundance and Density of Mountain Plover (<i>Charadrius montanus</i>) and Burrowing Owl (<i>Athene cunicularia</i>) in Eastern Colorado

Tipton, Heather C.; Doherty, Paul F.; Dreitz, Victoria J.

doi:10.1525/auk.2009.07172

Cited by 20 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Sampling plots were 500 m × 500 m (25 ha) following Tipton et al. (). On each of the 40 sample plots, we randomly selected a survey method, PCTD or TRMO, and used the other method the next day.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of removal-based methods for estimating abundance of five species of prairie songbirds

Golding

Dreitz

2016

J. Field Ornithol.

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Estimating species abundance is important for land managers, especially for monitoring conservation efforts. The two main survey methods for estimating avian abundance are point counts and transects. Previous comparisons of these two methods have either been limited to a single species or have not included detection probability. During the 2012 breeding season, we compared and assessed the efficiency (precision for amount of effort) of point count time of detection (PCTD) and dependent double‐observer transect (TRMO) methods based on detection probabilities and abundance estimates of five species of songbirds that use a range of habitats in a prairie system in Montana dominated by sagebrush and grassland vegetation. Our focal species included Vesper Sparrows (Pooecetes gramineus), a generalist species found in both shrub and grassland habitat, shrub‐obligate Brewer's Sparrows (Spizella breweri), and McCown's Longspurs (Rhynchophanes mccownii), Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris), and Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta), three species of grassland obligates that prefer different grass heights. Detection probabilities were significantly higher for TRMO surveys, with less variation for all five species and differences most pronounced for Brewer's Sparrows and Horned Larks. PCTD surveys required less field effort (~8–20 fewer people minutes per plot) than TRMO surveys because the TRMO surveys required two people. However, time spent on TRMO surveys provided between 0.38 and 87 times more precision per people minute than PCTD surveys. Our results suggest that TRMO surveys provide a more efficient (measured as time spent per unit of standard error) field‐based technique in sagebrush prairie systems for the species we investigated, resulting in more precise detection and abundance estimates.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of removal-based methods for estimating abundance of five species of prairie songbirds

Golding

Dreitz

2016

J. Field Ornithol.

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“…Such habitat conditions arise from the combined influence of semiarid to arid climates, where moisture availability limits plant cover, and disturbance by grazers and fire. In the shortgrass steppe of the southwestern Great Plains (Lauenroth et al 1999) breeding mountain plovers occur in grasslands grazed by livestock and lacking prairie dogs (Knopf and Miller 1994), but substantially greater densities occur on black‐tailed prairie dog colonies and recent burns (Tipton et al 2009, Augustine 2011). Because prairie dogs can compete with livestock (Derner et al 2006), some livestock producers and range managers have questioned whether intense livestock grazing, in the absence of prairie dogs, could generate mountain plover habitat.…”

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confidence: 99%

Disturbance regimes and mountain plover habitat in shortgrass steppe: Large herbivore grazing does not substitute for prairie dog grazing or fire

Augustine

Derner

2012

J Wildl Manag

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Restoring historical disturbance regimes to enhance habitat for grassland birds can conflict with livestock production goals and has been controversial because of uncertainty in the frequency and pattern of different disturbances prior to European settlement. We studied nesting habitat for the mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) in relation to prescribed fire, grazing by large herbivores (cattle), and grazing by black‐tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in the shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado. Breeding mountain plovers primarily occurred on black‐tailed prairie dog colonies or areas burned during the previous dormant season. Vegetation surrounding mountain plover nests and foraging locations was characterized by a fine‐scale mosaic of prostrate (<4 cm tall) vegetated patches interspersed with >35% bare soil in a given square meter, with this fine‐scale pattern distributed over a broad (>100‐m radius) area. Mountain plovers rarely occupied grassland lacking prairie dogs or recent fire, but those that did selected sites with similar vegetation height and bare soil exposure as sites on burns and prairie dog colonies. Vegetation structure at mountain plover‐occupied sites was also similar to random sites on burns and prairie dog colonies, but differed substantially from sites managed only with cattle. Intensive cattle grazing at twice the recommended stocking rate during spring (Mar–May) or summer (May–Oct) for 6 years produced significantly less bare soil than burns and prairie dog colonies, particularly following years with average or above‐average precipitation. Thus, intensive cattle grazing did not substitute for prairie dog grazing or fire in terms of effects on vegetation structure and mountain plover habitat. Both prescribed burning and increased size and distribution of black‐tailed prairie dog colonies appear to be effective and complementary means to manage for mountain plover breeding habitat in shortgrass steppe. Provision of mountain plover habitat has tradeoffs with traditional management for livestock production. Thus, managers need to clearly define desired outcomes for management to provide multiple ecosystem goods and services. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.

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“…Owl distributions in our study area appear to be driven more by the presence of prairie dogs, which maintain nesting habitat for owls. Numerous recent studies have suggested that management of burrowing owls could be mediated through management of prairie dogs (Lantz et al ; Tipton et al , ). In this decision context, management of prairie dogs would be regarded as a means of improving owl abundance (Keeney and Gregory ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the role of budget sufficiency, cost efficiency, and uncertainty in species management

et al. 2013

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Many conservation planning frameworks rely on the assumption that one should prioritize locations for management actions based on the highest predicted conservation value (i.e., abundance, occupancy). This strategy may underperform relative to the expected outcome if one is working with a limited budget or the predicted responses are uncertain. Yet, cost and tolerance to uncertainty rarely become part of species management plans. We used field data and predictive models to simulate a decision problem involving western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) using prairie dog colonies (Cynomys ludovicianus) in western Nebraska. We considered 2 species management strategies: one maximized abundance and the other maximized abundance in a cost‐efficient way. We then used heuristic decision algorithms to compare the 2 strategies in terms of how well they met a hypothetical conservation objective. Finally, we performed an info‐gap decision analysis to determine how these strategies performed under different budget constraints and uncertainty about owl response. Our results suggested that when budgets were sufficient to manage all sites, the maximizing strategy was optimal and suggested investing more in expensive actions. This pattern persisted for restricted budgets up to approximately 50% of the sufficient budget. Below this budget, the cost‐efficient strategy was optimal and suggested investing in cheaper actions. When uncertainty in the expected responses was introduced, the strategy that maximized abundance remained robust under a sufficient budget. Reducing the budget induced a slight trade‐off between expected performance and robustness, which suggested that the most robust strategy depended both on one's budget and tolerance to uncertainty. Our results suggest that wildlife managers should explicitly account for budget limitations and be realistic about their expected levels of performance. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.

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Abundance and Density of Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) and Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) in Eastern Colorado

Cited by 20 publications

References 36 publications

Comparison of removal-based methods for estimating abundance of five species of prairie songbirds

Comparison of removal-based methods for estimating abundance of five species of prairie songbirds

Disturbance regimes and mountain plover habitat in shortgrass steppe: Large herbivore grazing does not substitute for prairie dog grazing or fire

On the role of budget sufficiency, cost efficiency, and uncertainty in species management

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