Nest site selection and nest survival of Greater Prairie-Chickens near a wind energy facility

Abstract

Rapid development of wind energy facilities in the Great Plains of North America has raised concerns regarding their potential negative impact on the nesting ecology of Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus). We investigated the effects of a pre-existing, 36-turbine wind energy facility on nest site selection and nest survival of Greater Prairie-Chickens in the unfragmented grasslands of the Nebraska Sandhills, USA. In 2013 and 2014, we monitored 91 nests along a 24-km disturbance gradient leading away from the wind energy facility. We found little evidence of an effect of the wind energy facility on Greater Prairie-Chicken nest site selection and nest survival. Instead, we found that the primary drivers of nest site selection and nest survival were related to landscape and habitat factors. Greater Prairie-Chickens avoided nesting near roads, with 74% of Greater Prairie-Chickens selecting nest sites .700 m from roads. Greater Prairie-Chickens selected nest sites with more than twice the visual obstruction and residual standing dead vegetation of random points. Our results suggest that small wind energy facilities, such as the facility in our study, may have little effect on Greater Prairie-Chicken nest site selection and nest survival. We suggest that livestock grazing and other grassland management practices still have the most important regional effects on Great Prairie-Chickens, but we caution future planners of wind energy facilities to account for the potential negative effect of roads on nest site selection.

Columbian sharp‐tailed grouse nesting ecology: wind energy and habitat

“…Similar to our nest‐site selection results, we found no evidence of wind‐energy infrastructure affecting Columbian sharp‐tailed grouse nest survival. These results are similar to those of McNew et al () and Harrison et al () who found no influence of wind‐energy infrastructure on greater prairie‐chicken nest survival in Kansas and Nebraska, respectively. Both studies found nest survival was influenced by vegetation rather than wind‐energy infrastructure.…”

“…Our nest‐site selection results are similar to those of McNew et al () and Harrison et al () who reported no influence of wind‐energy development on nest‐site selection in greater prairie‐chickens. Similarly, LeBeau et al (2014, ) reported no influence of wind‐energy development on nest‐site selection in sage‐grouse.…”

“…Variation in disturbance levels or features associated with roads may also explain differences in observed grouse behavioral responses. Greater prairie‐chickens avoided major roads when nesting in Kansas (McNew et al ) and also avoided roads in Nebraska where high traffic volume was documented (Harrison et al ). We did not detect a negative response of nesting Columbian sharp‐tailed grouse to roads in our study, although we combined all road types into a single road variable, which may have influenced our ability to detect an effect.…”

“…LeBeau et al (), however, concluded that neither nest‐site selection nor nest survival was influenced by wind energy in a longer‐term study at the same wind‐energy facility. McNew et al () and Harrison et al () reported that proximity to turbines did not negatively affect greater prairie‐chicken nest‐site selection or nest survival in fragmented grasslands in Kansas and unfragmented grasslands in Nebraska, USA, respectively.…”

Location matters: evaluating Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) boom chorus propagation

“…For example, Winder and others reported adverse effects of a wind energy facility on female prairie-chicken space use (Winder et al 2014) and lek persistence (Winder et al 2015) in a grassland/agriculture system with almost three times (1.40 km/km²) higher road density as our study area (0.49 km/ km²). The presence of a wind facility and concomitant background noise in our relatively intact, unfragmented landscape appears to have fewer negative consequences because females do not appear to avoid nesting (Harrison et al 2017) or rearing broods in areas near the facility (Harrison 2015). Leks near and on wind facility property have been present after the facility's construction and still remain (B. Vodehnal, NE Game & Parks Commission, personal communication).…”