State Wildlife Grant - T-54-R
| Project Overview | |
|---|---|
| Project Title |
Producing Beef and Birds: Impacts of High Intensity Short Duration Grazing on Grassland Songbirds
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| Target Species |
Grasshopper Sparrow, Chestnut-collard Longspur, Western Meadowlark, Bobolink Northern Pintail, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Willet, Marbled Godwit, and other grassland associated bird species.
|
| Timeline |
May 2020 – June 2024
|
| Investigators |
Dr. Susan Ellis-Felege, University of North Dakota; Taylor Linder, University of North Dakota; Dr. Marissa Ahlering, The Nature Conservancy; Kaylan Kemink, Ducks Unlimited
|
Project Description
Cattle grazing has been recognized as an important management practice for promoting grassland health and for grassland nesting bird production in the upper Great Plains.
Recent research examining the effects of cattle grazing on grassland management and on grassland nesting birds has focused on continuous and longer rotational grazing.
However, a shorter rotational system with high stocking rates called High Intensity Short Duration (HISD) grazing is increasing in popularity in the region, and less is known about the impacts this grazing practice might have on grassland nesting birds.
The objective is to evaluate the impact of HISD grazing on grassland bird productivity.
We will address the following questions:
1. Does nest success of grassland nesting songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and grouse vary between HISD and traditional rotational grazing practices?
2. Does total nesting productivity (number of nests and nest success) of grassland nesting songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl and grouse vary between HISD and traditional rotational grazing practices?
3. Do structural vegetation measures generally important for nest success vary between HISD and traditional grazing practices?
4. What factors predict nest success for grassland nesting birds in grazed grasslands (e.g., vegetation structure, grazing practice, abiotic factors, etc.)?