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And Red-Necked Grebes (Podiceps Grisegena) Changes to the Population Status of Horned Grebes ( Podiceps auritus ) and Red-necked Grebes ( Podiceps grisegena ) in Southwestern Manitoba, Canada GORD HAMMELL P.O. Box 37, Erickson, Manitoba R0J 0P0 Canada; email: [email protected] Hammell, Gord. 2017. Changes to the population status of Horned Grebes ( Podiceps auritus ) and Red-necked Grebes ( Podiceps grisegena ) in southwestern Manitoba, Canada. Canadian Field-Naturalist 131(4): 317–324. https://doi.org/10.22621/ cfn. v131i4.2069 Continental trend data for North America suggest that Horned Grebe ( Podiceps auritus ) breeding populations are declining and Red-necked Grebe ( P. grisegena ) populations are increasing. However, data reliability is low due to lack of survey routes in the northern boreal and taiga ecozones, areas encompassing much of the breeding range of both species. Locally in the southern Manitoba prairie ecozone, reliability of long-term trend data is also considered low and these data suggest that Horned Grebe populations are declining faster than the continental trend and that Red-necked Grebe populations are increasing rapidly. The lack of current quantitative information on population densities of these two species in southern Manitoba prompted me to compare 1970s historical data from two sites to recent data collected at the same locations in 2008–2016. I surveyed 42 (1970–1972) and 38 (2008–2016), and 144 (2009–2015) Class III-V wetlands at Erickson and Minnedosa, Manitoba, respectively. Historical Minnedosa data were available from previous field studies. At both locations, Horned Grebe breeding populations have fallen significantly, and Red-necked Grebe populations have risen significantly since the 1970s. The results of this study corroborate the Breeding Bird Survey’s trend data for Horned and Red-necked Grebes in southwestern Manitoba pothole habitat. Key Words: Horned Grebe; Podiceps auritus ; Red-necked Grebe; Podiceps grisegena ; Manitoba prairie-potholes; species at risk; population status Introduction 2017c). Although the reproduction and behaviour of the Horned Grebes ( Podiceps auritus ) and Red-necked species have been studied extensively in Eurasia and Grebes ( P. grisegena ) are highly-specialized waterbirds North America (Stout and Nuechterlein 1999; Sted - that nest over-water in or near emergent vegetation on man 2000; Klatt 2003; Nuechterlein et al . 2003; Klatt semi-permanent or permanent ponds. Horned Grebes et al. 2004; Kuczynski et al. 2012), accurate informa - prefer small (less than 2 ha) open-water wetlands for tion on population trends for breeding and wintering nest sites in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and North Dako - populations in North America is still lacking (Stout ta (Faaborg 1976; Sugden 1977; Ferguson and Sealy and Nuechterlein 1999; Stedman 2000; COSEWIC 1983) whereas the larger Red-necked Grebe usually oc - 2009). Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data suggest cupy wetlands greater than 2 ha (Riske 1976 as cited continental declines for Horned Grebe and increases in Stout and Nuechterlein 1999; De Smet 1983 as cit - for Red-necked Grebe (yearly % change 1966–2015: ed in Stout and Nuechterlein 1999; the current study; Horned Grebe −0.47, Red-necked Grebe +0.65; Sauer but see Fournier and Hines 1998). For both species, et al . 2017). But BBS data have limited value, as much males and females are similar in appearance and diffi - of the breeding range of both species lies in the northern cult to distinguish in the field. They are intra- and inter- boreal and taiga ecozones, areas with few BBS survey specifically territorial. Both species have Holarctic dis - routes. Thus, potential data are missing and results are tributions and, in North America, the majority of their biased towards southern prairie-parkland populations populations have a similar breeding range, extending (COSEWIC 2009). from northwestern On tario and the northwestern United Locally in the parklands of southern Manitoba, the States to the Northwest Territories and Alaska (Stout reliability of BBS data for Horned Grebe and Red- and Nuechterlein 1999; Stedman 2000). The Horned necked Grebe are considered low due to small sample Grebe Western population is listed as special concern sizes but the data suggest that Horned Grebe popula - but the small (less than 15 birds), disjunct Magdalen tions are decreasing and Red-necked Grebe populations Island population in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is listed are increasing (Manitoba Prairie-potholes long-term as endangered under the Species at Risk Act following trend 1970–2015 yearly % change: Horned Grebe their 2009 assessments by the Committee on the Status −2.94; Red-necked Grebe +10.7; Environment and of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC; SARA Climate Change Canada 2017). No corroborative, multi- Registry 2017a,b). Red-necked Grebe was last assessed year studies of reproduction have been conducted in by COSEWIC in 1982 as ‘not at risk’ (SARA Registry this area in over 30 years (Ferguson and Sealy 1983; A contribution towards the cost of this publication has been provided by the Thomas Manning Memorial Fund of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club. 317 ©The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club (2017) 318 THE CANADIAN FIELD -N ATURALIST Vol. 131 De Smet 1987). Intensive monitoring at a local scale of the region is rolling hills with numerous ponds and can provide additional trend information, and in con - lakes; the uplands are a mixture of cereal and oilseed junc tion with landscape data (e.g., BBS), may allow crops, hay, pasture, and native woodland (mainly more accurate decisions regarding the need for possible pop lars, Populus spp .). The Erickson study area intervention (e.g., small wetland construction for (50.470351°N, 99.895847°W) consists of a 6.8 km² Horned Grebe; Kuczynski et al. 2012). Accordingly, area established by the author in 1970, and contained personal anecdotal evidence suggesting changes in 12 seasonal (Class III: 0.4 ± 0.3 ha, 0.1–1.3 [average ± grebe populations in southwestern Manitoba and the SD, range]), seven semi-permanent (Class IV: 0.5 ± lack of current quantitative information prompted me 0.3 ha, 0.2–0.9), and 23 permanent (Class V: 2.0 ± 2.3 to examine the extent of any change. I took advantage ha, 0.1–8.7 [18 natural, five constructed dugouts]) of historical data from two locations in southwestern wetlands during 1970–1972 (~ 6 wetlands/km²; classi - Manitoba (Erickson and Minnedosa) and compared fication according to Stewart and Kantrud [1971]). In these data to those collected in 2008–2016 at the 2008–2016, two Class III and two small Class V wet - same locations. lands (dugouts) had been lost due to draining or filling. The 7.1 km ² Minnedosa study area (50.125001°N, Study Area 99.844663°W), established in 2009 by the author, is The study areas are in the parkland pothole region about 27 km south of the Erickson site and is a 17.7 km of southwestern Manitoba (Figure 1). The topography × 0.4 km roadside transect (0.2 km either side) and FIGURE 1. Location of Red-necked Grebe ( Podiceps grisegena ) and Horned Grebe ( Podiceps auritus ) study areas in south - west Manitoba, Canada: 6.8 km 2 Erickson site (black square A: 1970–1972, 2008–2016), and 7.1 km 2 Minnedosa transect (dashed line B: 2009–2015). 2017 HAMMELL : G REBES IN SOUTHWESTERN MANITOBA 319 contained ten Class III (0.1 ± 0.07 ha, 0.02 – 0.22), transect, late May was the optimal census period to 118 Class IV (0.9 ± 0.9 ha, 0.03–4.0), and 16 Class V observe the greatest number of Horned Grebes when (1.6 ± 1.1 ha, 0.06–3.6 [nine natural; seven {five flood - only one survey was conducted (Arnold 1994). One ed} dugouts]) wetlands (~ 20 wetlands/km ²). The latter observer conducted one late-May survey beginning at study site is part of a larger site intensively studied for ~ 0600 hours (1100 hours in 2009) at the southwest Horned Grebe in 1974–1975 (Ferguson 1977). Using end and proceeded east, then north (6–10 hrs to com - 1964 and 2011 aerial photos of the Minnedosa transect plete) in all years except 2014 (June 5th). Each wet - (Aerial Data Survey Base, Natural Resources Canada land within 200 m of the road was approached by and Google Earth, respectively), I estimated about a vehicle or on foot and quickly scanned in its entirety 2% loss (four Class IV lost, one dugout added) of Class then rescanned for 1 min or more, according to Arnold IV and V wetlands between 1964 and 2011. Because (1994). If the transect line bisected a large wetland ( n Horned Grebes and Red-necked Grebes occupy Class = 3), I included only those grebes in the analysis ob - IV and V wetlands almost exclusively during the breed - served within the transect. Horned Grebes were record - ing season, both study sites have experienced little ed as single birds or pairs (two birds in close proximity, grebe habitat loss between the 1970s and 2000s. not displaying aggressive behaviour) and a single bird At Erickson, wetland water levels were high in the on a wetland was assumed to represent a pair on that springs of 1970–1972 and in all years in the 2000s ex - wetland (but see below for differing analysis of Min - cept 2012 (unpublished data). At Minnedosa, wetlands nedosa Horned Grebe data). Rarely does more than one were wet in spring 1974–1975 (Ferguson 1977) and in pair of Horned Grebe occupy a given wetland at the all years 2009–2015 except 2012, and 2013 when the Minnedosa site (Ferguson 1977) but at Erickson, larger north section of the transect was dry (personal obser - wetlands allow for more pairs, and greater scrutiny was vation). Mean total yearly precipitation ( Precip ), 1981– necessary. Similarly, for Red-necked Grebes, territory 2010, for Wasagaming, Manitoba ~21 km north of the establishment and initial egg-laying occurs in May in Erickson site and for Brandon, Manitoba ~23 km south Manitoba (egg-laying peaked in late May; De Smet of the Minnedosa transect was 488 mm and 474 mm, 1987), and counts taken during mid to late May would respectively (Environment Canada Historical Climate best represent the breeding population (Stout and Data 2016).
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