Webless Migratory Game Bird Program Project Abstracts – 2010-11 Webless Migratory Game Bird Program
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Webless Migratory Game Bird Program Project Abstracts – 2010-11 Webless Migratory Game Bird Program Project Abstracts – 2010 and 2011 Compiled by Tom Cooper Project Officer U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Migratory Bird Management 5600 American Blvd. West, Suite 950 Bloomington, MN 55437 July 2012 Suggested citation: Cooper, T. R. (Compiler). 2012. Webless Migratory Game Bird Program, Project Abstracts – 2010 and 2011. United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bloomingtion, MN USA. 140p. The purpose of this report is to provide updated information on projects being funded through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Webless Migratory Game Bird Program. Any specific questions on projects should be addressed directly to the abstract authors. Cover photo by Todd Sanders, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, band-tailed pigeons visiting a mineral site station. CONTENTS Development and History of the Webless Program History and Administration of the Webless Migratory Game Bird Program, 1995-2012 1 David D. Dolton and Thomas R. Cooper Webless Migratory Game Bird Program Project Abstracts Mourning Doves Harvest and Crippling Rates of Mourning Doves in Missouri 6 John H. Schulz, Thomas W. Bonnot, Joshua J. Millspaugh, and Tony W. Mong Development of a Temporally and Spatially Explicit Model of Mourning Dove Recruitment for Harvest Mgmt. 8 David W. Miller Improving the Design and Count Methodology of the Mourning Dove Call-count Survey in the Eastern and Central Management Units: Pilot Study 12 Frank F. Rivera-Milàn, Mark Seamans, and Rebecca Rau White-winged Doves Development and Evaluation of a Parts Collection Survey for White-winge Doves in the Southeastern United States 16 Bret A. Collier, Brian L. Pierce, Corey Mason, Kyle Hand, and Taylor Jacobs Band-tailed Pigeons Band-tailed Pigeon Use of Supplemental Sodium and Calcium 21 Todd A. Sanders Sandhill Cranes Population Genetic Structure in the Eastern Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes 33 Mark E. Berres, Jeb A. Barzen, and Matthew A. Hayes An Initial Evaluation of the Annual Mid-Continent Sandhill Crane Population Survey 38 Aaron T. Pearse, Gary L. Krapu, and David A. Brandt Sandhill Crane Nest and Chick Survival in Nevada 42 Chad W. August, James S. Sedinger, and Christopher A. Nicolai The Use of Satellite Telemetry to Evaluate Migration Chronology and Breeding, Migratory, and Wintering Distribution of Eastern Population Sandhill Cranes 52 Dave Fronczak and David E. Andersen American Woodcock Habitat Use and Origins of American Woodcock Wintering in East Texas 59 Dan S. Sullins, Warren C. Conway, Christopher E. Comer, and David A. Haukos Assessment of Techniques for Evaluating American Woodcock Population Response to Best Management Practices Applied at the Demonstration-area Scale 67 Kyle O. Daly, David E. Andersen, and Wayne L. Brininger Jr. Factors Affecting Detection of American Woodcock on Singing-Ground Surveys 75 Stefanie M. Bergh and David E. Andersen Marshbirds The Effect of Waterfowl Impoundments on Sora and Virginia Rail Populations 85 Brian J. Olsen and Ellen P. Robertson Nesting, Brood Rearing, and Winter Habitat Selection of King Rails and Clapper Rails within the ACE Basin, South Carolina 92 William E. Mills, Ernie P. Wiggers, Catherine E. Ricketts, Jeffrey Hepinstall-Cymerman, and Sara H. Schweitzer Evaluation of an Expert-based Landscape Suitability Model for King Rails in the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Joint Venture Region 97 David G. Krementz and Jason R. Bolenbaugh Implementation of the National Marshbird Monitoring Program in Ohio 99 David E. Sherman and John W. Simpson Implementation of a National Marshbird Monitoring Program: Using Wisconsin as a Test of Program Study Design 103 Andy Paulios and Ryan Brady Estimating Population Trends, Relative Abundance, and Effects of Management Actions on 7 Species of Webless Migratory Game Birds 109 Courtney J. Conway, Leonard Santisteban, and Christopher P. Nadeau Expanding the Michigan Marsh Bird Survey to Facilitate Conservation at Multiple Scales 112 Michael J. Monfils and David L. Cuthrell Development of a Winter Survey for Wilson’s Snipe in the Mississippi Flyway 116 David G. Krementz and J. Matthew Carroll Developing Optimal Survey Techniques for Monitoring Population Status of Rails, Coots, and Gallinules 123 Courtney J. Conway, Mark Woodrey, Christopher Nadeau, and Meaghan Conway King Rail Nesting and Brood Rearing Ecology in Managed Wetlands 126 David G. Krementz and Karen L. Willard Appendices Appendix I. Projects Funded by the FY2012 Webless Migratory Game Bird Program 134 Appendix II. Summary of FWS Region 5 Projects Supported by the Webless Migratory Game Bird Program 136 HISTORY AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE WEBLESS MIGRATORY GAME BIRD PROGRAM, 1995-2012 THOMAS R. COOPER, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management, 5600 American Blvd. West, Suite 950, Bloomington, MN 55437, USA ([email protected]) DAVID D. DOLTON (retired), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Migratory Bird Management, PO Box 25486 DFC, Denver, CO 80225-0486, USA Introduction contracted to states: $50,000 was used directly by the The Webless Migratory Game Bird (WMGB) Program USFWS to support 2 field stations to study woodcock is an outgrowth of the WMGB Research Program and doves; and, $25,000 was retained by the USFWS (1994-present) and the WMGB Management Program to administer the program. The ARP ended when (2007-present). The revised WMGB Program was funding for the program was eliminated due to designed to provide cooperative funding for both USFWS budget constraints in 1982. In 1984, the research and management activities from the U.S. Fish International Association of Fish and Wildlife and Wildlife Service (USFWS), state wildlife Agencies (now AFWA) formed the Migratory Shore agencies, and other sources for projects benefitting the and Upland Game Bird (MSUGB) Subcommittee. 16 species of migratory game birds in North America One goal of the subcommittee was to reinstate a (Table 1). webless game bird research program. To accomplish this goal, the subcommittee documented the past Table 1. The 16 species of migratory shore and upland accomplishments of the ARP and lobbied for game birds eligible for funding through the Webless reinstatement of a webless research program. The Migratory Game Bird Program. efforts and persistence of the MSUGB Subcommittee came to fruition in the fall of 1994 when funding Common Name Scientific Name became available. The new program was titled the King Rail Rallus elegans WMGB Research Program. Projects were selected for Clapper Rail Rallus longirostris funding beginning in 1995 with funding being Virginia Rail Rallus limicola obligated for the entire project. Detailed information Sora Porzana carolina about the history of the ARP and WMGB Research Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica 1 Programs can be found in Dolton (2009). Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata American Coot Fulica americana The WMGB Research Program was funded at various Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis levels during 1995-2006; however, funding was Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata suspended due to budget limitations in 2003 and 2004. American Woodcock Scolopax minor Funding was reinstated in 2005 at a level of Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata $250,000/year, with $30,000 of the total being Scaly-naped Pigeon Patagioenas squamosa obligated for webless projects in USFWS Region 5 Zenaida Dove Zenaida aurita (Northeast U.S.). In 2007, the USFWS received Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura additional funding for MSUGB work ($487,000/year). White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica The primary purpose of the new funding was to White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi address the management needs of MSUGB. From 1 2007-2009, funding was directed towards supporting Formerly Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) mourning dove banding in several states and other management related projects for woodcock, rails, and History sandhill cranes. The WMGB Program is an outgrowth of several funding initiatives, both past and present. The first Another key contribution made by the MSUGB effort was the Accelerated Research Program (1967- Committee was the publication of the book entitled 1982). Congressional funding of the ARP was Migratory Shore and Upland Game Bird Management $250,000 annually. Of this total, $175,000 was in North America (Tacha and Braun 1994). This was a 1 revised and updated version of the book edited by (1) mourning and white-winged doves, (2) hunted rails Sanderson (1977). Priority research and management and snipe, (3) sandhill cranes, (4) American activities identified in these books served as a tool for woodcock, and (5) American coots, purple gallinules, evaluating proposals submitted to the WMGB and common moorhens. The final workshop covering Research Program for funding. the remaining species (Zenaida doves, white-tipped doves, scaly-naped pigeons, and band-tailed pigeons) AFWA’s MSUGB Working Group (formerly MSUGB was completed in early 2011. The completed priority Subcommittee) provided key support in acquiring the information-need strategies are available on-line at: additional funding. Due to the addition of funding for www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/NewReportsPublications/Rese management-related projects (as opposed to research arch/WMGBMR/WMGBMR.html. only projects), cooperators made the decision to drop “research” from the title of the WMGB Program. These webless funding programs have proved to be invaluable in providing