AVIAN PROGRAM SEPTEMBER 2013 WILDLIFE RESEARCH REPORT WILDLIFE RESEARCH REPORTS SEPTEMBER 2013 AVIAN RESEARCH PROGRAM COLORADO DIVISION OF PARKS AND WILDLIFE Research Center, 317 W. Prospect, Fort Collins, CO 80526 The Wildlife Reports contained herein represent preliminary analyses and are subject to change. For this reason, information MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED OR QUOTED without permission of the Author(s). i STATE OF COLORADO John Hickenlooper, Governor DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Mike King, Executive Director PARKS AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION John Singletary, Chair ................................................................................................................... Vineland William Kane, Vice Chair .................................................................................................................... Basalt Mark Smith, Secretary ........................................................................................................................ Center Robert Bray .......................................................................................................................................Redvale Chris Castilian ................................................................................................................................... Denver Jeanne Horne ..................................................................................................................................... Meeker Gaspar Perricone ............................................................................................................................... Denver James Pribyl ..................................................................................................................................... Boulder James Vigil....................................................................................................................................... Trinidad Dean Wingfield ................................................................................................................................. Vernon Michelle Zimmerman ................................................................................................................ Brekenridge Mike King, Executive Director, Ex-officio ........................................................................................ Denver John Salazar, Department of Agriculture, Ex-officio .................................................................... Lakewood DIRECTOR’S LEADERSHIP TEAM Rick Cables, Director Chad Bishop, Ken Brink, Steve Cassin, Heather Dugan, Marilyn Gallegos Ramirez, Gary Thorson, Jeff Ver Steeg Pat Dorsey, John Geerdes, Kurt Mill, Dan Prenzlow, Ron Velarde, Steve Yamashita AVIAN RESEARCH STAFF James H. Gammonley, Research Leader Anthony D. Apa, Wildlife Researcher Reesa Yale Conrey, Wildlife Researcher Danielle B. Johnston, Habitat Researcher Michael L. Phillips, Wildlife Researcher Mindy B. Rice, Spatial Ecologist Brett L. Walker, Wildlife Researcher Elizabeth L. Olton, Program Assistant Debby Frazier, Technical Writer and Editor ii Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife September 2012 – September 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS AVIAN WILDLIFE RESEARCH REPORTS COLUMBIAN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE CONSERVATION WP 0656 COLUMBIAN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE CHICK AND JUVENILE RADIO TRANSMITTER EVALUATION by A.D. Apa ……………………………………….1 LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN CONSERVATION WP 0658 LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN DEMOGRAPHY, HABITAT USE, AND CONSERVATION PRACTICES IN SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO by R. Yale Conrey………………………………………………………………………11 GREATER SAGE-GROUSE CONSERVATION WP 0660 DEVELOPMENT OF DISTRIBUTION MODELS FOR MANAGEMENT OF GREATER SAGE-GROUSE IN NORTH PARK, COLORADO by M. B. Rice..………………………………………………………………………....19 WP 0660 USING GPS SATELLITE TRANSMITTERS TO ESTIMATE SURVIVAL, DETECTABILITY ON LEKS, LEK ATTENDANCE, INTER-LEK MOVEMENTS, AND BREEDING SEASON HABITAT USE OF MALE GREATER SAGE-GROUSE IN NORTHWESTERN COLORADO by B. L. Walker ………………………………………..……………………………….41 WP 0660 EVALUATING LEK-BASED MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR GREATER SAGE-GROUSE IN THE PARACHUTE-PICEANCE-ROAN POPULATION IN NORTHWESTERN COLORADO by B. L. Walker ………………………………………..……………………………….67 WP 0660 ASSESSMENT OF GREATER SAGE-GROUSE RESPONSE TO PINYON-JUNIPER REMOVAL IN THE PARACHUTE-PICEANCE-ROAN POPULATION OF NORTHWESTERN COLORADO by B. L. Walker……………………….…………………………………………………91 WP 0660 EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE POPULATION MONITORING STRATEGIES FOR GREATER SAGE-GROUSE (Centrocercus urophasianus) IN THE PARACHUTE-PICEANCE-ROAN POPULATION OF NORTHWESTERN COLORADO by B. L. Walker and J. S. Brauch ….…………………………………………………..111 GRASSLAND BIRD CONSERVATION WP 0680 AVIAN RESPONSE TO PLAGUE MANAGEMENT ON COLORADO PRAIRIE DOG COLONIES by R. Yale Conrey …………………………………..….127 iii WATERFOWL CONSERVATION WP 3006 EVALUATING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HUNTING REGULATIONS, HABITAT CONDITIONS, AND DUCK HUNTING QUALITY ON STATE WILDLIFE AREAS IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO by J. H. Gammonley …………………………………………………...153 WILDLIFE HABITAT CONSERVATION WP 0370 RESTORING ENERGY FIELDS FOR WILDLIFE by D. B. Johnston………………175 WP 0370 RANGELAND RESTORATION WITH SUPER-ABSORBENT POLYMER AND POTHOLE SURFACE AT HORSETHIEF STATE WILDLIFE AREA by D. B. Johnston………………………………………………………………………237 WP 0370 EXAMINING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MECHANICAL TREATMENTS AS A RESTORATION TECHNIQUE FOR MULE DEER HABITAT by D. B. Johnston………………………………………………………………….…..247 iv Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife September 2012-September 2013 WILIDLIFE RESEARCH REPORT State of: Colorado : Division of Parks and Wildlife Cost Center: 3420 : Avian Research Work Package: 0656 : Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse Conservation Task No.: N/A : Columbian sharp-tailed grouse chick and juvenile radio transmitter evaluation Federal Aid Project No. N/A Period Covered: September 1, 2012 – August 31, 2013 Author: A. D. Apa Personnel: J. Haskins, B. Petch, T Balzer, K. Griffin, L Rossi, J Yost, M. Warren, CPW; Brandon Miller, RMBO/NRCS/CPW All information in this report is preliminary and subject to further evaluation. Information MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED OR QUOTED without permission of the author. Manipulation of these data beyond that contained in this report is discouraged. ABSTRACT The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (CSTG, Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of six subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse in North America. Current distribution ranges from British Columbia to Colorado. CSTG currently occupy 10% of their former range due to habitat loss. Since the initiation of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), CSTG have increased in distribution and density. CRP fields have low plant species diversity when compared to native shrubland or mineland reclamation habitat. Therefore, managers desire to improve existing or historically enrolled CRP fields. Research techniques to evaluate the population response of CSTG to habitat treatments (via understanding chick and juvenile demographic parameters) do not exist. Therefore, the objectives of my study are to: 1) evaluate the capture and transmitter attachment technique for day-old CSTG chicks, 2) evaluate the capture and transmitter attachment technique for 30-day-old CSTG chicks, and 3) evaluate the capture technique for > 120 day-old CSTG juveniles. My study occurred near Hayden, Routt County, Colorado from April - August 2013. I captured CSTG in the spring using walk-in funnel traps, fit females with 12 g necklace- mounted radio transmitters, monitoring survival, and nesting effort. I captured chicks from successful females and radio-marked a sample with 0.65 g backpack style transmitter sutured along the dorsal midline between the wings. I monitored survival and movement daily. I conducted summary statistics and Kaplan-Meier function estimates with staggered entry for female and chick survival. I captured 36 female CSTG and monitored survival and productivity from April through August. I documented a 5-month female survival rate of 0.33 which is lower than previously reported. Eight nests yielded an apparent nest success of 37.5%. Eleven chicks in three broods were radio-marked with a mean chick mass was 15.98 g. The total handling time by brood was 35, 20, and 44 minutes. No chicks survived past 9 days-of-age. The primary cause of female mortality was due to the transmitter design causing crop impaction limiting the overall accomplishment of the study objectives. Future research in Colorado should use exclusively an elastic necklace design or in combination with a different transmitter design shown to be successful in other CSTG research. 1 WILDLIFE RESEARCH REPORT COLUMBIAN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE CHICK AND JUVENILE RADIO TRANSMITTER EVALUATION ANTHONY D. APA PROJECT OBJECTIVES My project goal is to evaluate trapping and transmitter attachment methods on CSTG that have been previously used on GRSG. My study objectives are to: 1. Evaluate the capture and transmitter attachment technique for day-old CSTG chicks. 2. Evaluate the capture and transmitter attachment technique for 30-day-old CSTG chicks. 3. Evaluate the capture technique for > 120 day-old CSTG juveniles. If the techniques are successfully developed they will be used in a future research project. INTRODUCTION The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (CSTG, Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of 6 subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse in North America. Current distribution ranges from British Columbia in the northwest to Colorado in the southeast. In-between populations exist in Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana (extirpated), Utah, and Nevada (reintroduced)