THREATENED, ENDANGERED, AND NONGAME BIRD AND MAMMAL INVESTIGATIONS Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program Statewide Wildlife and Habitat Management Section Wildlife Division Annual Completion Report Period Covered: 15 April 2014 to 14 April 2015 Edited by: Andrea C. Orabona and Courtney K. Rudd December 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS DISCLAIMER.............................................................................................................................. iii FUNDING ..................................................................................................................................... iv PREFACE .................................................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................1 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES .....................................................................3 Distribution and ecology of jumping mice (Zapus spp.) in Wyoming ............................................5 SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED – BIRDS ...........................................21 Monitoring and Management of the Rocky Mountain Population of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) in Wyoming .....................................................................................23 Wyoming Common Loon (Gavia immer) summary report, 2014 .................................................45 Evaluation of Marsh Habitat and Implementation of the Standardized North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocols for Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Wyoming .......65 Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) monitoring in Wyoming ..................................................69 Initiating long-term monitoring for avian grassland Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Wyoming .......................................................................................................................75 Occupancy, nest success, and habitat use of Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) in western Wyoming............................................................................................................................87 Density and abundance of Black-backed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) in a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) ecosystem ..................................................................................103 Population estimate for Black-backed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming........................................................................................105 Productivity of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) in Wyoming ...........................................125 SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED – MAMMALS ................................131 Inventory of bats associated with cliff and canyon habitats of eastern Wyoming.......................133 Surveillance of hibernating bats and environmental conditions at caves and abandoned mines in Wyoming ...........................................................................................................163 Documenting distribution and habitat attributes of northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) in Teton County, Wyoming .............................................................................195 Distribution and habitat requirements of northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) in the Black Hills National Forest, Wyoming ......................................................................207 Assessing trends of water vole (Microtus richardsoni) in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming..........................................................................................................................221 Evaluating the status of fishers (Pekania pennanti) in Wyoming: final report ..........................241 HARVEST REPORTS ..............................................................................................................255 Harvest of raptors for falconry .....................................................................................................257 i OTHER NONGAME – BIRDS ................................................................................................261 Using the Breeding Bird Survey to monitor population trends of avian species in Wyoming..........................................................................................................................263 Wyoming Partners in Flight and Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions .............281 OTHER NONGAME – MAMMALS .......................................................................................303 Evaluation of oral sylvatic plague vaccine in white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus): year two .........................................................................................................305 Evaluating the status of spotted skunks (Spilogale spp.) in Wyoming ........................................329 TECHNICAL COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS ...............................................347 Summary of the annual activities of the Central Flyway Nongame Migratory Bird Technical Committee .......................................................................................................349 APPENDIX I ..............................................................................................................................361 The Official State List of the common and scientific names of the birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles in Wyoming ..................................................................................................363 ii DISCLAIMER The Wyoming Game and Fish Department receives Federal financial assistance from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the US Department of the Interior and its bureaus prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex (in educational programs). If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you desire further information, please write to: The US Fish and Wildlife Service Office for Diversity and Civil Rights Programs – External Programs 4040 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 130 Arlington, VA 22203 iii FUNDING Funding for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program comes from a variety of agencies, entities, and programs. We wish to credit the following funding sources for their generous contributions, which enable us to complete necessary inventory and monitoring efforts for numerous Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Wyoming. Bureau of Land Management Cooperative Agreement (BLM CA) Bureau of Reclamation Cooperative Agreement (BOR CA) Meg and Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund (MBRWF) National Park Service Cooperative Agreement (NPS CA) Ricketts Conservation Foundation (RCF) United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) United States Fish and Wildlife Service Cooperative Agreement (USFWS CA) United States Fish and Wildlife Service State Wildlife Grants (USFWS SWG) United States Forest Service Cooperative Agreement (USFS CA) United States Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station (USFS RMRS) Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) Wyoming Governor’s Endangered Species Account Funds (WGESAF) Wyoming State Legislature General Fund Appropriations (WSLGFA) iv OVERVIEW OF NONGAME PROGRAM PROJECTS AND FUNDING SOURCES CA Species/Project CA CA CA CA WG RCF GFA BOR BOR WSL BLM SWG USFS USFS USFS ESAF RMRS WGFD USACE USFWS USFWS NPS MBRWF WAFWA Preble’s Meadow X X Jumping Mouse Trumpeter Swan X X X Common Loon X Secretive Marsh Birds X X Bald Eagle monitoring X X Mountain Plover X X Upland Sandpiper X X Long-billed Curlew X X Burrowing Owl X X Great Gray Owl X X Black-backed X X Woodpecker density Black-backed X X Woodpecker population Peregrine Falcon X X X Bat inventory X X Bat hibernacula and X X surveillance v CA Species/Project CA CA CA CA WG RCF GFA BOR BOR WSL BLM SWG USFS USFS USFS ESAF RMRS WGFD USACE USFWS USFWS NPS MBRWF WAFWA Northern Flying Squirrel X X – Jackson Northern Flying Squirrel X X – BHNF Water Vole X X Fisher X X Falconry X X Breeding Bird Survey X X X X X X WYPIF/IMBCR X X X X X X White-tailed Prairie Dog X X X Spotted Skunks X X Central Flyway NMBTC X X vi PREFACE Most Wyoming residents and visitors know and cherish the thought of the State being rich in wildlife diversity. There is strong public interest in wildlife conservation and, along with that interest, high expectations. A 2011 national survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/document/id/858/rec/10) found that, in addition to $797 million spent on hunting and fishing in Wyoming, over $350 million was added to the State’s economy by wildlife watchers. Wyoming is also rich in other natural resources that contribute to our economy, such as livestock forage; timber; a variety of minerals; and oil, gas, and coal. However, sometimes the best management of one or more resources can conflict with the needs of another. Over the past few decades, public expectations of wildlife managers have diversified. Unfortunately, traditional funding sources were not sufficient to meet these new demands. Beginning