Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program PROJECT NUMBER 12-425 Habitat Use at Multiple Scales by Pinyon-Juniper Birds on Department of Defense Lands III: Landscape, Territory/Colony, and Nest Scale Kristine Johnson, Lynn Wickersham, Jacqueline Smith, Giancarlo Sadoti, Teri Neville, John Wickersham, & Carol Finley March 2014 Habitat Use at Multiple Scales by Pinyon‐Juniper Birds on Department of Defense Lands III: Landscape, Territory/Colony, and Nest Scale Final Project Report Kristine Johnson, Lynn Wickersham, Jacqueline Smith, Giancarlo Sadoti, Teri Neville, John Wickersham, and Carol Finley Natural Heritage New Mexico Publication 14-GTR-381 March 2014 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Figures .............................................................................................................................. 6 List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. 7 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... 9 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 11 Pinyon-Juniper Habitats and Wildlife ....................................................................................... 11 Gray Vireo ................................................................................................................................. 13 Pinyon Jay ................................................................................................................................. 14 The Project ................................................................................................................................ 14 Study Areas ............................................................................................................................... 17 GRAY VIREO: METHODS......................................................................................................... 18 Gray Vireo Landscape-Scale ..................................................................................................... 18 Gray Vireo and Pinyon Jay Landscape Scale ............................................................................ 20 Gray Vireo Territory Scale ........................................................................................................ 21 Gray Vireo Within-territory Nest-scale Analyses ..................................................................... 27 GRAY VIREO: RESULTS........................................................................................................... 29 Landscape-scale Models CTTA ................................................................................................ 29 Banding .................................................................................................................................. 29 Territories .............................................................................................................................. 30 Landscape Model ................................................................................................................... 31 Distance to Military Infrastructure and Activities ................................................................. 31 Landscape-scale Models KAFB ................................................................................................ 32 Banding .................................................................................................................................. 32 Territories .............................................................................................................................. 32 Landscape Model ................................................................................................................... 34 Landscape-scale Models WSMR .............................................................................................. 34 Territories .............................................................................................................................. 34 Landscape Model ................................................................................................................... 34 Territory-scale Models .............................................................................................................. 39 Distance to Military Infrastructure and Activities ................................................................. 39 3 Territories vs. Unused Areas ................................................................................................. 39 Gray Vireo Model Predictions ............................................................................................... 46 Gray Vireo Model Validation ................................................................................................ 47 Gray Vireo Within-territory Nest-site Selection ....................................................................... 52 GRAY VIREO: DISCUSSION .................................................................................................... 57 Territory Size and Site Fidelity ................................................................................................. 57 Landscape-scale Habitat Use .................................................................................................... 57 Gray Vireo Territories vs. Unused Areas .................................................................................. 58 Gray Vireo Territory Model Predictions and Validation ....................................................... 60 Gray Vireo Within-territory Nest-site Selection ....................................................................... 60 Gray Vireo Habitat Requirements and Management ............................................................ 61 Relationship to Military Activities ........................................................................................ 63 PINYON JAY: METHODS .......................................................................................................... 64 Pinyon Jay Landscape-scale ...................................................................................................... 64 KAFB..................................................................................................................................... 64 WSMR ................................................................................................................................... 65 KAFB and WSMR................................................................................................................. 66 Pinyon Jay Landscape-scale Habitat Modeling ........................................................................ 67 Pinyon Jay Colony-scale Predictive Modeling ........................................................................ 67 Pinyon Jay Within-colony Nest-scale Analyses ....................................................................... 72 PINYON JAY: RESULTS ............................................................................................................ 73 Landscape-scale Habitat Models KAFB ................................................................................... 73 Banding/Transmitters ............................................................................................................ 73 Flock Size .............................................................................................................................. 74 Home Ranges ......................................................................................................................... 75 Caching Areas........................................................................................................................ 79 Landscape Model ................................................................................................................... 79 Distance to Military Infrastructure and Activities ................................................................. 81 Landscape-scale Habitat Models WSMR ................................................................................. 82 Banding .................................................................................................................................. 82 Flock Size .............................................................................................................................. 82 4 Location Data ........................................................................................................................ 82 Home Ranges ......................................................................................................................... 83 Landscape Model ................................................................................................................... 84 Distance to Military Infrastructure and Activities ................................................................. 85 Colony-scale Model KAFB ....................................................................................................... 87 Colony-scale Model WSMR ..................................................................................................... 88 Validation of Pinyon Jay Colony-scale Models ........................................................................ 92 Pinyon Jay Within-colony Nest-site Selection .........................................................................