PROJECT PRAIRIE BIRDS: A CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT FOR WINTERING GRASSLAND BIRDS

Coastal prairies are the primary winter destination for two dozen species of migratory grassland birds and losses of this habitat have proven detrimental to their populations. As a result, some of Partners in Flight’s (PIF) highest priority birds are grassland species. To examine grassland bird use of coastal prairies, Project Prairie Birds survey methodology was designed and field work was initiated in 1998. Avian surveys were conducted at 34 sites, each with multiple transects for a minimum of two years by all-volunteer, three-person crews identifying all species flushed from vegetation. Seasonal vegetation surveys measured five variables using five one square-meter sample areas. We also measured vertical thickness using a density board. We selected nine sites (26.5%) with three or more years of survey data for analysis. Thirty-nine species were detected of which 36% have PIF combined species assessment scores of 10 or above. In addition, 24% of the individuals were Le Conte’s Sparrows which are a PIF Tier II priority species. A multiple regression between abundance and vegetative data for these two species showed a weak but significant correlation between Sedge Wren and the 0.5 m vertical thickness parameter (R² = 0.1544, p < 0.0001) but no significant relationship for Le Conte’s Sparrow. This is likely due to high variances in the data as over-wintering location choice for these species is a function of climatic variability.