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AUTHORS: Brandon J. Silker, Matthew D. Stephenson, Lisa A. Schulte - Iowa State University Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management; Robert W. Klaver, U.S. Geological Survey Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Station
ABSTRACT: Grassland habitat in the Midwest has been declining to the increase in agriculture. One way to restore wildlife habitat is to create soil and water conservation measures that also have habitat value. Prairie strips are designed to have with multiple benefits, soil and water conservation and potentially creating wildlife habitat. Prairie strips are planted with diverse native perennial vegetation while other common conservation methods are planted with exotic cool season grasses. From 2015-2017, we searched for bird nests on nine farms in Iowa with prairie strips, monitored the nests to determine fate, and collected associated vegetation data. We found 442 Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) nests and 175 Dickcissel (Spiza americana) nests in both native and nonnative vegetation. We are analyzing data from these nests to determine whether daily survival is affected by vegetation composition and structure, nest height, and percent nest conceal. Results can be used to inform future implementation of the prairie strips practice to improve their value for wildlife conservation.
