Beneficial Management Practices for Saskatchewan

Species at Risk:

Loggerhead Shrike Threatened

• Light grey head & back

• White breast & rump

• Black wings & tail with white stripes

• Black eye mask that covers entire eye

• Makes a “shriek” as alarm call

Richard Ditch

• Nest in isolated trees, shrubs, and thorny bushes along roads, rail road rights-of-ways, farmyards, abandoned farmsteads and cemeteries

• Opportunistic predator

• Located in the central and southern portions of the province

• Status: Threatened

• Declined due habitat loss with the removal of shrubs and shelterbelts, pesticides contaminating food sources and collisions with vehicles along roadsides

• 700 pairs in Saskatchewan

Beneficial Management Practices

Habitat Size

• Preserve native prairie in breeding and wintering area

• Provide areas of adequate size for breeding Loggerhead Shrikes; area should be large enough to support several average-sized territories

Grazing

• Moderate grazing intensities between May and October

• Restrict access of livestock to woody vegetation such as shelterbelts especially during the spring

Woody Vegetation

• Only plant trees and shrubs on modified landscapes

• Plant trees & shrubs at the interface between different crops, crop and tame pasture, along road allowances, power lines and fences around cemeteries

• Plant shelterbelts more than 200m from the road

Woody Vegetation (cont’d)

• Shelterbelts should be multi-row on cropland

• Leave a 2-4m strip of perennial, herbaceous vegetation adjacent to shelterbelts

• Choose shelterbelt species that grow to about 6m in height and are thorny

Invasive Alien Species

• Clean up spilled grain and do not feed livestock on the ground

• Store grain and feed in bird- and rodent-proof bins

• Use feeds difficult for starlings to handle such as block, cubes or granular meal

• Adjust feeding times to late afternoon

Invasive Alien Species (cont’d)

• Regulate watering troughs so water is too low to be reached from the top edge and too deep for starlings to wade in

• Do not put perches at the entrance of bird houses meant for native birds

• Close up purple martin houses when the birds leave usually in September

Roads

• Plant woody vegetation for Loggerhead Shrikes at least 200m from busy roads