distribution of mountain plovers in the powder river · pdf filedistribution of mountain...

Distribution of Mountain Plovers in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming

Solicitation No. KAQ001005

Final - February 22, 2002

Prepared For:

Bureau of Land Management 5353 Yellowstone Road

P.O. Box 1828Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003-1828

Prepared By:

Rhett E. Good, David P. Young Jr., and Jamie P. EddyWestern EcoSystems Technology, Inc

2003 Central AvenueCheyenne, Wyoming 82001

Powder River Basin Mountain Plover Surveys Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc.

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INTRODUCTION:

The mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) is currently proposed for listing as threatened underthe Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In order to better understandthe current distribution of mountain plovers in the Powder River Basin, the Bureau of LandManagement (BLM) contracted Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc (WEST) to conductmountain plover presence/absence surveys in the Powder River Basin (Figure 1). The area of thesurvey has a large potential for coal bed methane production, which could potentially degradehabitat suitability for mountain plovers.

Mountain plovers arrive on their breeding grounds, including those in Wyoming, in late Marchto late April. The nesting season generally occurs from May to July with young birds fledging inJuly and August (Knopf 1996). After courtship, the male will make several nest scrapes fromwhich one is selected. The female will typically lay three eggs, however, clutch size can varyfrom one to four. During years of high insect numbers, females can lay one clutch for the maleand then a subsequent clutch for herself. Usually one egg is laid a day and incubation does notbegin until the clutch is complete to insure synchronous hatching. Eggs are incubated for 28-31days. After hatching the adults lead the precocial young away from the nest within a few hours. Post hatching movement varies with age of chicks but generally increases with age. Broodstypically remain near the nest location for one day and then begin increasing distances moved. Studies in the Pawnee National Grassland in Colorado, found that broods may move up to 1600m (.1 mile) from the nest (Knopf 1992, 1996) and generally move 100-500 m per day (Knopfand Rupert 1996). Fledging occurs around 36 days post hatching (Miller and Knopf 1993).

Mountain plovers begin congregating in flocks in late July and typically begin migration awayfrom the breeding ground by August (Knopf and Rupert 1996, Knopf 1996). Mountain ploversare opportunistic feeders whose diet consists almost exclusively of invertebrates (Knopf 1998). In Colorado, mountain plovers eat mostly grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, and ants (Baldwin1971).

The preferred habitat of mountain plover is shortgrass prairie and grassland but they may beobserved in other habitats during migration (Bent 1962, Davis and Knight 1989). Typicalmountain plover habitat is arid, shortgrass plains with level to gently rolling topography. Vegetation is generally less than 10 cm (4 in) in height and often consists of blue grama(Bouteloua gracilis), buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides), bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyronspicatum), low growing sagebrush (Artemesia spp), and other low forbs (Parrish 1988, Knopf1996). Olson-Edge and Edge (1987) noted a strong association of mountain plovers and prairiedog towns. They also noted that irregular topography and tall vegetation precluded use by thisspecies. Knopf and Miller (1994) suggest bare ground is an important factor for good breedinghabitat. Mountain plover use is often associated with prairie dog towns, heavily grazed orburned areas. They will also use areas in and around alkali flats and claypans (Knopf 1996) andplowed agricultural fields (Shackford and Leslie 1995, Young and Good 2000).


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Figure 1. A map of the Powder River Basin survey area.


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Mountain plovers historically bred from northern New Mexico north to southern Alberta,Canada, and from northeast Utah east to eastern Montana, western South Dakota, westernNebraska, western Kansas, and northern Texas. Historic winter range included mainlyCalifornia and Texas, with some birds wintering in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. Todaymountain plovers are usually found east of the Continental Divide in Colorado, Wyoming, andMontana (USFWS 1999). Mountain plover distribution within the Powder River Basin is notwell known.

The Powder River Basin ia an intermontane basin located in northeastern Wyoming andsoutheastern Montana. The basin is approximately 250 mi x 100 mi (Dolton and Fox 1995). The Powder River Basin contained several mires between river channels and lake marginsduring the Paleocene era. These mires formed large deposits of coal, some greater than 60 m inthickness (USGS 2001). The methane gas associated with coal beds has been much sought afterwithin recent years. Approximately 3,500 coal bed methane wells have been completed withinthe Powder River Basin since 1998 (Flores et al. 2001).

METHODS:

Tape play back surveys were conducted for mountain plovers in the Powder River Basin EISarea from April 26 - May 25, 2001. The survey area was split with the Wyoming NaturalDiversity Database (WYNDD). Our surveys focused on the western half of the survey area inJohnson, Sheridan and Converse Counties, specifically areas contained within the Sheridan,Buffalo and Kaycee BLM maps (Figure 2). We also surveyed for mountain plovers south ofNewcastle. This report only includes data collected by WEST, Inc.

Tape Play Back Surveys. Mountain plover courtship songs recorded on the Pawnee NationalGrassland in Colorado were used during surveys. Tapes were played for 1 - 2 minutes, andmountain plover auditory responses were listened for. The surrounding area was also scannedwith binoculars during surveys. Mountain plover courtship songs were broadcast using walkmantape players amplified through Radio Shack Powerhorns (Model # 322027). The total cost forone broadcast unit was approximately $50.

Two crews (one person per crew) were used to survey for mountain plovers. Tape play backsurveys were conducted in areas of low to high potential habitat every 0.5 mile along surveyroutes. Routes were initially located based upon Gap Analysis Program (GAP) vegetation layersand BLM and Wyoming Game and Fish Department prairie dog coverages. Additional surveyroutes were selected based upon field observations and requests by district BLM biologists.


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Figure 2. A map of Wyoming showing the location of transects used to survey for mountainplovers by WEST, Inc. in 2001.

GPS and GIS. The position (UTM NAD 27, Zone 13) of every survey point and observationsof BLM sensitive species between survey points were recorded with handheld TrimbleGeoexplorer Global Position System (GPS) units. Survey routes were digitized using ArcView. Survey points and observations of BLM sensitive species were loaded in to a shapefile and weredelivered to Jeff Carroll, BLM, in October 2001.

Habitat Potential. Habitat along survey routes were rated as low, medium, high or no potentialfor mountain plover occurrence. Habitat ratings were developed by WEST personnel basedupon published literature and extensive field observations (Appendix A).

Areas along survey routes with no potential for mountain plover occurrence (rocky canyons,forests, tall shrubs, rugged topography and residential areas) were not surveyed. Areas with high


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potential were often surveyed at intervals closer than 0.5 mi to confirm the presence or absenceof mountain plovers.

Nest Searches. Nest searches were conducted within areas where mountain plovers weredetected and public lands were present. Nest searches were conducted by driving paralleltransects (approximately 50 m apart) and looking for birds flushed from nests. If a mountainplover was detected, the observer moved at least 50 m from the bird and observed the plover todetermine if it returned to a nest. Birds were observed for a maximum of 15 minutes tominimize the potential for disturbing nesting birds.

RESULTS:

Survey Effort. Mountain plovers were surveyed for at 896 points over 696.90 miles on 37transects (not including revisits). Areas of high mountain plover potential where plovers werenot detected initially were surveyed again at 49 points on transects Irrigary Road, Buffalo-Sussexcutoff and Nine Mile Road (see attached map South of Buffalo, Wyoming). The large prairiedog town on TTT road (see attached map North of Kaycee, Wyoming) was surveyed severaltimes for mountain plovers on our way to other routes (not included in re-visit total).

Habitat Potential. The habitat potential for mountain plover occurrence was assessed at 896survey points (Table 1). A total of 130 (14 %) survey points were considered high potentialhabitat, 338 (38 %) were medium potential habitat and 428 (48 %) low potential habitat. Highpotential habitat typically was flat, grazed short-grass prairie with cacti. High potential habitatoften included prairie dog towns. Medium potential habitat was characterized by the presence offavorable vegetation (short-grass or low shrubs) or prairie dog towns, but lacking flattopography, or vice versa. Medium potential habitat sometimes included short vegetation orprairie dog towns and flat topography, but lacked large amounts of bare ground. Low potentialhabitat often included areas with steeply sloping topography or rolling sagebrush. Areas with nopotential for mountain plovers along transects were not surveyed, but were described in thetransect summaries (Appendix B).

Mountain Plover Observations. A total of six mountain plovers were observed duringscheduled surveys (Table 2). Three mountain plovers were detected on Middle Fork Road andtwo mountain plovers were detected on I-25 between Buffalo and Kaycee (see attached mapSouth of Buffalo, Wyoming), and one mountain plover was detected on Cheyenne River Roadsouth of Newcastle (see attached map South of Newcastle, Wyoming).

Five of the six mountain plovers responded to the tape with a call. One mountain plover did notcall, but walked toward the observer when the tape was played. Mountain plovers were detectedfrom 70 to 200 m from observers (Table 2).


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Mountain plovers were observed in relatively flat short-grass prairie (Appendix C). Largeamounts of bare ground were present at all mountain plover locations. Habitat along MiddleFork Road consisted of short-grass prairie with large amounts of bare ground and cactus. Two ofthe mountain plovers on Middle Fork Road were detected in prairie dog towns. The mountainplover detected south of Newcastle was located within an historic prairie dog town (G. Lebsack,BLM, pers. comm.), however few mounds and no active burrows are currently present. Habitatalong I-25 and Cheyenne River Road consisted of relatively flat short-grass prairie with largeamounts of bare ground. Mountain plovers were not detected in prairie dog towns on I-25 andCheyenne River Road.

One nest search was conducted on public lands surrounding the observation south of Newcastle,Wyoming (Figure 3). One mountain plover was detected on June 15, 2002 during nest searches.The bird was flushed from the location where it was first observed at 0753 H and flew out ofsight. The bird was observed in relatively flat short-grass prairie with scattered, low sagebrush. We returned to the initial location 3 hours later and no mountain plovers were observed orflushed. The bird did not appear to be incubating eggs. Mountain plovers with nests always keepobservers in sight and rarely fly away after being flushed from nests (F. Knopf, USGS, pers.comm.).

Sensitive Species Observations. A total of 61 observations of seven BLM sensitive species,including 10 Brewer’s sparrows (Spizella breweri), seven burrowing owls (Speotytocunicularia), one ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis), three long-billed curlews (Numeniusamericanus), 26 loggerhead shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus), 12 greater sage grouse (Centrocercusurophasianus) and two upland sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda) were made during surveys(Appendix D). One active Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni) nest was also recorded. Twopotential greater sage grouse leks were detected.

A total of 73 separate prairie dog towns ranging in size from approximately 1 ha to 2048 ha wereobserved. Most prairie dog colonies were less than 100 ha in size. A total of 50 prairie dogcolonies were below 20 ha in size. One prairie dog colony on TTT Road was estimated to be 2miles x 4 miles, or approximately 2048 ha in size.


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Figure 3. A map showing the mountain plover nest search area south of Newcastle, Wyoming.


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Table 1. Habitat ratings of points surveyed along transects.Transect County High Medium Low TotalBuffalo - Sussex cutoff (T9) Johnson 12 26 18 56Buffalo-Kaycee I-25 W side Johnson 5 9 0 14Cheyenne River Road Weston 5 9 1 15Cheyenne River Road - other end Weston 0 6 0 6CO 111 Johnson 2 5 1 8CO 114 Midwest Natrona 1 0 8 9CO 115 - CO 113 Midwest Natrona 3 6 3 12CO 238 Johnson 10 7 3 20CO 255 - MT Sheridan 0 1 6 7CO 70 - Hwy 14/16 Sheridan 0 3 4 7Coal Mine Road Johnson 8 10 8 26Double Cross Road Sheridan and Johnson 0 7 26 33Dry Creek Road Johnson 0 1 6 7Hutt Road Weston 2 2 0 4Hwy 16 - CO 40 - CO 38 Campbell and Sheridan 0 5 9 14Hwy 341 Campbell and Sheridan 0 7 59 66HWY 87 Buffalo-Kaycee and Middle Johnson 5 7 1 13Hwy 191 - Mesa Road Johnson 2 12 5 19Irrigary Road Johnson 6 4 26 36Kaycee-Buffalo I-25 E side Johnson 8 9 2 19Lindeman Flats N Johnson 4 5 4 13Lindeman Flats S Johnson and Natrona 0 2 0 2Lower Powder River Road Sheridan and Johnson 0 9 61 70Lower Sussex Road (T8 South end) Johnson 5 15 17 37Middle Fork Road Johnson 9 2 2 13Morrisey Road (Newcastle) Weston and Niobrara 0 16 5 21Nine mile road Johnson 15 38 12 65Old Hwy 85 South of Newcastle Weston and Niobrara 0 8 2 10Reno Road Johnson 4 7 4 15Schoonover Road (T 3) Johnson 2 10 38 50Sleeter Road (T4 South End) Johnson 2 16 13 31Thompson Cr Road - Clearmont Sheridan and Johnson 0 1 7 8Tipperary 2 Johnson 4 2 4 10Tipperary Road Johnson 0 21 16 37Tipperary-Luddock Road Johnson 5 5 3 13Trabing Road (T2 North end) Johnson 0 11 5 16TTT Road Johnson and Natrona 10 29 34 73Unnamed Johnson 1 5 15 21Grand Total 130 338 428 896


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Table 2. A summary of mountain plovers observed during taped play back and nest surveys. Only one bird was observed in each observation.

Transect Date(2001)

Auditory(A) or

Visual (V)

Dist. fromObserver

(m)

Directionfrom

Observer

Time(H)

PrairieDogs

Present?

ColonySize (ha)

Buffalo-Kaycee I-25 W side 23-May A and V 100 E 0548 NBuffalo-Kaycee I-25 W side 23-May V and A 175 W 0605 NCheyenne River Road 25-May A and V 100 S 0843 NCheyenne River Road 15-June V NR NR 0753 NHWY 87 Buffalo-Kayceeand Middle Fork Road

23-May V 70 SE 1008 Y 100

Middle Fork Road 5-May A and V 150 E 0741 Y 10Middle Fork Road 5-May A 200 E 0846 N

DISCUSSION:

Mountain plover densities may be low in the Powder River Basin due to limited habitat. Thisassessment is based upon observations of mountain plover habitat within the western half of thePowder River Basin where surveys were conducted by WEST personnel. Based on our rating ofhabitat suitability for mountain plovers, less than 15 % of the survey routes covered (896 surveypoints over 696.9 miles) were considered highly suitable. Although we attempted to placetransects in areas with higher potential for mountain plovers based upon presence of GAPvegetation layers, known prairie dog towns, and topography, the majority of habitat within thethe areas we surveyed appears to be of low potential or unsuitable for mountain plovers. Manyof the areas surveyed were dominated by rolling sagebrush. Areas with medium potential, suchas short-grass prairie, often lacked perhaps the most important habitat component, bare ground(Knopf and Miller 1994).

Five of the six mountain plovers located during surveys were clustered within an area locatedbetween Buffalo and Kaycee. The mountain plover detected south of Newcastle was located in asimilar area. Both areas appears to receive less precipitation than the rest of the Powder RiverBasin and have greater amounts of flat short-grass prairie. The relative intensity of cattle grazingwithin the area is not known.

Mountain plovers have been described as closely associated with prairie dog colonies (Tyler1968, Knowles et al. 1982, Knowles and Knowles 1984, Shackford 1991). Black-tailed prairiedogs can occur in high densities and will crop vegetation close to the ground within theircolonies. Prairie dog colonies also often have high amounts of bare ground. Mountain ploverswere detected at only two of 73 prairie dog colonies. The majority of prairie dog colonies weresmaller than 20 ha. Graul (1973) describes three male mountain plover territories in Colorado as16 ha in size. Prairie dog colonies detected during surveys may not meet a minimum sizerequirement need by mountain plovers, however, research regarding patch sizes and mountainplover occurrence is lacking. Additionally, some prairie dog colonies appeared to have


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relatively low densities of active burrows and the amount of bare ground appeared to berelatively low.

It is important to note that survey routes were limited to public roads. Because much of thePowder River Basin is privately owned, areas of high quality habitat were inaccessible and notsurveyed. Thus the results of this survey may not be representative of the entire Powder RiverBasin.

Coal Bed Methane development has the potential to affect mountain plover populations in directand indirect ways. Direct effects include disturbance to nesting plovers due to new roads andincreases in vehicle traffic. Mountain plover broods may be vulnerable to vehicle collisionsprior to gaining the ability to fly. Indirect effects include alterations to habitat. Roads created toaccess methane wells may serve as pathways for predators as well as invasive plant species suchas cheatgrass. Many exotic plant species have the ability to dominate habitats and reduce theamount of bare ground, an essential component of suitable mountain plover habitat. Thecombination of creating invasive plant pathways, as well as water produced during coal bedmethane production, increases the potential for invasive species to become established andreduce the suitability of mountain plover habitat.

Alternatively, the disturbed areas and roads associated with coal bed methane development mayincrease coverages of bare ground, an essential component of mountain plover habitat (Knopfand Rupert 1994). Further research on the effects of coal bed methane on mountain ploverabundance and habitat is needed to fully evaluate the potential effects of coal bed methane onmountain plover populations in the Powder River Basin.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH:

Seven other sensitive species were also detected during surveys, including 12 observations ofgreater sage grouse. Two potential greater sage grouse leks were observed. Considering thepotential for coal bed methane development and disturbance to breeding areas, the leks should besurveyed during 2002.

Monitoring of mountain plover populations in the Powder River Basin should continue. Verylittle data concerning mountain plover population trends exist in Wyoming. Monitoring effortsshould focus on areas where mountain plovers were detected, as well as areas of highly suitablehabitat. By monitoring areas of highly suitable habitat where mountain plovers were notobserved in 2001, population increases as well as decreases may be detected.


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LITERATURE CITED:

Baldwin, P.H. 1971. Diet of mountain plover at the Pawnee National Grassland, 1970-1971. U.S. International Biological Program, Grassland Biome Program Report 134, FortCollins, Colorado.

Bent, A.C. 1962. Life histories on North American shore birds. Dover Publications, Inc. NewYork.

Davis, M.W., and G. Knight. 1989. First Mississippi record of mountain plover. Miss. Kite19:2-3.

Dolton, G.L., and Fox, J.E., 1995. Powder River Basin Province (033): in Gautier, D.L., Dolton,G.L., Takahashi, K.I., and Varnes, K.L. eds. in 1995 National assessment of United States oil and gas resources--Results, methodology, and supporting data. U.S. GeologicalSurvey Digital Data Series 30.

Flores R.M., G.D. Stricker, J.F. Meyer, T.E. Doll, P.H. Norton, R.J. Livingston, and M.C. Jennings. 2001. A field conference on impacts of coalbed methane development in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming. Open-File Report 01-126. http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/energy/OF01-126

Graul, W.D. 1973. Adaptive aspects of the Mountain Plover social system. Living Bird 12: 69-94.

Knopf, F.L. 1992. Status and Conservation of Mountain Plovers, Report of Research Activities, 25 September 1992. USFWS National Ecology Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Knopf, F.L. 1996. Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus). In The Birds of North America,No. 211 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia,PA, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.

Knopf, F.L. 1998. Foods of mountain plovers wintering in California. Condor 100: 382-384.

Knopf, F.L., and B.J. Miller. 1994. Charadrius montanus- montane, grassland, or bare-ground plover? Auk 111: 504-506.

Knowles, C.J., and P.R. Knowles. 1984. Additional records of Mountain Plovers using prairie dog towns in Montana. Prairie Naturalist 16: 183-186.

Knowles, C.J., C.J. Stoner, and S.P. Gieb. 1982. Selective use of black-tailed prairie dog towns by Mountain Plovers. Condor 84:71-74.


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Miller, B.J. and F.L. Knopf. 1993. Growth and Survival of mountain plovers. Journal of Field Ornithology 64(4): 500-506.

Olson-Edge, S.L. and W.D. Edge. 1987. Density and distribution of mountain plover on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Prairie Nat. 19(4):233-238.

Parrish, T. L. 1988. Mountain Plover Habitat Selection in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming. M.S. Thesis. University of Wyoming.

Shackford, J.S. 1991. Breeding ecology of the Mountain Plover in Oklahoma. Bull. Okla. Ornithol. Soc. 24: 9-13.

Shackford, J.S., D.M. Leslie, Jr., and W.D. Harden. 1995. Range-wide use of cultivated fieldsby mountain plovers during the breeding season. J. Field Ornithol. 70:114-120.

Tyler, J.D. 1968. Distribution and vertebrate associates of the black-tailed prairie dog in Oklahoma. Ph.D. diss., University of Oklahoma, Norman.

Young, Jr., D.P. and R. Good. 2000. Mountain Plover Surveys Laramie, Carbon, SweetwaterCounties, Wyoming. Technical Report for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cheyenne,Wyoming. 14 pp.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1999a. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Proposed Threatened Status for the Mountain Plover. Fed. Reg. 64(30):7587-7601.

U.S. Geological Service. 2001. Depositional History of Paleocene Coals. http://energy.usgs.gov/factsheets/tertiary/dep.hist.html. Accessed October 16, 2001.

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