Fire, Grazing, and Birds
Andrew C. Kasner, Ph.D.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension
Fire, Grazing, and Birds
Online pre-survey
Definitions:
Prescribed burn
Control burn
Patch burn
Wildfire
3 categories of habitat for upland gamebirds?
Fragmentation
Other Fragmentation?
Photo credit: Le’Ann Pigg
Disturbance-dependent species
Photo credit: Le’Ann Pigg
Photo credit: Dean Biggins, USGS
Photo by Maika Sloan
stochastic processes
Historic (1650–1850 CE) Mean Fire Interval estimates for the presence of fire in all or part of an average 1.2 km2 area, estimated using PC2FM model. From: Guyette et al. 2012. Predicting Fire Frequency with Chemistry and Climate. Ecosystems 15:322-335.
Fuel
Lightning
Wildlife and Fire
Wildlife and Fire
Black-capped Vireo
Vireo atricapilla
Periodic fire and proper grazing/browsing management maintains appropriate habitat
Wildlife and Fire
Black-capped Vireo
Vireo atricapilla
Mountain Plover
Long-billed Curlew
Thick-billed Longspur
Open grasslands
frequent fire
grazing timing important
Ground-nesting Birds
Wildlife and Fire
Common Pauraque
Grasshopper Sparrow
Northern Bobwhite
Wild Turkey
Need some shrubs
longer fire interval
browsing can impact
Ground-nesting Birds
Wildlife and Fire
Ground-nesting Birds
Wildlife and Fire
Not good quail habitat
Good quail habitat
What’s the difference?
Ground-nesting Birds
Wildlife and Fire
Good quail habitat
Nesting cover – native bunchgrass
Brooding Cover – forbs and bare ground for travel
Escape cover – shrubs
Fire reduces shrub encroachment
High density, short duration grazing thinned herbaceous cover and hoof action promoted disturbance and forb growth
Ground-nesting Birds
Turkey habitat
Fire reduces shrub encroachment near roosts and opens up areas for forb growth
Grazing thins herbaceous cover and hoof action promotes disturbance and forb growth
Wildlife and Fire
Ground-nesting Birds
Good turkey habitat
Nesting cover – scattered shrubs, native bunchgrass, and forbs
Fire reduces shrub encroachment near roosts and opens up areas for forb growth
Grazing thins herbaceous cover and hoof action promotes disturbance and forb growth
Wildlife and Fire
Ground-nesting Birds
Good turkey habitat
Brooding Cover – forbs and bare ground for travel
Fire reduces shrub encroachment near roosts and opens up areas for forb growth
Grazing thins herbaceous cover and hoof action promotes disturbance and forb growth
Wildlife and Fire
Ground-nesting Birds
Fire reduces shrub encroachment near roosts and opens up areas for forb growth
Grazing thins herbaceous cover and hoof action promotes disturbance and forb growth
When to burn?
Summer –
Winter –
Spring/Fall –
How often?
Wildlife and Fire
Good or bad?
Good or bad?
Brooding?
Roosting?
Nesting?
Good or bad?
Point Counts
280 point counts
https://cdn-de.agrilife.org/extension/departments/rwfm/rwfm-pu-439/files/rwfm-pu-439.pdf
Species | Total Banded 2019 | Individuals Recaptured 2019 | Total Banded 2020 | Individuals Recaptured 2020 | Total Recaptured 2019 & 2020 |
SAVS | 128 | 12 (9%) | 155 | 19 (12%) | 6 (3.5%) |
WCSP | 28 | 9 (32%) | 28 | 8 (29%) | 0 |
LARB | 0 | 0 | 42 | 3 (7%) | 0 |
LISP | 8 | 2 (25%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SOSP | 7 | 2 (29%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TOTAL | 171 | 25 (15%) | 240 | 30 (13%) | 6 (1.5%) |
Monitoring Wildlife and Habitat
The impact of birding….
Texas: 2.2 million participants - $1.8 billion annual economic impact
Resources
Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Guide
https://www.landscapepartnership.org/networks/working-lands-for-wildlife/landscapes-wildlife/quail/information-materials/nrcs-conservation-practices-materials/wheg
National Bobwhite and Grassland Inititiative
https://www.quailcount.org/monitoring/habitat.html
Rangeland Analysis Platform
https://rangelands.app/
https://cdn-de.agrilife.org/extension/departments/rwfm/rwfm-pu-439/files/rwfm-pu-439.pdf
bobscapes.org
Questions?
https://sites.google.com/view/kasnerlab/home
andrew.kasner@ag.tamu.edu
(325) 657-7341
Fire, Grazing, and Birds
Post-survey
Definitions:
Prescribed burn
Control burn
Patch burn
Wildfire
3 categories of habitat for upland gamebirds?
Activities
Field-based
Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Guide
Identify differences in habitat/plants related to fire, grazing and birds
Classroom-based
Google Earth imagery of Sonora Research Station experimental burn pastures
Assigned reading for discussion in undergraduate classes
Pre/Post Evaluation