Grassland bird populations are declining throughout much of the
Midwest, including Wisconsin. In order to develop a statewide
management plan to maintain or increase these populations, we
studied breeding birds and their habitat relationships in a wide
variety of grassland and related communities, ranging from native
prairies, savannas, and barrens, to agricultural, old field, and
other non-native grassland habitats.
This paper presents results from transect counts and habitat
cover-estimates on 70 barrens stands on sandy soils in northern and
central Wisconsin, plus related habitats, including 21 cutovers and
young conifer plantations, and many old fields. We describe the bird
communities of seven structural or geographic barrens types, the
influence of various management practices and objectives on these
communities, and recommendations for future management.
We found that pine and oak barrens support some of the best
grassland bird populations in the state, due to their large size and
relative ease of management. Barrens have become essential for some
species that formerly bred in a wider variety of habitats (e.g.,
Sharp-tailed Grouse, Lark Sparrow), and are very important for
species such as Upland Sandpiper and Vesper Sparrow.
Our major recommendation is to focus on managing and expanding
barrens in four specific landscape-scale sites, where large [> 400
ha (> 1000 A.)] barrens are a major aspect of a more extensive [>
800 ha (> 2000 A.)] fire-maintained landscape that includes pine or
oak woodland, and at two smaller sites along river terraces where
prairie, barrens and woodland are augmented by managing adjacent
public and private lands as non-native, open communities such as
pasture and hay. Structural diversity and tract sizes need to be
increased.
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