Nebraskaland

November 2023 • Nebraskaland 37 well adapted to survive tough winters, and they seem to have weathered the winter of 2022-23 pretty well based on lek counts this spring. Weather seems to play a key role in determining how successful prairie grouse are during the nesting season. Researchers have made a connection between temperature and precipitation during the nesting and brood rearing seasons on prairie grouse reproduction. Having adequate soil moisture from precipitation to grow vegetation for nesting and brood rearing is important, while having too much rain in June when the chicks are hatching has a negative impact. Similarly, warmer average temperatures in June positively infl uence grouse production, but days over 95 degrees Fahrenheit had a negative impact on production. Overall warmer temperatures likely allow increased productivity in the invertebrates that chicks rely on for rapid growth and development and increases the amount of time chicks can spend foraging (versus brooding under the hen). Temperatures above 95 F can be lethal to young chicks as they are less able to regulate their body temperature and cannot travel far to fi nd thermal cover. Additional research looking at nest sites selected by hens has found the nest locations to have better thermal protection against cooler and warmer temperatures and to help avoid exposing eggs and the hens to the extreme warm temperatures during the day. Hot temperatures during the summer are possibly more of a problem for grouse than cold winter temperatures. Weather conditions that allow for the production of good food resources and adequate cover are important, so the "goldilocks" zone of enough rain but not too much rain, and warmth but not too much warmth is probably ideal. This summer may have been an example of good reproductive conditions for grouse; we had about average rainfall which was spaced out well across the growing season, there were no extreme hot or cold temperatures during the critical hatching and early brood rearing stages, and we avoided storms with hail. An Audubon Society analysis of potential climate change impacts on birds suggests warming temperatures and lower precipitation may combine to make Nebraska and the Sandhills less hospitable to sharp-tailed grouse, while the trend for prairie-chickens was stable. Nebraska is the southern extent of the range of sharp-tailed grouse. Prairie grouse are not the only upland bird species in the Sandhills. Tell me about the pheasant population. Ever see any quail or partridge? The ring-necked pheasant is an introduced game bird from Eurasia and was released in Nebraska starting in the early 1900s. The Sandhills are not prime habitat for these birds, but there is a decent population on the refuge and in pockets on surrounding ranches. Pheasant numbers can fl uctuate markedly from year to year, infl uenced greatly by weather. Cold and snowy winters tend to negatively aff ect pheasant populations as they are not well adapted to these conditions. At Valentine NWR, there is a population of pheasants that seems to sustain itself. There is enough cover in the form of cattails and tree rows to get With leaves fallen, a fl ock of sharptails gather in a thicket in early November. Nenneman said the birds are drawn to thickets early in the season for their shade.

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