HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS OF GRASSLAND BIRDS ON EXOTIC COOL-SEASON VERSUS UNMANAGED WARMSEASON PRAIRIE PATCHES ON A RECLAIMED SURFACE MINE

Grassland bird specialists are more abundant on reclaimed mines on sites dominated by cool-season, exotic grasses versus sites that have been replanted with native warm-season grasses and forbs. During May and June of the 2017 breeding season line transects were conducted to compare numbers of obligate grassland birds on patches dominated by exotic cool-season grasses versus recently established warm-season prairie patches, and longer-established warm-season prairie patches. In addition, several habitat measures were made at the sites of actual bird observations along these transects to detect potential habitat associations of birds among these habitats. The goal was to compare habitat use between each grassland species and a combined group of shrubland species within cool season habitat. Grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), Henslow's sparrows (A. henslowii), and eastern meadowlarks (Sturnella magna) were found in habitats that differed significantly from habitat used by the shrub-land species. Though the magnitude of the loadings varied among grassland species, for all four species the percent cover of sod grasses was positively associated with occupancy while percent of bare ground and density of shrubs were negatively associated with species presence. Grassland birds in this study were not attracted to areas with a high density of shrubs nor with a high percentage of bare ground and clump grasses which is often characteristic of restored warm-season prairie patches.