MBLM LnIBRARY 88069519 SUCCESS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF KEY RAPTOR SPECIES NESTING IN THE KEVIN RIM RAPTOR STUDY AREA, 2002 -2003 Challenge Cost Share Progress Report to: Bureau of Land Management Great Falls District Scistoen, a oe esea 4 ERRESTSEGIOO: SS I MERS Al Harmata and Rose Jaffe Department of Ecology Fish & Wildlife Program Montana State University Bozeman 59717 18 July 2003 @® : meg 7.78 (»H37 | 2003 { 10 0695 ry 9 #12315 |boel 4 ABSTRACT Nesting success and productivity of Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis), Prairie Falcons (Falco mexicanus), and Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Kevm Rim Raptor Study Area (KRRSA) of northern Toole County, Montana were determined between 26 - 28 Jume 2002 and 28 - 30 June 2003. Severe weather occurred throughout KRRSA in late May and mid June 2002. As a result, only 1 Ferruginous Hawk and 2 Prairie Falcon breeding areas were successful in 2002, producing >1 and 25 nestlings respectively. In 2003, 13 Ferruginous Hawk breeding areas produced >36 young; >9 Prairie Falcon breeding areas produced >24 young, and one Golden Eagle breeding area produced 2 young. Another Golden Eagle breeding area was active but production was not confirmed. Number of successful Ferrunginous Hawk nests in the Primary Study Area (PSA) declined from 1988 to 2003 (P= 0.017). Ferruginous Hawk banding in 2003 was limited to the Flats (# = 3) and a man-made platform in the PSA; 16 nestlings were banded with US. Geological Survey (USGS) lock-on bands. No headlight surveys for lagomorphs were | conducted in 2002 and 2003 but prey appeared virtually absent in 2002. White-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) were more commonly observed in KRRSA in 2003 than in recent years. Richardson’s ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii) were virtually absent in 2002 and appeared less abundant in 2003 than 2001. Any attempt to promote Kevin Rim public lands as a destination for any type of spring-summer recreational activity should be discouraged. Denver Federal Carte P.O. Box 25047 oe Menwer, Colorado Seco TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRAG2s? p sa iGo ages 2:658 22 2R a oe es Siteasde <S ih cee OWNf eo aetree aa el TABOF LCONETENT S ..-..- ereee ee SS Ae ee Bate Sine red Rate’ Seaa e ii LISTIOE TABLES denise werd «peewee Pik Tag oa e hae pe eete ge eed arent. obpa diars shila ie eG ii EE URLPE 6204 US a oo errenanari, CRN en ei. menulnorat aee none Pes ya eee ee hte iil INTRODUCTION «.u ¢ec.de40 5 1s Gk eens Ge Pe’ ok BSA eine howd apes 89 ie Go waka’ MCI 1 LU TANS JCAIVES OGD Rd tet Oa ae ORAS cup cai att ak Sa pitiel yS S a ab oe OM MBLHODS oo oo wh Bn 55 Bad £5: +e hw OM Se a ee ne ce eei | 2 RESU¢.L pcaIn ceSce aaae ea eeas wih eg Sea ak Mackedn Aw ake Rardhs sey eine ee pelea ans OUD ZOOS Weat et oa ok oo cate So oe iS ne nadlee Hak vada alla decks BAMA wipeb e 3 2002 Nest Success and Productivity ...... RHE Ss niuia) 2 Chae se AAa y Spee Ae 3 2003 Nest Success and Productivity ...........2.+5. EST: SH ar Spry har gle wer ae| Ferrmiginous Hawks 25 d2% 04 Gace to oee ink Da Riera se eae ee ars Ba ceh 4 Long-term Productivity ........... Duh ee 8 bed b-Okip Sow ee ews eo Frame. raicons and Golden Bagless. so cep tees wna ews PN tte a ere é Prey Availability ........... Re ae ele eats aes La ayes Ravecweie tsO R: 7 BE ha ies. we etyr ha sx tia UK e Gin.W ie noe- ATAPLS WET ud RAMEE RD ED OG OG ene y Ch aiec4 eee MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS ....... beebhe aeokk oes Meee ere ee 9 LITERCLAEDT 2U ekR noEs A VR esa ase ie beater tenes cen Kwa Ges sa Him Raote waee t ae ce PPPEN DER yw acs ues he hale eee ee ee de | 11 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Reproductive performance of iin cakeH awks in the Kevin Rime a Study Area, ZOU Sc os aos Sn Mom Bae Ene Mee ae oes ea EEE ek hee «aes Wale ee atAee aa piesG S 6 Table 2. Minimum Prairie Falcon and Golden Eagle productivity in the Kevin Rim Raptor Study Ares 2003, eo Mee ee Fay PSS PEELE We SS EGS ees EN eae Ne be ON kee ue ce es LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Kevin Rim Raptor Study Area, northern Toole Co., Montana. ........ sees tapes 2 Figure 2. Ferruginous Hawk (FEHA) and Prairie Falcon (PRFA) productivity, Kevin Rim Raptor Study Area, 2002. Golden Eagles occupied breeding areas but did not produce young. ....... ~ Figure 3. Ferrugmous Hawk (FEHA), Prairie Falcons (PRFA), and Golden Eagle (GOEA) Seite on Primary 8 Area, and Rattlesnake Coulee, Kevin Rim Raptor Study Area, Figure 4. Successful nests and productivity of Ferruginous Hawks in the Primary Study Area, POBR D008 a PEP Peed Ao 8s FERS Ea CANS oe fe tet SER eis 6 INTRODUCTION The Kevin Rim escarpment in northern Toole County, Montana, provides nesting habitat for a variety of raptors (Dubois 1988). The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) designated the Kevin Rim a “Key Raptor Area” and an “Area of Critical Environmental Concern” (Williams and Campbell 1988) to provide added habitat protection for raptors, especially sensitive and declining species. Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis), Prairie Falcons (Falco mexicanus), and Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are designated “Species of Special Concern” in Montana (Flath 1991) and are considered key species for investigation of aspects of population dynamics n KRRSA. Montana Natural Heritage Program (1999) also lists the Ferruginous Hawk as a Species of Special Concern and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) now considers it a species of Conservation Concern (USFWS 2003). Initial monitoring and nestling raptor banding efforts in the vicinity of the Kevin Rim escarpment began in 1988. Since then, several intensive studies have focused aspects of raptor ecology (Dubois 1988, Harmata 1991, VanHorn 1993, Zelenak 1996, Harmata and Zelenak 1996, Zelenak et al. 1997). Number of successful Ferruginous Hawk nests in KRRSA declined between 1988 and 1997 (Harmata et al. 1999). Banding im portions of KRRSA was suspended in 1999 and number of annual surveys reduced in 2000 due to suspected negative impacts on Ferruginous Hawk productivity. Coincidently, more effort was directed at banding in Ferruginous Hawk nests where banding had not previously occurred. Colorbanding Prairie Falcon and Ferruginous Hawk nestlings began in 1995. However, due to the lack of subsequent observations of colorbands. colorbanding was suspended in 2000. Changes in Ferruginous Hawk banding protocols provided insight on the effects of banding on Ferruginous Hawk reproduction. Brood sizes of pairs nesting in sites secure from ground predators (platforms, oil tanks, trees) or protected from inclement weather (i.¢., vegetative canopy) were larger than those in cliff nests. The propensity to reoccupy nest sites the year after banding suggests nesting adult hawks may be more tolerant of banding activity at more protected sites. Sites along the Rim that produced smaller broods were either accessible to coyotes (Canis latrans), foxes (Vulpes spp.), and raccoons (Protacyon lotor) and/or susceptible to inclement weather by aspect or lack of canopy cover. 2002 -2003 Objectives” A. Determine location, success', and productivity’ of Ferruginous Hawks, Prairie Falubas, Golden Eagles nestng n KRRSA. B. Band Ferruginous Hawk nestlings with USGS bands in the Flats only. ‘Successful pairs (or nests) are those that fledged young. *Productivity is number of young fledged from successful nests, 1