Nature News from OUTRIDER

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      Fall migration map.

      MAKING HABITATS SAFER FOR SONGBIRDS

      		 Color photos to accompany this story are available
      electronically from IANR Photographer Brett Hampton at (402) 472-5839,
      e-mail bhampton1@unl.edu.)
      Each spring, millions of ducks, geese and other migratory birds rest and feed in Nebraska's Rainwater Basin wetlands. After spring visitors head north, the basin's summer residents -- at least 12 native songbird species -- arrive to breed and nest. While the basin is widely regarded as essential for migratory waterfowl, its role for songbirds isn't well-known. Larkin Powell, a University of Nebraska wildlife ecologist, hopes a better understanding of how songbirds and animal predators interact could improve basin management and restoration efforts.
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            The NU Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources team is looking for a wetland restoration recipe that offers habitat attractive to nesting songbirds and minimizes chances they'll fall prey to predators, such as skunks and raccoons and sometimes opossums. That combination also will likely attract waterfowl. "Many waterfowl species and songbirds nest in similar habitat and their nests are exposed to the same risks, so good habitat for songbird nesting should be good habitat for waterfowl nesting," Powell explained.
            Predators tend to favor wetlands close to others, Powell has discovered. His
      research indicates songbird nesting success depends on how attractive a wetland is to animal predators. "Not surprisingly, particularly for the small- and medium-size wetlands in our study, those wetlands with the least predators exhibited the highest bird nesting success rates, while the opposite also tends to be true," he said. Bull snakes and other predators not included in this study also affect nesting success but mammals are major players.
      Monarch Butterfly House
            Mammalian predators' impact is so significant that restoring wetlands in ways that reduce their influence should improve nesting success, Powell said. Steps might include planning for larger, somewhat remote wetlands and providing a border of upland habitat, which may buffer the wetland birds from foraging predators.

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