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Outdoors: Prairie chickens getting new blood

Tim Eisele
Special to The Capital Times  —  4/16/2008 9:04 am

Wisconsin's remnant prairie chickens primarily live in the central portion of the state near several wildlife areas managed by the Department of Natural Resources.

The lands were bought originally by the Prairie Chicken Foundation, founded by the Dane County Conservation league and Paul Olson, and the Society for Tympanuchus Cupido Pinnatus (the Latin name for prairie chicken).

Once found in every county of the state, prairie chickens are currently on the state's threatened species list, as fragmentation and degradation of its habitat has reduced the populations. The birds' primary habitats are the Buena Vista, Leola, Paul Olson and Mead wildlife areas.

Lesa Kardash, a wildlife biologist with the DNR in Wisconsin Rapids, said spring surveys provide an index to population abundance. The number of males on booming grounds jumped to 327 from 261 between 2006 and 2007, and there was a rise in the number of booming grounds as well, but that does not necessarily indicate a 25 percent rise in population.

"We did increase our survey efforts by using observation blinds when spotting scopes from the roads were insufficient, and (that) may have had some influence on the increase," Kardash said.

Furthermore, Kardash said that prairie chickens in central Wisconsin have experienced a loss in genetic diversity, because it is a small population in a small area. This can lead to lower nest hatching success and vulnerability to diseases.

A Genetics Advisory Committee was formed in 2005 and advised the state to bring in some new birds from outside the state to help increase genetic diversity.

David Drake, a UW-Madison Extension Wildlife Specialist who worked on Greater and Attwater prairie chickens in Texas, said that prairie chickens brought in from Minnesota over the last two years are now mixing in with the Wisconsin flock.

"We brought in 24 more hens last fall," Drake said. "We are seeing some mortality of the chicks that were produced by the Minnesota hens that bred with Wisconsin males, but for a long time this winter we were surprised to see no mortality, which was encouraging."

Major predators are skunks, hawks and owls.

Tim Eisele
Special to The Capital Times  —  4/16/2008 9:04 am