Cliff Shackelford, Wintering Grassland Birds Use Restored Prairies in Eastern Texas
Channel: Prairie Partner
Date: 2015-11-17

This presentation is led by Clifford, alongside Dr. Craig Rudolph, Dave Plair, Dan Jones, J. Howard Williamson, Richard R. Schaefer, and
Joshua B. Pierce. They are affiliates of CES:Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Nacogdoches;DCR, JHW, RRS, and JBP: USDA,
Forest Service, Southern Research Station,Nacogdoches; DEP: USDA, Forest Service,Sam Houston National Forest, New Waverly;
DJ: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,Huntsville. Beginning in 2008, they conducted winter bird surveys on restored prairies in
the Sam Houston National Forest with the objective of quantifying avian use, especially by grassland sparrows in the genus Ammodramus. With the prairie conditions improved at these
sites, winter use of these sites by two speciesof Ammodramus was quickly established, typically following the first post-restoration
growing season. These results demonstrate that aggressive restoration of prairie remnants can rapidly re-establish prairie habitat and facilitate re-colonization by some avian species that rely
on prairie cover.

Presented at the 2015 Southern Plains & Prairies Conference, held at the Houston Zoo in Houston, Texas.