The group will radio-track striped skunks and red foxes and monitor nesting success of grassland birds on the same areas. Field work on the predators and duck nests is complete and data analysis is proceeding. A progress report was in the Unit's most recent annual report. Northern Iowa A progress report was in the Unit's most recent annual report. The decline of this species is tied to its shrinking habitat base in the prairie ecosystem.
Managers can therefore supplement prairie habitat with managed grassland.
In the 1996 and 1997 field seasons, we quantified singing rates during the daily cycle and during the nesting season. We also took point-count data and made vegetation measurements to quantify habitat preferences. In the course of this work, we discovered two nests, which we have described, along with some literature survey on Henslow's Sparrow in Iowa, in Iowa Bird Life and in a web-accessible document . A short progress report was in our most recent annual report and a longer one was prepared in October, 1997. A Henslow's Sparrow Web Site , with resource links and distribution maps, is also being developed.