Fall survival, movements, and habitat use of American woodcock in ...
Fall survival, movements, and habitat use of American woodcock in ...
Fall survival, movements, and habitat use of American woodcock in ...
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2003 Field Season Report · February 2004 14The next most <strong>use</strong>d cover type <strong>in</strong> 2002 was alder (11%) <strong>in</strong> Wiscons<strong>in</strong>, aspen pole (ASP,23%) followed by alder (20%) <strong>in</strong> M<strong>in</strong>nesota, <strong>and</strong> conifer (20%) <strong>in</strong> Michigan.In 2002 <strong>in</strong> Wiscons<strong>in</strong>, with<strong>in</strong> aspen seedl<strong>in</strong>g/sapl<strong>in</strong>g cover, the mean number <strong>of</strong>mature stems per ha was higher at r<strong>and</strong>om locations (P = 0.094, paired t = -1.70) than at<strong>woodcock</strong> <strong>use</strong> locations (Tables 12 <strong>and</strong> 13). In M<strong>in</strong>nesota, shrub stem density was higherat <strong>use</strong> po<strong>in</strong>ts than at r<strong>and</strong>om po<strong>in</strong>ts for alder (P = 0.041, t = 2.20) <strong>and</strong> aspenseedl<strong>in</strong>g/sapl<strong>in</strong>g (P = 0.063, t = 1.93) cover types (Table 12). Aspen seedl<strong>in</strong>g/sapl<strong>in</strong>gstem densities at r<strong>and</strong>om po<strong>in</strong>ts were higher than at <strong>use</strong> po<strong>in</strong>ts (P = 0.016, t = -2.55). Inupl<strong>and</strong> shrub cover the number <strong>of</strong> mature stems was higher at r<strong>and</strong>om po<strong>in</strong>ts (P = 0.037, t= -2.37), <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> willow cover the density <strong>of</strong> Rubus was higher at <strong>use</strong> locations (P = 0.001,t = 3.78). In Michigan, <strong>use</strong> po<strong>in</strong>ts had higher pole-sized stem density <strong>in</strong> the aspenseed/sapl<strong>in</strong>g cover type for data pooled across all <strong>woodcock</strong> (P = 0.031, t = 2.30, Table12) <strong>and</strong> for 1 <strong>in</strong>dividual (P = 0.054, t = 2.16, Table 13) than r<strong>and</strong>om po<strong>in</strong>ts. Use sites <strong>of</strong>1 <strong>woodcock</strong> had significantly higher seedl<strong>in</strong>g/sapl<strong>in</strong>g densities <strong>in</strong> aspen seedl<strong>in</strong>g/sapl<strong>in</strong>gcover (P = 0.063, t = -2.39, Table 13).In 2003, across all 3 study areas, po<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>use</strong>d by AHY female <strong>woodcock</strong> weremore frequently classified as alder <strong>and</strong> seedl<strong>in</strong>g/sapl<strong>in</strong>g aspen than paired r<strong>and</strong>om po<strong>in</strong>ts(Table 14). R<strong>and</strong>om po<strong>in</strong>ts occurred more frequently <strong>in</strong> both meadows <strong>and</strong> maturenorthern mixed hardwoods than <strong>use</strong> po<strong>in</strong>ts.Prelim<strong>in</strong>ary analyses <strong>of</strong> location data suggest that <strong>woodcock</strong> were frequentlylocated near edges. In Wiscons<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> 2002, radio-marked <strong>woodcock</strong> were located agreater proportion <strong>of</strong> time than expected