Fondell and Ball looked at the effect that cattle grazing has on ground nesting bird nest success in Montana. Gadwall and western meadowlark nesting success did not differ between grazed and ungrazed plots, but savannah sparrows and short-eared owls success drastically decreased on grazed plots when compared to nests found on ungrazed plots. The authors emphasized that nesting success was strongly correlated with vegetation structure and that little evidence was observed of grazing treatment or stocking rate having a direct effect on nesting success. Fondell and Ball urged land managers to understand the species of birds within their pasture land to know what type of grazing regimes would compliment both forage for cattle as well as adequate vegetation structure for nesting birds.
Citations and enhanced abstracts for journals articles and documents focused on rangeland ecology and management. RSIS is a collaboration between Montana State University, University of Idaho, and University of Wyoming.