Population Ecology of Northern Bobwhite (<i>Colinus virginianus</i>) on a Reclaimed Surface Mine

Direct linkages between habitat management and northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) survival are not well documented; therefore, we implemented an experiment to evaluate those responses. We conducted our experiment on a reclaimed surface mine, a novel landscape where conditions were considered sub-optimal for bobwhite. Nonetheless, these areas have great potential for contributing to bobwhite conservation. Our objectives were to determine if habitat management could improve (1) seasonal and (2) nest survival, how (3) multi-scale habitat contributed to seasonal and nest survival, and (4) conduct life stage simulation analyses (LSA) to determine which vital rates were affecting population growth rate. Research was conducted on Peabody Wildlife Management Area in western Kentucky. Two units of the site (Sinclair and Ken, 1471 and 1853 ha, respectively) served as replicates and were each randomly divided into a treatment (disking, burning, herbicide application) and control. Treatments were applied October 2009 - September 2013. We detected evidence that treatments may have improved summer survival (Part II). However, we found no evidence that treatments had an impact on nest survival (Part III). Among habitat covariates, litter depth (β [beta] = -0.387, CI = -0.5809, -0.1930) was the most influential covariate on survival (Part II). Pooled seasonal survival rates differed between winter (S = 0.281, SE = 0.022) and summer (S = 0.148, SE = 0.015). Nest survival (0.352 ± 0.037, 23-day period) was low compared to other studies and was not related to habitat (Part III). Instead, nest age (β = 0.641, CI = 0.372-0.911) and nest initiation date (β = 0.022, 95% CI = 0.001-0.043) influenced (positive) nest survival. Our LSA revealed that clutch size (r²[coefficient of determination] = 0.384), followed by hatching success (r² = 0.207), and nest survival (r² = 0.141)explained most variation in λ [lambda] (Part IV). Total fecundity explained 94% of the variation in λ.It appears that summer survival and elements of fecundity may be limiting factors on our site. Additional experiments across a wider range of habitat conditions may be required to determine management intensity and duration thresholds required to elicit greater changes in survival for bobwhite populations.