Little Brown Birds

This chapter narrates the author's trip to western North Dakota's Bakken region, where he was mapping out habitat fragmentation caused by the recent surge in oil development. The research was really just an excuse to go out birding for a few days. Two birds are confined to the northern mixed-grass prairie: the Baird's sparrow and the Sprague's pipit. Both are small, brown birds, not terribly charismatic — what birders call LBJs or “little brown jobs” — and both are declining in population. The chapter then discusses how oil development occurs with seeming abandon in the Bakken and is only lightly regulated. Despite a history of progressivism and socialism in the American prairies, North Dakota today is essentially a one-party state — an explicitly oil-friendly Republican Party has held the governorship and both houses of the state legislature for years. Unlike resistance in parts of the East Coast, there have been no large-scale protests in North Dakota, save resistance to the pipeline by the Standing Rock reservation.

Trends in Bird Densities at a Remnant Fescue Grassland in Saskatchewan

Populations of grassland birds in North America have declined greatly in the past five decades. Hypothesized drivers of decline include habitat loss, fragmentation, and adverse impacts from human activities. At a remnant fescue grassland in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan numbers of Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus), and Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) have been stable. Numbers of clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida) have increased since the 1960s. Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii), Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda), and Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) are no longer present. Baird’s Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii), Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), and Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) have become irregular visitors. In the past 50 years, 91 species have been observed displaying territorial behaviour, feeding, nesting, or migrating at this remnant native grassland. With encroaching urban development and increased human influence at the prairie and surrounding area, the impacts on the bird communities at the site in the future are unknown.

Nesting Behaviour and Reproductive Success of Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii) and Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) during Pipeline Construction

Industrial activity occurs in the breeding habitat of several species at risk, including the federally threatened Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii). To evaluate whether oil pipeline construction reduces the productivity of this species, we examined (a) noise levels in relation to distance from the pipeline right-of-way (ROW), (b) the extent to which noise and song frequencies overlapped, (c) the distribution of Sprague’s Pipit nests relative to the ROW, and (d) Sprague’s Pipit reproductive success during exposure to pipeline construction and clean-up activity. We also examined the songs, nest locations, and reproductive success of the Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) for comparison. Study plots (400 × 400 m, n = 30) were established in grassland adjacent to the pipeline ROW or 600 m away from the ROW in similar habitat. Mean maximum noise levels during pipeline activity included frequencies that overlapped the song range of both species and were louder than the recommended 49 dB threshold up to 250 m from the ROW. Sprague’s Pipit nests were evenly distributed across close and distant plots, whereas Vesper Sparrow nests were more abundant within 50 m of the ROW. Sprague’s Pipit daily nest survival rate and the number of young surviving to day 8 both increased with increasing distance from the ROW; and Vesper Sparrow daily nest survival decreased slightly with exposure to pipeline activities. Our findings validate the restricted activity period and indicate that the recommended setback distance of 350 m is a reasonable guideline for pipeline projects.