Ring-necked Pheasant 



Ring-necked pheasants occur in the study area along all the 

 major drainage ways. Highest numbers were observed along Otter 

 Creek. A pheasant crow count route has been conducted south 

 from the Otter Creek road - U.S. Highway 212 junction by the 

 Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks since 1974. 

 The average number of calls per two minute stop over the 20 

 mile route has been 18.9 (Knapp 1979), ranging from a low of 

 14.5 in 1978 to a high of 24.4 in 1977. 



Waterfowl 



Seven species of waterfowl game birds were observed on the Otter 

 Creek study area (Table 17). Of these only the mallard was 

 observed to breed in the area. It is possible that several 

 of the others also breed within the study area, especially in 

 good water years. Both spring seasons of this study were marked 

 by drought conditions with 1980 being the most severe. Most 

 of the reservoirs were dry while Otter Creek and some spring- 

 fed ponds had water. 



Songbirds 



One hundred and ten species of birds, including game birds, were 

 observed on the study area (Table 17). The Swainson's hawk. 

 Cooper's hawk, golden eagle, bald eagle, prairie falcon, upland 

 sandpiper, burrowing owl, long-eared owl, mountain bluebird, 

 clay-colored sparrow, Brewer's sparrow, and field sparrow were 

 listed by Flath (1979b) as species of special interest or concern. 

 All of these except the bald eagle and burrowing owl, both 

 listed as migratory birds of high federal interest (U.S. D.I. 1979), 

 were known or suspected to breed in the study area. Habitat 

 suitable for breeding burrowing owls existed in the study area, 

 so breeding for this species is possible in the future. 



Four breeding bird census strips were located on the Otter 

 Creek study area, one each in grassland (without sagebrush), sage- 

 brush, ponderosa pine, juniper, and boxelder-ash riparian habitats 

 (Figure 16). Tables 18-21 list the percent composition and 

 average number of birds observed per census run for each of 

 the bird species found on the four breeding bird census strips. 

 The average number and the highest number of singing males 

 observed on each strip are also listed along with breeding pair 

 density estimates derived from them. Estimates were not made 

 for red crossbills, which were present as large, non-breeding 

 flocks during the censusing. 



Western meadowlarks dominated the grassland and sagebrush census 

 strips. Chipping sparrows, lark sparrows, and western wood 

 pewees were the three most abundant species on the ponderosa 

 pine census strip. House wrens and yellowwarblers were the two 



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