NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY 
Department of 
Glen 
MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
OCT 5 1976 
Illinois Federal Aid Project W- 66 -R 
LIBRARY 
Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
Su'nmer field activities on the Ford County Management Unit (FCMU) have 
been completed for 1976. Cover mapping shows that corn and soybean acreages 
/f V ^ C ° ntlnUe ? t ° ex P and ' n the FCMU. Hay acreages diminished to 108.1 acres 
' l°ooE erCent . h ' S y6ar ' co '‘>P ared w 't h acres in 1975 , 121 acres in 1974 
a " 8 229 a rVt S m Similarly, pastureland was reduced from 144 acres in' 
l 979 to 63.6 acres (0.62 percent) in 1976. Small grain acreages were reduced 
acre] 2 in C 1974. 2 ‘° 7 percent) ,n 1976 ' com P ared with 257 acres in 1975 and 376 
greatertL^in^Q^rf^ 6358 ^ " eStS ° R roadsldes ln ^6 were substantially 
and 1974 * * l * * * 5 c u n0t a PP roach the hl 9 h densities documented in 1973 
the sLtui of L } • F ? f the n6St SeaS ° n ° f ,976 ' roadslde * on the FCMU resumed 
status of principal nest cover, with an estimated average of 4.7 hatched 
S T?:b r ie e 2 Y t, 0 n , in ,^ c rr red Wlth 2 ‘ 7 in ,975 > '*•' 1974, and ^2 8 in 
FCMU hltrhPH 2 -* n , ,976 > 52,8 P ercent of a" Successful pheasant nests in the 
FCMU hatched in roadside cover, compared with 26.2 percent in 1975 , 58.5 percent 
■n 1974, and 38.7 percent in 1973 (Table 2). * b percent 
Nest studies on the Ford County graded roadsides were initiated in 1976 
No nests were found in the 9-9 acres of seedings (1975) that were searched The 
nest searches conducted on 52.4 acres of mature (seeded in 1972 and 1974) 
n r °: S :£ “;r a " county indicated tot.., of 0.44 estalwsh^phe^lt 
per acre for the Fofo r I ?! per acre< The densit V ° f 0.17 hatched nest 
[ h ® Ford County graded roadsides was greater than the density of 
othet- 6 than S roads?des? S dete ™ ined for a " typas of cover searched on the FCMU, 
Siblev h Studv°Ar^ n %c:I? r ] ? 76 u 3V ® been CO 01 P ,eted for both the FCMU and the 
, . y . udy A f ea (SSA). On the SSA, 10.0 broods were observed per 100 miles 
of driving ,n 1976 , compared with 30.1 in 1975 , 63 in 1974 , 22 ?? in w and 
in" 1976 °a theFC , MU / 29-lt broods were Observed per 100 miles of driving 
n 1976 , compared with 54.4 in 1975, 17.1 in 1974, 35-0 in 1973 , and 4 7 .2 In 
372. The numbers of broods observed on the two areas represent substantial 
oheilaH K ' numbers ° bserved in l979 ' However, any P r eal decease n 
ce«us figuIes rS TleuI " 9 *T ' 975 V 976 may be °«raccentuated in the brood 
1975 fo AuoIsI"la 7 A ! c 9 ® pheasant numbers occurring from August 
ofhatched 9 ™., 97 pepha P a better refle ' :ted by the estimated total numbers 
(Tabled)! T he JZ^1'°" i '°' 3 per secti °"’ ' 97 ^ 8 ' 9 P ar section, . 976 ) 
v )• These estimates of hatched nest densities reveal a Her 1 inp nf 17 a 
percent in the number of broods hatched on the FCMU. 
