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MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER U&i&ftY 
Illinois Federal Aid Project W-66-R 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson and Eva Steger, Editors 
Urbana, Illinois 
October, 1978 
Vo 1. 21, No. 10 
Manipulation of Ph easant Habitat Warnei 
In 1978, 8 of the 12 pheasant nests ( 67 %) found in roadside vegetation on 
the Ford County. Management Unit (FCMU) and Ford County Graded Roadsides (FCGR) 
hatched. This high proportion of hatched nests (approximately two-thirds 
compared with the typical one-third that hatch) is an encouraging sign of 
recovery by pheasants in Illinois from the declines in populations suffered 
during the last two severe winters (MWRL .21.(7) :2). 
Although the success of nesting by pheasants was above average this year, 
the August 1978 census of broods nonetheless reflects the sparse breeding 
population that was counted on the study areas last May (MWRL 21( 6 ):1)- In 
August personnel from the Natural History Survey and Department of Conservation 
cooperated in censusing broods on five areas: the Sibley Study Area (SSA, 
reference area) and four block roadside seedings—the FCMU, Anchor, Harwood, and 
Prairie Green (Anchor, Harwood, and Prairie Green were seeded within the last 2 
years). Broods counted in August 1978 averaged 1.0, 0-6, 2.0, 4-3, and 2.5 per 
100 miles of driving on the SSA, FCMU, Anchor, Harwood, and Prairie Green, 
respectively, in 1977> 2-3^ 26.9> 5 * 2 , 7 « 0 , and 5*7 broods were counted on 
these respective areas, compared with 10 . 3 , 29 - 4 , 17 - 7 , 7 - 5 , and 19.0 on these 
areas in 1976. The average decline in broods observed on all areas, 1 978 from 
1977; was approximately 78 percent. 
The decline in broods observed this year is congruent with the decline in 
the spring breed ng population on all areas except the FCMU (MWRL 21(6):1). On 
that area the number of broods appears lower than expected on the basis of the 
spring count and the unusually high success of nesting. Cock call and visual 
counts made in May 1978 on the SSA and FCMU suggest that more pheasants 
existed on the FCMU than on the SSA; yet, only 0.6 brood was counted per 100 
miles on the FCMU in 1978 compared with 1.0 on the SSA. This anomaly contributes 
to evidence suggesting that there may be a difference in the behavior and 
?n^n t "/ a u l 1 1 ty of . broods a1on 9 roadsides in managed and unmanaged areas. Since 
1970 (when roadside vegetation became mature on the FCMU) the correlation 
between the spring breeding population censused and subsequent August brood 
counts has been greater (r = 0.46) on the SSA than on the FCMU (r = 0.26). 
Further, the data from this 9-year period indicate that the number of 
broods observed along roadsides on the FCMU may be influenced by the amount 
of nesting that occurs in roadside vegetation. On the basis of winter and 
spring censuses, fewer-than-expected broods have generally been observed on 
