MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Illinois Federal Aid Project W-66-R 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, 
Glen C. Sanderson and Eva Steger, Editors 
*■* sun n 
J4lV 4 1979 
Cooperating 
Urbana, Illinois 
December, 1 978 
Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat 
Vol. 21, No. 12 
R. E. Warner 
There are approximately 2,500 acres of vegetation along four-lane (interstate^ 
h.ghways , n the east-central counties. In terms of potential nest habi It the!^ 
a (nor\ 9 t S are im P° rtant ' especially since the Illinois Department of Transpirtat ion 
(DOT) has curtailed early mowing of interstate networks. 
alfalfa ° r a 6 r t0 faci,l 1 tate a controlled evaluation of the potential of brome- 
tlst areas in 197? for nesting along interstates, ?he DOT seeded two 
i u 973* Brome-a1 fa 1 fa was seeded on approximately ] mile of roarRiHe 
along the newly constructed FAI-55 near Odell, and fescue was seeded on a I 2 
te t IZT ° f r ° adSide dir6Ctly n0rth ° f tha hrome-a I fa 1 fa seed^ngs nill 
test seedings were expected to be established within 2 or 3 vears and in 1Q7A 
bv n thIt St e dy WaS inlt . iated * However, the seedings had not become' es tab 1 i shed 
along * i * 3 * the^^-mHe'stretch the roads ! des near Odell, and the vegetation 
tvoes J i! ^ representative of the prescribed seeding 
iI P rhi Search f ln mid-June revealed four pheasant and eight songbird nests 
in the sweet clover on five 0.125-mile plots totaling 4.6 acres? 
In 1977 the future of the Odell seedings as an evaluation site aooeared 
a??na P ?he' 5 6 ' n ?h Br ° me ^ alfaifa (Particularly alfalfa) were doming?? species 
t l'lure “ ?”° St " ,S ° f thS 1973 Seedin 3' rai * ed f«eue Plot, (con ???ini 
* L f blue 9 rass ’ fescue, clover, and redtop-in order of dominance) 
established along the northern 1.2 mile. Mid-June and mid-July search?? fo? 
6 0 C ° nducted ln '977 0" four brome-a I fa I fa and six fesLe plots totalinq 
and ???!!', F ° r f 3ch type of ^ eed ing, an equal number of plots (tw? brome-aI fa I fa 
‘£'fescue) were searched along northbound and southland "es ?h? 
??h^??? d T a ra n ?f?ri?'?r d t0 ?? affiC in 1976 and . 1977 «««Pt for construetion 
, , 1n the southbound lane was similarly restricted in 1Q7A hut 
became heavy in 1977 when southbound vehicles from oldl-H?.™ U Md to 
this lane. Neither of the seeding types exhibited an overall difference in 
phLsa^r^tVSrr' 0 ? 7 northbound ° r southbound lanes. No 
breedinq peculation jnT? the P ° tS ln i977 ' P res u™ably because of the sparse 
Tozr n nt of 
?ortn!(r^??o k n b '?e d h?:?ls 5 . Were ^ to ^ -thboun/lane used o^" 
h 7he ° del ! plots were a 9 a ‘ n searched for nests in 1978. As in 1977 the 
breeding population of pheasants in the area was very low Prio? to the I9?R 
nesting season, the northbound lane was also openedo “ ffk b for Id 
first time vehicular flow was similar along ai? p lo^s^.’ litigated 
