Goldade: Rainfall is important for our grassland habitat
As the primary pheasant nesting season comes to an end, I thought it might be a good time to talk about the importance of grassland habitat when it comes to one of our favorite upland birds, the Ring-necked Pheasant. Pheasants, like many of our feathered friends, are extremely dependent on grassland habitat for nesting and other important needs.
With pheasants, and most other grassland nesting species, just any old habitat will not do. They need a dense stand of grass with good overhead protection and plenty of open space under the canopy for the young to walk around and feed. One of the main variables that effects the quality of our grassland habitat is the weather. Weather is certainly not something we can control but it is something that we can try and plan for and mitigate against the negative effects when possible.
Let’s take a look back at the two years prior to our current nesting period. In 2020 and 2021, much of the primary pheasant range in South Dakota experienced unusually low rainfall and high temperatures for most of the summer. This caused a lack of grass growth and by default a lack of good nesting habitat.
Grass growth in the Aberdeen area was especially poor in the spring of 2021. When we experience a lack of grass growth, many animals feel the stress, including cattle. During these times, forage for cattle also becomes hard to find and much of the available grass needs to be cut for hay as it did in the summer of 2020.
Although occasional haying of grass is a good management practice to encourage new grass growth, a lack of subsequent rainfall caused very little regrowth and the nesting habitat in the spring of 2021 started out in poor condition. This lack of regrowth along with hot and dry conditions likely caused a reduction in our pheasant reproduction rate in 2021.
Mother Nature attempted to change conditions this past spring in the northeast. In 2022 we have had good rainfall and generally very good nesting habitat conditions. This spring our grasslands recovered very well from the drought conditions in the previous two years and our birds appear to have responded very well.
For the most part in the northeast, the grass this year grew thick and lush and provided our pheasants with some excellent nesting habitat. Along with this, the pastureland that our cattle producers depend on was also plentiful with forage, thus haying was delayed in many areas until after the majority of the nesting period was done. This delay was partially made possible because of the plentiful rainfall that kept the grass green and in quality condition. Delaying the haying of your grasslands until after the nesting season is a good practice (July 15 is good, Aug. 1 is even better) that can benefit both nesting birds and your bottom line.
If you take a drive on a gravel road near a grass field on a dewy morning, you are likely to see a pheasant hen and her brood standing on the shoulder of the road trying to stay dry. Numbers for the coming fall pheasant season look good and I, like many upland hunters, look forward to taking to the field and enjoying this great South Dakota tradition. Happy Hunting!
Christopher Goldade is private lands habitat biologist for the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department.
This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: game fish and parks column rainfall and its impact on grassland habitat
