The impact of Whitebark Pine mortality
on Clark's Nutcracker demography:
Clark's Nutcracker Demography
Will restoration work?
and Habitat Selection
in the Face of Habitat Decline
Taza Schaming
tds55@cornell.edu
Will Clark's nutcrackers
& their functional role as seed dispersers
persist in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem?
Will their behavior & population change?
Martin Meyers
Taza Schaming
Methods (2010-2013)
STUDY SITE
23,500km2
1,107 person-days in field:
N = 185 trapped
N = 76 radio tracked
N = 1,014 occupancy surveys
Taza Schaming
Jada Schaming
Pocholo Martinez
N = 74.5 hours
fledgling surveys
Rob Curtis
BREEDING
Breeding vs. Nonbreeding Years
Taza Schaming
To breed or not to breed?
1) Prior to breeding onset, reliable cues indicate poor breeding season
-> skip breeding
2) Unfavorable prebreeding food supplies or weather
-> individuals in poor condition
-> skip breeding
Taza Schaming
1) Prebreeding Environmental Cues
2) Body condition
How often are “nonbreeding” years
predicted?
“Low” cone crop only = 44% (15/34)
“High” snowpack only = 24% (8/34)
Both = 15% (5/34)
HABITAT SELECTION
Habitat Selection: Occupancy Surveys
(2010-2012, fall harvest season, n = 142)
(β = 0.005, SE = 0.002, p = 0.005)
(β = 1.4, SE = 0.3, p < 0.001)
Less than 100 m VS. All distances
Habitat Selection: Occupancy Surveys
(2010-2012, Jan – Oct, n = 286)
(β = 0.005, SE = 0.002, p = 0.01
(β = 2.7e-07, SE = 7.3e-08, p < 0.001)
Importance value =
density +
dominance +
frequency
Detectability (p)
N = 10
N = 10
Observed N = 10
p=1
Observed N = 5
p=0.5
OR
Important Factors
*Tree Density
*WBP importance
value
*Time of Day
Breeding Season Home Range
Habitat Selection: HR vs. landscape
2011
No unusual
WBP mortality
Low WBP
mortality
Medium WBP
mortality
High WBP
mortality
Residual –
some live WBP
Residual – no
live WBP
LP, SAF, ES
Douglas Fir
Limber Pine
Not Conifer
2012
No unusual
WBP mortality
Low WBP
mortality
Medium WBP
mortality
High WBP
mortality
Residual –
some live WBP
Residual – no
live WBP
LP, SAF, ES
Douglas Fir
Limber Pine
Not Conifer
No
unusual
WBP
mortality
0
Low
WBP
mortality
Medium
WBP
mortality
High
WBP
mortality
Residual
– no live
WBP
LP,
SAF,
ES
Douglas
Fir
Limber
Pine
Not
Conifer
+++
Residual
– some
live
WBP
---
---
---
---
---
---
R
A
N
K
3
+++
+
---
0
-
+++
---
---
---
---
---
---
1
-
+
0
+++
---
---
---
---
---
---
2
---
---
---
0
---
---
---
---
---
---
0
+++
+++
+++
+++
0
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
9
+++
+++
+++
+++
---
0
+++
+++
+++
+++
8
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
---------
---------
0
+++
+
---
--0
-----
+++
+++
0
---
+++
+++
0
5
7
6
4
0
+++
+++
+
---
---
---
-
---
---
3
---
0
+
---
---
---
---
---
---
---
1
---
-
0
-
---
---
---
---
---
---
0
-
+++
+
0
---
---
---
-
-
---
2
+++
+++
+++
+++
0
-
+++
+++
+++
+++
8
+++
+++
+++
+++
+
0
+++
+++
+++
+++
9
+++
+
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+
+++
+
---------
---------
0
+
---
+
0
+
-
+++
+
0
---
+++
0
6
5
7
4
Habitat Selection: indiv. points vs. HR
2011
Medium WBP
mortality
High WBP
mortality
LP, SAF, ES
Douglas Fir
Limber Pine
Not Conifer
2012
Medium WBP
mortality
High WBP
mortality
LP, SAF, ES
Douglas Fir
Limber Pine
Not Conifer
Medium
WBP
mortality
0
High
WBP
mortality
-
LP,
SAF,
ES
-
Douglas
Fir
Limber
Pine
Not
Conifer
RANK
-
+
-
1
+
0
---
-
+++
-
2
+
+
+
-
+++
+
+
---
0
---
+
0
+
---
+++
+++
0
---
+
+++
0
5
3
4
0
0
-
---
-
+++
-
1
+
0
---
+
+++
-
3
+++
+
+
---
+++
+
---
0
---
+
0
+
---
+++
+++
0
---
+
+++
0
5
2
4
0
Implications for Management
1) Don’t assume CLNU presence = CLNU persistence.
2) An increase in nonbreeding years could have a strong
negative effect on stability of the regional CLNU
population.
3) Greater Yellowstone: Douglas
Fir stands may be necessary
for CLNU persistence.
a) Protect Douglas Fir?
b) Focus of WBP rehabilitation
near Douglas Fir?
MORE TO COME!
Acknowledgements
Thank you
Advisor: Janis Dickinson
Special Committee: Andre Dhondt, Evan Cooch, John Fitzpatrick
Interns & volunteers
Dept. of Natural Resources & Lab of Ornithology students & faculty Lighthawk, Lisa Robertson
Bridger-Teton National Forest
Nature Mapping Jackson Hole
Wyoming Game and Fish, Susan Patla
Jackson Hole Bird Club
Pocholo Martinez, Peter & Teal & Jada Schaming
Dick Qua, Bruce Pressler, Andy Royle
Funding
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Meg and Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund Wyoming Wildlife – The Foundation
Cornell Sigma Xi
Western Bird Banding Association
Cornell University Graduate School
Explorers Club
The Garden Club of America
Samuel and Linda Kramer
Fischer
American Philosophical Society
Conservation and Research Foundation
Mellon Foundation
Havahart
Mazamas
Charles Redd Center
American Ornithologists’ Union
NASA Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship
Wilson Ornithological Society Athena Fund of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Questions?
Sean Beckett