JENNIFER LUSK - Graduate Student, NRI, University of Manitoba
My research is looking at the effects of grazing on songbird nesting success. During the 2006 and 2007 breeding seasons I searched for and monitored songbird nests in ungrazed pastures within the park and moderately grazed pastures just outside of the park. My five focal species are Baird's sparrow, chestnut-collared longspur, lark bunting, the threatened Sprague's pipit, and vesper sparrow. My analysis will look at whether grazing, and grazing-induced changes in vegetation structure, influence nesting success in mixed-grass prairie habitat.