Utah's Grasshopper Sparrows

["Adam Kozlowski" <adamkozlowski at utah dot gov>]

Paul,

In response to your request for population trend information for the
Grasshopper sparrow my information is primarily anecdotal.  The
grasshopper sparrow is currently on Utah state's sensitive species list
(an effort to identify the species with the greatest potential for
future inclusion on the federal T & E list).

Effort to date has focused primarily on obtaining baseline presence or
absence data by visiting suitable grassland habitat throughout the
state.  Sites visited this year had noticeably fewer birds present than
in the past.   It should be noted however that we are currently in our
5th year of drought here in the Great Basin and many species' (avian and
mammalian) behavior and distribution have begun to show noticeable
change.  Such population shifts (including that of the GHSP) have
generally been blamed on declines in native rangeland and riparian
habitat health due to lack of moisture.  I assume that lack of moisture
is not theorized to play a part in Florida's GHSP decline?  It would be
very interesting indeed if the current declines being witnessed here are
in fact not as closely linked to drought, but to a more national
causation.

Cheers,
Adam

Adam Kozlowski
Sensitive Species Biologist
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Northern Region
515 East 5300 South, Ogden UT  84405
Office:  (801) 476-2740
Cell:  (801) 510-2034
email: adamkozlowski@utah.gov

>>> "John CAVITT" <JCAVITT@weber.edu> 09/03/03 04:45PM >>>
FYI -
The following was posted on the ECOLOG listserv.

>>> Paul Miller <phainopepla@HOTMAIL.COM> 9/3/2003 12:22:03 PM >>>

Greetings and sorry for cross posting:

I would like to find out if any of you out there working on
Grasshopper
Sparrows, specifically, or even any Ammodramus spp. have experienced
lower
numbers this past breeding season.

Here in Florida it seems that our Grasshopper Sparrow, subspecies
floridanus, has undergone a decline since last year. Any information
would
be appreciated.

Curiously,
Paul Miller
Biological Scientist
Florida Park Service
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Okeechobee, Florida