Breeding Birds and Associated Upland Habitats of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge

Author

Kent Sundseth, St. Cloud State UniversityFollow

Date of Award

10-1996

Culminating Project Type

Thesis

Department

Biology

College

College of Science and Engineering

First Advisor

Alfred Grewe

Second Advisor

Ronald G. Perrier

Third Advisor

Neil Voelz

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Keywords and Subject Headings

Bird, Survey, Habitat, Vegetation, Upland

Abstract

Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge supports a variety of upland habitats. These upland habitats may be divided into four main types: oak dominated woodlands, oak savanna, grassland and conifer plantations. Each of these habitats occupies a location along a vegetation gradient which begins with open grassland and ends with a stand of densely planted conifers. As the vegetation changes along the gradient so do the species of birds breeding there.

During the spring and summer months of 1994 -1996, a network of 73 survey points was established in the four main habitat types across the refuge. In 1995 and 1996 these points were sampled for breeding birds using a standardized point count method. Baseline data on the relative abundance and distribution of breeding birds in the upland habitats was established. In the summer of 1996 the vegetation surrounding most of the survey points was sampled using a standardized releve method. Information on vegetation structure and species composition was collected. Some patterns and associations between breeding birds and habitats were noted.

Comments/Acknowledgements

Page 20 is missing.

Recommended Citation

Sundseth, Kent, "Breeding Birds and Associated Upland Habitats of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge" (1996). Culminating Projects in Biology. 75.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/biol_etds/75