Dusky (blue) Grouse Range Expanded to Mogollon Rim by Arizona Game and Fish
September 19, 2008
Chicken-sized bird offers upland hunters and bird-watchers a unique opportunity
PHOENIX — The dusky “blue” grouse’s population and range are increasing in Arizona due to recent translocation efforts by the Arizona Game and Fish Department to offer upland hunters, bird watchers, and outdoor recreationists another area to enjoy this unique bird.
Over a two-week-long effort in July, Arizona Game and Fish biologists, wildlife managers and interns worked tirelessly in the field to capture 20 birds near Moab, Utah, and then 12 more from the north Kaibab Plateau in Arizona. Thirty-two blue grouse in total were captured, banded, and some fitted with transmitters, and then released near the Rim Lakes on the Mogollon Rim.
“This first translocation went very well. Many thanks go to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, who allowed us to capture grouse from their state. Utah has a much more robust dusky grouse population, and we were able to capture a lot of birds in a short time,” states Ron Day, small game, predator and furbearer biologist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Dusky grouse, previously referred to as blue grouse, are the second largest of the grouse family. Males can weigh up to 3 pounds. They are a dusky blue-grey color and, like most grouse, exhibit the broad fan-tail with a distinctive band across the feathers. Their habitat consists of subalpine mixed conifer forests of Douglas fir, spruce, aspen and grassland meadow areas for foraging. Before this translocation, blue grouse could only be found on the North Kaibab Plateau, the highest peaks of the White Mountains, and a very limited range atop the San Francisco Peaks.
“Our research determined this area of the Mogollon Rim has a large amount of contiguous mixed conifer habitat that is very suitable for grouse,” says Day. “Our goal is to bring this unique bird into sustainable populations to offer sportsmen and wildlife watchers a closer location to enjoy these birds.”
In the second year of a five-year effort to expand the range of the blue grouse to this region, additional translocations may involve up to four different release sites and, when established, should provide for sustainable populations for years to come.
The project is funded through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife Restoration Program, which generates its funding through excise taxes on firearms, ammunitions, archery equipment and arrow components and then apportions the funding to state wildlife agencies.
However, grouse hunters should note that Unit 4A and 5A are closed hunting areas. There is no hunting allowed in the area of a translocation for five years after the last transplant date. For example, if this were the last translocation, these birds could not be hunted until 2013.
Also, turkey hunters in Units 4A and 5A are cautioned to be certain of their target. Blue grouse look very similar to a young turkey.
For future hunters, the prospect of hunting this challenging bird and then taking in some trout fishing on the Mogollon Rim will be well worth today’s efforts. Science-based translocation programs follow the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and are designed to increase diversity of wildlife populations throughout the state and beyond to the benefit of all citizens.
For more information about the Arizona Game and Fish Department, visit www.azgfd.gov
.
Related posts
Summer 2008 Species Challenge Lists Two Birds, Two Mammals
July 21, 2008
CHEYENNE-The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has named four more species for the 2008 Species of the Season Challenge, a program to help the agency gather information about distribution and abundance of some of Wyoming’s wildlife.
The species on the list for this summer are the white-tailed prairie dog, Abert’s squirrel, burrowing owl and the Lewis’s woodpecker. Outdoor enthusiasts encountering these species are asked to report their sightings to the Game and Fish Department.
As the name implies, white-tailed prairie dogs have a short tail with a white tip as opposed to the black-tailed prairie dog, which has a black-tipped tail. The white-tailed prairie dog is the most common of the listed species, occupying the western two thirds of the state.
The burrowing owl is generally found in open, dry grasslands and basin prairies. This small (7″-10″) ground dwelling owl is often associated with burrowing animals such as prairie dogs, badgers and ground squirrels.
The Lewis’s woodpecker is fairly large, (9″-11″) dark colored for the most part, and prefers open ponderosa pine forests, open cottonwood riparian woodlands and burned stands of Douglas fir and mixed conifers. It is found below 8,500 feet.
The Abert’s squirrel is probably the least common of this year’s species. It occurs in the Harriman area of the Laramie Range in the southeast portion of the state. Sometimes called the tassel eared squirrel, the Abert’s squirrel has tufts of hair extending beyond the tips of its ears, and is associated with ponderosa pine forests.
The species challenge is part of a Game and Fish effort to gather more information on the 278 species listed in Wyoming’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. The CWCS is the state management plan for Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Most of the species are included in the listing because of a lack of basic information on their status and distribution.
Game and Fish supervisor of biological services Reg Rothwell said the Species of the Season Challenge enables citizens to help document locations and abundance of the 278 species of concern. “The species on the list are there not necessarily because they are few in number,” Rothwell said. “Many are there because we don’t know that much about them. Hopefully, the information we gain will help increase our knowledge about them and prevent some from federal listing in the future.”
Rothwell said the CWCS will be updated in the next two years and information will be provided to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by 2010.
To participate, wildlife viewers can go to the Game and Fish Web site http://gf.state.wy.us, and click on Species Challenge in the “What’s hot” box. After locating one of these species, participants can return to the Web site and record their findings. (Contact: Al Langston (307) 777-4540)
Recent Comments