Raptor Fest 2021

Impacts of outdoor recreation on horned lark breeding ecology in the NCA

live-streaming on Thursday, August 26th at 4pm MT

Horned Larks are an abundant songbird at the Birds of Prey NCA and across their range. Even though Horned Larks are common, their populations are declining, which makes it important to consider how human activities affect this species. I study how outdoor recreation impacts Horned Larks at the Birds of Prey NCA. Our research team finds and monitors Horned Lark nests in areas with high and low recreational use, then we compare the percent of successful nests (chicks hatch and leave the nest) between sites. We’re also learning some basic information about Horned Larks breeding in this area, including the timing of the breeding season, which nest sites birds choose, and the length of time spent incubating eggs and taking care of nestlings. We hope that this study can provide information that helps outdoor recreationists and Horned Larks continue to use the Birds of Prey NCA for many years to come.