Duck nesting response to experimental management of upland habitats in California

Abstract

Habitat loss and limited upland nesting cover likely constrain waterfowl productivity in intensively managed wetland landscapes in California, USA. We evaluated whether experimental manipulations of upland habitats, including the seeding of native plants, dense nesting cover, or cereal grains, could enhance nesting vegetation and improve duck nest density and nest survival in a Mediterranean climate. During 2008 to 2013, we used a before-after-control-impact (BACI) experimental design within 15 upland grassland fields (each 12–28 ha in size) at a state wildlife area to evaluate habitat management treatment effects on nest site vegetation, vegetation structure, and reproductive performance of mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ) and gadwall ( Mareca strepera ). The BACI design allowed vegetation and duck nesting responses in treated fields to be compared to untreated control fields both before and after treatment implementation. Prior to treatment implementation, all study fields consisted of upland grasslands dominated primarily by non-native annual grasses typical of Mediterranean-climate ecosystems in California. Relative to control fields, we observed only limited improvement to duck nest success in fields seeded with cereal grains and dense nesting cover, whereas fields seeded with native plants showed persistently lower duck nest survival. Vegetation composition after treatment application shifted rapidly from plants that were purposefully seeded to non-native grasses (e.g., Italian ryegrass [ Lolium multiflorum ]) by the second and third years after treatment. Vegetation structural metrics (i.e., visual obstruction height, lateral density, and canopy density) also showed limited or no improvement attributable to the experimental treatments. Across nearly all treatment and control fields, duck nest densities increased during the first several years following treatment implementation but later declined towards pre-treatment levels by the fourth year after treatment. However, mallard nest densities increased much more markedly in native fields than in control fields in the early post-treatment years but declined again in later post-treatment years, suggesting limited long-term benefit. Clutch size, nest initiation date, and egg hatching success were not affected by treatments. Our results indicate that vegetation management and direct seeding had limited short-term and no measurable long-term benefits to the vegetation's structure, duck nesting densities, or duck nest survival, and upland habitat conditions showed little sustained improvement during later breeding seasons (years 2–4 post-treatment). Upland restoration efforts in agricultural landscapes may need more continued, multi-year habitat management to improve nesting conditions for waterfowl over the long-term.