Beneficial Management Practices for Saskatchewan
Species at Risk:
Loggerhead Shrike Threatened
• Light grey head & back
• White breast & rump
• Black wings & tail with white stripes
• Black eye mask that covers entire eye
• Makes a “shriek” as alarm call
Richard Ditch
• Nest in isolated trees, shrubs, and thorny bushes along roads, rail road rights-of-ways, farmyards, abandoned farmsteads and cemeteries
• Opportunistic predator
• Located in the central and southern portions of the province
• Status: Threatened
• Declined due habitat loss with the removal of shrubs and shelterbelts, pesticides contaminating food sources and collisions with vehicles along roadsides
• 700 pairs in Saskatchewan
Beneficial Management Practices
Habitat Size
• Preserve native prairie in breeding and wintering area
• Provide areas of adequate size for breeding Loggerhead Shrikes; area should be large enough to support several average-sized territories
Grazing
• Moderate grazing intensities between May and October
• Restrict access of livestock to woody vegetation such as shelterbelts especially during the spring
Woody Vegetation
• Only plant trees and shrubs on modified landscapes
• Plant trees & shrubs at the interface between different crops, crop and tame pasture, along road allowances, power lines and fences around cemeteries
• Plant shelterbelts more than 200m from the road
Woody Vegetation (cont’d)
• Shelterbelts should be multi-row on cropland
• Leave a 2-4m strip of perennial, herbaceous vegetation adjacent to shelterbelts
• Choose shelterbelt species that grow to about 6m in height and are thorny
Invasive Alien Species
• Clean up spilled grain and do not feed livestock on the ground
• Store grain and feed in bird- and rodent-proof bins
• Use feeds difficult for starlings to handle such as block, cubes or granular meal
• Adjust feeding times to late afternoon
Invasive Alien Species (cont’d)
• Regulate watering troughs so water is too low to be reached from the top edge and too deep for starlings to wade in
• Do not put perches at the entrance of bird houses meant for native birds
• Close up purple martin houses when the birds leave usually in September
Roads
• Plant woody vegetation for Loggerhead Shrikes at least 200m from busy roads
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