Laserfiche WebLink
topography along the route and surrounding terrain. Stop locations were chosen to provide the <br />most unobstructed view of surrounding terrain. At each stop, the observer would shut off and <br />exit the vehicle and then scan the surrounding area with binoculars and listen for grouse <br />vocalizations to locate grouse breeding activity. Counts of birds at each lek located were made <br />from the vehicle at an elevated position that provided good visibility of each lek. A minimum of <br />three counts of birds present (males and females were counted separately, when possible) was <br />made at each lek with counts being made alternately from left to right and right to left at <br />approximate 5-minute intervals. New lek locations were determined with the use of a hand-held <br />GIPS and then plotted on DRG 7'/2 minute USGS topographic maps. If it was determined that <br />that locations of known lek sites varied from CDOW coordinates, new coordinates for the <br />approximate center of the lek were determined with the use of a hand-held GIPS as well. <br />Weather conditions for the early morning grouse lek surveys were good with mostly clear skies <br />and lack of precipitation events prevailing for each survey morning. Winds were also relatively <br />calm for the majority of the survey efforts. Specifics on weather conditions for each survey <br />period are provided on the field data sheets in Appendix A. <br />4 2.2 Raptor Nest Surveys <br />Vehicle and on-foot ground surveys to initially locate raptor nests were conducted from August <br />23 through 27, 2005. Follow-up raptor nest surveys were conducted from April 12 through 17 <br />and June 5 through June 8, 2006 to locate additional nests and to check activity status. Nest <br />surveys were completed by traveling areas of suitable habitat and scanning trees, powerline <br />poles and towers, cliffs, and areas of rock outcrop with binoculars or spotting scope to locate <br />evidence of nesting activity (whitewash, stick nests, and adults exhibiting territorial behavior). In <br />April and June of 2006 occupied nests were checked, where safety permitted, to determine <br />production. A hand-held GPS was used to determine the UTM coordinates of all nests located <br />and the locations were then plotted on DRG USGS 7'h minute topographic maps. <br />3.0 RESULTS <br />3.1 Greater Sage-arouse and Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek Surveys <br />3.1.1 Greater Sage-grouse Leks <br />A total of nine greater sage-grouse leks have been documented within the Collom wildlife study <br />area (see Table 1 and Figures 1A and 1B). No new additional sage-grouse leks were located <br />4