NBC anchor Tom Brokaw bought into a 4,000-acre Montana ranch. Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons.
Because upland birds need a mosaic of habitat features rather than a single component, this matters.
Increases in riparian vegetation, including woody plants, native grasses and forbs, were associated with greater bird diversity in mixed-grass prairie in north-central Montana, according to a study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution . Brokaw later said they noticed a substantial increase in birds, including Hungarian partridge, sharp-tailed grouse and other species. Montana guidance says sharp-tailed grouse prefer grasslands mixed with shrubs and riparian vegetation, while ruffed grouse use woodlands near streams.
Protecting the river corridor also affected habitat beyond the waterway. Riparian vegetation can provide food, shelter and nesting habitat for wildlife, while reducing livestock pressure can allow shrubs and grasses to recover. Research from Montana and elsewhere supports the broader ecological principle behind such work. The researchers found that areas where this vegetation increased over time also showed increases in bird diversity, highlighting the importance of healthy riparian habitat for wildlife. Brokaw’s own observations became one of the most striking parts of the ranch’s transformation. Working with a neighbour, he developed a project aimed at increasing the area’s upland bird population. The approach was relatively modest. They planted about two acres of milo near wetlands to provide additional food and allowed grasses to grow taller in some of the ravines. It is important, however, not to turn Brokaw’s observation into a controlled scientific finding. There was no published experiment demonstrating that the riverbank work alone caused the increase. Rather, his account suggests that a combination of habitat protection, food availability, taller vegetation and changes in grazing management created conditions more favourable to birds.
