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aderfp633 · Inscrit le: 27 Sep 2011 Messages: 7915 Localisation: England

The heat is on for wildlife in need of summer rainfall
As Texas heads into the heart of summer, it's make or break - or bake - time for much of the state's resident wildlife, especially this years crop of young animals, with the outcome certain to play a sizable role in what the state's million-plus hunters see when they head afield this autumn and, in some cases, coming autumns.Much of that outcome depends on a single factor - rain. How much rain fell in the past few months, where and when it fell,cheap motorcycle fairings, and how much drops from the heavens in coming weeks have an outsized impact on the dynamics of the Texas landscape and wildlife tied to that land."Rain drives the system," David Veale, South Texas district leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's wildlife division, said of precipitation's impact on habitat, especially vegetation that provides crucial cover and forage.That system has seen a mix of bumps and smooth spots this year, and wildlife's fortunes have tracked those ups and downs. But with some exceptions, 2013 is so far shaping up as an "average" year for wildlife across most of Texas. Thanks to at least "fair" habitat conditions across much of Texas during early summer, game species including white-tailed deer, Rio Grande turkey, mourning and white-winged doves, even long-suffering bobwhite quail, appear to doing just fine, or at least not suffering significant setbacks."Things are looking pretty positive right now," Veale said of habitat conditions and wildlife populations in much of South Texas.And rain's the reason."The majority of South Texas has seen some pretty good swaths of rain over the past month or so, and that's really made a difference," Veale said. "For deer, things are looking pretty good."Hit-or-miss rainfallIt's the same in many other parts of Texas and for other wildlife species."Where we've seen a little rain,motorcycle fairing, we've seen habitat conditions improve, and turkeys have taken advantage of that," said Jason Hardin, TPWD upland game bird specialist who coordinates the agency's wild turkey management programs.But that rain has been spotty and limited and came in the wake of months of extremely dry conditions."It's been hit-or-miss rains," said Len Polasek, TPWD regional wildlife director for the Oak Prairie and South Texas districts that cover the oak motts, prairies and marshes along the mid-coast to the brush country of South Texas. "Where rain fell, it looks OK. But 10 miles away, where it hasn't rained, it's bone dry, and things don't look very good."Those flushes of rain-triggered greenery here and there across Texas are just thin veneers covering a very dry landscape.As it has for most of the past five years, the majority of Texas is suffering serious drought,aftermarket motorcycle fairings, which has damaged habitat and stressed wildlife populations. After rains during spring and summer of 2012 provided a significant but brief recovery from record-setting drought that blistered the state from late 2010 through 2011,motorcycle fairings, things dried up this past autumn.Drought continuesEven with the recent rains in some areas, drought plagues Texas. This past week, 68 percent of Texas was classified as suffering "severe," "extreme" or "exceptional" drought, the three highest rankings in the Palmer Drought Severity Index. A year ago, only 34 percent of the state fell in those three categories. A full third of the state is in "extreme" or "exceptional" drought; a year ago, only 7 percent of Texas was in those two categories.A dry winter and spring sent most of Texas back into drought conditions with the associated deterioration of habitat and impact on wildlife.Texas Rio Grande turkeys' behavior this spring reflected the dry conditions' effects. Across most of the birds' range, mating/breeding/nesting activity, usually peaking in March and April, was limited or absent as hens lacked the prime physical condition necessary for the rigors of nesting and the drought had severely reduced nesting cover.That changed in late May into June when scattered rains fell across portions of the turkeys' range and habitat conditions improved. The result was a very late nesting effort, with some hens initiating nesting a month or more later than normal."Turkey reproduction is very much tied to rainfall," Hardin said.Rio Grande turkey nesting success this year will not be as good as it was in 2012, when habitat conditions were very good thanks to a wet spring. But it certainly will not be the complete failure it was in 2011."It's not going to be a bust. That's for sure," Hardin said, noting researchers tracking hens fitted with radio transmitters have documented successful hatches."Right now, they're monitoring hens that lost their first nest (to predation) and are on their second nesting attempt," Hardin said.Turkey poults from those successful nests stand an improved chance of survival, thanks to the recent rains that produced a flush of vegetation that offers cover and forage and, in many areas of Texas, an explosion of insects, especially grasshoppers. That abundance of insects, which provide high-energy food for the young turkeys, is crucial to fast physical development of the poults, which increases their chances of survival."Brood habitat looks pretty good in some places," Hardin said. "The insects are certainly out there. That'll help a lot."'High hopes'The rain-fueled burst of vegetation, especially grasses and forbs, will help increase survival of deer fawns, many of which hit the ground just about the time scattered rains fell in June. In Texas, the first few weeks of a fawn's life are the most dangerous, and survival often depends on availability of abundant, thick ground cover in which to hide from predators as well as plenty of forbs and browse to keep does in good physical condition and producing enough milk for the young deer.The link between ground cover and fawn survival is starkly illustrated by TPWD fawn crop data from 2011 and 2012. In the record-setting drought of 2011, fawn survival was estimated at 29 percent statewide. In the "wet" summer of 2012, fawn survival jumped to 47 percent.Fawn survival this year could be "about normal" if favorable habitat conditions hold through the rest of summer, Veale said. But that depends greatly on enough rain falling over coming weeks to maintain the precarious hold provided by earlier rains."I have high hopes. Things look good right now," Veale said. "But I know that might not last. We're still in a drought down here. Like everybody else in Texas, I'll take all the rain I can get."

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