ABSTRACT
Avian activities on four 47 ha to 200 ha wetland study areas were monitored over a four-year period. Two of the areas were diked so water levels could be controlled while the other two were subject to natural water level fluctuations. Nests of twenty species of birds were located in the study areas with eight species being well distributed. Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoenicesus) and marsh wren (Cistothorus palustris) were the most common species. Both nest density and number of species increased as the percentage of open water decreased in the wetlands. Wetland study areas with poorly developed communities of submersed plants did not have as many species nesting and had more herons present in late summer compared to areas with well developed submersed plant communities. Rails responded to taped calls throughout the summer, and this technique may be useful for evaluating abundance of birds and productivity.
