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DO A LITTLE DANCE: The male (Top) Attwater's Prairie Chicken’s intricate and colourful courtship dance is impressive to watch—even to a female.

—photos courtesy Anthony F. Breda

Many of you are familiar with the larger, more popular refuges in the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Bosque del Apache, Lauana Atascosa and J.D.( Ding) Darling easily come to mind. A visit to the smaller, not so well visited refuges, however, can be just as interesting. The staff at the larger refuges need to be concerned with animals, habitat and visitors. At a small refuge, the staff need not bother about visitors and can concentrate their efforts on wildlife. At one refuge in particular, Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR, the challenge can be daunting, for the wildlife here is one of the most endangered species in the U.S.A. The refuge was established in 1972 to protect just one little bird, Attwater’s Prairie Chicken.

When we inform our fellow RVers that we are going to serve as volunteers at APC NWR, they smirk, laugh and ask if this is some kind of a joke. Somehow, prairie chickens do not command the same type of respect as, say, a bald eagle, ocelot or panther.

“Okay, seriously, what is a prairie chicken,” they ask.

Tympanuchus cupido attwateri is a small bird that is a member of the grouse family. Due to a severe loss of habitat in the southeastern and western part of the country, the APC population has plunged to such low numbers that they are classified as endangered. These birds once could roam over six million acres of land along the Gulf Coast, from Corpus Christi, Texas to Bayou Teche in Louisiana, and 75 miles inland. The city of Houston now stands on what was once home to the prairie chicken. Unfortunately, urbanization and agriculture took over what was the habitat of these birds and true prairie land was reduced to less than one per cent of what it was a hundred years ago. At that time there were more than a million birds. At APC NWR, only 33 of these birds survived the winter of 2005. (There are more birds at the San Antonio, Abilene, Caldwell and Houston Zoos, at Fossil Rim, Sea World of Texas and Texas A&M University).

So, you might ask, why do we have a refuge of 10,528 acres to protect just 33 skinny little birds? If we do not save this species, they will go the way of the Heath Hen—EXTINCTION! Well, so what. Some scientists believe that we have a responsibility to preserve life on our planet. There is also a hope that future benefits may result from preservation. Lastly, the presence of wildlife is a good indicator of the health of our planet. The extinction rate today is 400 times greater than that in the past.

Now, let’s talk about the prairie chicken in general. There are three types of birds. The Attwater’s Prairie Chicken, the Greater Prairie Chicken and the Lesser Prairie Chicken. The difference among all of these birds is size and coloration. They are all part of the grouse family.

So what’s so special about the APC, or the fact that there are only 33 left in the wild? And where did they get their name, Attwater?

The birds were named after Henry P. Attwater—a naturalist who spent considerable time collecting specimens during the latter part of the 19th century. They are really interesting animals because of their mating habits.

They mate on a lek or booming ground and use the same spot, year after year. February to April is when they “do their stuff.” For the male, it is like being on centre stage! Each morning and evening, they perform their little dance. With tails erect and wings dropped, they jump around, strut and fill their air sac. They then drop their heads to deflate the sacs to make a loud sounding noise “whir-ru-ur.” The males are quite colourful and become very aggressive if other males encroach upon their spot. It is believed that the Anasasi copied their dance ritual from these birds.

Wow, these birds really do sound like they are worth preserving. So how is the US FWS attempting to do that? In the past, the standard procedure was to manage their prairie habit and try to keep predators at bay. The refuge also provided food by planting crops like milo, soybean and sunflower seeds. Over time, more aggressive techniques have been employed. The latest technique is to establish small fenced areas to protect nesting adult birds and their chicks. This is proving to be effective. It has provided the chicks with protection during the first critical days of life, prior to being released onto the open prairie. The chicks are also fed insects collected from the prairie by the staff. A major problem in preserving these birds is that they are at the bottom of the food chain.

The average life expectancy is between two and four years. Hawks, owls, raccoons and skunks are plentiful in the area, and are difficult to keep away. Another technique is to limit visitation by the general public.

Visitors are allow into the area where the birds reside only during the mating season, and then only with an escort. A member of staff accompanies all visitors. Contractors are also escorted on the refuge. Most fences have spikes mounted on the post to keep predators from roosting. Lastly, each bird is fitted with a radio transmitter which is monitored frequently.

By the fall of 2006, the population of APC had risen to 102 birds due to the transfer of chicks from the facilities mentioned earlier. But within a few months, this number had dropped to less than 70. Events or conditions that seem harmless to us can be dangerous for these little birds. The presence of non-native plants, like Macartney Rose, create thick areas of vegetation. These areas serve as perch sites for hungry predators. Heavy rains can also wipe out many birds, especially young chicks. However, during the late spring of 2007, the refuge experienced an extended period of rain. The bird population actually survived and even grew in numbers. The reason for this is not fully known, but more hens were nesting than in 2006. Weather and predators will ultimately determine how many survive. Nevertheless, the battle continues to maintain this increased number of birds.

Well, that sounds very interesting, but is there anything else to see at APC NWR? Yup!

The second most interesting resident is a small herd of bison that graze on certain parts of the refuge. Bison move around very quickly, so they tend to come and go. Sometimes they are at the fence separating the pasture from our space, 100 feet away, and then we will go a week before we see them again. The bison and a herd of cattle are owned by local ranchers, who lease the land from the refuge. These animals are useful because carefully controlled grazing prevents grassland habitats from becoming too thick and dense for prairie chickens.

Birds can be easier to observe, usually from the two trails on the lower end of the refuge. The Pipit Trail extends for 1.5 miles and runs along the San Bernard River. The Sycamore Trail goes for 1.2 miles. On either one, you will have a good opportunity to see some of the 250 species that frequent the refuge. Pipits, sparrows, hawks, egrets, bald eagles and owls are sometimes observed here. While you are walking near the river, keep an eye out for the resident alligator, a nine-foot-long beast that is pretty scary!

Getting back to birds, they are all over the place. They are even more easily seen beyond the refuge boundaries. The reason for this is that Colorado County, in which the refuge lies, is a large rice growing area. The low lying soil, together with the water to grow rice, and the rice fields themselves, attract egrets, bald eagles and geese. You can also see many birds at the City Park in Eagle Lake, along with its resident alligator. This one however, is only six feet long.

Finally, to compensate for the fact that most visitors cannot see or touch a live prairie chicken, the refuge has opened a brand new Visitor Center. Videos, maps, mounted specimens and posters make the public aware of FWS work here.

You can now see the extent of the effort devoted to preserving these small birds. If you are interested in learning more, or better still, serving as a volunteer at the refuge, just give them a call. The refuge is located 6.5 miles northeast of the junction of FM 0313 and US Alt 90, on FM 3013. The number there is (979) 234-3021. You will find this refuge to be interesting, and a quiet place to spend the winter months. Houston, Texas is only one hour away.