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Thomas Buhl

Thomas Buhl is a Biological Science Technician at the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, North Dakota.

Roadside Bias

This photo shows an American coot bird standing on a log in a body of water.
Marsh Bird Data

Waterfowl Biology

Northern Pintail, Anas acuta
Nest remains are insufficient to identify predators of waterfowl nests

I am the coordinator and point of contact for the Waterfowl Nest File. The Waterfowl Nest File contains extensive records of waterfowl and grassland bird nests from across the northern Great Plains from 1954 to present day. I have participated in and overseen field operations for multiple research projects, including the recruiting, training and supervision of seasonal staff. I have worked on waterfowl, prairie restoration, and grassland bird research projects across the northern Great Plains. I train DOI staff in the safe operation of motorboats, ATV's and UTV’s. I am a sUAS pilot, a member of Northern Prairies Safety Committee, and I'm the Content Manager for Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center's website.

Professional Experience

  • Biological Science Technician, USGS, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, North Dakota

Education and Certifications

  • B.S. Wildlife Management, (Minor in Biology), University of Minnesota

  • A.S. Environmental Ecology, Iowa Lakes Community College

Science and Products

Nest remains are insufficient to identify predators of waterfowl nests

Context: Nest predation is a leading cause of nest failure for most ground-nesting birds. Methods that allow for accurate classification of fate and identification of predators are important for understanding productivity and conservation strategies. Past studies have used a visual inspection of nest remains to determine nest fate and predict predator identity. Most formal assessments of these met
Authors
Kaylan M. Kemink, Kyle J. Kuechle, Mason L. Sieges, Sam Krohn, Cailey Isaacson, John Palarski, Nick Conrad, Allicyn Nelson, Boyang Liu, Thomas K. Buhl, Susan N. Ellis-Felege
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Reassessing perennial cover as a driver of duck nest survival in the Prairie Pothole Region

Conservation plans designed to sustain North American duck populations prominently feature a key hypothesis stating that the amount of the landscape in perennial cover surrounding upland duck nests positively influences nest survival rates. Recent conflicting research testing this hypothesis creates ambiguity regarding which management actions to pursue and where to prioritize conservation deliver
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Michael J. Anteau, Max Post van der Burg, Mark H. Sherfy, Thomas K. Buhl, Terry L. Shaffer
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Accuracy of the Missouri River Least Tern and Piping Plover Monitoring Program: considerations for the future

The upper Missouri River system provides nesting and foraging habitat for federally endangered least terns (Sternula antillarum; hereafter “terns”) and threatened piping plovers (Charadrius melodus; hereafter “plovers”). These species are the subject of substantial management interest on the Missouri River for several reasons. First, ecosystem recovery is a goal for management agencies that seek t
Authors
Terry L. Shaffer, Mark H. Sherfy, Michael J. Anteau, Jennifer H. Stucker, Marsha A. Sovada, Erin A. Roche, Mark T. Wiltermuth, Thomas K. Buhl, Colin M. Dovichin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Community maturity, species saturation and the variant diversity- productivity relationships in grasslands

Detailed knowledge of the relationship between plant diversity and productivity is critical for advancing our understanding of ecosystem functioning and for achieving success in habitat restoration efforts. However, effects and interactions of diversity, succession and biotic invasions on productivity remain elusive. We studied newly established communities in relation to preexisting homogeneous v
Authors
Q. Guo, T. Shaffer, T. Buhl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Differences in distribution of modified basins and ducks relative to roadside transects

Wetland basins in the Prairie Pothole Region of the U.S. are commonly modified by excavation (e.g., roadside ditches, stock dugouts), partial drainage (ditching), and diking. Differences in the distribution of modified wetlands may affect the predictive accuracy of waterfowl survey data if such wetlands are not distributed randomly in the landscape and if waterfowl are not distributed equally am
Authors
Jane E. Austin, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, H. Thomas Sklebar, T.K. Buhl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Duck populations as indicators of landscape condition in the Prairie Pothole Region

The Prairie Pothole Region of the northern Great Plains is an important region for waterfowl production because of the abundance of shallow wetlands. The ecological significance of the region and impacts from intensive agriculture prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to select it as one of the first areas for developing and evaluating ecological indicators of wetland condition. We exa
Authors
Jane E. Austin, Thomas K. Buhl, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Wayne Norling, H. Thomas Sklebar
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Effects of roadside transect width on waterfowl and wetland estimates

Strip transects located along roads are commonly used to estimate waterfowl populations and characterize associated wetland habitat. We used data collected in May and early June, 1995, on forty-five 40-km2 plots in North Dakota to evaluate bias of 800-m and 400-m wide roadside transects for sampling wetlands relative to a larger (40-km2) scale and to compare duck abundance at the two widths. Densi
Authors
Jane E. Austin, H. Thomas Sklebar, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Thomas K. Buhl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Research access to privately owned wetland basins in the prairie pothole region of the United States

We describe efforts to obtain access for research to 81 wetland basins on 69 farms in four zones of the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Access was obtained to 54% of the farms in areas where land was intensively cropped and 87% of farms in areas of low cropping intensity. On average, 1.35 operators had to be contacted and 1.70 interviews were required to obtain
Authors
David P. Fellows, Thomas K. Buhl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
link
Image: Birdwatching in Grasslands Near Tebicuary River

Investigating roadside bias in point-count surveys of grassland passerines

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides much essential information for assessing bird populations, but it is unknown how inherent assumptions of the BBS apply to grassland birds in the Northern Plains. Understanding the effects of these assumptions on our understanding of grassland bird populations is essential given widespread declines of grassland birds as well as recent and...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
link

Investigating roadside bias in point-count surveys of grassland passerines

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides much essential information for assessing bird populations, but it is unknown how inherent assumptions of the BBS apply to grassland birds in the Northern Plains. Understanding the effects of these assumptions on our understanding of grassland bird populations is essential given widespread declines of grassland birds as well as recent and...
Learn More
link
WERC Suisun Marsh Waterfowl

Support to Fish and Wildlife Service and Prairie Pothole Joint Venture for monitoring and management of migratory bird populations

Sound management of migratory bird breeding populations in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region hinges on effective monitoring programs and comprehensive analyses of long-term survey data. To this end, Northern Prairie provides support to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in several important areas. The Four-Square-Mile Breeding Duck and Habitat Survey was developed by Northern Prairie in the mid...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
link

Support to Fish and Wildlife Service and Prairie Pothole Joint Venture for monitoring and management of migratory bird populations

Sound management of migratory bird breeding populations in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region hinges on effective monitoring programs and comprehensive analyses of long-term survey data. To this end, Northern Prairie provides support to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in several important areas. The Four-Square-Mile Breeding Duck and Habitat Survey was developed by Northern Prairie in the mid...
Learn More

Investigating Detection and Roadside Bias in Surveys of Grassland Birds in the Northern Great Plains, ND 2015, MT 2017-2018

A biologist and field crew from Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center visited sites nine times throughout the breeding season (late May to mid-July) to record counts of grassland birds. Surveyors applied North American Breeding Bird Survey methodology to obtain counts at On-, Near-, and Off-road Stops, but unlike the North American Breeding Bird Survey, which features a single survey at each s
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Density and Fledging Success Data from Conservation Reserve Program Fields in North Dakota and Minnesota, 1991-1993

Field crews from Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center from 1991-1993 in Stutsman County, North Dakota and Pope and Stevens Counties, Minnesota, gathered nest success and fledgling data from nests found within Conservation Reserve Program fields and Waterfowl Production Areas. This dataset includes nesting observations of bird species found within these two field types. The dataset includes ge
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Evaluating bias in roadside surveys of secretive marsh birds in the Prairie Pothole Region, MN, ND, and SD 2008-2009

The data set consists of data to evaluate bias in roadside surveys of secretive marsh birds in 2008 and 2009 in wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota during three survey periods (survey number). The data set includes detection values (species heard, species seen, species seen and heard) of seven focal marsh bird species (four-letter alpha codes and sci
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Bird Behavior and Mortality in Relation to Power Lines in Prairie Habitats, North Dakota, 1981to1982

A biologist and field crew from Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center observed bird flights at 7study sites, twice weekly during two spring and two fall migration periods between April 3, 1981 and May 20, 1982. Study sites were located in south-central North Dakota in Barnes, Kidder, and Stutsman counties. The database includes flight observation's of bird species in the vicinity of power line
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs
Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs
Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs
Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Photograph of a Lark Bunting nest with four eggs.  Nest was found in Phillips County, Montana.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Photograph of a Lark Bunting nest with four eggs.  Nest was found in Phillips County, Montana.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings
Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings
Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings
Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Photograph of a Horned Lark nest with newly hatched nestlings.  Nest was found in Phillips County, Montana near S. Wagner Road.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Photograph of a Horned Lark nest with newly hatched nestlings.  Nest was found in Phillips County, Montana near S. Wagner Road.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs
Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs
Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs
Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Photograph of a Brewer's Blackbird nest with three eggs.  Nest was found in Valley County, Montana near S. Bench Road.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Photograph of a Brewer's Blackbird nest with three eggs.  Nest was found in Valley County, Montana near S. Bench Road.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Scientists Collecting Bird Data on Grasslands in Montana this Spring

Scientists Collecting Bird Data on Grasslands in Montana this Spring

Now through late July, 2018, U.S. Geological Survey scientists will conduct fieldwork on public lands in Phillips and Valley counties near Malta and...

Read Article

Science and Products

Nest remains are insufficient to identify predators of waterfowl nests

Context: Nest predation is a leading cause of nest failure for most ground-nesting birds. Methods that allow for accurate classification of fate and identification of predators are important for understanding productivity and conservation strategies. Past studies have used a visual inspection of nest remains to determine nest fate and predict predator identity. Most formal assessments of these met
Authors
Kaylan M. Kemink, Kyle J. Kuechle, Mason L. Sieges, Sam Krohn, Cailey Isaacson, John Palarski, Nick Conrad, Allicyn Nelson, Boyang Liu, Thomas K. Buhl, Susan N. Ellis-Felege
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Reassessing perennial cover as a driver of duck nest survival in the Prairie Pothole Region

Conservation plans designed to sustain North American duck populations prominently feature a key hypothesis stating that the amount of the landscape in perennial cover surrounding upland duck nests positively influences nest survival rates. Recent conflicting research testing this hypothesis creates ambiguity regarding which management actions to pursue and where to prioritize conservation deliver
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Michael J. Anteau, Max Post van der Burg, Mark H. Sherfy, Thomas K. Buhl, Terry L. Shaffer
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Accuracy of the Missouri River Least Tern and Piping Plover Monitoring Program: considerations for the future

The upper Missouri River system provides nesting and foraging habitat for federally endangered least terns (Sternula antillarum; hereafter “terns”) and threatened piping plovers (Charadrius melodus; hereafter “plovers”). These species are the subject of substantial management interest on the Missouri River for several reasons. First, ecosystem recovery is a goal for management agencies that seek t
Authors
Terry L. Shaffer, Mark H. Sherfy, Michael J. Anteau, Jennifer H. Stucker, Marsha A. Sovada, Erin A. Roche, Mark T. Wiltermuth, Thomas K. Buhl, Colin M. Dovichin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Community maturity, species saturation and the variant diversity- productivity relationships in grasslands

Detailed knowledge of the relationship between plant diversity and productivity is critical for advancing our understanding of ecosystem functioning and for achieving success in habitat restoration efforts. However, effects and interactions of diversity, succession and biotic invasions on productivity remain elusive. We studied newly established communities in relation to preexisting homogeneous v
Authors
Q. Guo, T. Shaffer, T. Buhl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Differences in distribution of modified basins and ducks relative to roadside transects

Wetland basins in the Prairie Pothole Region of the U.S. are commonly modified by excavation (e.g., roadside ditches, stock dugouts), partial drainage (ditching), and diking. Differences in the distribution of modified wetlands may affect the predictive accuracy of waterfowl survey data if such wetlands are not distributed randomly in the landscape and if waterfowl are not distributed equally am
Authors
Jane E. Austin, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, H. Thomas Sklebar, T.K. Buhl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Duck populations as indicators of landscape condition in the Prairie Pothole Region

The Prairie Pothole Region of the northern Great Plains is an important region for waterfowl production because of the abundance of shallow wetlands. The ecological significance of the region and impacts from intensive agriculture prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to select it as one of the first areas for developing and evaluating ecological indicators of wetland condition. We exa
Authors
Jane E. Austin, Thomas K. Buhl, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Wayne Norling, H. Thomas Sklebar
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Effects of roadside transect width on waterfowl and wetland estimates

Strip transects located along roads are commonly used to estimate waterfowl populations and characterize associated wetland habitat. We used data collected in May and early June, 1995, on forty-five 40-km2 plots in North Dakota to evaluate bias of 800-m and 400-m wide roadside transects for sampling wetlands relative to a larger (40-km2) scale and to compare duck abundance at the two widths. Densi
Authors
Jane E. Austin, H. Thomas Sklebar, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Thomas K. Buhl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Research access to privately owned wetland basins in the prairie pothole region of the United States

We describe efforts to obtain access for research to 81 wetland basins on 69 farms in four zones of the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Access was obtained to 54% of the farms in areas where land was intensively cropped and 87% of farms in areas of low cropping intensity. On average, 1.35 operators had to be contacted and 1.70 interviews were required to obtain
Authors
David P. Fellows, Thomas K. Buhl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
link
Image: Birdwatching in Grasslands Near Tebicuary River

Investigating roadside bias in point-count surveys of grassland passerines

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides much essential information for assessing bird populations, but it is unknown how inherent assumptions of the BBS apply to grassland birds in the Northern Plains. Understanding the effects of these assumptions on our understanding of grassland bird populations is essential given widespread declines of grassland birds as well as recent and...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
link

Investigating roadside bias in point-count surveys of grassland passerines

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides much essential information for assessing bird populations, but it is unknown how inherent assumptions of the BBS apply to grassland birds in the Northern Plains. Understanding the effects of these assumptions on our understanding of grassland bird populations is essential given widespread declines of grassland birds as well as recent and...
Learn More
link
WERC Suisun Marsh Waterfowl

Support to Fish and Wildlife Service and Prairie Pothole Joint Venture for monitoring and management of migratory bird populations

Sound management of migratory bird breeding populations in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region hinges on effective monitoring programs and comprehensive analyses of long-term survey data. To this end, Northern Prairie provides support to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in several important areas. The Four-Square-Mile Breeding Duck and Habitat Survey was developed by Northern Prairie in the mid...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
link

Support to Fish and Wildlife Service and Prairie Pothole Joint Venture for monitoring and management of migratory bird populations

Sound management of migratory bird breeding populations in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region hinges on effective monitoring programs and comprehensive analyses of long-term survey data. To this end, Northern Prairie provides support to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in several important areas. The Four-Square-Mile Breeding Duck and Habitat Survey was developed by Northern Prairie in the mid...
Learn More

Investigating Detection and Roadside Bias in Surveys of Grassland Birds in the Northern Great Plains, ND 2015, MT 2017-2018

A biologist and field crew from Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center visited sites nine times throughout the breeding season (late May to mid-July) to record counts of grassland birds. Surveyors applied North American Breeding Bird Survey methodology to obtain counts at On-, Near-, and Off-road Stops, but unlike the North American Breeding Bird Survey, which features a single survey at each s
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Density and Fledging Success Data from Conservation Reserve Program Fields in North Dakota and Minnesota, 1991-1993

Field crews from Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center from 1991-1993 in Stutsman County, North Dakota and Pope and Stevens Counties, Minnesota, gathered nest success and fledgling data from nests found within Conservation Reserve Program fields and Waterfowl Production Areas. This dataset includes nesting observations of bird species found within these two field types. The dataset includes ge
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Evaluating bias in roadside surveys of secretive marsh birds in the Prairie Pothole Region, MN, ND, and SD 2008-2009

The data set consists of data to evaluate bias in roadside surveys of secretive marsh birds in 2008 and 2009 in wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota during three survey periods (survey number). The data set includes detection values (species heard, species seen, species seen and heard) of seven focal marsh bird species (four-letter alpha codes and sci
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Bird Behavior and Mortality in Relation to Power Lines in Prairie Habitats, North Dakota, 1981to1982

A biologist and field crew from Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center observed bird flights at 7study sites, twice weekly during two spring and two fall migration periods between April 3, 1981 and May 20, 1982. Study sites were located in south-central North Dakota in Barnes, Kidder, and Stutsman counties. The database includes flight observation's of bird species in the vicinity of power line
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs
Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs
Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs
Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Photograph of a Lark Bunting nest with four eggs.  Nest was found in Phillips County, Montana.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Lark Bunting Nest with Four Eggs

Photograph of a Lark Bunting nest with four eggs.  Nest was found in Phillips County, Montana.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings
Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings
Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings
Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Photograph of a Horned Lark nest with newly hatched nestlings.  Nest was found in Phillips County, Montana near S. Wagner Road.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Horned Lark Nest with Newly Hatched Nestlings

Photograph of a Horned Lark nest with newly hatched nestlings.  Nest was found in Phillips County, Montana near S. Wagner Road.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs
Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs
Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs
Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Photograph of a Brewer's Blackbird nest with three eggs.  Nest was found in Valley County, Montana near S. Bench Road.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Brewer's Blackbird Nest with Three Eggs

Photograph of a Brewer's Blackbird nest with three eggs.  Nest was found in Valley County, Montana near S. Bench Road.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Scientists Collecting Bird Data on Grasslands in Montana this Spring

Scientists Collecting Bird Data on Grasslands in Montana this Spring

Now through late July, 2018, U.S. Geological Survey scientists will conduct fieldwork on public lands in Phillips and Valley counties near Malta and...

Read Article
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