. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1979 Notes 75 continuing to use an arena the day after it had been burned. During the spring of 1975 we observed the effects of a fire on a Sharp-tailed Grouse arena near Chatfield. Manitoba (50°47'N, 97°34'W). Since 1970, spring surveys of arenas have been conducted in the Chatfield area. Known arenas were visited in early morning and numbers of male and female grouse recorded. The counts were conducted three or more times a week from early April until mid- June. Arena A was used by males in 1971 but not in 1972 or 1973. Surveys were not conducted in 1974 owin
. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1979 Notes 75 continuing to use an arena the day after it had been burned. During the spring of 1975 we observed the effects of a fire on a Sharp-tailed Grouse arena near Chatfield. Manitoba (50°47'N, 97°34'W). Since 1970, spring surveys of arenas have been conducted in the Chatfield area. Known arenas were visited in early morning and numbers of male and female grouse recorded. The counts were conducted three or more times a week from early April until mid- June. Arena A was used by males in 1971 but not in 1972 or 1973. Surveys were not conducted in 1974 owing to flooding of much of the area. During the spring of 1975, a new arena (B) was located 480 m north of the now abandoned arena A, in the same area of open grassland (Figure 1). Vegetation in the grasslands (Gr) consisted of native grasses, chiefly Needle Grass (Stipa spartea), June Grass {Koeleria cristata), and wheat grasses {Agropyron spp.) as well as a variety of forbs and scattered Saskatoon {Amelanchier alni- folia) and Snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) shrubs. The shrub area (Sh) contained clumps of Dwarf Birch {Betula glandulosa) and Saskatoon. The forested portion (Fo) was dominated by Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides). When arena B was discovered on 7 May, 10 birds of unknown sex were present. Counts on subsequent mornings showed between 7 and 10 males displayed at this arena prior to 23 May. During this period birds were never observed displaying at arena A. On 23 and 24 May, a fire burned the southwestern portion of the grassland area and eliminated all residual grass and forbs but did not greatly affect shrub or tree cover in the area burned. Arena A was completely burned over whereas arena B was unaffected (Figure 1). On 25 May two non-displaying Sharp-tailed Grouse were present on arena A and eight males were displaying on arena B. Between 26 May and 1 June, one or two birds were displaying on arena A, and four to seven on arena B each morning. By 16
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