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Snowy Plover Activity In The Central Platte River Valley In May 2019, Bethany L. Ostrom, Andrew J. Caven, Jenna M. Malzahn, Alyx Vogel Jul 2020

Snowy Plover Activity In The Central Platte River Valley In May 2019, Bethany L. Ostrom, Andrew J. Caven, Jenna M. Malzahn, Alyx Vogel

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

During five of eight site visits between 14 and 27 May 2019 we detected up to four Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) near Mormon Island, Hall County, Nebraska, and recorded their behavior using an instantaneous scan sampling approach. We recorded loafing (47%), foraging (43%), mating (4%), flying (4%), and external threat (1%) related behavior. Most notably, we documented a copulation event on 23 May. During the 10-day span from 14 to 23 May when Snowy Plovers were detected, river stage and discharge were near median levels, but from 23 to 27 …


Understanding How Agricultural Intensification Impacts Ring-Necked Pheasant Distribution And Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Hilary R. Kauth Jan 2020

Understanding How Agricultural Intensification Impacts Ring-Necked Pheasant Distribution And Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Hilary R. Kauth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) have thrived in South Dakota in conjunction with successful land retirement programs or early farming practices through the 1950s, which created interspersions of agriculture and native landscapes that were ideal for pheasants. Recently, the Prairie Pothole ecosystem has undergone rapid agroeconomic expansion, effectively reducing ideal interspersions of native prairie and cropland into agriculturally homogeneous landscapes. Indices of pheasant abundance have suggested persistent population declines since 2008, raising concerns regarding landscape suitability. Our goal was to understand how agriculture intensification impacts pheasant ecology. The objectives were to: 1) estimate overwinter hen probability of survival, resource …