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Grouse News 21-30 (2001-2005), World Pheasant Association International, Birdlife International, Species Survival Commission, Grouse Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

Issue 21 (2001)

Chairman's column, Ilse Storch

Present distribution and numbers of black grouse in the Czech Republc, I. Malkova Petra, Stastny Karel, and Bejcek Vladimir

Capercaillie in the Czech Republic, Malkova Petra, Stastny Karel, and Bejcek Vladimir

Avalanche prevention causes disturbance of grouse around French ski stations, Emmanuel Menoni

New fencing material tested in France, Emmanuel Menoni

The fate of the black grouse, Ing. Roelof Heringa

Co Co Co Cocks, Michele Loneux

Update of number of capercaillie in the Vosges Mountains, Jean Poirot and Francoise Preiss

Use of Sandsage habitat by lesser prairie-chickens in Southwestern Kansas, Cristian Hagen. James …

Managing Minnesota's Recovered Wolves, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

The Minnesota wolf (Canis lupus) population was estimated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at 2,450 during winter 1997-1998 and had increased at an average annual rate of 4.5°% since winter 1988-1989. The population may be removed from the federal endangered species list by 2002, and management would then return to the state. A federal recovery team recommended a population goal of 1,250-1,400 wolves for Minnesota, with none in the agricultural region. A plan approved by the Minnesota legislature, however, continues the protection of wolves, except for pet and livestock depredation control, for at least 5 years …

Relationship Of Hydrological Conditions And Populations Of Breeding Piping Plovers, Daniel S. Licht

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

I used hydrological data and surveys of breeding piping plover (Charadrius melodus) from 1988 to 1997 to assess the relationship of water levels to piping plover breeding distribution, abundance, and habitat use in North Dakota. Piping plover abundance at wetlands surveyed in all years (n = 48) increased significantly as wetness increased (r = 0.93, P < 0.001). However, individual wetland sites often differed in their response to hydrological conditions with some sites showing significant decreases in piping plover abundance during wet periods. The abundance of piping plovers using the Missouri River system (Oahe and Sakakawea reservoirs and the free-flowing reaches of the river) correlated strongly with upland populations of piping plovers during periods of below-average water levels in the riverine system; however, once water levels within the Missouri River system reach a certain point the relationship turned negative with river populations·of piping plovers decreasing and upland populations of piping plovers increasing.

Validation Of Three Back-Calculation Models By Using Multiple Oxytetracycline Marks Formed In The Otoliths And Scales Of Bluegill × Green Sunfish Hybrids, Robert A. Klumb, Michael A. Bozek, Richard V. Frie

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

We assessed the accuracy of the Fraser–Lee, biological-intercept, and Weisberg back-calculation models to estimate growth from otoliths and scales of laboratory-reared juvenile bluegill × green sunfish hybrids (Lepomis macrochirus × Lepomis cyanellus). Hybrid sunfish were injected three times with oxytetracycline hydrochloride at 90- day intervals to mark bony structures, creating simulated annuli for model validation. Back-calculated lengths (BCLs) with otoliths were generally less accurate than scales for all three models. Errors ranged from –8.2 to 7.8% for the Fraser–Lee model, from –8.0 to 8.3% for the biological-intercept model, and from –6.5 to 14.3% for the Weisberg model. For …

2001 Dairy Digest, South Dakota State University Dairy Club

Dairy Digest

No abstract provided.

Survey Of The Macrobenthic Community In Ferguson Lake, Saline County, Arkansas, John D. Rickett, E. P. (Perk) Floyd

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

One hundred thirty benthic samples were collected on 33 visits to Ferguson Lake, Saline County, Arkansas, between May 1997 and October 2000. Sediments were visually examined and described, and some were returned to the lab for sediment oxygen demand (SOD) analysis. Fourteen taxa, representing five phyla of invertebrates, were identified. In all samples, oligochaetes, chaoborids, and chironomids comprised the majority of individuals, reaching densities up to 7449, 14,208, and 8783 per m2, respectively. When seasonally grouped, largest total abundances and greatest abundances of most taxa were collected during the winter months (December-February). A minor abundance peak occurred in July due …

Fertility Control In Animals, Jay F. Kirkpatrick, Allen T. Rutberg

State of the Animals 2001

There are, effectively, only two choices for actively managing the size of animal populations: reducing the birth rate and increasing the death rate. (Local population size may also be controlled by movement of individuals in and out; but when the size of animal populations concerns us, movement of individuals merely relocates the concerns. We are not absolved of our responsibility for animals simply because they go somewhere else.) Killing certainly can reduce and even destroy wildlife populations if enough animals of the right description are removed from the population. Until the last decade of the twentieth century, however, fertility control …

The Ethical Limits Of Domestication: A Critique Of Henry Heffner’S Arguments, Colin Allen, Marc Bekoff, Lori Gruen

Experimentation Collection

Henry E. Heffner argues that “animals bred for research are properly viewed as animals who have successfully invaded the laboratory niche, relying heavily on kin selection to perpetuate their genes.” (1999, p. 134). This view of human–animal interactions is the cornerstone of his defense of animal experimentation in two widely-distributed papers (Heffner 1999, 2001). We argue that Heffner’s defense lacks adequate attention to ethical distinctions and principles.

The Effect Of Littermate Weight On Survival, Weight Gain, And Suckling Behavior Of Low-Birth-Weight Piglets In Cross-Fostered Litters, Barry N. Milligan, David Fraser, Donald L. Kramer

Ontogeny Collection

Objective: To determine whether low-birth-weight piglets show better survival, weight gain, and suckling behavior when grouped with other small piglets by cross-fostering.

Methods: We manipulated the number and size of foster littermates for low-birth-weight piglets in 31 small (eight or nine piglets) and 22 large (11 or 12 piglets) litters. Experimental litters were composed of four to six piglets of lowest birth weight and either four to six slightly heavier or four to six much heavier piglets from two combined litters.

Results: Low-birth-weight piglets raised with much heavier littermates had somewhat lower survival rates, but showed no tendency towards lower …

Tail Docking Dairy Cattle: Effects On Cow Cleanliness And Udder Health, Cassandra B. Tucker, David Fraser, Daniel M. Weary

Farm Animal Husbandry Collection

To determine whether tail docking would influence cow cleanliness and udder health in a free-stall system, we monitored milking cows after half the animals in a herd were docked. A sample of 223 docked and 190 undocked cows (reducing to 169 and 105 over the study as cows were dried off) were monitored for 8 wk. Cow cleanliness was scored in two areas: along the spine, and the rump adjacent to the tail at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 wk after docking. Cleanliness was evaluated by counting squares that were soiled (0 to 14 on a 5- × 17.5-cm …

The State Of The Animals: 2001, Deborah J. Salem, Andrew N. Rowan

How has the state of animals improved in the last half century? How has it worsened? Where are gains made on behalf of animals under threat? In one landmark volume, distinguished scholars and experts examine these questions–and offer often-provocative answers–for farm animals, companion animals, laboratory animals, zoo animals, and wildlife worldwide.

They Don’T Produce Income If They Don't Reproduce, W. Craig Burrell, Nola A. Taylor

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) On Hatching Turtles And Prevalence Of Fire Ants On Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches In Florida, Craig R. Allen, Elizabeth A. Forys, Kenneth G. Rice, Daniel P. Wojcik

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) have increasingly been observed in loggerhead (Caretta caretta L.) and green (Chelonia mydas L.) sea turtle nests in Florida, and in the nests of freshwater turtles. They may be attracted to the disturbance, mucous and moisture associated with turtle nesting and establish foraging tunnels into turtle nests shortly after egg-laying, thus increasing the vulnerability of hatchlings to fire ant predation. We conducted experiments on a freshwater turtle (Pseudemys nelsoni Carr) to determine the potential impacts of S. invicta on turtle hatchlings. Over 70% of hatchlings were killed by …

Natural Fertility In Whooping Cranes And Mississippi Sandhill Cranes At Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Jane M. Nicolich, George F. Gee, David H. Ellis, Scott G. Hereford

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The first fertile whooping crane (Grus americana; WC) egg produced through natural breeding at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (patuxent) was laid in 1991. Prior to that time, all fertile whooping crane eggs were the result of artificial insemination. Since 1991, eight different whooping crane pairs at Patuxent have produced fertile eggs through natural breeding. Mean fertility averages over years for each pair range from 40% to 93%. Fertility rates for each pair also vary greatly between years, from 0% to 100%, but the causes of the variance are unknown. Experiences with natural fertility in Mississippi sandhill cranes (G …

Counting Cranes: How Much Effort Is Enough?, Douglas H. Johnson, Roderick C. Drewien, Douglas S. Benning

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Accurate population estimates of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) are important because management decisions, such as establishing hunting regulations, are based on those estimates. Counts often are made during aerial surveys when the cranes are congregated. A complete census may be feasible if the area to be surveyed is small and adequate resources are available. For large areas, resources may be inadequate for a census so partial counts (sample surveys) are made. Because cranes are gregarious, the counts in a sample of units may contain either a disproportionately large, or a disproportionately small, fraction of the total, leading to …

Nocturnal Roost Site Selection And Diurnal Habitat Use By Sandhill Cranes During Spring In Central Nebraska, Craig A. Davis

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

During spring 1998 and 1999, the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust conducted ground and aerial surveys of staging sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis; hereafter, cranes) to detennine roost site selection and habitat-use patterns along a l20-Ian stretch of the Platte River in south-central Nebraska. Cranes peaked at 232,023 during 22-28 March 1998 and 206,074 during 28 Februaty-6 March 1999 in the study area, a portion of the total crane staging area in the Platte River Valley. Diurnal observations showed that 48% of the cranes were in com fields, 34% in lowland grasslands, 13% in alfalfa fields, and 5% …

Hematological And Serum Chemistry Norms For Sandhill And Whooping Cranes, Glenn H. Olsen, Melina M. Hendricks, Lindsay E. Dressler

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The nonnal values used as a diagnostic tool and for comparison of cranes were established in the early 1970's. In that early study, no effort was made to look at factors such as age, sex, or subspecies. In addition, during the early study disease problems (primarily disseminated visceral coccidiosis) and nutritional problems were undiagnosed and uncontrolled. For 2 years during the annual health examinations of cranes at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (patuxent), we collected blood from healthy cranes for analysis. We found significant differences between the values reported from the 1970's and the values seen in this study …

The One-By-One Method For Releasing Cranes, David H. Ellis, Daniel P. Mummert, Richard P. Urbanek, Matthew Kinloch, Carolee Mellon, Tressa Dolbeare, Damien P. Ossi

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Although the trend for the past 2 decades has been toward releasing naive groups of juveniles after a lengthy acclimation period, in 5 separate releases (1996-2000) we tested the idea that naive juvenile greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) would survive better if released singly into a wild flock of predator-wary birds than if left as a group, inexperienced at foraging and ill prepared to avoiding predators. We released 3 groups of hand-reared juveniles (n = 12 [1996]; n = 8 [1998], n = 12 [1999]) into a wild flock of sandhill cranes (ca 300 birds) on wintering …

Platte River Cooperative Agreement And Proposed Program: Efforts To Protect, Restore, And Manage Habitat For Whooping Cranes, Least Terns, And Piping Plovers, Clayton Derby, Dale Strickland

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

On 1 July 1997 the states of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado and the U.S. Department of the Interior signed the "Cooperative Agreement for Platte River Research and Other Efforts Relating to Endangered Species Habitats Along the Central Platte River, Nebraska" (Cooperative Agreement). In the Cooperative Agreement, the four parties set forth a "Proposed Platte River Recovery Implementation Program" (Program). The proposed incremental Program uses adaptive management to provide benefits to whooping cranes (Grus americana), least terns (Sterna albifrons), and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus). The proposed Program will also test the assumption that it is possible …

The Use Of Radio Transmitters To Monitor Survival Of Sandhill Crane Chicks, Marilyn G. Spalding, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Stephen T. Schwikert, Robert J. Dusek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

To determine cause of death of Florida sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pratensis) chicks, in 1996-99 we glued shorttenn transmitters on newly hatched chicks. At about 10 days of age, these were replaced with surgically implanted subcutaneous transmitters in the field. Chicks were then recaptured at 55 to 65 days of age for more pennanent transmitters. This combination of transmitter configurations allowed us to track individuals through their rapid-growth period.

Lessons From The Motorized Migrations, David H. Ellis, George F. Gee, Kent R. Clegg, Joseph W. Duff, William A. Lishman, William J. L. Sladen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Ten experiments have been conducted to determine if cranes can be led on migration and if those so trained will repeat migrations on their own. Results have been mixed as we have experienced the mishaps common to pilot studies. Nevertheless, we have learned many valuable lessons. Chief among these are that cranes can be led long distances behind motorized craft (air and ground), and those led over most or the entire route will return north come spring and south in fall to and from the general area of training. However, they will follow their own route. Groups transported south and …

Use Of Traditional Indian Trapping Methods To Capture Sandhill Cranes, Scott G. Hereford, Tracy E. Grazia, Meenaksid Nagendran,, Ali Hussain

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Mississippi sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pulla) is an endangered, nonmigratory subspecies of sandhill crane located only in Jackson County, Mississippi, on and adjacent to the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. Maintaining a marked population is essential to long-term monitoring efforts. Past trapping techniques such as walk-in traps and coffin traps were useful but not effective in capturing many cranes, wary of such obvious manmade devices. In 1998, refuge personnel recruited Master Bird Trapper, Ali Hussain from India, to demonstrate his low-tech, time-tested techniques. Hussain's traps such as the clap trap and nooses were highly portable, inexpensive, …

Whooping Crane Egg Management: Options And Consequences, David H. Ellis, George F. Gee

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Eggs to build captive whooping crane (Grus americana) flocks and most eggs for reintroduction experiments have come from second viable eggs in 2-egg clutches in Canada. Four years ago, egg removal ceased. Based on reproductive rates for years when second eggs were removed and for years when eggs were not removed, we project numbers of young fledging in the wild and in captivity for the 2 most likely egg-management strategies. From existing data sets, we find that reproductive performance was, on average, better during the era of routine removal of the second viable eggs than when no manipulation …

Ingested Metal In Whooping Cranes: An Endoscopic Technique For Removal And Implications For The Release Program, Glenn H. Olsen, Michael Wise

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Since 1993 when the whooping crane (Grus americana) release program in Florida started, 21 whooping cranes at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (patuxent) have been diagnosed with gastrointestinal foreign bodies (primarily metal objects). A technique for safely removing these objects has been developed. The technique uses a flexible gastric endoscope to enter the proventriculus or ventriculus, and a snare or forceps passed down a channel of the endoscope to retrieve the foreign bodies. The technique is very successful, with the whooping crane usually back to its pen the next day. The longterm survival of the whooping cranes …

Models For The Adaptive Harvest Management Of Rocky Mountain Sandhill Cranes: Problems And Potential, William L. Kendall, Roderick C. Drewien

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The migratory Rocky Mountain Population (RMP) of the greater sandhill crane (Grus canadensis tabida) breeds primarily in river valleys, marshes, and meadows of western Montana and Wyoming, southeastern Idaho, northern Utah, and northwestern Colorado. The RMP winters primarily in the Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, with smaller concentrations in the southwestern parts of that state, southeastern Arizona, and the northern highlands of Mexico. The San Luis Valley of Colorado is used as a stopover in both the spring and fall migrations. The RMP has been hunted on a permit basis since 1981, and currently these cranes …

A Reintroduction Experiment Involving Mated Pairs Of Parent-Reared Greater Sandhill Cranes In Northern Arizona, Daniel P. Mummert, David H. Ellis, Carol L. Chambers

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

In April 1997, 4 mated pairs of adult greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) were abrupt-released at Monnon Lake, Arizona. Five of 8 adult cranes died within 10 days of release. One crane flew from the release area within 10 days after release and was never relocated. One pair of cranes, with 1 pair member sustaining a broken wing 4 days after release, survived for 4 months and demonstrated the importance of maintaining pair bonds after release. The cause of death of at least 5 birds was predation. The high immediate mortality and complete long-term mortality experienced in …

Minimum Survival Rates For Mississippi Sandhill Cranes: A Comparison Of Hand-Rearing And Parent-Rearing, David H. Ellis, George F. Gee, Glenn H. Olsen, Scott G. Hereford, Jane M. Nicolich, Nancy J. Thomas, Meenakshi Nagendran

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Hand-reared (56) and parent-reared (76) juvenile Mississippi sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pulla) were produced at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (patuxent), Laurel, Maryland over a 4-year period (1989-92) and released at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), Gautier, Mississippi in a controlled experiment. Hand-reared survival rates proved higher than for parent-reared survival for each time category: 6 months, 86% versus 75%; 1 year, 77% versus 68%; 2 years, 66% versus 53%; 3 years, 55% versus 43%: partial data for fourth and fifth years were 57% versus 31 % and 48% versus 37%.

Developing A Migratory Whooping Crane Flock, Robert H. Horwich

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Research on crane reintroductions within the last 15 years has produced information necessary to effect a successful reintroduction of a migratory whooping crane (Grus americana) flock. There are 4 main problems to solve for such a reintroduction: (1) inducing a high survival rate of the reintroduced cranes, (2) encouraging normal reproduction with conspecifics, (3) teaching the reintroduced cranes the migration route, and (4) inducing fear of humans in the reintroduced cranes. Use of an isolation-rearing method by the author, using puppets, sounds, and costumes, has led to a consistent, over 80%, survival rate for the reintroduced young cranes …

The Effects Of Semen Collection On Fertility In Captive, Naturally Fertile, Sandhill Cranes, Guojun Chen, George F. Gee, Jane M. Nicolich, Joanna A. Taylor

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We tested to see if semen collection interferes with fertility in naturally fertile pairs of cranes. We used 12 naturally fertile, Florida sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pratensis) pairs for this study, 6 control and 6 experimental. All pairs had previously produced fertile eggs. Semen was collected on Tuesday mornings and Friday afternoons from 26 February 1993 to 4 June 1993. We used standard artificial insemination methods to collect and to evaluate the semen and spermatozoa. Semen collection had minimal effect on semen quality and semen quantity. Semen volume, sperm density, sperm motility, sperm morphology, sperm viability, sperm number …

Multiple Spatial Scale Analysis Of Whooping Crane Habitat In Nebraska, Amy L. Richert, Kevin E. Church

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing technologies were used to evaluate whooping crane stopover habitat in Nebraska. The goal of the research was to investigate habitat selection at multiple spatial scales. The GIS database consisted of all confirmed whooping crane sightings reported in Nebraska from 1975-1996 and land cover information delineated from color infrared aerial photographs and Landsat Thematic Mapper data. Results suggest that whooping cranes select roost habitat by recognizing site-level and landscape-scale land cover composition. Wetland is the most strongly selected habitat type at all spatial scales examined. This presentation emphasizes methods used to analyze habitat selection …