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Proceedings Of The Thirteenth North American Crane Workshop, 14–17 April 2014, Lafayette, Louisiana, Usa, David A. Aborn, Richard P. Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

RESEARCH PAPERS

HABITAT SELECTION BY BREEDING SANDHILL CRANES IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN. Tamara P. Miller and Jeb A. Barzen 1

HIGH NEST DENSITY OF SANDHILL CRANES IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN.Jeb A. Barzen, Liying Su, Anne E. Lacy, Andrew P. Gossens, and Dorn M. Moore 13

DIFFERENTIAL DETECTION OF TERRITORIAL AND NON-TERRITORIAL GREATER SANDHILL CRANES IN SUMMER. Lindsey F. McKinney, Jeb A. Barzen, Jason D. Riddle, Shelli A. Dubay, and Tim F. Ginnett 25

TIMING OF FAMILY DISSOCIATION DOES NOT AFFECT LONG-TERM SURVIVAL ESTIMATES OF SANDHILL CRANE CHICKS Matthew A. Hayes and Jeb A. Barzen 33

A REVIEW OF FALL SANDHILL CRANE MIGRATION …

Nesting Activity Budgets And Antipredator Behaviors Of Mississippi Sandhill Cranes, Jerome J. Howard, Rose Butler Wall, Lauren Billodeaux Mowbray, Scott G. Hereford

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We studied activity budgets and antipredator behaviors of Mississippi sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pulla) to determine if parental behavior influenced nest outcomes. We used infrared motion-activated cameras to capture behavioral sequences from 21 nests over a 2-year period. Overall activity budgets were similar among crane pairs regardless of nest outcome. Specific activity patterns did predict nest outcomes; pairs at unsuccessful nests spent more time away from the nest and more time manipulating nest contents than successful pairs, while pairs at nests that were lost to predation cooperated poorly and started the nest a month later on average than …

New Data On Feeding Ecology Of Bubo Bubo And Asio Otus (Aves: Strigidae) In Mongolia, Michael Stubbe, Nayamsuren Batsaikhan, Oliver Lindecke, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Annegret Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

New materials of 10 Eagle owl Bubo bubo localities from Mongolia were analyzed. The feeding ecology of Long-eared owl Asio otus was studied by the investigation of pellets from 4 roosting or nesting places in S-Mongolia. All together in the prey of Bubo bubo were analyzed 1098 vertebrates (1017 mammals, 39 birds, 41 reptiles, 1 fish), involving about 22 mammal species. The pellets were dominantly those of Lagomorpha with 23.3% in SW-Mongolia, Dipodidae in W-, SW- and S-Mongolia (37.3%, 23.4%, 30.2%), Cricetidae in SW- and S-Mongolia (13.6%, 17.6%), Gerbillidae in W- and S-Mongolia (19%, 32.1%) and Arvicolidae in W- and …

Der Mönchsgeier Aegypius Monachus (L., 1766) Und Seine Mallophagen (Insecta, Phthiraptera) In Der Mongolei = Cinereous Vulture Aegypius Monachus (L., 1766) And Its Chewing Lice (Insecta, Phthiraptera) In Mongolia, Eberhard Mey, Michael Stubbe, Davaa Lchagvasuren, Annegret Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

During a series of studies on the population, ecology, and biology of the Cinereous Vulture in Mongolia, fully feathered nestlings of the species from 9 nests were examined, without the use of chemical methods, for Mallophaga infestation from 2010 to 2015. The collection resulted in several first records for Mongolia of three species: Laemobothrion vulturis (J. C. FABRICIUS, 1775) sensu lato (Amblycera, Laemobothriidae), Neocolpocephalum aegypii (TENDEIRO, 1989) (Amblycera, Menoponidae s. l.) sp. inq., and Falcolipeurus quadripustulatus (BURMEISTER, 1838) (Ischnocera, Philopteridae s. l.). Despite being expected, there has still been no record of Agypoecus brevicollis (BURMEISTER, 1838) in Mongolia.

Chewing louse …

Grouse News 51-60 (2016-2020), Iucn/Ssc Galliformes Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

Issue 51 (May 2016)

From the Editor

From the Chair of the Grouse Group and from the Galliformes Specialist Group

Research Reports

Our view: Greater sage-grouse habitat restoration: Sound science or wishful thinking?

Grouse News

Developing an Index to Sooty Grouse Abundance in Western Oregon, USA

Dusky and sharp-tailed grouse project starting near Clinton, BC addressing the effects of biosolids on grouse behavior and diet

Grouse research in North America: revisiting the forgotten forest grouse

New national survey of capercaillie in Scotland

Conferences 6th International Symposium on Galliformes 2016

The 16th NKV Congress

The 33rd IUGB and 14th Perdix Congress, …

Wpa News 101 (2016), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2016), number 101

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Characteristics Of Sandhill Crane Roosts In The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta Of California, Gary L. Ivey, Bruce D. Dugger, Caroline P. Herziger, Michael L. Casazza, Joseph P. Fleskes

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) region of California is an important wintering region for 2 subspecies of Pacific Flyway sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis): the Central Valley Population of the greater sandhill crane (G. c. tabida) and the Pacific Flyway Population of the lesser sandhill crane (G. c. canadensis). During the winters of 2007-08 and 2008-09 we conducted roost counts, roadside surveys, aerial surveys, and tracked radio-marked birds to locate and assess important habitats for roosting cranes in the Delta. Of the 69 crane night roosts we identified, 35 were flooded cropland sites and 34 were wetland sites. We found that …

Ten-Year Status Of The Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane Reintroduction, Richard P. Urbanek, Sara E. Zimorski, Eva K. Szyskoski, Marianne M. Wellington

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

From 2001 to 2010, 132 costume-reared juvenile whooping cranes (Grus americana) were led by ultralight aircraft from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in central Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast of Florida on their first autumn migration (ultralight-led or UL), and 46 juveniles were released directly on Necedah NWR during autumn of the hatch year (direct autumn release or DAR). Return rate in spring was 90.5% for UL and 69.2% for DAR, the lower value of the latter attributable to 1 cohort with migration problems. Overall population survival 1 year and from 1 to 3 years post-release was 81% and 84%, …

Observations Of Molt In Reintroduced Whooping Cranes, Anne Lacy, Dan Mcelwee

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping cranes (Grus americana, WHCR) complete a full flightless molt of primary flight feathers every 2-3 years. The flightless period may represent an important component of the annual cycle; however, molt patterns in WHCR are poorly understood. WHCR undergo a flightless period following ecdysis (feather loss) making them more vulnerable to predation threats, and likely changing their habitat selection from open wetlands to areas with a higher concentration of cover. Studies of molt in wild birds can then be compared to associated habitat needs at that critical time and inform the selection of future release sites elsewhere.

selection of future …

Chromic And Iron Oxides As Fecal Markers To Identify Individual Whooping Cranes, Megan E. Brown, Robert C. Doyle, Jane N. Chandler, Glenn H. Olsen, John B. French Jr., David E. Wildt, Sarah J. Converse, Carol L. Keefer, Nucharin Songsasen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The whooping crane (Grus americana) is listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List, the United States Endangered Species Act, and the Canadian Species at Risk Act (BirdLife International 2012, CWS and USFWS 2007). A major focus of recovery efforts for this endangered species is reintroduction to establish new populations (CWS and USFWS 2007). Captive populations are critical as a source of individuals for reintroduction efforts and also serve as insurance populations. Currently, there are a total of 157 whooping cranes held in captive breeding centers across North America, with the largest at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) …

Sandhill Crane Collisions With Wind Turbines In Texas, Laura Navarrete, Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The High Plains of the United States have been experiencing a large increase in wind energy generation sites with the American Wind Energy Association reporting an increase across America from 10 total installed gigawatts in 2006 to 60 total installed gigawatts in 2012. (American Wind Energy Association 2012). The High Plains also coincides with the Central Flyway in North America which is used by numerous bird species during migration, some with large bodies and high wing loading including the sandhill cranes (Grus canandensis), whooping cranes (G. americana), and waterfowl. Species such as these tend to be more vulnerable to mortality …

Proceedings Of The Thirteenth North American Crane Workshop Frontmatter, David A. Aborn, Richard Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

List of previous Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshops

Suggested citation formats

PREFACE: The North American Crane Working Group (NACWG) is an organization of professional biologists, aviculturists, land managers, non-professional crane enthusiasts, and others interested in and dedicated to the conservation of cranes and crane habitats in North America. Our group meets approximately every 3 years to exchange information pertaining to sandhill cranes and whooping cranes and occasionally reports about some of the other cranes species. Our meeting in Lafayette, Louisiana, 14-17 April 2014, celebrated the return of whooping cranes to Louisiana for the first time in 60 years. …

Winter And Migratory Habitat Use Of Six Eastern Greater Sandhill Cranes, Hillary L. Thompson, Anne E. Lacy

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

To better understand non-breeding ecology of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida), we harnessed 6 satellite GPS transmitters to adult cranes from 1 central Wisconsin breeding area. Using location data from these transmitters, we investigated non-breeding movements, including the routes and timing of migration. By combining satellite GPS data with a national land cover dataset, we also described habitat use on stopovers and wintering areas. Sandhill cranes tended to use larger home ranges on long stopovers (>3 days) than on short stopovers (3 days or less). The durations of northward migrations were longer and had more stopovers than …

The Utility Of Census Or Survey For Monitoring Whooping Cranes In Winter, Bruce H. Pugesek, Thomas V. Stehn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We discuss recent changes in the monitoring program for endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) on their winter habitat in Texas. A 61-year annual census was replaced in the winter of 2011-2012 with a distance sampling procedure. Justification for the change was, in part, based on criticism of the previous methods of counting cranes and the assessment of crane mortality on the wintering grounds. We argue here that the arguments, methods, and analyses employed to discount the census procedure and mortality estimates were applied incorrectly or with flawed logic and assertions. We provide analysis and logical arguments to show …

Protocol And Results From The First Season Of Captive-Rearing Whooping Cranes For A Non-Migratory Release In Louisiana, Glenn H. Olsen, Jane N. Chandler

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The principal historic range of the whooping crane (Grus americana) consisted of the tall grass prairies and wetlands of southwest Louisiana, Texas, and parts of Mexico (Allen 1952). Whooping cranes migrated there from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Dakotas, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and breeding grounds of the remnant flock in and near Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada.

Habitat Selection By Breeding Sandhill Cranes In Central Wisconsin, Tamara P. Miller, Jeb A. Barzen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We used compositional analysis to describe habitat use for a dense population of breeding sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) in central Wisconsin at 2 spatial scales: selection of home range within a study area and selection of habitats within the home range. Habitat use and home range size were estimated from radio-telemetry data from 12 breeding sandhill crane pairs. Research in Wisconsin that was performed on the landscape level suggests that breeding cranes depend on wetlands and do not select upland habitats. Evaluating habitat selection at different spatial levels, such as during different stages of the breeding season, …

Historic And Recent Winter Sandhill Crane Distribution In California, Gary L. Ivey, Caroline P. Herziger, David A. Hardt, Gregory H. Golet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Understanding the geographic distribution and long-term dynamics of winter foraging areas and night roost sites of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) is important to their conservation and management. We studied sandhill crane distribution in California’s Central Valley from December 2012 through February 2013. We mapped observed flock and night roost locations. Flock locations occurred between Tehama County in the north and Kern County in the south. Flocks were concentrated in the northern Sacramento Valley, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the northern San Joaquin Valley south of Tracy to Mendota (including the lower Stanislaus and Tuolumne River floodplains and the Grasslands …

A Review Of Fall Sandhill Crane Migration Through Indiana, Allisyn-Marie T. Y. Gillet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife conducts surveys from October to December to collect long-term data on greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida). Results from these censuses contribute to a fall index of the Eastern Population, which informs wildlife management decisions and research priorities. Recent findings from the annual U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fall Sandhill Crane Migration Survey demonstrate a decline in the number of cranes observed at fall staging areas throughout Indiana since 1979. However, nationwide data exhibit a trend of population increase. I provide evidence to show that the apparent decline in the …

Hawks And Owls, Brian E. Washburn

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Hawks and owls can negatively impact a variety of human interests, including important natural resources, livestock and game bird production, human health and safety, and companion animals. Conflicts between raptors and people generally are localized and often site-specific. However, the economic and social impacts to the individuals involved can be severe. Despite the problems they may cause, hawks and owls provide important benefits and environmental services. Raptors are popular with birdwatchers and much of the general public. They also hunt and kill large numbers of rodents, reducing crop damage and other problems.

Damage Identification

Management Methods

Economics

Species …

2016 International Symposium On Galliformes (Beijing, China: October 21-23, 2016): Programme And Abstracts, World Pheasant Association, China Ornithological Society

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Conference Proceedings

Evolutionary relationships among galliforms using 1000’s of unlinked loci, Rebecca Kimball

Ecology, behaviour and conservation problems in Siberian grouse Falcipennis falcipennis (Hartlaub 1855), Siegfried Klaus

Taxonomy, genetics and evolution in a highly subspecies-rich pheasant Phasianus colchicus, Yang Liu

Survey of the Blyth’s tragopan Tragopan blythii in western Myanmar, Nan Wang

Activity rhythm of green peafowl (Pavo muticus) in Konglonghe Nature Reserve based on camera-trap data, Pengfei Shan

Studies on unusual incubation behavior and embryonic tolerance of hypothermia by the Sichuan partridge (Arborophila rufipectus), Yiqiang Fu

The breeding behavior and nest selection of Sclater’s monal ( …

Occupancy Analysis And Density Estimation Of Kori Bustards (Ardeotis Kori) And Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida Meleagris) For Use In Landscape Conservation Planning In The Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana, Kathryn R. Mccollum

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

For understudied species, more informed conservation planning and decision-making on both the local and landscape levels may be attained through the use of occupancy and abundance estimations. Here, we focus on two iconic bird species in eastern Botswana, kori bustards (Ardeotis kori) and helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris). The overall goal of this project was to better understand the hierarchy of factors that influence occupancy (ψ) and density of kori bustard and helmeted guineafowl populations within the Northern Tuli Game Reserve and how these factors may interact to affect landscape conservation and usage. We performed distance sampling …

Predicting Toucan Locations In Panama Using Arcgis, Daniel J. Herrera

Geography: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Toucans are omnivorous birds native to southern Latin America and South America. They are non-migratory, and their range is disputed among experts. In an attempt to develop a better understanding of the range and behavior of toucans, correlations between toucan presence and geographic features of the area were analyzed to create a location probability map.

Breeding Birds Of Virginia, Bryan D. Watts

Virginia Journal of Science

Virginia supports a diverse community of breeding birds that has been the focus of investigation for more than 400 years. The avifauna reflects the latitudinal position of the state and the fact that the border extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains. A total of 224 species have been recorded breeding in Virginia, 214 of which are extant. Twenty species have colonized the state since 1900 including 14 since 1950. Of all extant species, 102 (48%) are considered common at least somewhere in the state and 64 (30%) are rare to very rare. Diversity varies by physiographic region …

Habitat Use By Spruce Grouse In A Fragmented System, Laurel A. Hill

All NMU Master's Theses

The spruce grouse is a boreal obligate species that has been protected in Michigan since 1915 (Ammann 1963). Despite protection, the status of spruce grouse is uncertain in Michigan and other parts of the Midwest, and there have been few attempts at large-scale surveys or monitoring (Williamson et al. 2008). I studied a population of spruce grouse near the southern edge of their range on the Yellow Dog Plains in Marquette County, Michigan.

I investigated fecal pellet counts as a possible method to assess spruce grouse presence and habitat use. My results validated the use of fecal pellet occurrence as …

Sustaining The Saco Estuary: Final Report 2015, Christine B. Feurt Ph D, Pamela A. Morgan, Mark D. O. Adams, Anna L. Bass, Carrie J. Byron, Michael C. Daley, Michael O. Esty, Noah G. Perlut, Kayla Smith, Tyler Spillane, Michelle M. Steen-Adams, James Sulikowski, Stephan I. Zeeman, Jacob Aman, Michele Dionne, Jeremy Miller, Kristin Wilson

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

This study focuses on the Saco estuary, the tidal portion of the Saco River, which drains the largest watershed in southern Maine. With headwaters in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the watershed encompasses more than 4,400 km², and provides clean healthy drinking water to over 100,000 people living and working in communities in southern Maine.

When the study began in 2009, very little was known about the ecology of the Saco estuary. Researchers at the University of New England and the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve employed the process of collaborative learning to bring together people who …

At Home And At Large In The Great Plains: Essays And Memories, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

This volume presents fourteen essays (some updated) that originally appeared in Prairie Fire, a monthly free newspaper that for seven years (as of 2015) has carried important messages of social, environmental, and economic issues in a mature and nonpartisan manner to tens of thousands of residents of Nebraska, western Iowa, eastern Colorado, and southern South Dakota, and by mail to subscribers in the rest of the world. These essays discuss the North American east-west ecological boundaries, spring migration events, birds at the bird feeder, feathered survivors of a glacial past, the threatened sharp-tailed grouse of Nebraska and South Dakota, and …

Wpa News 97 (2015), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Summer 2015), number 97

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Wpa News 96 (2015), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Spring 2015), number 96

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Wpa News 98 (2015), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2015), number 98

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Avian Diversity Across Three Distinct Agricultural Landscapes In Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands, Panama, Jarred Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Deforestation of tropical forest for agricultural purposes threatens habitat loss of native species. The value of various agricultural landscapes in conserving avian populations is useful in determining diversity-conscious development plans. However, generalized results from regionalscale studies cannot be implemented to insular avian habitats. This study serves as the only current avian diversity study of the Chiriquí Highlands. To determine the effect of agricultural land use within an insular avian habitat, I compared avian diversity and site population similarity in Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands of the Talamanca Range, Panama. I hypothesized that avian diversity is greatest at forest edge followed by forest …