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Articles 1 - 21 of 21
Full-Text Articles in Behavior and Ethology
Westward Expansion Of The Evening Bat (Nycticeius Humeralis) Into Dawson And Lincoln Counties Of Central Nebraska, Jamila Bajelan, Keith Geluso
Westward Expansion Of The Evening Bat (Nycticeius Humeralis) Into Dawson And Lincoln Counties Of Central Nebraska, Jamila Bajelan, Keith Geluso
Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies
The Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) is a small, migratory species of temperate woodlands in the eastern United States. Along its western distributional edge in the Great Plains, this species resides in wooded riverine corridors. In recent decades, the distribution of Evening Bats has expanded westward throughout the Great Plains. Herein, we report on two county records that further document the distributional expansion of Evening Bats into central Nebraska. In 2019 and 2022, Evening Bats were collected in Lincoln and Dawson counties, respectively, in woodlands adjacent to the Platte River. Increases in wooded habitats along prairie waterways likely has …
Importance Of Woodland Patches As Hibernacula For Gartersnakes In A Prairie River Floodplain Of Central Nebraska, Tony Bridger, Keith Geluso
Importance Of Woodland Patches As Hibernacula For Gartersnakes In A Prairie River Floodplain Of Central Nebraska, Tony Bridger, Keith Geluso
Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies
Gartersnakes are common inhabitants along prairie rivers in the Great Plains, but little information is known about hibernacula among diverse floodplain habitats. We radio-tracked Common Gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) and Plains Gartersnakes (Thamnophis radix) to hibernacula on islands in a braided river system subject to frequent environmental changes along the Platte River in central Nebraska. We further examined capture rates of gartersnakes in floodplain woodland patches from June to November to examine seasonal use of this habitat. In early and mid-September, movements of snakes with transmitters were in grasslands. From late September to mid-October, the farthest movements …
The Lives, Lore, And Literature Of Cranes: A Catechism For Crane Lovers, Paul A. Johnsgard, Thomas D. Mangelsen
The Lives, Lore, And Literature Of Cranes: A Catechism For Crane Lovers, Paul A. Johnsgard, Thomas D. Mangelsen
Zea E-Books Collection
This book provides basic information on cranes that should be of interest and importance to crane-loving birders (“craniacs”) as well as to ornithologists and wildlife managers. Primary consideration is given to the sandhill and whooping cranes, but all 13 of the Old World cranes are also discussed. Special consideration is given to the relative abundance and conservation status of all of the world’s species, of which nearly half are declining and a few are in real danger of long-term survival. More than 80 refuges and preserves in the United States and Canada, where the best chances of seeing cranes in …
Roosting Habitat Use By Sandhill Cranes And Waterfowl On The North And South Platte Rivers In Nebraska, Dana Varner, Aaron T. Pearse, Andy Bishop, Jonas I. Davis, John C. Denton, Roger C. Grosse, Heather M. Johnson, U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service, Soldotna, Ak, Kirk D. Schroeder, Robert E. Spangler, Mark Vrtiska, Angelina E. Wright
Roosting Habitat Use By Sandhill Cranes And Waterfowl On The North And South Platte Rivers In Nebraska, Dana Varner, Aaron T. Pearse, Andy Bishop, Jonas I. Davis, John C. Denton, Roger C. Grosse, Heather M. Johnson, U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service, Soldotna, Ak, Kirk D. Schroeder, Robert E. Spangler, Mark Vrtiska, Angelina E. Wright
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Migration ecology and habitat use of spring migrating birds using the Central Platte River is a well-explored topic, yet less is known about use of the North and South Platte rivers (NSPR) in western Nebraska. The efficiency and effectiveness of conservation efforts in the NSPR could be greatly improved with access to information about where and when birds roost and landscape prioritization tools. We used aerial surveys to determine population distribution and migration phenology of sandhill cranes Antigone canadensis, Canada geese Branta canadensis, and ducks using the NSPR for roosting during the mid-February to mid-April spring migration. We used these …
Sandhill Crane Roost Selection, Human Disturbance, And Forage Resources, Aaron T. Pearse, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt
Sandhill Crane Roost Selection, Human Disturbance, And Forage Resources, Aaron T. Pearse, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Sites used for roosting represent a key habitat requirement for many species of birds because availability and quality of roost sites can influence individual fitness. Birds select roost sites based on numerous factors, requirements, and motivations, and selection of roosts can be dynamic in time and space because of various ecological and environmental influences. For sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) at their main spring staging area along the Platte River in south-central Nebraska, USA, past investigations of roosting cranes focuse donphysical channel characteristics related to perceived security as motivating roost distribution.We used 6,310 roost sites selected by 313 sandhill cranes over …
Countability Of Sandhill Cranes In Aerial Surveys, Douglas H. Johnson, John W. Solberg, Courtney L. Amundson
Countability Of Sandhill Cranes In Aerial Surveys, Douglas H. Johnson, John W. Solberg, Courtney L. Amundson
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
Aerial surveys are used to monitor populations of many wildlife species, including sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis). In addition to the usual problems of detectability (involving both availability and perceptibility), aerial surveys of concentrated animals are subject to countability issues; from a rapidly moving aircraft, observers cannot count or accurately estimate the number of animals in a large group. Calibration is sometimes performed in an effort to adjust aerial counts for incomplete detectability and countability by calculating the ratio of animals actually in a group to the number in the group estimated from the aircraft. Here we explore alternative, …
Whooping Crane Migrational Habitat Use Of The Platte River, Nebraska, 2001-2006, Shay Howlin, Clayton Derby, Dale Strickland
Whooping Crane Migrational Habitat Use Of The Platte River, Nebraska, 2001-2006, Shay Howlin, Clayton Derby, Dale Strickland
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
The Platte River Endangered Species Partnership monitored whooping crane (Grus americana) habitat use along the Platte River between Chapman and Lexington, Nebraska during 11 migration seasons from 2001 to 2006. Daily aerial surveys took place in the morning from 21 March to 29 April in the spring and from 9 October to 10 November in the fall. Decoy detection trials were conducted during each of the 11 survey seasons to calculate actual sample inclusion probabilities for crane groups detected during monitoring flights. The detectability model found significant differences in detectability among strata (upland or channel), contractor, and altitude …
Sandhill Crane Staging And Whooping Crane Migratory Stopover Dynamics In Response To River Management Activities On The Central Platte River, Nebraska, Usa, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez
Sandhill Crane Staging And Whooping Crane Migratory Stopover Dynamics In Response To River Management Activities On The Central Platte River, Nebraska, Usa, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
The Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) is a critical stopover for migrating whooping cranes (Grus americana) and the most important staging area for sandhill cranes (G. canadensis) in North America. Due to reduced water flows caused by human activities, the Platte River no longer follows its traditional hydrograph which consisted of high spring flows that produced scouring action that eliminated vegetation. To provide adequate crane roosting habitat during stopover and staging periods, annual and woody vegetation has been mechanically cleared on eastern portions of the CPRV since 1980. Staging sandhill crane riverine roosting area has decreased …
Management Of Lands Along The Platte River Fromelmcreek To Lexington, Nebraska, As Crane Habitat, James J. Jenniges, Mark M. Peyton
Management Of Lands Along The Platte River Fromelmcreek To Lexington, Nebraska, As Crane Habitat, James J. Jenniges, Mark M. Peyton
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
To meet Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license requirements for the operation of 5 hydroelectric power plants on the North Platte and Platte Rivers in Nebraska, the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) and The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (Central) together have become the second largest owners and managers of lands for the conservation of endangered species and migratory waterbirds along the central reach of the Platte River. We describe here the management activities on the properties, success of the management in achieving objectives, and the response of sandhill (Grus canadensis) and whooping cranes (G. …
Is Magnitude Of Fat Storage By Spring-Staging Sandhill Cranes Declining In The Central Platte River Valley , Nebraska?, David A. Brandt, Gary L. Krapu
Is Magnitude Of Fat Storage By Spring-Staging Sandhill Cranes Declining In The Central Platte River Valley , Nebraska?, David A. Brandt, Gary L. Krapu
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
Proximate analyses of carcasses of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) collected in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV), Nebraska, during spring 1999 indicated a marked decline in fat levels from springs 1978 and 1979. Concern that amounts of fat cranes stored by their spring departures from the CPRV may have further declined prompted this evaluation. For our assessment, we made use of morphological measurements (culmen post nares, tarsus, flattened wing chord) along with body mass on each of 810 sandhill cranes that were collected for proximate analysis or captured with rocket nets at widely distributed sites in the CPRV during 1978-1979 …
Is The Annual March Survey Of The Midcontinental San Dhill Crane Population Appropriately Timed To Reliably Estimate Population Size?, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt
Is The Annual March Survey Of The Midcontinental San Dhill Crane Population Appropriately Timed To Reliably Estimate Population Size?, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relies on an annual aerial photo-corrected survey conducted on the fourth Tuesday of March each year in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) and North Platte River Valley (NPRV) of Nebraska to estimate size of the midcontinental population (MCP) of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) to help guide population management. Wide unaccounted for annual fluctuations in survey counts over the past 25 years have raised concerns that many cranes either have left the Platte before the survey, have not yet arrived, or over fly the Platte entirely in some years. As a result, …
A Landscape Perspective Of Whooping Crane Migration Through Nebraska: Conservation And Management Implications, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, Chris Helzer, Paul Tebbel
A Landscape Perspective Of Whooping Crane Migration Through Nebraska: Conservation And Management Implications, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, Chris Helzer, Paul Tebbel
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
Past and current discussions of conservation of whooping crane (Grus americana) stopover habitat in Nebraska have long been focused on the Platte River. We evaluated the distribution of whooping crane stopover sites in Nebraska in a broader context to (a) determine the distribution of whooping crane stopover sites on the Platte River relative to other landscapes and (b) use whooping migratory behavior data to systematically define and explain patterns of stopover clusters. The distribution of stopover clusters suggests rainwater basin wetlands and the Platte River may be used interchangeably by migrating whooping cranes. The Rainwater Basin and Platte River appear …
Do Arctic-Nesting Geese Compete With Sandhill Cranes For Waste Corn In The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska?, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt, Robert R. Cox Jr.
Do Arctic-Nesting Geese Compete With Sandhill Cranes For Waste Corn In The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska?, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt, Robert R. Cox Jr.
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
Numbers of arctic-nesting geese staging in spring in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) of southcentral Nebraska increased dramatically from the 1970s to the 1990s, raising concerns that geese may be competing with the mid-continental population of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) for waste corn. From late February to mid-April 1998-2001, we measured temporal patterns of cropland use, evaluated habitat preferences, and compared numbers of geese using the primary crane-occupied parts of the CPRV area with numbers of sandhill cranes. Numbers of Canada geese (Branta canadensis), lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens)/ Ross’ geese (Chen …
Migration Routes, Staging Areas, And Wintering Grounds Of Sandhill Cranes That Breed In Siberia, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt
Migration Routes, Staging Areas, And Wintering Grounds Of Sandhill Cranes That Breed In Siberia, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
We determined breeding sites, migration routes, spring and fall staging areas, and wintering grounds for sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) from the midcontinent population that nest in Siberia. Our results are from 30 PTT-marked individuals captured and marked along the Platte and North Platte Rivers in Nebraska. Findings indicate the species breeds across a vast area of northeastern Siberia extending at least 1500 km west from near the Bering Strait to the Kolymskaya Plains with most breeding confined to within 75 km of the coast. We describe when PTT-tagged cranes arrived at breeding sites in Siberia, duration of stay, …
Nocturnal Roost Site Selection And Diurnal Habitat Use By Sandhill Cranes During Spring In Central Nebraska, Craig A. Davis
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% …
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
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 …
Use Of Satellite Telemetry To Identify Temporal And Spatial Distribution Of The Midcontinent Sandhill Crane Population Throughout The Annual Cycle, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt
Use Of Satellite Telemetry To Identify Temporal And Spatial Distribution Of The Midcontinent Sandhill Crane Population Throughout The Annual Cycle, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
Effective management of the midcontinent sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) population requires having detailed information available on the distribution of subspecies and subpopulations throughout the annual cycle. The current study is being undertaken in partnership with several federal and state agencies and private organizations to obtain key information not currently available. We are monitoring crane movements throughout the year by attaching Platform Transmitting Terminals (PTTs) to plastic leg bands and with the aid of equipment on board orbiting NOAA weather satellites relocating the radiomarked individuals at 4-10 day intervals throughout the year. Twenty-one cranes were captured and radio-marked in …
Woody Vegetation Expansion And Continuing Declines In Open Channel Habitat On The Platte River In Nebraska, Paul J. Currier
Woody Vegetation Expansion And Continuing Declines In Open Channel Habitat On The Platte River In Nebraska, Paul J. Currier
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
Aerial videography in 1988 and 1994 of the same selected segments of the Big Bend reach of the Platte River in central Nebraska was compared. During this 6-year period, channel area declined 4 to 41 % (median 26%). In river segments where the channel had already narrowed significantly and at sites where channel habitat is actively managed declines were less (17-18%). These substantial changes occurred during a time that included a relatively low flow period (1990-92). Flows during the summer gertttination and establishment period (mid-May through August) for cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and willow (Salix spp.), the …
The Ecology Of Native Grassland Macroinvertebrates And Feeding Ecology Of Sandhill Cranes, Craig A. Davis, Paul A. Vohs
The Ecology Of Native Grassland Macroinvertebrates And Feeding Ecology Of Sandhill Cranes, Craig A. Davis, Paul A. Vohs
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
The ecology of native grassland macroinvertebrates along the Platte River in central Nebraska and their role in the feeding ecology of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) was examined on 3 native grasslands along the Platte River during late winter-early spring, 1989 and 1990. Four hundred forty-four soil samples from the study area were sorted for macroinvertebrates. Environmental factors such as soil moisture, water table depth, soil texture, and plant species composition were recorded from each soil collection site. Fifteen sandhill cranes, observed feeding for 40 minutes, were collected from 1 of the study areas. Maeroinvertebrates were collected from 4 …
Distribution Of Sandhill Cranes In The North Platte River Valley: 1980 And 1989, Martin J. Folk, Thomas C. Tacha
Distribution Of Sandhill Cranes In The North Platte River Valley: 1980 And 1989, Martin J. Folk, Thomas C. Tacha
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
We observed the abundance, diurnal distribution, and habitat use of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) in the North Platte River Valley (NPRV) in 1989 for comparisons to similar data from 1979 to 1980. Sandhill cranes traveled farther from nocturnal roosts to diurnal feeding sites and use of the NPRV was lower in 1989 as compared to 1979~80. Presence of cranes in corn stubble and pasture increased from 1980 to 1989, while presence in alfalfa and palustrine wetlands decreased. Plowing of corn stubble fields and drought conditions in 1989 may have influenced crane distribution, abundance, and habitat use.
History And Economic Impact Of Crane-Watching In Central Nebraska, Gary R. Lingle
History And Economic Impact Of Crane-Watching In Central Nebraska, Gary R. Lingle
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
The first documentation of the Platte and North Platte rivers' importance to sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) dates from the late 1800's. Except for a few ornithologists, it was not until the mid-1970's that crane-watching became popular. During the last 10 years, this interest has become a multi-million dollar tourist industry that attracts people from around the globe who seek to witness this vernal spectacle of half a million cranes. More than half of the former riverine habitat has been abandoned by the cranes, largely because of irrigation and hydropower projects that drain the river and enable forests to …