scholarly journals Feeding Ecology of Arctic-Nesting Sandpipers During Spring Migration Through the Prairie Pothole Region

2009 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan L. Eldridge ◽  
Gary L. Krapu ◽  
Douglas H. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Prairie Pothole

scholarly journals Spring Migration of Mallards from Arkansas as Determined by Satellite Telemetry

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Krementz ◽  
Kwasi Asante ◽  
Luke W. Naylor
Keyword(s):  
Mississippi River ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Large River ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
The North

Abstract We used satellite telemetry to document spring migration phenology, routes, stopover regions, and nesting sites of mallards Anas platyrhynchos marked in Arkansas during the winters of 2004–2007. Of the 143 marked mallards that migrated from Arkansas, they did so, on average, by mid-March. Mallards flew over the Missouri Ozarks and 42% made an initial stopover in Missouri, where they used areas that had larger rivers (Mississippi River, Missouri River) embedded in an agricultural landscape. From this stopover region they either migrated directly to the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) or they migrated north to Minnesota where they either moved next to the PPR or to the north and east of the PPR. For those mallards (83%) that stopped for >1 d before entering the PPR, the average length at each stop was 12 d (SE  =  0.90 d, range  =  2–54 d). Mallards made more stopovers, made shorter migration movements, and took longer to move to the PPR in wetter than drier years. Mallards arrived in the PPR earlier in 2006 (x¯  =  30 March, SE  =  2.18 d) than in 2005 (x¯  =  7 April, SE  =  2.30 d). Females nested across nine Bird Conservation Regions. Nesting occurred most frequently in South Dakota (n  =  9). The average date when females nested was 19 April (SE  =  2.44 d, range  =  12 March–26 May). Because many mallards headed for the large river corridors in Missouri for their first stopover, this region is an important spring migration stopover of continental importance to mallards and might be considered a focal area for conservation.

scholarly journals Inferring Movements and Staging Locations for Canvasbacks Using Light-Level Geolocators

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan A. Cook ◽  
Christopher A. Nicolai ◽  
Kevin T. Shoemaker
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Aythya Valisineria ◽  
Northern United States

Abstract Understanding the geographic extent and timing of wildlife movements enables resource managers to inform habitat needs of target species efficiently and effectively. We use light-level geolocators—which enable researchers to estimate individual locations from light-level data—to build a more complete understanding of the geography and timing of migratory movements for canvasback Aythya valisineria in the Pacific Flyway. During the springs of 2015–2017, we placed 151 geolocators on canvasbacks using two alternative attachment methods (leg-band vs. nasal-saddle mounts) during spring migration (February–March) near Reno, Nevada. Eight of these geolocators (five males and three females) were successfully retrieved, representing 10 near-complete annual migration cycles (two geolocators contained data for two migration years). Eight of the 10 estimated spring canvasback migrations (five male and three female) ended at breeding sites in the Prairie Pothole Region of southern Canada and northern United States (often via stopover sites in Utah and Montana), whereas one male and one female migrated to breeding sites in Alaska. Notably, one female settled on nesting grounds in southern Saskatchewan and then in central Alaska in successive years. During spring migration, canvasbacks made an average of 3.3 ± 0.5 stopovers, with an average duration of 14.8 ± 2.2 d. Three canvasbacks made a distinct molt migration after breeding. For fall migration, canvasback made an average of 2.7 ± 0.3 stopovers, lasting an average of 12.3 ± 2.5 d, on their way to wintering sites in California's Central Valley and coastal regions near San Francisco Bay. Retrieval rate for nasal-saddle-mounted geolocators was significantly lower than leg band-mounted devices because of failure of nasal-saddle attachment. This study demonstrates the value of geolocators for assessing year-round habitat use for waterfowl species that have negative behavioral reactions to traditional backpack devices. This information complements standard band-recovery approaches and enables waterfowl managers to ensure that the spatial and temporal distributions of individuals are identified so that habitat conservation efforts can reflect the full annual habitat use cycle.

Feeding Ecology of Sandhill Cranes during Spring Migration in Nebraska

1986 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth J. Reinecke ◽  
Gary L. Krapu
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Spring Migration ◽  
Sandhill Cranes

Evident cooling effects of surface wetlands to mitigate climate change - a study of the Prairie Pothole Region

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Zhang ◽  
Fei Chen ◽  
Michael Barlage ◽  
Lauren E Bortolotti ◽  
James Famiglietti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Cooling Effects ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

scholarly journals Hydroclimate Variability and Change in the Prairie Pothole Region, the “Duck Factory” of North America*

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Ballard ◽  
Richard Seager ◽  
Jason E. Smerdon ◽  
Benjamin I. Cook ◽  
Andrea J. Ray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Evaporative Demand ◽  
The Future

Abstract The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the northern Great Plains is a vital ecosystem responsible each year for producing 50%–80% of new recruits to the North American duck population. Climate variability and change can impact the hydrology and ecology of the region with implications for waterfowl populations. The historical relationship between PPR wetlands, duck populations, and seasonal hydroclimate are explored. Model experiments from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project are used to determine whether a recent wetting trend is due to natural variability or changing climate and how PPR hydroclimate will change into the future. Year-to-year variations in May duck populations, pond numbers, and the Palmer drought severity index are well correlated over past decades. Pond and duck numbers tend to increase in spring following La Niña events, but the correlation is not strong. Model simulations suggest that the strengthening of the precipitation gradient across the PPR over the past century is predominantly due to natural variability and therefore could reverse. Model projections of future climate indicate precipitation will increase across the PPR in all seasons except summer, but this gain for surface moisture is largely offset by increased evapotranspiration because of higher temperatures and increased atmospheric evaporative demand. In summer, the combined effects of warming and precipitation changes indicate seasonal surface drying in the future. The presented hydroclimate analyses produce potential inputs to ecological and hydrological simulations of PPR wetlands to inform risk analysis of how this North American waterfowl habitat will evolve in the future, providing guidance to land managers facing conservation decisions.

Remote Sensing of Surface Water Dynamics Between 2015 and 2020 in the Prairie Pothole Region 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Schlaffer ◽  
Marco Chini ◽  
Wouter Dorigo
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Water Area ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Drought Indices ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Small Water ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Small Water Bodies

<p>The North American Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) consists of millions of wetlands and holds great importance for biodiversity, water storage and flood management. The wetlands cover a wide range of sizes from a few square metres to several square kilometres. Prairie hydrology is greatly influenced by the threshold behaviour of potholes leading to spilling as well as merging of adjacent wetlands. The knowledge of seasonal and inter-annual surface water dynamics in the PPR is critical for understanding this behaviour of connected and isolated wetlands. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors, e.g. used by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, have great potential to provide high-accuracy wetland extent maps even when cloud cover is present. We derived water extent during the ice-free months May to October from 2015 to 2020 by fusing dual-polarised Sentinel-1 backscatter data with topographical information. The approach was applied to a prairie catchment in North Dakota. Total water area, number of water bodies and median area per water body were computed from the time series of water extent maps. Surface water dynamics showed strong seasonal dynamics especially in the case of small water bodies (< 1 ha) with a decrease in water area and number of small water bodies from spring throughout summer when evaporation rates in the PPR are typically high. Larger water bodies showed a more stable behaviour during most years. Inter-annual dynamics were strongly related to drought indices based on climate data, such as the Palmer Drought Severity Index. During the extremely wet period of late 2019 to 2020, the dynamics of both small and large water bodies changed markedly. While a larger number of small water bodies was encountered, which remained stable throughout the wet period, also the area of larger water bodies increased, partly due to merging of smaller adjacent water bodies. The results demonstrate the potential of Sentinel-1 data for long-term monitoring of prairie wetlands while limitations exist due to the rather low temporal resolution of 12 days over the PPR.</p>

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