scholarly journals New Summer Areas and Mixing of Two Greater Sandhill Crane Populations in the Intermountain West

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Collins ◽  
Blake A. Grisham ◽  
Courtenay M. Conring ◽  
Jeffrey M. Knetter ◽  
Warren C. Conway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorado River ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Grus Canadensis ◽  
Sandhill Crane ◽  
Sandhill Cranes ◽  
Wildlife Refuges ◽  
Lower Colorado River ◽  
Mountain Population

Abstract Population delineation throughout the annual life cycle for migratory birds is needed to formulate regional and national management and conservation strategies. Despite being well studied continentally, connectivity of sandhill crane Grus canadensis populations throughout the western portion of their North American range remains poorly described. Our objectives were to 1) use global positioning system satellite transmitter terminals to identify summer distributions for the Lower Colorado River Valley Population of greater sandhill cranes Grus canadensis tabida and 2) determine whether intermingling occurs among any of the western greater sandhill crane populations: Rocky Mountain Population, Lower Colorado River Valley Population, and Central Valley Population. Capture and marking occurred during winter and summer on private lands in California and Idaho as well as on two National Wildlife Refuges: Cibola and Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuges. A majority of marked greater sandhill cranes summered in what is established Lower Colorado River Valley Population breeding areas in northeastern Nevada and southwestern Idaho. A handful of greater sandhill cranes summered outside of traditional breeding areas in west-central Idaho around Cascade Reservoir near Donnelly and Cascade, Idaho. For example, a greater sandhill crane colt captured near Donnelly in July 2014 survived to winter migration and moved south to areas associated with the Rocky Mountain Population. The integration of the greater sandhill crane colt captured near Donnelly provides the first evidence of potential intermingling between the Lower Colorado River Population and Rocky Mountain Population. We suggest continued marking and banding efforts of all three western populations of greater sandhill cranes will accurately delineate population boundaries and connectivity and inform management decisions for the three populations.

scholarly journals Summer Habitat Selection of the Lower Colorado River Valley Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 436-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kammie L. Kruse ◽  
Daniel P. Collins ◽  
Courtenay M. Conring ◽  
Blake A. Grisham ◽  
Warren C. Conway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Wildlife Management ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Core Area ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Satellite Platform ◽  
Sandhill Cranes ◽  
Wetland Habitats ◽  
Lower Colorado River

Abstract Identifying habitat selection and use is important to understand in wildlife management because it informs habitat manipulations, conservation efforts, and species distribution. Habitat selection by sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) has been studied primarily on overwintering areas and a few summering locations. Summer habitat selection by the Lower Colorado River Valley Population of greater sandhill cranes (A. c. tabida) in the Intermountain West is not widely known, but has been identified as an information need by many wildlife management agencies. We captured and attached satellite platform transmitter terminals to 21 adult sandhill cranes on Cibola and Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuges in Arizona and California, and private lands in California and Idaho. Home ranges of all marked cranes (50% core area: x̄ = 525.4 ha, SE = 155.6; 99% isopleth: x̄ = 6,476.5 ha, SE = 1,637.5) were similar to other studies on summering grounds. Resource analysis indicated that marked sandhill cranes used wetland habitats in greater proportion than their availability for both nocturnal and diurnal locations at the population level, by individuals within the entire landscape, and by individuals within their core area. Wetland habitats consist of ∼7% of the available habitat. Within the Wetland category, the Temperate Flooded and Swamp Forest level (a Formation level in the National Vegetation Classification system) was the most important to summering Lower Colorado River Population sandhill cranes. Wetland managers can concentrate their efforts for conservation, enhancement, and restoration on these type of wetlands to ensure the sustainability of this small population of sandhill cranes.

scholarly journals Identifying the migratory strategy of the Lower Colorado River Valley population of Greater Sandhill Cranes

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtenay M. Conring ◽  
Kathryn Brautigam ◽  
Blake A. Grisham ◽  
Daniel P. Collins ◽  
Warren C. Conway
Keyword(s):  
Colorado River ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Sandhill Cranes ◽  
Migratory Strategy ◽  
Lower Colorado River

scholarly journals Review and analysis of the age and origin of the Pliocene Bouse Formation, lower Colorado River Valley, southwestern USA

Geosphere ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 444-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon E. Spencer ◽  
P. Jonathan Patchett ◽  
Philip A. Pearthree ◽  
P. Kyle House ◽  
Andrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorado River ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Southwestern Usa ◽  
Lower Colorado River

Host–Parasite Behavioral Interactions in a Recently Introduced, Whooping Crane Population

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 220-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard S. King ◽  
Patrick C. McKann ◽  
Brian R. Gray ◽  
Michael S. Putnam
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Whooping Crane ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Grus Canadensis ◽  
Sandhill Crane ◽  
Conservation History ◽  
Whooping Cranes ◽  
Sandhill Cranes

Abstract The whooping crane Grus americana has a long conservation history, but despite multiple attempts across North America, introduction success is lacking. Recently introduced, captively reared whooping cranes have had periods of poor reproductive performance in central Wisconsin that sometimes coincided with black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) emergences. Sandhill crane Grus canadensis reproductive performance in central Wisconsin is approximately double that of whooping cranes. We used comfort behaviors as a measure of black fly harassment to infer whether behavioral differences existed between nesting sandhill cranes and nesting whooping cranes and between successful and unsuccessful whooping crane pairs. To further explore the interaction between black flies and incubating whooping cranes, we examined differences in behaviors between incubating birds and their off-nest mates. Compared to their off-nest mates, incubating whooping cranes exhibited elevated comfort behaviors, suggesting a bird at a nest may experience greater harassment from black flies. Sandhill cranes had elevated head-flicks over whooping cranes. Whooping cranes exhibited more head-rubs than sandhill cranes, and successful whooping crane pairs had elevated head-rubs over pairs that deserted their nests. Behavioral differences between sandhill cranes and whooping cranes as well as differences in reproductive performance, could be explained by exposure to local breeding conditions. Whereas sandhill cranes have nested in the area for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, whooping cranes were only recently introduced to the area. Behavioral differences between the species as well as those between successful and unsuccessful whooping crane pairs could also be explained by the effect of captive exposure, which could affect all whooping crane introductions.

A History of Date Palms in the Lower Colorado River Valley

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 863-879
Author(s):  
Dennis V. Johnson ◽  
Jane C. MacKnight
Keyword(s):  
Colorado River ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Date Palms ◽  
History Of ◽  
Lower Colorado River

scholarly journals Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis, Nesting in the Yorkton Wetland Complex, Saskatchewan

2003 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 224
Author(s):  
Ann M. Burke
Keyword(s):  
Open Water ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Grus Canadensis ◽  
Scirpus Acutus ◽  
Sandhill Crane ◽  
Mate Change ◽  
Wetland Complex ◽  
Total Productivity ◽  
Sandhill Cranes ◽  
Hunting Mortality

Surveys for Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) were conducted near Yorkton, Saskatchewan during the summers of 1995, 1996 and 1997. Seven nesting territories were identified and habitat measurements were taken at six nests. All nests were located in the emergent deep marsh zone of open water marshes within residual stands of Hardstem Bulrush (Scirpus acutus). Seven eggs were measured in four nests. Estimated hatching dates ranged from 20 May to 9 June. Total productivity for the three years was 0.80 chick per breeding pair (12 offspring fledged by 15 pairs). Individual pair productivity was impacted by disturbance, mate change, adult mortality, and predation. Hunting mortality may also impact the population.

Seasonal Habitat Selection by Birds in the Lower Colorado River Valley

Ecology ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1402-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake Rice ◽  
Bertin W. Anderson ◽  
Robert D. Ohmart
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Lower Colorado River
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