Midcontinent sandhill cranes occupy a large geographic area of central and western North America and northeastern Asia during breeding, winter, and migration. They are a species representing a unique convergence of multiple user groups with an interest in the continued health of this population. Tens of thousands of people view cranes during spring staging at the Platte River Valley in Nebraska, and hunters pursue and harvest cranes annually in most of their fall and winter range. The overall goal of this project is to provide information that will improve crane management and multiple objectives including, determination of geographic distribution, migration chronology and spring-staging ecology in the Platte River Valley, evaluation of survey methods, estimation of survival and recruitment, and population dynamics modeling. Work completed will provide better-informed harvest management strategies, opportunities for increased international conservation collaboration, conservation of crane habitats at multiple spring stopover sites, and insight into long-term monitoring of habitats and cranes.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Temporospatial shifts in Sandhill Crane staging in the Central Platte River Valley in response to climatic variation and habitat change
Animal movement models for migratory individuals and groups
Sandhill crane roost selection, human disturbance, and forage resources
Wintering Sandhill Crane exposure to wind energy development in the central and southern Great Plains, USA
- Overview
Midcontinent sandhill cranes occupy a large geographic area of central and western North America and northeastern Asia during breeding, winter, and migration. They are a species representing a unique convergence of multiple user groups with an interest in the continued health of this population. Tens of thousands of people view cranes during spring staging at the Platte River Valley in Nebraska, and hunters pursue and harvest cranes annually in most of their fall and winter range. The overall goal of this project is to provide information that will improve crane management and multiple objectives including, determination of geographic distribution, migration chronology and spring-staging ecology in the Platte River Valley, evaluation of survey methods, estimation of survival and recruitment, and population dynamics modeling. Work completed will provide better-informed harvest management strategies, opportunities for increased international conservation collaboration, conservation of crane habitats at multiple spring stopover sites, and insight into long-term monitoring of habitats and cranes.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Temporospatial shifts in Sandhill Crane staging in the Central Platte River Valley in response to climatic variation and habitat change
Over 80% of the Mid-Continent Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) Population (MCP), estimated at over 660,000 individuals, stops in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) during spring migration from mid-February through mid-April. Research suggests that the MCP may be shifting its distribution spatially and temporally within the CPRV. From 2002 to 2017, we conducted weekly aerial surveys of SandAnimal movement models for migratory individuals and groups
Animals often exhibit changes in their behaviour during migration. Telemetry data provide a way to observe geographic position of animals over time, but not necessarily changes in the dynamics of the movement process. Continuous‐time models allow for statistical predictions of the trajectory in the presence of measurement error and during periods when the telemetry device did not record the animalSandhill crane roost selection, human disturbance, and forage resources
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 caWintering Sandhill Crane exposure to wind energy development in the central and southern Great Plains, USA
Numerous wind energy projects have been constructed in the central and southern Great Plains, USA, the main wintering area for midcontinental Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis). In an initial assessment of the potential risks of wind towers to cranes, we estimated spatial overlap, investigated potential avoidance behavior, and determined the habitat associations of cranes. We used data from cranes