Wood Thrush Migratory Connectivity Using Motus Tracking Stations

The Motus wildlife tracking system has revolutionized the study of animal movements. Using this system, I will be looking at the migratory connectivity of Wood Thrushes, a species in decline, to aid in its conservation and managemen

POSSIBLE COMPETITION BETWEEN WATERFOWL AND SANDHILL CRANES AT HIWASSEE WILDLIFE REFUGE, TENNESSEE

As a result of crop planting for waterfowl, numbers of eastern greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) staging and overwintering at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in eastern Tennessee have sharply increased over the last 30-40 years. Peak numbers of wintering cranes have reached 14,000, and this large increase in crane numbers raises the possibility that they may be competing with waterfowl for food and space. I examined broad-scale changes in waterfowl numbers using Christmas Bird Count data, as well as small-scale changes using observations of waterfowl numbers and locations in relation to cranes on individual days. Preliminary results indicate that declines in Canada goose (Branta canadensis) numbers do not seem to be related to the increase in cranes, and while numbers of other waterfowl species have not shown changes, some species tend to remain farther from shore, and hence deeper water, when there are more cranes present. Waterfowl at Hiwassee may not be able be to deposit as much fat for inclement winter weather, spring migration, or breeding. Competition between cranes and waterfowl increases the need for wildlife managers to provide more food and habitat for both cranes and waterfowl

Relationship Between Pedestrian Activity and Avian Body Condition During Fall Migration

Many North American landbirds undergo biannual migrations, which are energetically costly. Quality stopover sites are crucial to avian survival, as they provide opportunities to quickly replenish fat stores, rest, and avoid predation. One component of habitat quality that is often overlooked is the level of pedestrian activity, which birds may interpret as a predatory threat. If intrusion levels are high, birds will flush repeatedly and may not adequately restore energy reserves, which hinders successful migration. We compared body mass index between birds at different intrusion levels, testing the hypothesis that birds near continuous intrusion will be in poorer condition. Results between migratory guilds indicate long-distance migrants were in poorer condition in areas with high pedestrian activity. In contrast, resident species captured in high activity areas were in better condition than those captured in areas with lower activity. Since Neotropical migrants show increased sensitivity to human presence, conservation measures should focus on reducing pedestrian activity for quality stopover habitats

Frontmatter for PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH 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. The workshop was organized by Sammy King and Gay Gomez, and we thank them for their efforts. The field trips to see the release site for the whooping cranes, as well as learning about Louisiana’s crawfish and rice industry, were enlightening and enjoyable. The NACWG Board of Directors consisted of President Jane Austin, Vice-President Richard Urbanek, Treasurer Daryl Henderson, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, David Aborn, Barry Hartup, and Sammy King. The scientific program consisted of 39 scientific talks and 13 posters. The papers in this volume include some of those presented at the workshop as well as others submitted later. Papers submitted for publication in the Proceedings are peer-reviewed according to scientific journal standards. We thank the following referees for their contribution to the quality of this volume: Nicholas J. Aebischer, Jeb A. Barzen, Andrew W. Cantrell, Michael D. Culbreth, Martin J. Folk, Matthew A. Hayes, Scott G. Hereford, Jerome J. Howard, Anne E. Lacy, Julia A. Langenberg, and Sara E. Zimorski. Barry K. Hartup, Daryl S. Henderson, and Tommy C. Michot were instrumental in final editing and proofing. Memorials: THOMAS J. “TOM” HESS, JR. 1950-2014; SCOTT M. MELVIN 1953-2014; TERRY J. KOHLER 1934-2016 USE OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES IN PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP CONTENTS Front & back cover

Proceedings of the Twelfth North American Crane Workshop

CONTENTS PREFACE iii RESEARCH PAPERS DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, AND MIGRATION TIMING OF GREATER AND LESSER SANDHILL CRANES WINTERING IN THE SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN RIVER DELTA REGION OF CALIFORNIA - . Gary L. Ivey, Bruce D. Dugger, Caroline P. Herziger, Michael L. Casazza, and Joseph P. Fleskes 1 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, and Joseph P. Fleskes 12 EFFECTS OF WIND FARMS ON SANDHILL CRANE PLAYA OCCUPANCY ON THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS - Laura Navarrete and Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle 20 EVALUATION OF A NUTRACEUTICAL JOINT SUPPLEMENT IN CRANES. Kendra L. Bauer, Ellen S. Dierenfeld, and Barry K. Hartup 27 TEN-YEAR STATUS OF THE EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE REINTRODUCTION - Richard P. Urbanek, Sara E. Zimorski, Eva K. Szyszkoski, and Marianne M. Wellington 33 AN UPDATE ON MORTALITY OF FLEDGED WHOOPING CRANES IN THE ARANSAS/WOOD BUFFALO POPULATION Thomas V. Stehn and Carey L. Haralson-Strobel 43 DISTRIBUTION, DENSITIES, AND ECOLOGY OF SIBERIAN CRANES IN THE KHROMA RIVER REGION OF NORTHERN YAKUTIA IN NORTHEASTERN RUSSIA - Inga P. Bysykatova, Gary L. Krapu, Nicolai I. Germogenov, and Deborah A. Buhl 51 BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS SANDHILL CRANE COLLISIONS WITH WIND TURBINES IN TEXAS Laura Navarrete and Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle 65 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, and Nucharin Songsasen 68 TYLOSIN TARTRATE PROMOTES RESOLUTION OF INSECT BITE HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS IN CAPTIVE CRANES. Alina Kelman and Barry K. Hartup 73 OBSERVATIONS OF MOLT IN REINTRODUCED WHOOPING CRANES Anne Lacy and Dan McElwee 75 THE HISTORY AND REINTRODUCTION OF WHOOPING CRANES AT WHITE LAKE WETLANDS CONSERVATION AREA, LOUISIANA. Gay M. Gomez 76 Abstracts ASSESSMENT OF THE EASTERN POPULATION GREATER SANDHILL CRANE FALL SURVEY, 1979-2009 Courtney Amundson, Douglas Johnson, Sean Kelly, and Tom Cooper 80 FACTORS INFLUENCING GREATER SANDHILL CRANE NEST SUCCESS IN NEVADA .Chad August, James Sedinger, and Chris Nicolai 80 INFLUENCE OF FOOD AND PREDATOR ABUNDANCE ON STRESS LEVELS OF SANDHILL CRANES WINTERING IN NORTHERN MEXICO Ingrid Barcelo and Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 81 A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR CROP DAMAGE BY CRANES AND OTHER BIRD SPECIES TO PLANTED SEED Jeb Barzen and Anne Lacy 81 MODELLING THE EFFECT OF LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON SANDHILL CRANE DISTRIBUTION IN THE CENTRAL PLATTE RIVER VALLEY OF NEBRASKA Todd J. Buckley, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, Larkin A. Powell, and Andrew J. Tyre 82 DIFFERENCES IN HABITAT USE BY WHOOPING CRANES OBSERVED IN NATURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF TEXAS DURING WINTER 2009-2010 . Mery Casady and Letitia M. Reichart 82 MEASURING FECAL CORTICOSTERONE IN WILD WHOOPING CRANES Mery Casady, Letitia M. Reichart, Andrew K. Birnie, and Jeffrey A. French 83 POTENTIAL IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS ON WHOOPING CRANES . Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 83 WHOOPING CRANE MIGRATION THROUGH THE GREAT PLAINS: CONSERVATION ISSUES .Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 84 VIDEO SURVEILLANCE OF NESTING WHOOPING CRANES . Timothy Dellinger, Martin Folk, Stephen Baynes, and Kathleen Chappell 84 COPULATION OF NON-MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANES IN FLORIDA Timothy Dellinger, Martin Folk, Stephen Baynes, Kathleen Chappell, and Marilyn Spalding 85 USING ECOREGIONS TO QUANTIFY CHANGES IN BREEDING SANDHILL CRANE DENSITIES FOR WISCONSIN .Forrest East and Anne Lacy 85 STATUS OF THE FLORIDA RESIDENT FLOCK OF WHOOPING CRANES . Martin Folk, Timothy Dellinger, Stephen Baynes, Kathleen Chappell, and Marilyn Spalding 86 HISTORICAL BREEDING, STOPOVER AND WINTERING DISTRIBUTIONS OF A WHOOPING CRANE FAMILY Karine Gil-Weir, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, Brian W. Johns, Lea Craig-Moore, Thomas Stehn, and Robin Silva 87 GIS DATABASE DESIGN FOR ANALYSIS OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN CRANE RESEARCH . Amy Richert Goodall, Kerryn Morrison, and Nathan Stinnette 88 THE EFFECT OF WEATHER ON PRODUCTIVITY IN A GREATER SANDHILL CRANE POPULATION IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN Andrew Gossens, Jeb Barzen, and Matt Hayes 88 EFFECTS OF WIND FARMS ON WINTERING SANDHILL CRANES IN THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS OF TEXAS Laura Navarrete, Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle, and David Haukos 98 TERRITORY HISTORIES OF FLORIDA SANDHILL CRANES: 1980-2006 .Stephen Nesbitt and Stephen Schwikert 98 UPDATED EASTERN SANDHILL CRANE RANGE MAPS Kristin Norris and Anne Lacy 99 HEMATOLOGY AND SERUM CHEMISTRY RESULTS FROM EXPERIMENTAL EXPOSURE OF SANDHILL CRANES TO WEST NILE VIRUS . Glenn Olsen 99 PHOTOPERIOD AND NESTING PHENOLOGY OF WHOOPING CRANES AT TWO CAPTIVE FACILITIES . Glenn Olsen 100 PROTOCOL AND RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SEASON OF CAPTIVE REARING WHOOPING CRANES FOR A NON-MIGRATORY RELEASE IN LOUISIANA Glenn H. Olsen and Jane N. Chandler 100 COMPARISON OF BEHAVIORS OF CRANE CHICKS THAT WERE PARENT-REARED AND REARED BY COSTUMED HUMANS Glenn Olsen, Lani Matthews, and Sarah Converse 101 MIGRATION ECOLOGY OF THE ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES Aaron Pearse, Dave Brandt, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, and Walter Wehtje 101 ASSESSING BREEDING WHOOPING CRANE HABITAT USE TO CHOOSE ALTERNATIVE RELEASE SITES IN WISCONSIN . Nathan Schmidt, Jeb Barzen, Anne Lacy, and J. Michael Engels 102 WHOOPING CRANES IN FLORIDA: WEATHER OR NOT CLIMATE MATTERS? . Marilyn Spalding, Martin Folk, and Stephen Nesbitt 102 CHANGING RAINFALL PATTERNS VERSUS WETLAND ATTRITION: WHAT AFFECTS LARGE WATERBIRD BREEDING SUCCESS MORE IN THE GANGETIC FLOODPLAINS, INDIA? . K. S. Gopi Sundar 103 CRANES AND CLIMATE CHANGE: A FACT SHEET . Zsolt Végvári and Miriam Hansbauer 103 MOVEMENTS AND HABITAT USE OF THE BROLGA IN SOUTH WEST VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA . Inka Veltheim, Simon Cook, Richard Hill, and Michael McCarthy 104 AERIAL CENSUS OF BROLGA NEST SITES IN SOUTH WEST VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA . Inka Veltheim, Mark Venosta, Richard Hill, Simon Cook, and Michael McCarthy 104 MICROBIAL WATER QUALITY EFFECTS OF MIGRATORY BIRDS IN THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA 2009-2010 Jason Vogel and Matt Moser 105 AN UPDATE ON THE DIRECT AUTUMN RELEASE OF WHOOPING CRANES INTO THE EASTERN MIGRATORY POPULATION . Marianne Wellington and Richard P. Urbanek 10

Frontmatter for PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH 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. The workshop was organized by Sammy King and Gay Gomez, and we thank them for their efforts. The field trips to see the release site for the whooping cranes, as well as learning about Louisiana’s crawfish and rice industry, were enlightening and enjoyable. The NACWG Board of Directors consisted of President Jane Austin, Vice-President Richard Urbanek, Treasurer Daryl Henderson, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, David Aborn, Barry Hartup, and Sammy King. The scientific program consisted of 39 scientific talks and 13 posters. The papers in this volume include some of those presented at the workshop as well as others submitted later. Papers submitted for publication in the Proceedings are peer-reviewed according to scientific journal standards. We thank the following referees for their contribution to the quality of this volume: Nicholas J. Aebischer, Jeb A. Barzen, Andrew W. Cantrell, Michael D. Culbreth, Martin J. Folk, Matthew A. Hayes, Scott G. Hereford, Jerome J. Howard, Anne E. Lacy, Julia A. Langenberg, and Sara E. Zimorski. Barry K. Hartup, Daryl S. Henderson, and Tommy C. Michot were instrumental in final editing and proofing. Memorials: THOMAS J. “TOM” HESS, JR. 1950-2014; SCOTT M. MELVIN 1953-2014; TERRY J. KOHLER 1934-2016 USE OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES IN PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP CONTENTS Front & back cover

PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP--Abstracts

AGE-SPECIFIC SURVIVAL OF GREATER SANDHILL CRANE COLTS IN NEVADA. Chad August, Jim Sedinger, and Chris Nicolai 111 WHOOPING CRANE DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT USE: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE? Jane Austin, Matthew Hayes, and Jeb Barzen 111 BEHAVIORAL MOVEMENTS OF ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO WHOOPING CRANES: ANOMALIES OR INDICATIONS OF WAYS TO FURTHER ENHANCE SPECIES RECOVERY. David Baasch, Mark Bidwell, Wade Harrell, Kris Metzger, Aaron Pearse, and Mary Harner 112 INFLUENCES ON NEST SUCCESS IN A REINTRODUCED POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES. Jeb Barzen, Sarah Converse, Peter Adler, Elmer Gray, Anne Lacy, Eva Szyszkoski, and Andrew Gossens 113 DETERMINING DIET COMPOSITION AND INGESTION RATE OF CRANES THROUGH FIELD MEASUREMENT. Jeb Barzen, Ted Thousand, Julia Welch, Megan Fitzpatrick, Eloise Lachance, and Triet Tran 114 HABITAT USE AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF WHOOPING CRANES IN THE OIL SANDS MINING REGION. Mark Bidwell, David Baasch, Dave Brandt, John Conkin, Mary Harner, Wade Harrell, Kris Metzger, Aaron Pearse, and Richard Wiacek 115 CAPTURE AND DEPLOYING GPS PTTS ON ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO WHOOPING CRANES: LESSONS LEARNED WITH NEW TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES. David Brandt, Aaron Pearse, Barry Hartup, Mark Bidwell, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, and Bradley Strobel 116 CAN HORMONE METABOLITES PREDICT THE TIMING OF REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORS IN THE CAPTIVE WHOOPING CRANE?. Megan Brown, Sarah Converse, Jane Chandler, Carol Keefer, and Nucharin Songssasen 117 BREEDING DISTRIBUTION OF SANDHILL CRANES IN RUSSIA. Inga Bysykatova, Gary Krapu, and David Brandt 117 A REVIEW OF PARENT-REARING WHOOPING CRANES AT PATUXENT WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTER, 1988-2003.Jane Chandler, Brian Clauss, and Glenn Olsen 118 PREDICTING OUTCOMES OF REINTRODUCTION STRATEGIES IN A DECISION-ANALYTIC SETTING.Sarah Converse, Sabrina Servanty, Patricia Heglund, and Michael Runge 118 MOVEMENT STRATEGIES OF SUBADULT INDIVIDUALS ON WINTER HABITAT INFLUENCE WINTER RANGE EXPANSION OF A MIGRATORY BIRD. Nicole Davis and Elizabeth Smith 119 PEOPLE OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER: A GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS CRANE AND POWER LINE INTERACTIONS.Megan Diamond, Jim Harris, Claire Mirande, and Jane Austin 120 EVALUATION OF LONGEVITY AND WEAR OF COLORED PLASTIC LEG-BANDS DEPLOYED ON SANDHILL CRANES IN WISCONSIN Katherine Dickerson and Matthew Hayes 120 SURVIVAL OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SANDHILL CRANE. Roderick Drewien, William Kendall, Wendy Brown, and Brian Gerber 121 THE USE OF SATELLITE TELEMETRY TO EVALUATE MIGRATION CHRONOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION OF EASTERN POPULATION SANDHILL CRANES. David Fronczak and David Andersen 121 NATIONAL WHOOPING CRANE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. Joan Garland and Erica Cochrane 122 THE ROLE OF POPULATIONS AND SUBSPECIES IN SANDHILL CRANE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT. Brian Gerber and James Dwyer 122 ANNUAL VARIATION OF YOUNG OF THE YEAR IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN POPULATION OF SANDHILL CRANES.Brian Gerber, William Kendall, James Dubovsky, Roderick Drewien, and Mevin Hooten 123 AGE-SPECIFIC MIGRATORY AND FORAGING ECOLOGY OF EASTERN POPULATION GREATER SANDHILL CRANESEverett Hanna and Scott Petrie 124 EVALUATION OF A VACUUM TECHNIQUE TO ESTIMATE ABUNDANCE OF AGRICULTURAL GRAIN. Everett Hanna, Michael Schummer, and Scott Petrie 125 CHARACTERIZATION OF STOPOVER SITES USED BY WHOOPING CRANES AS DETERMINED FROM TELEMETRY-MARKED BIRDS. Mary Harner, Greg Wright, Aaron Pearse, David Baasch, Kris Metzger, Mark Bidwell, and Wade Harrell 126 MESHING NEW INFORMATION FROM THE WHOOPING CRANE TRACKING PARTNERSHIP WITH SPECIES RECOVERY GOALS—NEXT STEPS. Wade Harrell, Mark Bidwell, Aaron Pearse, Kris Metzger, Mary Harner, and David Baasch 127 HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF JUVENILE WHOOPING CRANES IN WOOD BUFFALO NATIONAL PARK. Barry Hartup 127 TERRITORY AVAILABILITY BEST EXPLAINS FIDELITY IN SANDHILL CRANES. Matthew Hayes and Jeb Barzen 128 MISSISSIPPI SANDHILL CRANE CONSERVATION UPDATE 2011-13. Scott Hereford and Angela Dedrickson 128 MIGRATION ROUTES AND WINTERING AREAS OF PACIFIC FLYWAY LESSER SANDHILL CRANES. Gary Ivey 129 A MODEL FOR MITIGATING LOSS OF CRANES FROM POWER LINE COLLISIONS. Gary Ivey 129 SPACE USE OF WINTERING WHOOPING CRANES Kris Metzger, Mary Harner, Greg Wright, Wade Harrell, Aaron Pearse, Mark Bidwell, and David Baasch 130 SOCIAL LEARNING OF MIGRATORY PERFORMANCE. . Thomas Mueller, Sarah Converse, Robert O’Hara, Richard Urbanek, and William Fagan 130 PARENT-REARING AND RELEASING WHOOPING CRANES IN WISCONSIN. Glenn Olsen and Sarah Converse 131 BEHAVIORAL COMPARISON OF COSTUME AND PARENT-REARED WHOOPING CRANE CHICKS. Glenn Olsen, Anne Harshbarger, Anna Jiang, and Sarah Converse 131 A TECHNIQUE FOR AGING CRANES Glenn Olsen and Scott Hereford 132 MIGRATION ECOLOGY OF ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO WHOOPING CRANES .Aaron Pearse, David Brandt, Mary Harner, Kris Metzger, Wade Harrell, Mark Bidwell, and David Baasch 132 THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL USE OF HABITATS BY A REINTRODUCED POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES IN LOUISIANATandi Perkins and Sammy King 133 BEHAVIOR ECOLOGY OF PEN-REARED, REINTRODUCED WHOOPING CRANES WITHIN THE LOUISIANA LANDSCAPETandi Perkins and Sammy King 133 CAPTURE OF SANDHILL CRANES USING ALPHA-CHLORALOSE. Lauren Schneider, Michael Engels, Matthew Hayes, Jeb Barzen, and Barry Hartup 134 A COMPREHENSIVE HABITAT TYPE DATASET FOR WHOOPING CRANE CONSERVATION PLANNING IN TEXAS, USA. Elizabeth Smith, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, and Luz Lumb 135 EGG PRODUCTION BY FIRST-TIME BREEDERS IN THE EASTERN MIGRATORY POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES. Eva Szyszkoski 135 NATAL DISPERSAL OF WHOOPING CRANES IN THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY POPULATION: THE FIRST TEN YEARS Hillary Thompson and Anne Lacy 136 CHANGES IN WINTER DISTRIBUTION OF THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION Richard Urbanek, Eva Szyszkoski, and Sara Zimorski 136 PAIR FORMATION IN THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION.Richard Urbanek, Eva Szyszkoski, Sara Zimorski, and Lara Fondow 137 A PRELIMINARY LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENT AND TIMING OF CUES INFLUENCING PHILOPATRY IN CAPTIVE-BRED WHOOPING CRANES RELEASED USING THE MODIFIED DIRECT AUTUMN RELEASE METHODMarianne Wellington and Eva Szyszkoski 137 EGG FERTILITY RATE OF THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION 2005-2012. Amelia Whitear and Anne Lacy 138 REMOTE CAMERAS AID CRANE BEHAVIOR STUDIES: WET MEADOW UTILIZATION BY SANDHILL CRANES ALONG THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA.Greg Wright and Mary Harner 138 RECOVERY AND MANAGEMENT IN A FIELD ENVIRONMENT OF A JUVENILE WHOOPING CRANE FOLLOWING SURGERY TO REPAIR A FRACTURED LEFT CORACOID Sara Zimorski, James Lacour, Javier Nevarez, Katrin Saile, Jamie Wignall, João Brandão, Abbi Granger, and Patricia Queiroz-Williams 139 WHOOPING CRANES RETURN TO LOUISIANA: THE FIRST THREE YEARS. Sara Zimorski, Tandi Perkins, Vladimir Dinets, and Sammy King 14

BEHAVIOR AND HABITAT USE OF GREATER SANDHILL CRANES WINTERING IN EAST TENNESSEE

An increase of eastern greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) stopping over and wintering at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in east Tennessee has led to overcrowding at the refuge, resulting in crane use of private property. Proper management is needed to prevent the cranes from becoming a nuisance, increase the suitability of the refuge for waterfowl, and reduce the likelihood of a disease outbreak. Observations of cranes revealed that cranes spent 83% of their time foraging, alert, or preening. Sandhill cranes foraged primarily in agricultural and grassy fields, whereas mudflats and shallow water were used for preening and loafing. Cranes tended to use grassy fields and mudflats in greater proportion to their availability, whereas agricultural fields and shallow water were underused. The results suggest that management techniques used with sandhill cranes elsewhere will also support crane populations at Hiwassee. The issue of overcrowding at the refuge, however, still needs to be addressed

Proceedings of the Twelfth North American Crane Workshop

CONTENTS PREFACE iii RESEARCH PAPERS DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, AND MIGRATION TIMING OF GREATER AND LESSER SANDHILL CRANES WINTERING IN THE SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN RIVER DELTA REGION OF CALIFORNIA - . Gary L. Ivey, Bruce D. Dugger, Caroline P. Herziger, Michael L. Casazza, and Joseph P. Fleskes 1 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, and Joseph P. Fleskes 12 EFFECTS OF WIND FARMS ON SANDHILL CRANE PLAYA OCCUPANCY ON THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS - Laura Navarrete and Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle 20 EVALUATION OF A NUTRACEUTICAL JOINT SUPPLEMENT IN CRANES. Kendra L. Bauer, Ellen S. Dierenfeld, and Barry K. Hartup 27 TEN-YEAR STATUS OF THE EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE REINTRODUCTION - Richard P. Urbanek, Sara E. Zimorski, Eva K. Szyszkoski, and Marianne M. Wellington 33 AN UPDATE ON MORTALITY OF FLEDGED WHOOPING CRANES IN THE ARANSAS/WOOD BUFFALO POPULATION Thomas V. Stehn and Carey L. Haralson-Strobel 43 DISTRIBUTION, DENSITIES, AND ECOLOGY OF SIBERIAN CRANES IN THE KHROMA RIVER REGION OF NORTHERN YAKUTIA IN NORTHEASTERN RUSSIA - Inga P. Bysykatova, Gary L. Krapu, Nicolai I. Germogenov, and Deborah A. Buhl 51 BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS SANDHILL CRANE COLLISIONS WITH WIND TURBINES IN TEXAS Laura Navarrete and Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle 65 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, and Nucharin Songsasen 68 TYLOSIN TARTRATE PROMOTES RESOLUTION OF INSECT BITE HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS IN CAPTIVE CRANES. Alina Kelman and Barry K. Hartup 73 OBSERVATIONS OF MOLT IN REINTRODUCED WHOOPING CRANES Anne Lacy and Dan McElwee 75 THE HISTORY AND REINTRODUCTION OF WHOOPING CRANES AT WHITE LAKE WETLANDS CONSERVATION AREA, LOUISIANA. Gay M. Gomez 76 Abstracts ASSESSMENT OF THE EASTERN POPULATION GREATER SANDHILL CRANE FALL SURVEY, 1979-2009 Courtney Amundson, Douglas Johnson, Sean Kelly, and Tom Cooper 80 FACTORS INFLUENCING GREATER SANDHILL CRANE NEST SUCCESS IN NEVADA .Chad August, James Sedinger, and Chris Nicolai 80 INFLUENCE OF FOOD AND PREDATOR ABUNDANCE ON STRESS LEVELS OF SANDHILL CRANES WINTERING IN NORTHERN MEXICO Ingrid Barcelo and Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 81 A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR CROP DAMAGE BY CRANES AND OTHER BIRD SPECIES TO PLANTED SEED Jeb Barzen and Anne Lacy 81 MODELLING THE EFFECT OF LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON SANDHILL CRANE DISTRIBUTION IN THE CENTRAL PLATTE RIVER VALLEY OF NEBRASKA Todd J. Buckley, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, Larkin A. Powell, and Andrew J. Tyre 82 DIFFERENCES IN HABITAT USE BY WHOOPING CRANES OBSERVED IN NATURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF TEXAS DURING WINTER 2009-2010 . Mery Casady and Letitia M. Reichart 82 MEASURING FECAL CORTICOSTERONE IN WILD WHOOPING CRANES Mery Casady, Letitia M. Reichart, Andrew K. Birnie, and Jeffrey A. French 83 POTENTIAL IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS ON WHOOPING CRANES . Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 83 WHOOPING CRANE MIGRATION THROUGH THE GREAT PLAINS: CONSERVATION ISSUES .Felipe Chavez-Ramirez 84 VIDEO SURVEILLANCE OF NESTING WHOOPING CRANES . Timothy Dellinger, Martin Folk, Stephen Baynes, and Kathleen Chappell 84 COPULATION OF NON-MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANES IN FLORIDA Timothy Dellinger, Martin Folk, Stephen Baynes, Kathleen Chappell, and Marilyn Spalding 85 USING ECOREGIONS TO QUANTIFY CHANGES IN BREEDING SANDHILL CRANE DENSITIES FOR WISCONSIN .Forrest East and Anne Lacy 85 STATUS OF THE FLORIDA RESIDENT FLOCK OF WHOOPING CRANES . Martin Folk, Timothy Dellinger, Stephen Baynes, Kathleen Chappell, and Marilyn Spalding 86 HISTORICAL BREEDING, STOPOVER AND WINTERING DISTRIBUTIONS OF A WHOOPING CRANE FAMILY Karine Gil-Weir, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, Brian W. Johns, Lea Craig-Moore, Thomas Stehn, and Robin Silva 87 GIS DATABASE DESIGN FOR ANALYSIS OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN CRANE RESEARCH . Amy Richert Goodall, Kerryn Morrison, and Nathan Stinnette 88 THE EFFECT OF WEATHER ON PRODUCTIVITY IN A GREATER SANDHILL CRANE POPULATION IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN Andrew Gossens, Jeb Barzen, and Matt Hayes 88 EFFECTS OF WIND FARMS ON WINTERING SANDHILL CRANES IN THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS OF TEXAS Laura Navarrete, Kerry L. Griffis-Kyle, and David Haukos 98 TERRITORY HISTORIES OF FLORIDA SANDHILL CRANES: 1980-2006 .Stephen Nesbitt and Stephen Schwikert 98 UPDATED EASTERN SANDHILL CRANE RANGE MAPS Kristin Norris and Anne Lacy 99 HEMATOLOGY AND SERUM CHEMISTRY RESULTS FROM EXPERIMENTAL EXPOSURE OF SANDHILL CRANES TO WEST NILE VIRUS . Glenn Olsen 99 PHOTOPERIOD AND NESTING PHENOLOGY OF WHOOPING CRANES AT TWO CAPTIVE FACILITIES . Glenn Olsen 100 PROTOCOL AND RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SEASON OF CAPTIVE REARING WHOOPING CRANES FOR A NON-MIGRATORY RELEASE IN LOUISIANA Glenn H. Olsen and Jane N. Chandler 100 COMPARISON OF BEHAVIORS OF CRANE CHICKS THAT WERE PARENT-REARED AND REARED BY COSTUMED HUMANS Glenn Olsen, Lani Matthews, and Sarah Converse 101 MIGRATION ECOLOGY OF THE ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES Aaron Pearse, Dave Brandt, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, and Walter Wehtje 101 ASSESSING BREEDING WHOOPING CRANE HABITAT USE TO CHOOSE ALTERNATIVE RELEASE SITES IN WISCONSIN . Nathan Schmidt, Jeb Barzen, Anne Lacy, and J. Michael Engels 102 WHOOPING CRANES IN FLORIDA: WEATHER OR NOT CLIMATE MATTERS? . Marilyn Spalding, Martin Folk, and Stephen Nesbitt 102 CHANGING RAINFALL PATTERNS VERSUS WETLAND ATTRITION: WHAT AFFECTS LARGE WATERBIRD BREEDING SUCCESS MORE IN THE GANGETIC FLOODPLAINS, INDIA? . K. S. Gopi Sundar 103 CRANES AND CLIMATE CHANGE: A FACT SHEET . Zsolt Végvári and Miriam Hansbauer 103 MOVEMENTS AND HABITAT USE OF THE BROLGA IN SOUTH WEST VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA . Inka Veltheim, Simon Cook, Richard Hill, and Michael McCarthy 104 AERIAL CENSUS OF BROLGA NEST SITES IN SOUTH WEST VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA . Inka Veltheim, Mark Venosta, Richard Hill, Simon Cook, and Michael McCarthy 104 MICROBIAL WATER QUALITY EFFECTS OF MIGRATORY BIRDS IN THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA 2009-2010 Jason Vogel and Matt Moser 105 AN UPDATE ON THE DIRECT AUTUMN RELEASE OF WHOOPING CRANES INTO THE EASTERN MIGRATORY POPULATION . Marianne Wellington and Richard P. Urbanek 10

PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTEENTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP--Abstracts

AGE-SPECIFIC SURVIVAL OF GREATER SANDHILL CRANE COLTS IN NEVADA. Chad August, Jim Sedinger, and Chris Nicolai 111 WHOOPING CRANE DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT USE: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE? Jane Austin, Matthew Hayes, and Jeb Barzen 111 BEHAVIORAL MOVEMENTS OF ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO WHOOPING CRANES: ANOMALIES OR INDICATIONS OF WAYS TO FURTHER ENHANCE SPECIES RECOVERY. David Baasch, Mark Bidwell, Wade Harrell, Kris Metzger, Aaron Pearse, and Mary Harner 112 INFLUENCES ON NEST SUCCESS IN A REINTRODUCED POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES. Jeb Barzen, Sarah Converse, Peter Adler, Elmer Gray, Anne Lacy, Eva Szyszkoski, and Andrew Gossens 113 DETERMINING DIET COMPOSITION AND INGESTION RATE OF CRANES THROUGH FIELD MEASUREMENT. Jeb Barzen, Ted Thousand, Julia Welch, Megan Fitzpatrick, Eloise Lachance, and Triet Tran 114 HABITAT USE AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF WHOOPING CRANES IN THE OIL SANDS MINING REGION. Mark Bidwell, David Baasch, Dave Brandt, John Conkin, Mary Harner, Wade Harrell, Kris Metzger, Aaron Pearse, and Richard Wiacek 115 CAPTURE AND DEPLOYING GPS PTTS ON ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO WHOOPING CRANES: LESSONS LEARNED WITH NEW TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES. David Brandt, Aaron Pearse, Barry Hartup, Mark Bidwell, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, and Bradley Strobel 116 CAN HORMONE METABOLITES PREDICT THE TIMING OF REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORS IN THE CAPTIVE WHOOPING CRANE?. Megan Brown, Sarah Converse, Jane Chandler, Carol Keefer, and Nucharin Songssasen 117 BREEDING DISTRIBUTION OF SANDHILL CRANES IN RUSSIA. Inga Bysykatova, Gary Krapu, and David Brandt 117 A REVIEW OF PARENT-REARING WHOOPING CRANES AT PATUXENT WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTER, 1988-2003.Jane Chandler, Brian Clauss, and Glenn Olsen 118 PREDICTING OUTCOMES OF REINTRODUCTION STRATEGIES IN A DECISION-ANALYTIC SETTING.Sarah Converse, Sabrina Servanty, Patricia Heglund, and Michael Runge 118 MOVEMENT STRATEGIES OF SUBADULT INDIVIDUALS ON WINTER HABITAT INFLUENCE WINTER RANGE EXPANSION OF A MIGRATORY BIRD. Nicole Davis and Elizabeth Smith 119 PEOPLE OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER: A GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS CRANE AND POWER LINE INTERACTIONS.Megan Diamond, Jim Harris, Claire Mirande, and Jane Austin 120 EVALUATION OF LONGEVITY AND WEAR OF COLORED PLASTIC LEG-BANDS DEPLOYED ON SANDHILL CRANES IN WISCONSIN Katherine Dickerson and Matthew Hayes 120 SURVIVAL OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SANDHILL CRANE. Roderick Drewien, William Kendall, Wendy Brown, and Brian Gerber 121 THE USE OF SATELLITE TELEMETRY TO EVALUATE MIGRATION CHRONOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION OF EASTERN POPULATION SANDHILL CRANES. David Fronczak and David Andersen 121 NATIONAL WHOOPING CRANE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. Joan Garland and Erica Cochrane 122 THE ROLE OF POPULATIONS AND SUBSPECIES IN SANDHILL CRANE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT. Brian Gerber and James Dwyer 122 ANNUAL VARIATION OF YOUNG OF THE YEAR IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN POPULATION OF SANDHILL CRANES.Brian Gerber, William Kendall, James Dubovsky, Roderick Drewien, and Mevin Hooten 123 AGE-SPECIFIC MIGRATORY AND FORAGING ECOLOGY OF EASTERN POPULATION GREATER SANDHILL CRANESEverett Hanna and Scott Petrie 124 EVALUATION OF A VACUUM TECHNIQUE TO ESTIMATE ABUNDANCE OF AGRICULTURAL GRAIN. Everett Hanna, Michael Schummer, and Scott Petrie 125 CHARACTERIZATION OF STOPOVER SITES USED BY WHOOPING CRANES AS DETERMINED FROM TELEMETRY-MARKED BIRDS. Mary Harner, Greg Wright, Aaron Pearse, David Baasch, Kris Metzger, Mark Bidwell, and Wade Harrell 126 MESHING NEW INFORMATION FROM THE WHOOPING CRANE TRACKING PARTNERSHIP WITH SPECIES RECOVERY GOALS—NEXT STEPS. Wade Harrell, Mark Bidwell, Aaron Pearse, Kris Metzger, Mary Harner, and David Baasch 127 HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF JUVENILE WHOOPING CRANES IN WOOD BUFFALO NATIONAL PARK. Barry Hartup 127 TERRITORY AVAILABILITY BEST EXPLAINS FIDELITY IN SANDHILL CRANES. Matthew Hayes and Jeb Barzen 128 MISSISSIPPI SANDHILL CRANE CONSERVATION UPDATE 2011-13. Scott Hereford and Angela Dedrickson 128 MIGRATION ROUTES AND WINTERING AREAS OF PACIFIC FLYWAY LESSER SANDHILL CRANES. Gary Ivey 129 A MODEL FOR MITIGATING LOSS OF CRANES FROM POWER LINE COLLISIONS. Gary Ivey 129 SPACE USE OF WINTERING WHOOPING CRANES Kris Metzger, Mary Harner, Greg Wright, Wade Harrell, Aaron Pearse, Mark Bidwell, and David Baasch 130 SOCIAL LEARNING OF MIGRATORY PERFORMANCE. . Thomas Mueller, Sarah Converse, Robert O’Hara, Richard Urbanek, and William Fagan 130 PARENT-REARING AND RELEASING WHOOPING CRANES IN WISCONSIN. Glenn Olsen and Sarah Converse 131 BEHAVIORAL COMPARISON OF COSTUME AND PARENT-REARED WHOOPING CRANE CHICKS. Glenn Olsen, Anne Harshbarger, Anna Jiang, and Sarah Converse 131 A TECHNIQUE FOR AGING CRANES Glenn Olsen and Scott Hereford 132 MIGRATION ECOLOGY OF ARANSAS-WOOD BUFFALO WHOOPING CRANES .Aaron Pearse, David Brandt, Mary Harner, Kris Metzger, Wade Harrell, Mark Bidwell, and David Baasch 132 THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL USE OF HABITATS BY A REINTRODUCED POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES IN LOUISIANATandi Perkins and Sammy King 133 BEHAVIOR ECOLOGY OF PEN-REARED, REINTRODUCED WHOOPING CRANES WITHIN THE LOUISIANA LANDSCAPETandi Perkins and Sammy King 133 CAPTURE OF SANDHILL CRANES USING ALPHA-CHLORALOSE. Lauren Schneider, Michael Engels, Matthew Hayes, Jeb Barzen, and Barry Hartup 134 A COMPREHENSIVE HABITAT TYPE DATASET FOR WHOOPING CRANE CONSERVATION PLANNING IN TEXAS, USA. Elizabeth Smith, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, and Luz Lumb 135 EGG PRODUCTION BY FIRST-TIME BREEDERS IN THE EASTERN MIGRATORY POPULATION OF WHOOPING CRANES. Eva Szyszkoski 135 NATAL DISPERSAL OF WHOOPING CRANES IN THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY POPULATION: THE FIRST TEN YEARS Hillary Thompson and Anne Lacy 136 CHANGES IN WINTER DISTRIBUTION OF THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION Richard Urbanek, Eva Szyszkoski, and Sara Zimorski 136 PAIR FORMATION IN THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION.Richard Urbanek, Eva Szyszkoski, Sara Zimorski, and Lara Fondow 137 A PRELIMINARY LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENT AND TIMING OF CUES INFLUENCING PHILOPATRY IN CAPTIVE-BRED WHOOPING CRANES RELEASED USING THE MODIFIED DIRECT AUTUMN RELEASE METHODMarianne Wellington and Eva Szyszkoski 137 EGG FERTILITY RATE OF THE REINTRODUCED EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION 2005-2012. Amelia Whitear and Anne Lacy 138 REMOTE CAMERAS AID CRANE BEHAVIOR STUDIES: WET MEADOW UTILIZATION BY SANDHILL CRANES ALONG THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA.Greg Wright and Mary Harner 138 RECOVERY AND MANAGEMENT IN A FIELD ENVIRONMENT OF A JUVENILE WHOOPING CRANE FOLLOWING SURGERY TO REPAIR A FRACTURED LEFT CORACOID Sara Zimorski, James Lacour, Javier Nevarez, Katrin Saile, Jamie Wignall, João Brandão, Abbi Granger, and Patricia Queiroz-Williams 139 WHOOPING CRANES RETURN TO LOUISIANA: THE FIRST THREE YEARS. Sara Zimorski, Tandi Perkins, Vladimir Dinets, and Sammy King 14