Observation of Sandhill Cranes’ (<i>Grus canadensis</i>) Flight Behavior in Heavy Fog

Kirsch, Eileen M.; Wellik, Mike J.; Suarez, Manuel J.; Diehl, Robert H.; Lutes, Jim; Woyczik, Wendy; Krapfl, Jon; Sojda, Richard S.

doi:10.1676/wils-127-02-281-288.1

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…In their study, sandhill cranes' maneuverability and control were impaired by high winds, and 69% of sandhill crane mortality occurred on days with high winds, fog, or precipitation. Kirsch et al (2015) also found that sandhill crane flight behavior differed when fog covered roost sites, leading to reduced flight distances and increased circling. If a power line exists in or near a roost, then increased circling during fog may increase collision risk.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Reactions of Sandhill Cranes Approaching a Marked Transmission Power Line

Murphy

Dwyer

Mojica

et al. 2016

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management

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Sandhill cranes Antigone canadensis, formerly Grus canadensis, are of widespread management focus, particularly where collisions with power lines are an important cause of mortality. Collision mitigation focuses on marking power lines to increase visibility, but collisions persist, perhaps because power line markers are not sufficiently visible in all conditions. Our objective was to compare reaction distances and reaction behaviors during daylight when power lines are presumably more visible, and during darkness when power lines are less visible. The power line we studied was fitted with glow-in-the-dark power line markers intended to increase nocturnal visibility. We found that during daylight, flocks generally avoided the power line by climbing gradually and passed above without making sudden evasive maneuvers. During darkness, flocks, particularly small flocks, were almost equally likely to make sudden evasive maneuvers as to climb gradually. Collision monitoring on the power line we studied conducted concurrent to our study indicated that 94% of collisions occurred during darkness, linking the behaviors we observed to actual mortality. Sandhill cranes also reacted at greater distances and with fewer sudden evasive maneuvers to the glow-in-the-dark-marked power line we studied than to nearby power lines without glowing markers evaluated in a prior study, suggesting that either glowing markers, smaller gaps between markers, or both, improved sandhill cranes' ability to perceive and react to the power line we studied. By correlating behavioral observations with mortality, our study indicates that proactive low-intensity behavioral observations might be useful surrogates to reactive high-intensity carcass searches in identifying high-risk spans. This approach may also be effective for other species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Reactions of Sandhill Cranes Approaching a Marked Transmission Power Line

Murphy

Dwyer

Mojica

et al. 2016

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management

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“…Radar-based methods also have been successfully used to quantify great white pelican Pelecanous onocrotalus flights in the vicinity of a planned wind farm on the coast of South Africa and model the turbine collision risk (Jenkins et al 2018). Sandhill cranes Grus canadensis were likewise monitored in flight in the vicinity of wind turbines and exhibited avoidance except in the presence of fog when flight behaviour became significantly more circular, possibly increasing the likelihood of turbine collision (Kirsch et al 2015). Fijn et al (2012) studied the behaviour of Bewick's swans Cygnus columbianus bewickii wintering near a wind farm in the Netherlands.…”

Section: Effects Of Disturbance Artificial Light and Anthropogenic Omentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives and challenges for the use of radar in biological conservation

et al. 2019

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Radar is at the forefront for the study of broad‐scale aerial movements of birds, bats and insects and related issues in biological conservation. Radar techniques are especially useful for investigating species which fly at high altitudes, in darkness, or which are too small for applying electronic tags. Here, we present an overview of radar applications in biological conservation and highlight its future possibilities. Depending on the type of radar, information can be gathered on local‐ to continental‐scale movements of airborne organisms and their behaviour. Such data can quantify flyway usage, biomass and nutrient transport (bioflow), population sizes, dynamics and distributions, times and dimensions of movements, areas and times of mass emergence and swarming, habitat use and activity ranges. Radar also captures behavioural responses to anthropogenic disturbances, artificial light and man‐made structures. Weather surveillance and other long‐range radar networks allow spatially broad overviews of important stopover areas, songbird mass roosts and emergences from bat caves. Mobile radars, including repurposed marine radars and commercially dedicated ‘bird radars’, offer the ability to track and monitor the local movements of individuals or groups of flying animals. Harmonic radar techniques have been used for tracking short‐range movements of insects and other small animals of conservation interest. However, a major challenge in aeroecology is determining the taxonomic identity of the targets, which often requires ancillary data obtained from other methods. Radar data have become a global source of information on ecosystem structure, composition, services and function and will play an increasing role in the monitoring and conservation of flying animals and threatened habitats worldwide.

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“…For instance, proper lighting and curtailment of wind turbines when flying animals are most active can reduce or eliminate systematic impacts (Arnett et al 2010;Duerr et al 2012). Turbine curtailment could conceivably occur over even short timescales such as when fog or low cloud interferes with animals' ability to avoid structures (Kirsch et al 2015). Many North American cities participate in seasonal lights-out programs, turning off the lights of large city buildings during peak bird migration times.…”

Section: Threats To Aerial Organismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extending the Habitat Concept to the Airspace

et al. 2017

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Habitat is one of the most familiar and fundamental concepts in the fields of ecology, animal behavior, and wildlife conservation and management. Humans interact with habitats through their senses and experiences and education to such a degree that their perceptions of habitat have become second nature. For this reason, it may be difficult at first to accept the airspace as habitat, an area that is invisible, untouchable, highly dynamic, and its occupants difficult to see. Nonetheless, the habitat concept, by definition and in practice, applies readily to the airspace. Some ecological and behavioral processes including habitat selection, foraging, and reproduction are operational in the airspace, while others, particularly those mediated by resource limitation such as territoriality, are likely uncommon if present at all. The behaviors of flying animals increasingly expose them to anthropogenic hazards as development of the airspace accelerates. This exacerbates the need to identify approaches for managing these human-wildlife conflicts in aerial habitats, especially where human safety or at-risk populations are concerned. The habitat concept has proven useful in shaping environmental law and policy to help

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Observation of Sandhill Cranes’ (Grus canadensis) Flight Behavior in Heavy Fog

Cited by 10 publications

References 19 publications

Reactions of Sandhill Cranes Approaching a Marked Transmission Power Line

Reactions of Sandhill Cranes Approaching a Marked Transmission Power Line

Perspectives and challenges for the use of radar in biological conservation

Extending the Habitat Concept to the Airspace

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