Platte River Ecology Study

Appendices

Appendix R. Use of grasslands by whooping cranes.
Date                    Location                 Grassland type and 
                                                 description-activity

25 October 1978      Just west of Big        Overgrazed saltgrass pasture. 
                     Salt Marsh, Quivira     Believed to be drinking from 
                     NWR, Kansas             small stream.

9 November 1978      Just west of Big        Closely grazed, small salt 
                     Salt Marsh, Quivira     grass (Distichlis) 
                     NWR, Kansas             pasture.


24-27 October 1977   6 1/2 mi. N and         Brome/native grass pasture of  
                     2 1/2 mi. W of          about 34 ha. Some apparent 
                     Shelton, Nebraska       feeding activity was noted. 
                                             Grass was very short.

4-7 November 1977    Within Valentine NWR,   a. Sub-irrigated meadow of 
                     Nebraska                native grasses, mowed in the 
                                             fall. Whooper foraged with 
                                             sandhill cranes. Dense stems, 
                                             some shoots up to 30 cm high.

                                             b. Used a second sub - 
                                             irrigated meadow in same 
                                             area. Native grasses, mowed 
                                             in fall, dense stems, shoots 
                                             10 to 15 cm high. Fed with 
                                             sandhill cranes.

23-25 October 1978   2 mi. E and 2 mi. N     Sub-irrigated meadow of 
                     of Whitman, Nebraska    native grasses. Heights of 
                                             grasses approached 61 cm in 
                                             protected pockets; do not 
                                             know how high grass was where 
                                             cranes fed. Fed occasionally 
                                             in the meadow.

Note:  There are several additional observations of whooping cranes using
sub-irrigated meadows, but neither the status of the meadow (i.e., height
of vegetation) nor the behavior of the cranes was noted.