Platte River Ecology Study

Figures, Tables, and Appendices

Figures

Figure 1: Platte River drainage in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska
Figure 2: Channel width in this reach of the Platte River west of Kearney in south central Nebraska has been reduced by approximately 90% during the past century and cranes no longer roost there
Figure 3: Sandhill cranes foraging in a native meadow near the Platte River
Figure 4: Chronology and duration of various investigations under the Platte River Ecology Study
Figure 5: The study area
Figure 6: Staging areas of sandhill cranes in the Platte and North Platte River Valleys
Figure 7: Distribution of roosting sandhill cranes by 0.8 km segment of river channel
Figure 8: Home range characteristics of a radio-marked sandhill crane in the Platte River Valley during spring 1979
Figure 9: Principal foods of sandhill cranes during spring on the major foraging habitats
Figure 10: Daily rates of fat deposition by adult male and female sandhill cranes during the spring staging period in Nebraska and utilization patterns
Figure 11: Conceptual model of sandhill crane population energy budget during the spring staging period in Nebraska
Figure 12: Estimated energy and food requirements of the sandhill crane population during the spring stopover period at projected population levels of 350,000 and 450,000 individuals
Figure 13: Migration corridor and confirmed sightings (1950-spring 1980) of the whooping crane in Nebraska
Figure 14: Diet of male and female mallards during winter and spring migration in south central Nebraska
Figure 15: Daily rates of fat deposition among adult male and female white-fronted geese during the spring staging period in south central Nebraska
Figure 16: Distribution of communal roosts of bald eagles on the study area and average number of eagles sighted between bridges based on aerial surveys during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 winters (see Appendix G for additional details)
Figure 17: Occurrence of prey items in egested pellets of bald eagles found at roost sites along the Platte and North Platte Rivers
Figure 18: A diagrammatic sketch of the principal natural habitats of the Platte River Valley and characteristic species of breeding birds
Figure 19: Distribution of roosting sandhill cranes (by percent occurrence) among categories of unobstructed river channel width and predominant vegetation height class on adjacent channel and island banks
Figure 20: Distribution of bald eagles and water fowl during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 winters in relation to availability of open water (Locations are identified in Fig. 16)
Figure 21: Distribution of avian cholera outbreaks in the Rainwater Basin area during spring 1980 and proximity to spring staging areas of sandhill cranes
Figure 22: The major vegetation types on the Platte River floodplain
Figure 23: Mean annual discharge along the North Platte and Platte rivers (North Platte and Overton substations) during 1910-77 period (After Williams 1978)
Figure 24: Historical trends in channel widths along the North Platte and Platte rivers at the North Platte and Overton substations (After Williams 1978)
Figure 25: Average age of cottonwood, red cedar, willow, catalpa, hackberry, and Russian olive in relation to sample site location along the Platte River
Figure 26: Idealized model of the development of woody vegetation
Figure 27: Effects of riverine hydrology on seed germination rates of cottonwood and willow under various storage regimes
Figure 28: Habitat conditions at 3 vegetation study sites

Tables

Table 1: Mean monthly temperature (degrees C) and precipitation (cm) on the study area (mean values from Grand Island, Kearney, and North Platte)
Table 2: Estimates of peak numbers of sandhill cranes on spring staging areas in the Platte and North Platte River Valleys, Nebraska, during 1979 and 1980
Table 3: Home range characteristics of radio-marked sandhill cranes during spring 1978 and 1979 on study area near Kearney, Nebraska
Table 4: Diurnal habitat use by radio-marked sandhill cranes in the Platte River Valley during 1978 and 1979
Table 5: Changes in the availability of waste corn (kg dry wt/ha) on the Platte River study area
Table 6: Habitat types used by feeding whooping cranes during migration through the Great Plains
Table 7: Habitat use by raptors during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 winters in the North Platte and Platte River Valleys
Table 8: Estimated populations of the principal species of birds breeding on the study area
Table 9: Percent of sandhill crane population roosting in river segments of varying width and vegetation characteristics and the percent of river segments in each category
Table 10: Hectares of harvested corn stubble necessary to support the sandhill crane population under various conditions
Table 11: Avian cholera mortalities among waterfowl in certain wetlands of the Rainwater Basin Area during spring 1980 in relation to population size, water area, and density
Table 12: Comparison of radial growth of cottonwood, red cedar, and willow during a period of low mean discharge (1967-70) and a period of high mean discharge (1971-74)
Table 13: Occurrence, establishment, and mortality of seedlings in 17 permanent 1-m² quadrats
Table 14: Means of the environmental and seedling parameters for quadrats included in the upland, raised sandbar, raised sandbar with neww seedlings, sandbar, and sandbar with new seedlings sites

Appendices

Appendix A: Common and scientific names of animals identified in the study
Appendix B: Common and scientific names of plants species on the Platte River floodlpain
Appendix C: Locations of confirmed whooping crane sightings on or near the Platte River, 1912-49
Appendix D: Characteristics of the Platte River at sites known to have been used by whooping cranes
Appendix E: Distribution and abundance of wintering mallards and geese along the North Platte and Platte Rivers
Appendix F: Mean numbers of raptors seen per census along each survey route in the Platte and North Platte River Valleys during 1979 and 1980
Appendix G: Location and characteristics of bald eagle nocturnal roosts and the mean number of eagles censused per roost
Appendix H: Prey items identified from egested pellets of bald eagles at roost sites in the North Platte and Platte River Valleys in Nebraska
Appendix I: Characteristics of river segments within sandhill crane staging areas
Appendix J: Confirmed sightings of whooping cranes in the Rainwater Basin Area, 1950 - spring 1980
Appendix K: Estimated numbers of sandhill cranes using waterfowl production areas (WPA's) in the Rainwater Basin Area of south central Nebraska
Appendix L: Effects of woody vegetation encroachment on abundance and distribution of various species of birds breeding in the Platte River Valley
Appendix M: Summary of the vegetation types on the Platte River floodplain
Appendix N: Average percent cover of the principal species composing the major habitat types on the floodplain of the North Platte and Platte Rivers
Appendix O: Average and earliest years of establishment of cottonwood, red cedar, willow, and other trees along the Platte River as determined by increment tree cores
Appendix P: The relationship between vegetation and soils at selected sites along the North Platte and Platte Rivers
Appendix Q: Definitions of the 12 environmental parameters used to characterize the 71 permanent quadrats in riparian vegetation studies
Appendix R: Use of grasslands by whooping cranes

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