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Aaron Pearse

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population migrate twice each year through the Great Plains in North America. Recovery activities for this endangered species include providing adequate places to stop and rest during migration, which are generally referred to as stopover sites. To assist in recovery efforts, initial estimates of stopover site use intensity are presented, which provide opportunity to identify areas across the migration range used more intensively by whooping cranes. We used location data acquired from 58 unique individuals fitted with platform transmitting terminals that collected global position system locations. Radio-tagged birds provided 2,158 stopover sites over 10...
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Evaluating patterns of long-term system change and demographic response for grassland nesting ducks in the US Prairie Pothole Region
The US Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) has experienced some of the highest rates of grassland loss in North America over a time that coincides with dramatic declines in grassland songbird populations yet increasing abundance of most grassland-nesting duck species except for northern pintail. To provide more insight into this contradiction, we propose to capitalize on long-term databases to evaluate how a key population driver nest survival for North American ducks has responded to system changes in the region including landscape and climatic factors. Outcomes of these analyses will contribute to testing primary conservation planning assumptions for the PPJV a vital component of the PPJV Strategic Habitat Conservation...
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Sandhill Cranes and Waterfowl of the North Platte River Valley: Evaluation of Habitat Selection to Guide Conservation Delivery
While habitat selection and population estimates are well documented for spring migrating birds in the central Platte River system, little information or monitoring efforts on the North Platte River exist, particularly for the multiple priority bird species known to be present. Most conservation partners deliver habitat programs in the region with limited information and a lack of a landscape prioritization tools. In order for conservation delivery to be more effective and efficient in utilizing limited funds, a decision support tool is critical so that priority species habitat needs are being addressed through appropriate restoration/management strategies in the correct geography at multiple scales. We propose...
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Priority and use segments for Sandhill Cranes (Antigone canadensis). Segments designated as use areas were utilized during annual spring surveys 2014-2016. Priority areas were determined using statistical modeling. The reduced model that best predicted use by Sandhill cranes included total area of trees, pits, crops and unvegetated sandbar habitats in each segments. Mean distance to conservation lands and roads and minimum distance to transmission lines and towers were also included in the model. Only distance to lines and total tree area had a significant (p < 0.05) relationship with priority core segments.
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Assessing phenology of grassland-nesting birds to inform timing of grassland management
Robust assessments of nesting periods and durations for many grassland-nesting birds in the Great Plains are lacking. The timing of management practices (e.g., grazing, haying, mowing, burning) will invariably have different benefits or impacts to different guilds of birds. Our goal is to inform decisions about timing of management practices with research to provide an improved quantification and understanding of contemporary nesting season patterns for grassland birds. Results from this project could aid program managers through improved assessments of tradeoffs from the timing of management actions for various priority birds in the Great Plains.
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