Eye of the Falcon

Methods
Suggested Projects

Methods for Research Projects Using Real-time Data

Project 1

Project 2

From the Main Menu, select "GIS Maps". From the "GIS Maps" menu, select "Sandhill Cranes". When the ArcExplorer map loads, select one of the bird location data layers. A stopover location may be defined as a place where the bird stopped during migration for 3 days or more. Click on the information ("i") tool on the toolbar and point to different bird locations to see the date when the bird was at that location. You can zoom in on an area if there are several locations in one area. For each bird, determine the number and locations of stop-over areas, and the number of days spent at each stop-over area. Compare birds from different wintering regions to determine if they use different stop-over areas or if birds from some regions have longer stopover periods than birds from other regions. If any questions arise that you cannot answer, please save them and forward to Earthspan for the experts to tackle. Answers will be provided.

Project 3

From the Main Menu, select "GIS Maps". From the "GIS Maps" menu, select "Sandhill Cranes". When the ArcExplorer map loads, select one of the bird location data layers. Click on the information ("i") tool on the toolbar and point to different bird locations on the map to see the date when it was at a particular location. You can zoom in on an area if there are several locations in one area. To determine the rate of migration, you must first determine which locations occurred during migration rather than during the wintering season. To determine the date when the bird initiated migration at the end of the wintering season, find the first location that occurs outside the wintering cluster and that is followed by subsequent movements toward the breeding area. There are several ways to measure rate of migration. One is to measure the total distance migrated, and then to divide it by the number of days from the beginning to the end of migration to get the average distance traveled per day. To measure the total distance migrated, use the ruler tool on the toolbar, select the measurement units you would like to use, and then point to the first location at the start of migration, and then drag it to each of the subsequent locations along migration to get the total distance migrated. Repeat this procedure for all birds, and compare the average distance traveled per day among different wintering populations. To see if there is a relationship between rate of movement and the distance between breeding and wintering grounds, use the ruler tool to measure the distance between the wintering area and breeding area for each bird. Then create a graph with migration distance on one axis and migration rate on the other axis and see if there is a relationship between these variables. To see if there is a difference in the rate of migration from the wintering area to the Platte River compared to the rate from the Platte River to the breeding grounds, use the ruler tool to measure the distance from the wintering area to the Platte River, and divide that value by the number of days from initiation of migration to the date of arrival at the Platte River. Similarly, measure the distance from the Platter River to the wintering location, and divide that value by the number of days from initiation of migration from the Platte River to the date of arrival at the breeding grounds. Repeat this procedure for all birds and calculate the average rate of movement during the first half of migration, and compare it to the average rate of movement during the second half of migration. If any questions arise that you cannot answer, please save them and forward to Earthspan for the experts to tackle. Answers will be provided.

Project 4

From the Main Menu, select "GIS Maps". From the "GIS Maps" menu, select "Sandhill Cranes". When the ArcExplorer map loads, select the "Biomes_WWF" data layer. Use the information ("i") tool on the toolbar and point to different locations on the map to see the names of the different biomes around the world. Each biome is further subdivided into ecoregions, and if you double-click on one of these regions within a biome, you will get information on the name of the ecoregion and its threat level. You can learn more about the different biomes, ecoregions, and their threat levels by going to the Main Menu on the CD and selecting "Biomes". Overlay the bird locations on the biomes data layer by selecting one of the bird data layers. You can determine the breeding location for a bird by looking for the northern-most points that appear as a cluster and occur over a period of several months in the spring and summer. You can determine the wintering location by looking for the southern-most points that appear as a cluster and occur over a period of several months in the winter. To determine which locations occurred during migration, find the first location that occurs outside the wintering cluster and that is followed by subsequent movements away from the cluster. To determine the breeding habitat, use the information tool to see which biome and ecoregion the breeding locations occur in. Do the same for the wintering and migration habitat. Repeat this procedure for all birds. For each part of the species' annual cycle (wintering season, migration, and breeding season) determine the proportion of birds that uses a particular habitat type. You can create a pie chart for each season showing the proportion of birds that use each of the habitat types.

Project 5

From the Main Menu, select "GIS Maps". From the "GIS Maps" menu, select "Sandhill Cranes". When the ArcExplorer map loads, select the "Rivers" data layer to show the major rivers. Select the "Earth_Image" data layer to see major mountain ranges. You can initially select all of the bird location data layers to see if you can identify any major landforms that many birds follow, and to see if birds from the same wintering population migrate along the same landforms. Determine the proportion of bird locations that occur along rivers. You can do the same for coastlines or mountain chains. Be sure to only include bird locations that occur during migration rather than at the wintering or breeding ranges. To determine which locations occurred during migration, find the first location that occurs outside the wintering cluster and that is followed by subsequent movements away from the cluster. Create a pie chart to display your results. If any questions arise that you cannot answer, please save them and forward to Earthspan for the experts to tackle. Answers will be provided.

Project 6

From the Main Menu, select "GIS Maps". From the "GIS Maps" menu, select "Northern Goshawks". Select the bird location data layers for the male and female. You can identify the nesting area from the 2001 breeding season by determining which locations occurred during June 2001. Use the information ("i") tool on the toolbar and point to a location to see the date when the bird was at that location. You can measure the distance between the nesting area and wintering locations for each bird by using the ruler tool. Point to the approximate center of the nesting area using the ruler tool and drag the ruler to one of the wintering locations to measure the distance between them. Repeat this for each of the wintering locations and calculate the average distance between the nesting site and wintering locations for each bird. You can divide the winter movements into three stages - early, middle and late winter - and see if the average distance from the nesting area to the wintering area is different during these three stages. You can also compare the average distance for the male versus the female. If any questions arise that you cannot answer, please save them and forward to Earthspan for the experts to tackle. Answers will be provided.

Project 7

From the Main Menu, select "GIS Maps". From the "GIS Maps" menu, select "Northern Goshawks". Select the bird location data layers for the male and female. You can print out the map showing the locations of the male and female and use a pencil to create a polygon using the outermost points of each bird's locations - in other words, "connect the dots". Use different colored pencils for the male and the female. You can then determine how much of the two polygons overlap one another to see if the male and female tend to stay together over the winter or if they occupy different areas. You can see if this pattern changes over the course of the winter by creating separate polygons for each month. You must first look up the date for each location by using the information ("i") tool in Arc Explorer and pointing to each location. If any questions arise that you cannot answer, please save them and forward to Earthspan for the experts to tackle. Answers will be provided.

Project 8

From the Main Menu, select "GIS Maps". From the "GIS Maps" menu, select "Northern Goshawks". Select the bird location data layers for the male and female. You can determine the habitats used by the male and female by selecting the "Biomes_WWF" data layer and double-clicking on each bird location to see the ecoregion that the bird was in. You can identify the nesting area from the 2001 breeding season by determining which locations occurred during June 2001. Use the information ("i") tool on the toolbar and point to a location to see the date when the bird was at that location. You can then determine what habitats the birds used during the nesting season and compare it to the habitats the birds used during the winter. You can also compare the habitats the female used to the habitats the male used. You can create a pie chart for each bird during each season showing the proportion of bird locations in each habitat type. If any questions arise that you cannot answer, please save them and forward to Earthspan for the experts to tackle. Answers will be provided.

Project 9

From the Main Menu, select "GIS Maps". From the "GIS Maps" menu, select "FalconTrak". Use data for birds that survived at least until October 2001. You can determine if a bird was tracked through October by selecting each bird data layer, one at a time, and pointing to each location using the information tool to determine the dates of each location. For each bird, measure the distance from the natal area (the first recorded location) to the farthest location from the natal area using the ruler tool. Repeat this for each bird, and then calculate the average distance for all birds. If any questions arise that you cannot answer, please save them and forward to Earthspan for the experts to tackle. Answers will be provided.

Project 10

From the Main Menu, select "GIS Maps". From the "GIS Maps" menu, select "FalconTrak". Select all of the bird location data layers. You can determine the habitats used by the birds by selecting the "Biomes_WWF" data layer and double-clicking on each bird location to see the ecoregion that the bird was in. Create a pie chart showing the proportion of bird locations in each habitat type. If any questions arise that you cannot answer, please save them and forward to Earthspan for the experts to tackle. Answers will be provided.