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• Aerial Survey. -- <br />• <br />CONFIRMED WHOOPING CRANE SIGHTINGS- <br />Of a possible 40 morning flights per leg, the West Leg completed 26 (65 %) flights while <br />the East Leg flew 28 (70 %). Fog, low ceiling, precipitation, and high winds were factors in <br />cancellations. We recorded 1 confirmed Whooping Crane sighting on transect 2SW (Figure 1). <br />This was the first time a confirmed sighting occurred on a transect other than the river or 1 mile <br />north or south. <br />INDEX OF USE- <br />We completed 108 (68 %) aerial survey transects out of a possible 160. One Whooping <br />Crane sighting was made on these transects (2SW). This resulted in an index of use (frequency <br />of occurrence) of .01 sightings per transect. No sightings occurred on river transects. <br />OPPORTUNISTIC FLIGHTS- <br />Two Whooping Crane sightings were considered opportunistic during the regular aerial <br />surveys. Both sightings occurred when the plane deviated from the survey route at the request of <br />the ground observer. No additional flights were deployed. <br />OTHER WHITE OBJECT SIGHTINGS- <br />Three on- ground follow -ups were conducted on objects other than Whooping Cranes at <br />the request of the air crew. These resulted in confirmation of Sandhill Cranes, American White <br />Pelicans, or no finding. <br />Searcher Efficiency Trials.— <br />Whooping Crane decoys were placed at 15 locations between March 20 and April 29 <br />(Table 1). The air observers detected a decoy at five sites for an overall detectability rate of <br />33 %. When broken down by strata, there was a 0% and 50% detectability rate for strata 0 -3.5 <br />and 0 respectively. Factors contributing to the poor detectability rate included decoys located in <br />woodlands, decoys in the "blind spot" below the underbelly of the aircraft, and inexperienced <br />observers. <br />Final Spring 2008 Whooping Crane Monitoring Report 4 <br />6/20/2008 <br />