OutdoorNebraska

23 GUIDE TO NEBRASKA'S WETLANDS considered to be invasive in these wetlands. Benefi ts Rainwater Basin wetlands are most noted for their importance to waterfowl, especially during the spring migration (Gersib et al. 1989a, Gersib et al. 1992). The North American Waterfowl Management Plan lists the Rainwater Basin as an area of greatest continental signifi cance to North American ducks, geese, and swans (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, and Mexican Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Fisheries 2012). They host an estimated 8.6 million spring-migrating ducks and geese annually, providing the foods to build nutrient reserves necessary for migration and reproduction further to the north (RWBJV 2013a). Previous studies have suggested that approximately 90% of the mid-continent population of greater white- fronted geese, 50% of the mid-continent population of snow geese, 50% of the mid-continent population of mallards and 30% of the continent population of northern pintails use the Basins during spring migration. The numbers can vary greatly from year to year, and some recent information indicated that the number of greater white-fronted geese using the Basins has declined. During very wet years, ducks will breed in relatively high numbers in the Rainwater Basin and also will produce substantial numbers of ducks (Evans and Wolfe 1967). As of 2012, 358 bird species have been recorded in the Rainwater Basin (Jorgensen 2012). It is estimated that 600,000 shorebirds representing 40 species migrate through the Basins during the spring (Jorgensen 2005, RWBJV 2013a), and the region has been identifi ed as a site of hemispheric importance in 2009 by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Some notable shorebird species include the buff- breasted sandpiper, Hudsonian godwit, American golden plover, and lesser yellowlegs. The Rainwater Basin was historically an important area for the Eskimo curlew, but sadly it is now very likely this species is extinct due to habitat loss and unregulated harvest during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Thirty-four species of waterbirds including herons, egrets, rails, terns and gulls have been observed in the Rainwater Basin. Rainwater Basin wetlands are regularly used by the state and federally endangered whooping crane and the threatened piping plover. Rainwater Basin playa wetlands are internationally recognized for their importance to migrating waterfowl. ETHAN FREESE, PLATTE BASIN TIMELAPSE

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