This Week's Update Includes:

• News: Arrivals, Nests, Chicks
• Slideshow: Nesting Season
• Annual Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts
• Migration Map: Two Flocks, Two Flywaysl
  
  

The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) celebrates the hatching as another success in its efforts to reintroduce a wild migratory whooping crane population in eastern North America. Thanks to efforts of this partnership, there are now 106 whooping cranes in the eastern migratory population. Seventeen additional pairs of Whooping cranes are currently incubating eggs in the core reintroduction area of Wisconsin. Look at the nest chart to see when they began incubating, and add 30 days to expected hatching:

• 2012 Nesting Summary, Eastern Flock

Every egg from the world's Whooping cranes is precious. The next generation is coming as the species continues a slow comeback from the brink of extinction

Western Flock: Migration Ends, Nesting Begins
"The species has evolved so that their best chance of producing young and increasing the size of the flock lies in making that 2,500-mile migration and nesting in the highly productive marshes of Canada, where there are many fewer predators than there would be if the cranes remained in Texas to nest,” explains biologist Tom Stehn.

Lea Reports on the Cranes in Canada
"Birds have arrived in Wood Buffalo National Park, and have likely started nesting," reports Lea Craig-Moore of the Canadian Wildlife Service. "There still are several birds along the migration route too. Most are probably subadults, not in a hurry because they aren't yet breeding age. However, even if some are families or breeding pairs, they can finish the flight in just a couple of days and quickly start a nest."

Cranes live long lives, and this flock has been in existence much longer than the new eastern flock that nests in Wisconsin. "Many pairs in the western flock have nested for over 20 years and have contributed over a dozen birds to the population," says Lea. Other pairs have not been as successful, but continue to nest each year.

Read on for more about nesting and raising the next generation:

Nesting season gets underway once a pair of cranes completes the long spring migration to their territory on the summer breeding grounds. Every egg is precious to this endangered species. Crane parents have much to do during nesting season and short northern summer! What happens during a baby crane's first summer? Lea of the Canadian Wildlife Service shows us:

• Nesting Season