October 12, 2017

Getting Ready for Migration
As the time for migration approaches, whooping crane chicks must be strong fliers ready to travel long distances. This year, there are 18 young-of-year Whooping cranes being released into the Eastern Migratory Population. This combines the Costume-Reared (CR) the Parent-Reared (PR) chicks.

7 + 6 + 5 = 18 Chicks
We started with 7 Costume-Reared Whooper colts and 6 Parent-Reared Whooping cranes in the first released group. An additional 5 (younger) Parent-Reared cranes arrived a week ago. Initially, we hoped to get 6 in the last shipment; however, Whooping crane #35-17 was found to have sustained an injury to one of its wings.

Time to Heal?
The team at Patuxent decided to hold Whooping crane #35-17 back to allow the injury time to heal. He may still come out to Wisconsin for release at a later date but we want to make sure his wing injury is completely healed first. We’ll keep you up to date on this young male crane as we learn more from the Crane Crew at Patuxent.

Dr. Olsen says, “We took several x-rays of the elbow area of the wing of whooping crane chick 35-17, but found no fractured bones. We are continuing to treat this crane for serious bruising and strained ligaments and tendons.”

Now for some BIG news...Costume-Reared Crane Chicks
The seven Costume-Reared Whooping cranes have left home! They flew the coop! They began spending nights outside the crane pen at White River Marsh in late September and, since the 24th, had spent every night with two older Whooping cranes: 5-12 and 30-16. They would fly back to the pensite occasionally during each day where the Operation Migration team was providing some supplemental food.

Some days they would eat a lot and other days they barely touched it. After 3 days of not eating any of the crane chow, the decision was made to shut the pen doors for the season, so now they truly are RELEASED. They are still in the area and they do still roost with the two male Whooping cranes each night. They also spend a good amount of time each day in nearby fields foraging with them and also flying over the area.

The Operation Migration team is really hopeful the two adults will guide them south in a few weeks when it’s time to return to a warmer area for the winter months. Do you know where 5-12 and 30-16 spend their winters?

Also released...Parent-Reared Whooper Chicks
All of the Parent-Reared Whooper chicks are now released also! The final two were relocated to Marathon County, WI on October 9th and released in the same area where two Parent-Reared cranes from last year have been spending time.

These two 1 yr. olds are 29-16 & 39-16. Pilot Bev Paulan flew over them a couple of weeks ago to check out the habitat and it looks ideal.

Bev Paulan, Wisconsin DNR
See the whooper chicks standin up on the logs?
It looks like perhaps they don’t want to get their feet covered in green.

“Chicks and adults all roosted in the same general area. This morning I saw adults fly over to chicks before going to forage across the street. Chicks are both alive and well this morning and preening in open water near the release site.”

All the remaining Parent-Reared Whooping cranes are doing well. Numbers 19 & 25-17 were released first and they’re also in Marathon County with adults 2-15 and 28-05. Last week one of the ICF interns watched the two adults dancing and the chicks began imitating them!

Next to be released were cranes 26 and 28-17 in Marquette County. Operation Migration’s Joe Duff has been monitoring this release. The female, number 26-17, doesn’t move around a great deal and she is in the same field as the two target adult Whooping cranes: 10-11 and 27-14.

The male crane, number 28-17 is a bit more elusive and has not been seen for a couple of weeks. Occasionally, we get beeps from his VHF radio transmitter but he seems to like to hide. He’s also the only crane in the group that does not have a remote tracking device!

We released 24-17 in Dodge County, Wisconsin in the same marsh where adult female crane number 66-15 was roosting. I monitored him along with Doug Pellerin and we have not seen him with the other Whooping crane. Instead he appears to be associating with Sandhill cranes.

Parent-Reared Whooping cranes 30 & 72-16 were released in Winnebago County in a lovely wetland near adult 71-16. Unfortunately, the older crane left the area earlier this week and is actually now in Dodge County, very close to where cranes 38 and 39-17 were released!

The cold weather won’t be here in Wisconsin for a few more weeks but, as we’ve been out monitoring the cranes, we have noticed more and more birds are beginning to gather and arrive from the north.
If you could escape the cold Wisconsin weather, where would you go?

Over and out…
Heather Ray
Operation Migration

• Daily Field Journal: Follow along with Operation Migration as they track the young cranes.