Whooping
Crane Migration Update: April 1, 2005
Today's Report Includes:
- Spring Migration Underway for All Chicks But One: CQ #5
- Tracking with Radio Telemetry: Link to Lesson
- Field Notes from the Western Flock: Mostly Still in Texas
- Four Differences: Challenge Question #6
- Field Notes from the Platte River, Nebraska: Welcome, Whooper
- Things to Wonder About: Sara’s Thoughts and a Journaling Question
- Sandhills Before Whoopers: Discussion of Challenge Question #3
- Birds of a Feather Hang Out Together
- When Will They Go? Discussion of Challenge Question #4
- A New Average: Challenge Question #7
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Today's Migration Data NOTE: We DO know that the group of 11 reached north-central Indiana on March 31, but we cannot name the county until they have departed. Humans must not find or approach these carefully raised, endangered cranes. That’s why the birds’ location cannot be published until after they leave each stopover site. |
Spring
Migration Underway for All Chicks But One
You know that 11 of the twelve ultralight-led juveniles departed
from the Chassahowitzka NWR last Friday, March 25. Here’s a
question for you:
Challenge Question #5:
“ On March 30, the group of 11 had a tailwind and clear skies. They flew for 11.5 hours. They covered 450 miles. At what average speed (miles per hour) did the cranes fly?”
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
Crane #412 remained at the winter pen site with #105 and #204, two older "white birds" that pestered the crane kids most of the winter. But on March 31 this young male began migration, along with #105 and #204. The trio logged about 175 miles on their first migration day, ending up in Georgia. As of this writing, male #418 is the only youngster remaining in Florida. (Do you remember what is so special and unusual about his young crane? He was left behind in Wisconsin because of feather problems when his flock mates took off with the ultralights. They learned the migration route on their first journey south, but #418 was left in hopes he’d follow older whooping cranes or sandhill cranes to Florida. Later, he did!)
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#105,
#204 and #412 on migration stopover March 30. Photo Richard
Urbanek.
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As of March 31, only three whoopers (#304 and #311 in South Carolina and #418 in Florida) in the 45-crane Eastern migratory population are still on their chosen wintering grounds. And over a thousand miles to the north-northwest, ten "white birds" have been confirmed back in Wisconsin. Ultra-cranes #107 (who is again at Horicon NWR), plus #101, 202, 209, 213, 218, 205, 211, 212 and 217 have all been detected and seen in or near Necedah NWR. Do you want to know the latest on your favorite Eastern whooper? Check the flock chart for the bird’s hatch year. Find links to 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 flock charts on this page:
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Tracking with Radio Telemetry: Link to Lesson
We know the cranes’ whereabouts thanks to the terrific WCEP Tracking
Team. They are biologist Richard Urbanek (FWS), with Lara Fondow and
Julia Watson (ICF). Every whooping Crane in the tiny new Eastern flock
wears a leg band with a radio-tracking transmitter. Richard, Lara and
Julia jump in their vehicles to keep track of the cranes 24/7 once they
are free flying and migrating. How? This lesson has photos of Lara’s
tracking vehicle, close-ups of the radio transmitters worn by each crane,
a video of Lara explaining how tracking works, and fun journaling questions.
Don’t miss it!
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Biologist Tom Stehn. Photo Heather Ray |
Biologist Tom Stehn can’t tell us exactly how many cranes are on Aransas NWR this week, but he has other fun things to share. Was Tom’s prediction right about the migration of the young juvenile discovered to be the record-breaking 217th crane in the Western flock? What does “staging” mean? Do sandhill cranes and whooping cranes both mate for life? Why is a lengthy staging at the Platte River so important to sandhill cranes, but only a short stopover for whooping cranes? What does Tom say is one of the natural wonders of the world? Find out here:
Then use what Tom said as you come back to answer our next CQ:
Challenge Question #6:
“ What are at least four differences between sandhill cranes and whooping cranes?”
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
Field Notes from the Platte River, Nebraska: Welcome, Whooper
The USFWS’s Martha Tacha sends this good news about the first confirmed whooping crane sighting (Monday, March 28) in the flyway this spring. YES, the young whooper on the Platte River is “the 217th crane” in the Western flock. It’s the young crane that separated from its parents before reaching Aransas NWR. Tom Stehn told you about this bird in his Feb. 25 report. This bird was discovered spending its first winter with sandhill cranes, 75 miles from Aransas NWR and the rest of the whoopers in the Aransas/Wood Buffalo (Western) flock. Now Martha reports:
“The juvenile whooper roosted again in the Platte Tuesday night. It was
out feeding Wednesday morning
with sandhill cranes in the same cornfield used last evening. I watched the young
whooper loaf in the Platte River
with several hundred sandhill
cranes for at least 3.5 hours Tuesday afternoon. From 5:30 – 6:30 it
fed in a large corn stubble
field
with sandhill
cranes.
Then it
flew to the river
and joined
sandhill
cranes already
on roost at the same place
they spent the afternoon.
The weather
was beautiful
Tuesday.
It turned
nasty overnight with strong
N and NW winds
and rain forecast through
Wednesday. So, the juvenile
will
likely be around at least
another day. We're trying
to keep track
of
its movements
to learn what habitats
it uses in the area.”
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An
albino sandhill crane among sandhill cranes
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Great! This news means you might be able catch a glimpse of the juvenile on the Web via the crane cam on the Platte River! Remember, though: Several albino sandhill cranes have also been seen in this area (see photo). These white birds are easily mistaken for whoopers, but sandhill cranes are smaller. Martha Tacha reminds us, “Obviously, whooping cranes are easy to distinguish if you have binoculars and the light is good.”
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Aviculturist Sara Zimorski, ICF |
Things
to Wonder About: Sara’s Thoughts
Aviculturist Sara Zimorski spent
much of the winter monitoring the
young
cranes at the Chassahowitzka
winter pen site. She worked with
the chicks
last summer and
knows the birds well. We asked Sara
what’s
on her mind as
the chicks' first solo journey north
begins.
Sara said:
- “I'm wondering how #418 will do. I don't think he'll have any problems but it's interesting that he did not leave with the older whoopers that he'd been hanging out with. Also, there are not really any migratory sandhill cranes left in FL, so when #418 decides to leave he'll probably be entirely on his own. He should know the route since he flew down, but it will definitely be exciting and interesting to watch what he does this spring.”
- ”I'm also very curious and a bit worried about what the 3 birds in NC will do. These are the HY2003 cranes that spent the summer in Michigan last year. Originally I thought they'd make it to FL and then be able to make it back to WI from there. However, now that they've spent all winter in NC--much farther east than they should have been--I'm less certain they'll be able to find their way to WI. Time will tell, and this will definitely be an interesting group to follow.”
- Sara also wondered about #412, “since he stayed behind when all the other chicks left. So far he's doing okay with the two older birds still at the Chassahowitzka pen. But there's safety in numbers and it will be very interesting to see if he leaves with them and stays with them, or if he migrates on his own.” (We just learned that #412 left yesterday with the two older ultracranes. Will he stay with them?)
Try This!
Journaling Question
Choose a concern
of Sara’s that you share, or perhaps you have
concerns of your own. Write down your concerns today. As the migration
unfolds, come back to your journal and add any new information about
today’s
entry. See
what happens,
just as Sara
will
be watching
and
noting what
happens about
the concerns
she stated
above.
Sandhills Before Whoopers: Discussion of Challenge Question #3
Last week Tom told you that sandhills migrate at least 3 weeks earlier than whooping cranes. But both species are faced by the same ice and snow conditions if they get to their northern nesting grounds too soon. Tom asked: “Can you think of a reason why sandhill cranes start the migration earlier than whooping cranes?”
Stumped?
Not
to worry.
By
read
Tom
Stehn’s report this week, you
now
know the answer! As Tom said, it's about the breeding
behavior of cranes. Sandhill cranes come together on staging
areas in
springtime
and make the choice of a mate. Choosing among half a million
sandhill cranes requires extra time that whoopers don’t
need,
as
a whooper
can
choose
its
mate-for-life at any
time.
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Where's the Whooper? |
Are you curious about why whooping cranes sometimes hang out with sandhill cranes? Tom Stehn offered these thoughts:
“Whoopers hang out with sandhills just because they sometimes use similar habitats--especially roost sites in migration, or feeding in the same agricultural fields in migration. Also, I like to think sandhills and whoopers have some attraction to each other as cousins. They sometimes will join each other while actually flying in migration.”
Ultracrane Juveniles: When Will They Go? Answer to CQ #4
By now you know the answer, but last time we asked you to make a prediction based on flock history. We asked you to calculate the AVERAGE number of days each of the 3 previous Eastern groups spent on the wintering grounds to answer: “What date do you predict the Hatch Year 2004 crane kids will depart on their first journey north?”
You calculated
that
the average time spent
on
the
wintering grounds was
121
days. (126 days in
2001,
121 days in 2002 and
117
days
in
2003. The total days =
364.
Average days
= 364
divided by 3 = 121. For
the
whoopers delivered
by
ultralight on December 12,
2004,
121
days later would
mean
a predicted departure date
of
April 12.
How does
this compare with the actual departure date?
A New Average: Challenge Question #7
Challenge Question #7:
“ How many days was the 2004 flock* on the wintering grounds before departing on their first journey north? Using this number, what is the average number of days on the wintering grounds in the 4-year history of the Eastern flock?"
*Use the March
25
departure date for the
group
of
11, which is all but two
of
the flock members.
For
average days in previous
years,
see answer to CQ #4, above,
or
Comparing
Migrations,
2001-2004.
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:
IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.
1. Address
an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-crane@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge
Question #5 (OR #6 OR #7)
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions
above.
The Next Crane Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 8, 2005.
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