FINAL
Whooping Crane Migration Update: May 12, 2006
Where Are the Crane Kids? Spring 2006 Migration Maps Hooray!
The first journey north for the HY2005 crane kids is successfully complete
for
all but two of the 19 that followed the ultralights to Florida last
fall. Still together in Indiana, #516 and #522 are taking their
time. Because of injury,
#516 missed
several
segments
of the
ultralight-led
migration
last fall. Will these two return to Wisconsin? Team members still hope
so. (Find each crane's individual map on the MapServer.) As of today, the 64 cranes in the new Eastern flock are here: Wisconsin (55), Iowa (5, who just moved there), Indiana (2), and Michigan (2). Life stories of every crane in the Eastern flock are always updated here. Keep up with your favorite cranes all year long!
Home Again! The Capture and Return of #520 and #309 At 1:56 CDT on May 5, 2006, whooping cranes #520 and #309 were retrieved from a wet hayfield along the Black River in New York state. The two females were transported to Necedah NWR, where they were released at 7:43 PM. All is well! Crane team member Sara shares the adventure with you, saying, “The capture went very well. This one's been a long time coming: almost 2.5 years since #309 was last at Necedah!” See the picture story of Sara and Richard capturing the cranes!
Rescued Eggs Become Eastern Flock’s First Baby Chicks Congratulations to #213 and #218! This pair laid the first eggs to hatch in the new Eastern flock! But the two new chicks will never know their parents. Why? You recall that the two eggs were rescued when the adults left the nest unguarded for several hours. The eggs were taken to ICF, where Kelly Macguire took good care of them. On May 4 the eggs were flown to Maryland for hatching with other eggs destined to join the new Eastern flock. See Kelly’s story for details:
Welcome
Babies! HY2006
Chicks are Hatching These are busy times at the chick-rearing building in Maryland. Approximately 36 eggs are needed to build a cohort for the ultralight project in 2006. These are the birthdays so far (chicks #602 and #603 are the offspring of #213 and #218)!
Preparing for an Amazing Journey: Link to Activity The whooping crane chicks that hatch in captivity this spring have an exciting summer ahead. They have a lot to learn before they journey south this fall — following an ultralight airplane! Here’s a preview of what’s to come! Download our handout and write your own captions for these delightful photos! Western Flock: Tom Stehn Reports With almost all the whooping cranes gone north to Canada until fall, Tom tells us about what happens at Aransas during the summer. Some activities that might disturb the cranes are only permitted at Aransas during the summer when the cranes are gone. What activities disturb and endanger the cranes? Tom also tells why the past winter was not a good one for the flock. What’s ahead? Tom reminds us of our mission:
Western Flock on Nesting Grounds: Brian Johns Reports Biologist Brain Johns reports that the breeding birds have established territories, built nests, laid their eggs and are currently incubating. Find out who cares for the eggs and when they will hatch. Brian also tells us about a young crane that made the separation from its parents on the journey north, but has gotten off track. Where is the young bird? See:
Leaving the Parents: Discussion of CQ #12 “What skills must a young crane learn from its parents before it's ready for life on its own? (Start your list from time of hatching. Go through the first year of life, ending with spring migration.) Which of these skills can YOU already do? Which will you need more time and experience to learn?" Marcus (home schooler from Mt. Airy, MD) has put together thoughtful, thorough, and excellent answers for both parts of this question! We all can learn from Marcus. Here’s an answer to be proud of: What’s
Next? Yearlings Become Wild
Now
is the time for them to practice their wildness for real. These whoopers,
hatched last spring, are (or soon will be) one year
old. In terms of human lives, the HY 2005 cranes are not quite
teenagers—at
least, they’re not yet interested in dating. Whooping cranes
usually start forming pairs while they are two and three years old.
They probably won’t nest till they’re three, four or five
years old—which is exactly what's now happening in the
Eastern flock. In 2005, the flock's very first eggs were laid,
even though
both were destroyed. In 2006, we saw the first eggs hatch into
chicks, even though it happened in a captive breeding facility.
When will
we see the first chicks hatched in a next by Eastern crane
parents themselves?
Perhaps in 2007? Stay tuned! Endangered Species Day 2006 The U.S. Senate declared May 11, 2006 as Endangered Species Day. The purpose was to "encourage the people of the United States to become educated about, and aware of, threats to species, success stories in species recovery, and the opportunity to promote species conservation worldwide." To help celebrate and educate, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has created a Web site describing the conservation efforts for 100 endangered species in the U.S. Click on YOUR state to see success stories. What does the site say about whooping cranes?
This is the FINAL Crane Migration Update for Spring 2006. . Please join us at Journey South in September as we follow the newest crane kids on their first migration. Ultralight airplanes will lead the way!
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