Get ready! Newly banded and set free, the Class of 2009 crane-kids have begun their final reintroduction steps into the wild at two Florida wildlife refuges. Learn to identify them by deciphering their banding codes. Investigate the outlook for the flock in Texas with the photo story of wild crane Scarbaby. Tour the wintering grounds of both flocks through slideshows. Answer: What will the two cranes pictured here do next in their standoff?
Today's Report Includes:
- Welcome: Big Adventure Ahead
- Where Are They Now? Visit the Wintering Grounds
- News: Field Reports From Texas and Florida
- Journal/Activity: Those Leg Bands
- Coming Soon: Track the Migration
- Links: Helpful Resources to Explore
Standoff! What will these cranes do next?
Photo: Eva Scyzskoski, ICF
We're glad you're here for spring's journey north! It will be an adventure, as the tallest bird in North America faces hurdles ahead. What's on the minds of the people who work so hard to save this endangered species?
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The number of whoopers in the Western (main) flock is likely to go down instead of up. We'll learn more about some of the many threats this natural flock faces.
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The new Eastern flock has 29 juveniles safely on their wintering grounds. They include 20 ultralight-led birds and 9 Direct Autumn Release (DAR) birds. Unaided, will the youngsters all find their way back north? But a successful nesting season is the biggest worry for this new flock in the season ahead. We'll explore and think with the scientists who are searching for answers.
Photo:
Eva Szyszkoski, ICF
Fresh
drinking water is important to cranes. What is this crane doing? (Enlarge)
Read on to learn how to identify this crane!
An estimated 263 are in Texas. Visit!
Hunkered
down today on their wintering grounds are the world's wild
migratory Whooping cranes. The 105 birds of the Eastern flock are wintering
in Florida (and 7 other states). Take a visit with our slide shows!
The Class of 2009
is in Florida. Visit!
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Latest
News! |
Ready
for Migration? |
Latest
News! |
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Welcome back to the crane experts who bring us the news! In Texas with the original natural flock, Tom Stehn tells status and stories of the whoopers he has observed for over 30 years. In Florida watching over the Class of 2009 are Sara, Eva, Matt, and Richard Urbanek at "Chass," and pilot Brooke with refuge staff at St. Marks NWR. They will share photos, crane mischief, and news all spring. What's the latest word at each wintering grounds? Click on Latest News to see. |
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Attaching colored bands with radio transmitters to the legs of the Eastern flock's chicks is a big event every year. Banding is done by experts during a health check. (The wild-born chicks in the Western flock are not banded.)
- For what reasons might scientists put leg bands on the chicks of the new Eastern flock? What could they learn from banding these birds? Write your ideas in your Journey North Whooping Crane Journal.
Activity: Try This! Practice identifying birds by reading their bands!
•Who
Are These Cranes?
•Banding Code Chart for
Class of 2009
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Starting
in March, you'll see the migration progress of both flocks —
ALL the world's migratory Whooping cranes — live
on our MapServer! |
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| migration animation | ||
- Teachers/Overview: Getting Started
- Slideshow: Western Cranes on the Texas Wintering Grounds
- Slideshow: Eastern Cranes on the Florida Wintering Grounds
- Slideshow: St. Marks: A Second Winter Home
- Slideshow: Scarbaby's Triumph
- Activity: Who Are These Cranes?
- Resource: Quick-View Leg Band Chart: Class of 2009
- About the Bands: Leg Bands: Codes and Colors
- Listening: How Does a Whooping Crane Sound?
- Photo Overview: The Class of 2009's Ultralight-led Journey South
- Review: Key Timeline Events for the Ultralight-led Class of 2009
- Meet
Craniacs: Classrooms in Action
The Next Whooping Crane Migration Update Will Be Posted on February 26, 2010.
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