Images: Tammy Sommer

Dear Journey North,

Just two cranes were seen on the refuge Sunday and they were not seen the following day (Monday April 18)— but that doesn't mean they weren't still around.
The two family groups ( 7 cranes total) seen on the April 13th census flight are bound to have migrated, since my last documented date for an adult pair of cranes to ever depart Aransas is April 21. So I guesstimate we have between 0 and 2 cranes still on the refuge. Fast north winds, snow and rain basically stopped cranes in their tracks earlier in the week in the Upper Great Plains. Based on current sightings reports, most of the Whooping cranes are north of Nebraska, with two reports from Oklahoma a week ago.

A Story: Twins On Their Own?
The photos on this page show a pair of twins seen on migration in South Dakota last week. Do you wonder where their parents are? Find out what we think by clicking on the photos!

The Radioed Cranes
The 11 radio-banded cranes are still moving, despite contrary weather. At least 5 of them are already at 52.8 degrees N in Saskatchewan, Canada. Another two are in North Dakota, three in South Dakota and one in Nebraska. (Journey North's Map will be updated to show locations when data comes in on April 23.)

Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Austwell, Texas