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Results of Fall Aerial Whooping Crane Surveys by Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Flight Report To: Division of Endangered Species, USFWS, Albuquerque, NM From Whooping Crane Coordinator, Aransas NWR, Austwell, Texas Date: November 6, 1997 An aerial survey of the Aransas NWR and surrounding areas made 11/06/97 revealed the presence of 80 adult, 42 subadult, and 23 young whooping cranes. Total population estimated was 145. The flight was made in a charter aircraft with T. Stehn as observer. One hundred twenty-two cranes have arrived since the last flight on October 31, 1997. Strong low pressure systems that reached the Texas coast November 1 and 5, 1997, aided the crane migration. Chick survival appears excellent with 23 juveniles present. Based on August 1997 surveys in Wood Buffalo National Park up to 9 more chicks are expected to arrive, including two sets of twins. The N. Dunham Point pair (Bullseye Lake) has arrived with a chick. They were not seen in Wood Buffalo during 1997. Adult female ByB-ByB, also not found in Wood Buffalo, has re-paired and arrived with a chick. Thus, these Aransas families represent a record 50th and 51st nesting pairs in Wood Buffalo. Other families that have arrived are from nests 9, 11, 15, 16, 17, 21, 24, 32, 34, 36, 39, 42, 47, 48, and 49. Six families present are from unknown nesting territories. Flight Report To: Division of Endangered Species, USFWS, Albuquerque, NM From: Whooping Crane Coordinator, Aransas NWR, Austwell, Texas Date: November 13, 1997 An aerial census of the Aransas NWR and surrounding areas made 11/13/97 revealed the presence of 140 adult and 29 young = 169 whooping cranes. The flight was made in charter aircraft with Tom Stehn as observer Twenty-four cranes have arrived since the last flight on 06 November. New families to arrive are from nest #'s 6, 13, 20, 23, and 40. Arrivals were aided by low pressure systems that reached the Texas coast 05 and 09 November. Present are 92 adults, 48 subadults, and 29 chicks. The 29 chicks and 169 total birds are both RECORD numbers, exceeding the previous high for chicks (28) in 1995-96, and 160 total population in the 1996-97 winter. Present on Lamar is the St. Charles Pair with two chicks that was last seen in Saskatchewan on 03 November. This is the FIRST set of TWINS to reach Aransas since 1964-65. Based on summer nesting and winter territory data, up to 5 additional pairs and from 1-4 more chicks could still arrive. This winter's whooping crane population is expected to reach 180. During the flight, three crane groupings were documented flying across bays between major wintering areas. One family on Matagorda Island was located in widely separate locations on Matagorda and then flew to Welder Flats. If this family had not been color-banded, this census would have overestimated the number of chicks present by two. The 11 cranes on Lamar is an all-time high, surpassing the previous high of 8 birds present during the 1991-92 winter.