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Whooping Crane Migration Update: March 26, 2002

Today's Report Includes:


One Whooper Migrating! Tom Stehn's Field Report

Wild Family at Aransas.

"The whooping crane migration is about to start, but I believe we have one bird over the starting line a little early," wrote Tom on March 22. "On March 19, one whooping crane was sighted on the Platte River in Nebraska mixed in with tens of thousands of sandhill cranes. Is this bird color blind, not realizing he is with sandhills and not other whooping cranes? I think NOT. Sometimes whooping cranes travel with their sandhill crane cousins, often stopping where they see a flock of sandhills on the ground. This one whooper was apparently influenced to start the migration with the large flocks of sandhills that migrate more than a month earlier than the whooping cranes."
A surprised Tom climbed into a small airplane on March 21 and spent eight hours flying 1/4-mile wide transects across the salt marshes, viewing every square foot of the marsh and plotting all the whooping cranes he found on color photographs of the area. "I located a total of 172 whooping cranes. The one in Nebraska makes 173. Thus, there is only one whooping crane that I cannot account for of the winter population that totals 174. It could have started the migration, it could still be at Aransas and I just didn't find it, or else it could be dead. My census clearly showed that only one out of 173 whooping cranes is known to have started the migration."

Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

But Tom --and you--can stop wondering! This exciting confirmation just came from Wally Jobman, US Fish and Wildlife biologist in Nebraska: "One whooping crane observed with sandhill cranes on 3/19 and still present 3/25. Roosting on Platte River at night. Feeding in fields to the south of Platte. Location 4 mi. south and 3 mi. west of the Wood River/I-80 exit in Hall and Adams Counties, Nebraska." Wow!
So when will the other whoopers follow? Tom says, "By the end of March, I expect several dozen whooping cranes will be flying north, anxious to start their 2,500-mile trip to Canada where they will build nests, lay eggs, and try to raise chicks. If I found 172 whooping cranes on March 21, how many do you think I'll find on my next flight March 28th?"
Tom has this comment about the young Eastern whoopers at Chassahowitzka: "Although we are confident these five will return to Wisconsin on their own, we don't know when they will migrate. I've been telling our biologists not to be concerned until mid-April. That seems to be the time when many of the whooping cranes leave Texas. Wouldn't it be something if the whooping cranes in Florida and the ones in Texas all started the migration about the same time? It's possible, since whooping cranes have an internal clock." Tom asks your next challenge question:

Challenge Question #8:
"What do you think we mean by internal clock? What clues do the whooping cranes use to set their clock to know what time they should start the migration?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Cranes Content Where They Are: Field Notes From Florida
Matt Hayes, ICF Project biologist monitoring the birds in Florida, gave us the latest news on the tiny flock. Notice that Matt, like Tom Stehn above, also mentions internal cues for the cranes:

"The birds seem pretty content right where they are. They continue to explore outside their pen, but aren't yet inclined to head north. The winds have been out of the north, though, which is the wrong direction for migration. We believe they are just waiting for the right internal cues."

Will the whooping cranes in Florida and the ones in Texas all start the migration about the same time? The Argos NASA Satellite is providing data every two days for the Florida cranes in anticipation of their departure, and Tom and his plane have a close eye on the Western flock. Stay tuned!

The Need for a Second Population

Crane numbers steadily rose for many years. Now they're declining, but are still higher than they were in 1995 or 1996. Do we have the time and resolve to save them?

Why the push to establish a second wild migratory flock of whooping cranes? You may recall that of the 52 adult pairs that nested in Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada, only 15 brought a youngster to Aransas last fall. The decline is something experts almost expect -- part of a 10-year cycle that happens after the turn of each decade. What might be some reasons for the decline? What's the outlook for the future of this rare and endangered species?
The answers to the challenge questions below tell a lot of the story. We've also prepared some information pages and lessons to help you shed light on the whooping cranes' plight. Read on.

Cranes, Crabs, and People

Blue Crab
courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Program

People have known for a long time that the fresh water flowing into Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is critical for Whooping Cranes and other species that live in the estuary. But more people are using the fresh river water in Texas as that state's population continues to expand. In fact, the human population in Texas is expected to double in the next 50 years. This is very worrisome because Texas water law reserves water for people but has few provisions for wildlife. What does a shortage of fresh water mean for Whooping Cranes and blue crabs? You'll find out here, and what you can do about fresh water right where you are:


Who Gets the Water?
Do you think it's possible for Texans to meet their own fresh water needs AND those of Whooping Cranes? Get informed about a BIG problem as you read more about water rights and the debate over new laws for Texas with facts and links here:

After exploring this lesson, come back and answer:

Challenge Question #9:
"Do you feel that the freshwater needs of wildlife should be protected by law in places where water shortage is a problem? Explain your reasons."

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Building up Endurance: Discussion of Challenge Question #5
Richard Urbanek of the US Fish and Wildlife Agency is head of the monitoring team at Chassahowitzka. He told us: "The cranes fly, but they just don't go anywhere." Last time we asked you: "Without long flights for exercise, how do you think the cranes will manage the migration?"

Jeremy, Xavier, Ryan and Will, Iselin Middle School seventh graders, clearly remembered how long the cranes had to be exercised in order to follow the ultralight this past fall. They wrote, "They will fly a little bit and take a little rest because if they were to fly a long time, they will have to take a long rest. They will then have a bigger chance of being eaten by predators."

Exhaustion during migration can be just as they say, and predators do love to take advantage of birds that are too pooped to fight back or escape. Fortunately, if these Whooping Cranes act like the flock of Sandhill Cranes that followed the ultralight last year, they wonít have a problem. Thatís because their flying technique on the return flight should be totally different from following an ultralight. They had to do a lot of flapping to make it down to Florida. On the return flight, theyíll be able to coast along on thermal air currents, and will probably choose migration days with good thermals. Imagine being able to float in the sky, circling higher and higher, into the clouds, held up by nothing more than a soft breeze of rising air. That's what these cranes will do as they head north! How do they catch a "breeze" going UP? And how does a breeze going straight up help them to migrate ACROSS the continent? This lesson will help you figure it out!

During winter, the Whooping Cranes in the wild-breeding flock donít fly around very often. Once the Florida flock figures out how to ride thermals, migration for them should be a breeze!

Ghost Traps Wanted: Discussion of Challenge Question #6
"What are your suggestions for picking up the abandoned traps that are still in whooping crane marshes?"
Second graders Brittany, Ben, Andrew and Kyle at Ferrisburgh Central School; and 7th graders Sahil, Johnny, Teja, Masuda, Tidus, Simone, Giovanna, David and Aaron from Iselin Middle School gave some interesting suggestions that could actually work!
  • Get a group of people together to camp out and get the traps. You could put out flyers to advertise. They could walk in the marshes, and use a big net to scoop the traps up and take out the living animals. They can try to save as many animals as possible. They can then dispose of the dead ones along with the old unused traps.
  • People who leave traps should get a ticket or a fine for littering.
  • In May, everyone in Vermont goes out on Green Up Day - and picks up all the litter and old things that have accumulated during the year. That keeps our roads and water clean. Maybe the town could donate money for all the traps that are turned in.
  • Maybe the fishermen should have to pay a fee to put their traps in and then if they are old, they could turn them in somewhere to get their money back.
  • Limit the amount of traps to 100 traps per fisherman. When they have caught the amount of fish they need, they should throw away all of the traps. If they don't obey the 100 traps per fisherman, then they should be fined.

Do you have more ideas to add? Problems are situations that need solutions, and these ideas offer lots of hope. Congratulations to all of you who showed good thinking and caring attitudes!

Crane Threats at Aransas: Discussion of Challenge Question #7

Chemical Barge on Intracoastal Waterway Photos OM

Last time we reported Heather Ray's comment from her trip to Aransas: "To see these huge, long barges trundle along transporting chemicals through the narrow coastal passage -- at times less than 200 ft. from the foraging Whoopers -- is alarming, and reinforces the need for a second, discrete migratory flock. We then asked you: "What serious threats do whooping cranes face on their wintering grounds?"

"The most serious threat that the whooping cranes have is the chemical barges that spill on their wintering grounds. Possibly the areas that they use for wintering grounds are being developed," replied Jennifer, Julie, Avery, Shane, and Justin from Ferrisburgh (Vermont) Central School.

Right on! It's not just the chemical barges but also nearby oil and gas projects that move through the canal, with the constant threat of leaks or spills. Tom Stehn tells us that power lines are the #1 migration danger to cranes, and a new power line is being installed just north of the Refuge. And the growing human population of Texas, which you read about above, means increased demands on the fresh water supplies to the estuary. Informed citizens can make sound policies that protect the present and the future. You can be part of the group of informed, committed citizens!

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 #8 (OR #9)
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 2, 2002

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