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Whooping Crane Migration Update: April 23, 2002

Today's Report Includes:

Whoopee! Four Whoopers Reach HOME on April 19!
Crane #2 Crane #5


Covering 1275 miles in 11 days, four of the five whooping cranes completed their spring migration back to their summer home in Wisconsin's Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Led by dominant male #1, they soared in at 6:37 p.m. on Friday evening and landed at the pen where they were raised. Awe, relief, and pure joy slowly replaced the initial exhilaration among the WCEP partners who spread the good news by email and phone. What about the fifth crane in the new Eastern flock? On April 22, trackers finally got a visual sighting of Crane #7, foraging happily in the presence of a pair of Sandhill cranes in a wetland area in south-central Wisconsin. As Heather Ray of Operation Migration said, "She is alive and well and simply not ready to return home just yet."

Here's an instant replay of this historic first migration--which isn't quite over yet, at least for Crane #7:

After reading the highlights, come back and answer:

Challenge Question #21:
"Why were the whooping cranes able to make the journey north so much faster than the journey south? Try to give 3 reasons."

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

How Did They DO It?
On Friday, April 19, the group of four whoopers seemed determined to get "home," despite headwinds and cloud cover. They made two separate 1-hour flights with a lot of circling and wandering. Then it appeared the birds would overshoot and fly too far north, when all of a sudden they made a sharp left turn and honed in. At 6:37 p.m. they landed right by their old pen and grass training strip. Tom Stehn was right when he predicted, "They'll recognize the landscape where they were raised." But how?

Pilots Deke Clark, Joe Duff, Trainer Dan Sprague Photo OM
When the birds were in "flight school" at Necedah last summer, the Operation Migration team made sure the birds built a recognition of the area at Necedah NWR where they learned to fly. Lead ultralight pilot Joe Duff explained then, "We fly these birds locally a lot. It gives them a wide picture of what they're looking for on their way back. When they reach the latitude they're familiar with, they think 'Now, it's around here somewhere. Let's just look for it.'" Hear Joe explain more:

Eyes on the Skies: Field Report from Necedah

Here they come! Four Whoopers at Necedah, April 20, 2002. (Click to enlarge)

Landing by Their Pen.
Photos Copyright Wayne Kryduba.

These are the very first whooping cranes to migrate over eastern North America in over 100 years! Once again, a few lucky people with their eyes on the skies may look up and see whoopers soaring above. After writing the crane reports for all these exciting months, Journey North science writer Jane Duden--that's me--wanted to welcome the birds home. I made the 3-hour drive from Minneapolis to Necedah NWR early Saturday morning, binoculars and high hopes in hand. Soon after arriving on the Refuge, I saw Richard Urbanek drive by in his tracking vehicle with the antenna on top. I chose a spot that felt "lucky" and settled down to wait and watch. Four hours later Richard drove by again, calling, "They're here, I just don't know where!" With the leaves just beginning to bud, I had a good view of the pen site where the whoopers made their homecoming the evening before. I saw bluebirds, warblers, ducks, sandhill cranes, geese and more during the wait, as Necedah NWR offers thousands of acres of refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. Then, at 5:40 p.m. they came. I couldn't believe my eyes. High in the blue sky, a squadron of four gleaming white birds soared majestically, black wing-tips stark against the sky. They gracefully descended and landed right by their camouflaged pen! They stayed on the ground only two minutes on this glorious, breezy day. Then they rose again, taking off together, and began circling and soaring once more. They found a good thermal and kettled upwards in a wide circling pattern, higher and higher, until they were just specks in the sky. Then they vanished beyond the range of my binoculars, where I had "held" them for 10 breathtaking minutes. I would have returned to the refuge the next morning in hopes of another cherished sighting, but during the night a heavy spring snowfall began and continued through much of Sunday. The just-budding Refuge was blanketed in white, and visibility was poor. It was a good day for all the Refuge critters to hunker down and wait out the spring storm. Like them, I did the sensible thing and headed for home. Today is Earth Day, and the sight of those magnificent birds still makes my spirits soar.

Going, Going, Almost Gone: Field Report from Tom Stehn at Aransas

crane_Stehn02

Tom Stehn

Dear Journey North:
Although I was unable to fly this week to look for whooping cranes due to the pilot being sick, I think most of the cranes have migrated. None were found April 17 on Matagorda Island, and I did not find any on the refuge on April 18. I estimate about 100 whooping cranes have headed north in the last week. The weather lately has been ideal for migration, with some sun and strong southeast winds to push the birds north.

I'm thinking there are 25 or fewer whooping cranes still here, but really my mind has been more on the following incident: On April 13, a dead whooping crane was found in Comanche County west of Waco, Texas. It was color-banded with a small blue band on the right leg and is the adult female that since 1991 has wintered at Mustang Lake in front of the observation tower at Aransas. Thus, she was the crane that most refuge visitors got to see when they visit Aransas. This 15-year-old female nested 12 times in her life, hatched chicks in 8 of those years, but only brought chicks to Aransas three times. I'm hoping that two of those three chicks are still alive. If so, the female has passed her valuable genes on to the next generation, which is the goal of all biological life. You can see what a struggle it is for whooping cranes to build up their numbers since they are so slow at producing young.

The death of this crane leaves the size of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo whooping crane flock at 173. She was found near a power line, but wildlife law enforcement officers did not find any marks on her. The cause of death will be determined by the National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory when they examine her. The landowner finding the dead crane saw a live whooping crane nearby, which would have been her mate. The widowed bird will continue on to Canada and will probably re-mate quickly. I am very saddened by the loss of this bird just because I have been watching her for 15 years, saying hello and goodbye as she moved across North America.

As I write this on April 18, I am heartened by the thought of the five whooping cranes that followed the ultralight south last fall and are successfully in migration. All of them are right on course to return to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge where they started their journey last fall. It is a very exciting time for all of us who have worked to teach whooping cranes a migration and restore a migratory population to the eastern United States.

Tom Stehn
Whooping Crane Coordinator
USFWS

Mapping: Find These Western Flock Sightings
Wally Jobman of the USFWS in Nebraska keeps an official record of confirmed spring migration reports from bird watchers along the Aransas/Wood Buffalo migration route. The birds haven't yet reached Canada, but look at the list sent by Wally you'll see where they've been. Find the sightings on a U.S. map. Do you think these sightings indicate that the cranes are following their normal route? What was so notable and alarming about the sighting on April 13?

A Leg to Stand On: Challenge Question #22
Have you ever thought about what it's like to stand on one leg in water all night? Once again, we're back to adaptations. YOU aren't adapted to that, but a whooper is. Special adaptations of their legs and feet make roosting in water a cinch for whooping cranes.

 
 
You recall that getting the whoopers to roost in water at night was an important challenge for the cranes' monitoring team in Florida. Whenever the water in the pond in their pen was too high, the cranes looked for a more comfortable place to roost. Tom Stehn helped us think about this, saying: "I just walked over to our display specimens to measure whooping crane legs. Whooping crane legs are approximately 15-20 inches long depending on body size. Females are generally smaller than males. Feathers cover the top 2-3 inches of the leg. As a general rule, whoopers don't like to use water over about 20 inches. I have observed whooping cranes feeding in water that covers part of the feathers on the upper part of their legs. We design roosting ponds in captivity to be between 14-18 inches deep. I think of the cranes using water the way I do when I'm hiking the marsh. I wear hip boots that go halfway between my knees and my waist. I really don't want to get into water that will go over the top of my boots. The cranes also are not looking for deep water. But I don't think they mind getting their feathers in the water. After all, they will spend hours probing with their head and neck through a foot of water into the mud to eat clams, and they really make the water spray in all directions when they vigorously flap their wings and splash to bathe."

craneWCEP000

Photo Operation Migration

Now that you're thinking about a crane in water, how will you answer:

Challenge Question #22:
"An ornithologist looking at a crane's feet would know that even if this bird spends a lot of time in water, it isn't a swimmer. Why?"

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

Try This! The Match Game
How would you walk on soft, goopy mud without sinking in? Open a blue crab for dinner? Breathe while flying at high altitudes? Communicate with family over a mile away? A whooping crane easily does these things, thanks to special adaptations, but you probably need some help! Play this adaptations matching game as you imagine doing these tasks and more:

Going Solo: Discussion of Challenge Question #16
Last time we asked, "Why do you think #7 took off on her own? If she stays alone, what's your prediction for her migration to Wisconsin? Why?"

You came up with an amazing list of possible answers that included:
  • She was tired or injured or had an impaired body part.
  • She might have been getting picked on.
  • She was trying to be independent and more of a leader.
  • She might not have liked being with the other birds.
  • She might have been distracted by something that took her off course.
  • She didn't think the other four cranes were fast enough.
  • She wanted to prove that even though the others rejected her, she will make it.

"She was the most submissive and had already dropped out of the group on the journey south between stops 5 and 6 and 11 and 12," points out Hannah from Madison Eagle School, "so it didn't seem to me that it was a change in her personality to leave the other 4 cranes and fly by herself."

Thanks to everyone who responded to this question! Of course, we can only make educated guesses. Operation Migration's Heather Ray shared these thoughts with us: "As for why #7 broke off, its hard to say. It could very well have been a dominance issue. She was more subservient than the others and tended to stick pretty much to herself for the most part during the winter. I don't believe it was an I'm-too-tired-to-continue matter because after veering off, she continued flying for another two hours! Maybe she felt she knew a better shortcut? Were we worried? Of course! it's always reassuring to know that there are other sets of watchful eyes during the evening roost times. A lone crane is a vulnerable crane and could become prey for a predator."

Tom Stehn said #7 could re-join the group in Wisconsin, but also may not want to. "She left maybe because she was low in the social order and may prefer being a loner."

Like many of you, Kristin T. believes "She'll get there, but a little later. And fifth grader Hannah spoke for us all when she wrote, "However it turns out, I wish Crane #7 the best of luck!" We'll keep you posted.

A Look at the Satellite Data: Response to Challenge Question #17
"According to the satellite data, how many miles did the cranes fly between April 10 and April 14?"

The cranes flew approximately 111 miles (179 km) between the dates of April 10 and April 14. Did you notice that weather grounded them on 3 days? (They finally had a great flying day on the 14th, when they added 200 miles!)

Tracking Team on Duty: Discussion of Challenge Question #18
"What do experts hope to learn by tracking the birds on their return north? Think of as many reasons as you can."

Your answers showed a variety of excellent thinking! Maddy from Eagle School said experts could find out where the most dangerous parts of the route are and the average mileage for the cranes. Karen at Columbus Elementary in Appleton, WI, summed up the big idea: it would help experts learn the habits of the whooping crane so they can help make sure the cranes survive to reproduce. Laurel (Madison's Eagle School) said the experts would want to learn how closely the cranes will follow the route they took south, and to learn more about the cranes' individual personalities. Sally thought they would need to know if a bird is injured, or not flying, or if it died and why. "If they didn't track the whooping cranes they would have to rely on sightings that are not always accurate." Naomi believes it's important for experts to learn where some of the cranes' favorite resting spots are.

Joe Duff adds this to your ideas: "Tracking the cranes might help us design a more natural or accurate migration route in the fall for the next ultralight migration. If we can define a more natural route like the birds use in the wild, they are more apt to use it in the future. We hope they'll pick a natural site. If they stop at a site that's part of someone's property, we may decide we'll have to work with the landowners in order to protect that site for future migrations."

Lauren from Eagle School reminds us: "All these reasons (and more!) make this a great learning experience for experts and even just for somebody who like cranes!"

Two Worries for Tom: Discussion of Challenge Question #19
We told you last time about a member of the Aransas flock with an injured wing. "If you were biologist Tom Stehn, what might you do about the injured bird?"

Some of you hope Tom will try to get close enough to assess the damage to the wing and perhaps get medical help for the bird. A few students thought the bird should be taken to where the others are migrating. (Remember, for the Aransas cranes, this is all the way to Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada's wilderness.) This is Tom Stehn's answer:

"I haven't had time to investigate possibilities about the injured bird. We probably will let nature take its course, though I would prefer to catch the bird and have it examined. Unfortunately, catching a wild whooping crane is extremely difficult to do. The injured bird is a subadult, so is on no timetable to get to Canada. It could even conceivably spend the summer here and give the wing time to heal. The veterinarians I have talked to feel a wing that droops down sometimes will heal itself, given time. But I'm worried because it's been a couple months already and the wing doesn't look any better. But if the crane can fly weakly, it can survive all summer, and we'll have time to figure out what to do." Thanks, Tom!

Long Neck: Discussion of Challenge Question #20

Photo Operation Migration

We asked, "How is a crane's huge trachea like a tuba?"

Margaret from Eagle School in Madison nailed this question when she answered: The trachea is what allows the Whooping Crane to 'whoop.' The crane's trachea is quite long. It coils around, just like a tuba. When you blow into a tuba, it resonates the air that comes in, making sounds louder. The crane's long trachea works the same way. It lets the crane resonate sound." You can check this for yourself by visiting this page:

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 #21 (OR #22).
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions above.

The FINAL Crane Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 7, 2002.

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