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FINAL Whooping Crane Migration Update: May 7, 2002

Today's Report Includes:

Crane #7 Home Again
Did you see our News Flash about lone female Crane #7 arriving at her fledging grounds at Necedah on May 3? Third graders from Mrs. Koontz's class in Bowie, Maryland wrote: "We have been following the whooping cranes' travels because we live very nearPatuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland where they were born [hatched]. We were very excited to hear that they landed in Wisconsin in the very place where they were raised. Wow!"

Wow, indeed! Now we can celebrate the end of a historic and successful migration! All five of the young whooping cranes who survived their 1225-mile, ultralight-led migration south and their first winter in Florida also survived their first journey north. These birds will become the founding members of a new flock that will migrate once again over eastern North America after more than a century of absence. Without human assistance, they will depart in the fall and return each spring for the rest of their lives. When old enough, they'll lay eggs and raise chicks to help the flock grow. Imagine! You may look upward during future migrations and see these cranes or their children or grandchildren flying majestically overhead. Whoopers are finally back in the East, and we heartily congratulate all the hard-working scientists, pilots, ground crew, trainers and followers--like YOU--who helped get this bold migration experiment off the ground and soaring. Our final report of the season brings the latest crane migration news from BOTH flocks, and tells you what's next. But first. . .

True or False? Things to Know About This Historic Season

Photo Operation Migration

Check your knowledge! If you don't know the answers already, read carefully to find them throughout this report.
  1. Ultralight planes led the tiny Eastern flock from Wisconsin to Florida because there are no adult wild cranes there to teach them the migration route. T or F?
  2. The Western flock's journey north is about 2,500 miles, while the Eastern flock's is less than half that distance. T or F?
  3. Experts chose a Wisconsin to Florida migration route because whoopers flew a similar route over a century ago and it's far from the other flock's migration route. T or F?
  4. With the return of the "Florida Five," the first season of the experiment to reintroduce whooping cranes to eastern North America was a success. T or F?
  5. Now that the ultralights showed the cranes the Eastern migration route last fall, the planes won't be used any more. T or F?
  6. The five whoopers at Necedah will lay eggs and raise their own chicks this year. T or F?

Almost-Birthday-Birds Practice Being Wild
No more pens for the five nearly-grown whooping cranes now at Necedah. They're on their own! This is the time for them to practice their wildness for real. These whoopers, hatched in May 2001, will soon be having a birthday. In terms of human lives, these birds are not quite teenagers--at least, they're not yet interested in dating. Whooping cranes usually start forming pairs while they are two and three years old, and probably won't nest till they're four or five. These five captive-reared cranes have already spent a lot of time together, and so may start pairing a bit sooner than wild-reared ones would--but this flock is a first, so no one is sure what's going to happen!

We DO know that during the next few months they will break their bond with humans, fine-tune their survival skills, and become as free and independent as nature intended. During their journey north, they selected proper habitat and avoided people. They appeared to be thriving on natural food that they found by themselves. These cranes we've watched so closely

Freedom, Liberty, Courage
Copyright Wayne Kryduba

may live 20 to 30 years, and they will be the ancestors of what we hope will be a thriving Eastern flock. During their lifetime, we hope the Western flock (now 173 whooping cranes) will maintain and add to its numbers. But the two flocks will never meet. This is necessary to prevent the spread of any diseases among them, and to protect the entire species from being wiped out by a storm or disaster. We wish them well.

Try This! Discussion or Journaling
The sculpture in the photo stands on the new Eastern flock's summer grounds at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. The name of this sculpture is Freedom, Liberty, and Courage. Why do you think the title of this crane sculpture is a good one for Necedah NWR?

Try This! Journaling Question
With birds, as with humans, most individuals behave pretty much alike, but some, such as Crane #7, do unique things that set them apart. Sometimes this "odd" behavior doesn't make a difference. But every now and then when a bird does something unique and starts up a whole new strategy for survival. For example, extremely bad weather can sometimes kill robins that migrate early in the season. But when weather is good, early robins have first crack at territories, start nesting sooner, and raise more babies than other robins. Can you think of advantages to Crane #7 being different from her cohorts? Disadvantages? Do you think her behavior will help or hurt her in the long run? Do you think it will help or hurt the crane population in the long run?

Now think about your own life. What are the advantages of always sticking with your friends? What are the disadvantages? What are the advantages (and disadvantages) of going your OWN way?

What's Next for the New Eastern Flock?
This year's exciting events are just the beginning! The partners in the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) have a multi-year plan to bring the whooping cranes back to eastern North America, where they have been extirpated for over a century. That means you can watch the story unfold with ultralight migrations each fall for another four or five years! ICF aviculturalist Kelly Maguire explains WCEP's plan to build up the flock's core population:

Right now, a new "class of crane students" is hatching at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland. At this writing, eight chicks are already hatched and taking "ground school" lessons with Dan Sprague. Operation Migration is hoping to lead as many as 18 young whoopers south in fall 2002. This year's new chicks will follow the same route the now-famous "Florida Five" flew behind ultralight pilots Joe Duff and Deke Clark in fall 2001. You'll meet and follow these newly-hatched chicks when you join us again for Journey South!

Just Hatched, Tired and Wet
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Chick Hatching, Next Fall's Flock
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Heather Ray and Son Chase Make Puppet Heads

Finished puppet Head, Others "In Progress"



If you followed Journey South last fall, you may remember that we asked you to journal about why the reintroduction project is important. Now we share lead pilot Joe Duff's thoughts on that question. Beyond saving the whooping crane from extinction, what other benefits does Joe believe will come from this project? How do Joe's thoughts compare with yours? Listen to find out:

Meanwhile, 173 whoopers may still be in the skies between Texas and Canada, or nearing their summer nesting grounds in Canada's far north wilderness.

All Cranes Gone: Field Report from Aransas
Tom Stehn reported to us all season on the world's only existing migratory breeding flock of wild whooping cranes. (Reminder: the new Eastern flock is migratory, but not yet old enough to breed.) The Western flock spends each winter under Tom's watchful eyes at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, as they have since long before it became a wildlife refuge in 1937. Tom wrote to us last week after his aerial survey on April 23. Read what Tom found, and why he thinks juveniles from this flock face the hazards of the 2500-mile migration to Canada even though they're too young to mate and raise chicks:

What's new? Tom found NO whooping cranes during his census flight on May 2. "The last two birds that had been present at Aransas on April 23 have migrated. This was a relief since it indicated all the birds were healthy enough to start the migration. The one whooping crane that I had been watching all winter with an injured wing apparently could fly and is thought to have started the migration in mid-April."

This is good news and Tom explains why: "Whooping cranes are on a tight schedule when they leave Aransas. They have to fly 2,500 miles, build a nest, lay eggs, incubate the eggs for 30 days, raise chicks that need about 80 days to get big enough to fly, allow the chicks time to build up flight endurance, and then migrate by early October to beat the start of northern Canada's winter. To remain on schedule, the cranes must leave Aransas by April 20th in order to complete the 2-3 week migration and be sitting on a nest by May 15th. Successful nests are all hatched by June 15." Where are the Aransas/Wood Buffalo (Western) whoopers now?

Canada, Here They Come!
Crane_biol_BJohns

Brian Johns, Canadian Wildlife Service

Wally Jobman keeps track of sightings of the Western flock's migration between Texas and Canada. Last week, Wally had decided that all the whoopers were in Canada after a quick migration with no major storm events. But on May 2, Wally received a confirmed sighting of 7 birds flying over Kintyre, ND. At least a FEW people were lucky enough to get a glimpse of these magnificent birds on their spring migration to Canada, and we've updated our sightings list. The birds are headed for Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP).

Biologist Brian Johns of the Canadian Wildlife Service awaits the birds on their Canadian nesting grounds, a vast wilderness half the size of Indiana. WBNP is located in Alberta and the Northwest Territories of Canada. Brian tells us that about 40 whoopers were sighted in Saskatchewan during the last week of April, in small groups of 1-4 birds. What will these whoopers find as they arrive?

Western Flock: Field Report from the Nesting Grounds

Winter at WBNP May 3, 2002
Courtesy Mark Bradly

Brian Johns borrows a line from a popular Christmas song to report, "The weather outside is frightful." To prove it, here's a photo taken May 3 out the front window of the Wood Buffalo National Park office in Fort Smith. "If the cranes are thinking about migrating today, they will be looking at going south," said Brian. "Current conditions are -14 C with an expected high today of -9. Saturday's predicted high is -11C with snow. Nesting ponds are frozen to the bottom." Weather conditions all spring have been colder than normal, resulting in a later than usual spring thaw on the whooping crane nesting grounds in Wood Buffalo National Park. The lateness of the season will probably delay the cranes nesting activity by several days. Furthermore, Brian says snowfall during the winter was 30% - 40% below normal, which will lead to dryer than normal conditions for spring 2002.

What concerns might Brian Johns and Tom Stehn have about the success of the 2002 breeding season? Some clues are above, and there are more below.

Hey, Baby! The Next Generation
The whole reason for migration is to reach a favorable area for nesting and raising the next generation. The chicks aren't here yet, and the weather will likely delay the nesting season. Cranes build new nests soon after they arrive at Wood Buffalo. Brian describes them: "The nests are built in water and are about 1 metre across. Some nests are built from the bottom of the pond up while others are floating. The top of the nest is usually about 10 cm above the surface of the water. Preferred locations are ones that contain suitable nesting material, such as bulrush, sedge or cattails in about 15-30 cm of water."

After the head-bobbing, bowing, leaping, flapping, grass tossing, and trumpeting of courtship, a female crane aged 4 years or older will usually lay two eggs. Each is cream or olive in color, and marked with brown. The eggs are large (about 3.9 inches or 98 mm long). They are also very valuable, as cranes have just one brood each season. The male and female will incubate the eggs for 29-31 days. Chicks weigh about 5 ounces at hatching. When two chicks hatch, they compete aggressively for the attention of their parents, and it's rare for both chicks to fledge.

Remembering the Nyarling Female
Last time Tom Stehn told us of the powerline death of a female whooper near Waco, Texas as she started her journey north. Because of where she and her mate wintered on the Aransas Refuge, they were known as the Nyarling-Mustang Lake pair. Tom confirmed: "A necropsy of the adult female whooping crane killed in Texas April 13th indicated trauma with internal bleeding as the cause of death, consistent with striking a power line near where the bird was found. I'm going to think long and hard about this power line issue since it is the number one cause of death of migrating whooping cranes. The line this bird hit was very low and next to an isolated field and NOT the type of line that usually gets marked to make them more visible. The power line situation is a real hazard that whooping cranes and many other types of birds face as the natural world which they need in order to survive gets developed."

Brian Johns knew this valued bird from her years on the nesting grounds. He writes, "The news of the Nyarling female's death was sad. This bird was hatched in June of 1986 along the Klewi River in Wood Buffalo National Park. She was banded orange on the left leg and red-over-blue on the right leg in August of that year. This 16-year-old female likely had another 5-6 years of reproductive life ahead of her. She had nested 12 times and produced 3 offspring. Collisions with power lines are a major problem with migrating cranes. Several have been known to have hit these lines during migration. A number of other birds go missing each year and we never know what happens to them. Knowing the cause of the death of this bird is important and will help us to work with power companies to mark lines in areas that are known whooping crane stop over locations. The marking of power lines should help reduce the number of collisions in the future. I will be searching her old territory in mid May to see if her mate has returned to the territory and also to see if he has found a new mate."

Try This! How Many Chicks?
During this female's lifetime, she had nested 12 times and produced 3 offspring. How many eggs or chicks had she most likely produced that died? (HINT: See Hey, Baby! The Next Generation for a clue.)

Faster North than South: Discussion of 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."

A LOT of students reasoned through this question! Many of you made guesses about the cranes being in good shape after feeding for the whole winter. This explains why they flew so far so fast this spring, but doesn't really compare the spring flight with the autumn one. After all, they were in good shape when they left Necedah last fall, too. Adults are sometimes more depleted in fall, after raising babies, but these whoopers didn't have that job last year. Some students suggested that the cranes were in a hurry to get north so they could mate. The problem with this idea is that cranes must be 3-5 years old before they're capable of or interested in mating.

Hannah, from the Eagle School in Madison, Wisconsin, made one suggestion but cautioned us, "This is a silly one. They had spring fever!!!!" Actually, spring fever IS part of the reason the cranes were in a rush. Something "deep in the bones" of wild birds makes them very restless in spring, and makes the spring migration for many species faster than the fall migration.

Several students noted that the cranes were older and more experienced in spring than they had been in fall, and more familiar with their environment. The cranes also knew precisely where they were going. Many students also remembered that the weather last fall was pretty bad. Rain, storms, fog, and winds from the wrong direction meant there were many days that the cranes (and ultralights) couldn't fly at all. Weather was more cooperative this spring.

But the very most important reasons, which several students hinted at, were due to the fact that in fall the cranes had to follow the ultralight. Cooper from the Eagle School in Madison, WI, noted, "If something wrong happens (like what happened to crane #7) on the way south they would have stopped. But on the way north there is nothing they can do." Brittany noted, "In the journey north, the cranes had a day when they flew for 8 hours! In the journey south the longest day was 2 hours and 9 minutes. On the journey south they spent 23 days grounded."

A really important thing about following the ultralight is that the cranes had to FLAP. When wild whooping cranes normally migrate, they choose days with good thermals, and can go long distances while flapping very little. That allows them to cover more ground each day. The cranes following the ultralight were not riding thermals, and with the flapping they had to do, they naturally got tired out fairly quickly. And the ultralight could only land in specific places where the cranes would be safe from human disturbance. So that migration was stretched out over several weeks, while the spring migration took only a few days!

Not a Swimmer: Discussion of 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?"

Again, thanks to everyone who sent answers to this question about crane adaptations. ALL of you were right! Birds that swim have webbed feet. As Amy from Eagle School in Madison pointed out, " One can tell that cranes don't have webbed feet because of the picture provided next to the question."

How Did You Do?
The answers to our true/false quiz at the beginning of the report: Questions 1-4 are TRUE. Questions 5 and 6 are FALSE.

Year-End Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts!
Please take a few minutes to share your suggestions and comments in our Year-End Evaluation Form below. The information you provide at the end of each year is the single most important tool used to guide our planning.

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This is the FINAL Crane Migration Update. See You Next Year!

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