Journey North Whooping Crane Spring 2003

Whooping Crane Migration Update: April 11, 2003

Today's Report Includes:

Migrating Chicks Slowed by the Weather

Last week, the group of 15 whoopers started winging north at record speed. Sara Zimorski, who wintered with them at Chassahowitzka NWR, reports: "The group of 15 cranes has been stuck in IN for the past several days--waiting for good migration weather, which should be coming within the next few days. Here in Baraboo (WI), it's warming up and the snow we got earlier this week is melting and will probably be gone by the time our cranes make it back to WI. If the weather's good, it might only take them another two days of flying to get here. After all, they went from Florida to Indiana in just three days. It could take an extra day or two for #14 to get back since she's a little farther behind (in Illinois)." What problems did the birds encounter? Which states have the 3 separate "paths" traveled though? Which birds are now closest to home (Wisconsin), where subadult yearlings #1, #2, and #6 are? Sara gives the latest daily details here:

April 4, Day 4

Landing!
Credit Richard Urbanek

The group of 15 whoopers (14 2002 chicks and subadult Crane #5-01) took off from the flooded field in Jackson County, IN at 1025, but landed back in the field at 1043. A cold front was moving into the area and the weather was becoming unsettled, not good for migrating. The birds remained in the field for the rest of the day and roosted there that night. Chick #9-02 was on her own migration path. Her exact roost location was not determined on April 3, but by 8:30am on April 4 she was already flying and was detected between Henry and Newton Counties, GA. She was found circling over lakes in Dawson County, GA later in the day and then continued north. Unfortunately the plane had to land due to bad weather so tracking was discontinued. Also migrating alone, Crane #14-02 left her roost site in Carroll County, GA at 1030, but encountered rain and landed in Jackson County, Alabama by 1:30.

April 5, Day 5
The group of 15 remained in Jackson County, IN. They spent the day in the flooded field and also fed in nearby harvested cornfields. Crane #9-02 was found on her roost site in Fannin County, GA at 1050. She circled over this area for a while and moved a short distance north before landing and roosting in Union County, GA. Crane #14-02 was found in flight east of her roost site in Jackson County, Alabama a little after 11:00. She flew north and crossed the TN state line around 2:00. At 6:53 she landed in a pond and roosted in Bedford County, TN.

April 6, Day 6
The group of 15 remained in Jackson County, IN where the sky was overcast and the winds were out of the north. #9-02 was observed at her roost site in Union County, GA (in the north GA mountains) at 8:40. She took flight at 8:52 and headed northeast. Her signal was last heard at 12:50. #14-02 left her roost in Bedford County, TN, but the plane was not able to track her due to rain and thunderstorms.

April 7, Day 7

Jackson Co. IN
Credit richard Urbanek

The group of 15 remained in Jackson County, IN. At dusk a pair of sandhill cranes showed up and the whoopers threatened and chased them, but the sandhills stuck around and remained there to roost with the whooping cranes. #9-02 was not found. Lara searched for her from the plane in parts of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, but never heard her signal. #14-02 was detected in flight by the plane at 1:00 and landed to roost in Hopkins County, KY at 6:28

April 8, Day 8
The group of 15 remained in Jackson County, IN. The pair of sandhills showed up again at dusk and were again chased by the whooping cranes. As the whoopers settled down for the night the sandhills walked in and roosted with them without getting chased off. #9-02 was not found. #14-02 left her roost site at 9:45 and landed in Hardin County, Illinois at 2:30.

April 9, Day 9
The group of 15 cranes remained in Jackson County, IN. The sky was overcast and winds were 10-20 mph out of the north, unsuitable for migrating. Only one of the sandhill cranes was in the area today and the whooping cranes continued to harass the bird with threatening and chasing. Crane #9-02 was not found, and weather conditions have prevented aerial searching for the past few days. Crane #14-02 did not continue migration today. This is the first day since she began migration on 1 April that she did not make a significant flight. She remained in the pond/cornfield where she spent the previous night in Hardin County, Illinois, for most of the day but moved to roost at a site 1.5 miles north of the previous night's roost. A visual observation of this location could not be made.

April 10, Day 10
I just talked to Richard a short while ago, and the group of 15 cranes has taken flight several times, but the flights have been short and local and the birds have returned to the field. Once again the conditions are not good for migrating; the sky is overcast, and the winds are out of the north. However, the conditions are better elsewhere. Apparently #14-02 is flying again today and being tracked by Colleen in the truck. The better weather also means Lara and the pilot can fly again to try and locate #9-02.

Why doesn?t the map show a location for Crane #14 on April 6? Which bird(s) do you think will reach Wisconsin first? Make a prediction!

Tracking Troubles and Missing Crane #9
Sara reports:

CRANE #9 is a small and submissive female.

"As of right now, we don't know where #9 is and we'll probably have to wait till someone sees her or she shows up back here; or we might get lucky and hear her while the other birds are being tracked. Unfortunately, once a signal is lost it's hard to find again, because there's lots of places a crane could be and it's hard to search all of them, even from an airplane. The other problem with tracking #9 is that she was last seen/heard in the Georgia mountains, which is a hard area to track through. In areas like this the radio signal bounces off the mountains and down in the valleys, additionally, the mountains and trees can block the signal so it can't be heard. This makes it very difficult to find and determine the direction of the signal, and it can be quite confusing and frustrating for the trackers. So for now we know where 16 of the 17 birds are, and we're glad the group of 15 is staying together. It would be much harder to keep track of them if they had split up any further. Richard, Colleen, and Lara will keep following the 16 birds, and of course will continue listening and looking for #9."

2001 birds: Four out of Five Locations Known
Cranes #1 and 2 are still at Necedah. Crane #6 is still in Dodge County, WI. Female subadult #7 is still unaccounted for, and was last seen in central IN on March 17.

Crane #6 Clears "His" Area in Dodge County, Wisconsin

Among Sandhills, #6 clears his area!

Jeff Bahls, whose photos you see here, gives this fun report on April 9: "I went back last evening to watch the cranes return to the roost. I got there around 7PM, when only a hand full of cranes were there. I was up to 88 when the landowner pulled up and we chatted for a while. She hadn't seen the bird yet. As if on cue, #6 drops in at 7:45 PM. When he landed he took a couple of drinks from the wetland. Then he proceeded to clear "his" area. Anything within a step and a poke got it."

Shhhh! Crane Caution, Please!
The cranes have been stuck at their Indiana location for several days. Word got out and sometimes 5-6 vehicles showed up on the county road by the cranes? wetland. That's not a great concern in itself, but it becomes a huge concern when people get out of their cars to look, or take pictures or video. They're excited about what they're seeing. They chat excitedly with the other onlookers. THAT?s the problem: voices carry. As we wish for a glimpse of these magnificent birds, Heather Ray reminds us: "Remember these cranes have been costume-raised and have never seen an un-costumed human, nor have they heard human voices. They have a tentative hold on wildness and it is in their best interests to fear and avoid anything "human." People can best help this reintroduction succeed by keeping the cranes wary and wild.

Challenge Question #10:
"What steps have been taken to ensure the Eastern whoopers remain wild from the time they hatched? What might be some consequences for the flock and the reintroduction program if people now approach or feed these cranes? What are your ideas for preventing human interference?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
TIP: For help in answering this question, please see topics here:

Whooping Crane Lessons and Activities

Tom Stehn Reports From Aransas: Reverse Migration?

Dear Journey North:
"Oops! I actually found more whooping cranes at Aransas this week (a total of 121) than I had last week (116). How could that be? Had the cranes gotten tired of cold feet after encountering snow and ice in Nebraska and retreated back to the warmth of Texas? Although ducks will sometimes make a short reverse migration when encountering frozen conditions, I?ve never heard of this happening with whooping cranes. They can tolerate the cold very well."

Why does Tom think he found more cranes this week? Tom says that normally most pairs are gone by April 15, and all pairs by April 20. How are the cranes still at Aransas going to catch up with those already in North Dakota and get to the nesting grounds in time to lay eggs and raise young? Why did so few cranes migrate in the past few days? Why does Tom expect so many to leave this weekend?

Read Tom Stehn's Full Report here.

You?ll find this double Challenge Question for you in Tom?s full report:

Challenge Question #11:
"How do cranes survive the long migration with most of their time spent flying? And how do cranes survive sitting on eggs for 30 days with the crane on the nest unable to feed?"

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

Wally Reports Whoopers Over the Midwest
"There were 6-12 inches of snow over most of Nebraska on Sunday. Birds seem to be moving in spite of the weather conditions. Should be good migration weather starting April 9," said Wally. If you live along the Aransas/Wood Buffalo migration path, keep yours eyes on the skies and you might get lucky! Here?s where they?ve been seen:

Confirmed Whooping Crane Sightings, Spring 2003
Date	# of Birds	Location Description
Mar 31-Apr 5	3(family)	Sherman, NE Middle Loup River 2 miles northwest of Rockville
Apr 3-4	2	Buffalo, NE Platte River, 0.5 mile east of the Minden bridge
Apr 4-5	3(family)	Custer, NE Middle Loup River, 1 mile south of Comstock
Apr 5	2	Custer, NE Flying 1.25 miles south of Comstock
Apr 5	2	Valley, NE Middle Loup River, 2 miles southeast of Arcadia
Apr 5	2	Dawson, NE Platte River, 2.5 miles east of the Lexington bridge
Apr 6-7	2	Burleigh, ND 2 miles west of Menoken
Apr 7	3(family)	Mountrai,l ND 10 miles southwest of Ross
Apr 8	2	Dawson, NE Platte River, 2.5 miles east of the Lexington Bridge

The primary migration route through Nebraska is a narrow swath about 140 miles wide. Migration may take two to six weeks. Whooping cranes migrate in the daytime and make regular stops for the night to feed and rest. Some stopovers last only one night, others up to four weeks. Whooping cranes migrate as individuals, pairs, family groups or small flocks of up to 11 birds. Parents and the young of the previous year separate upon departure from Aransas NWR, while en route to the breeding grounds, or soon after arrival on the breeding grounds. How many families have been seen migrating in the sightings above?

Where Can You See (and Report) Whooping Cranes?

Migration: A Dangerous Journey
Whooping cranes migrate north to nest and raise young to take advantage of the tremendous food resources in the northern marshes. Dragonfly larvae are everywhere to feed to the young chicks, and the ponds are full of minnows for Mom and Pop to eat. But there is a cost to pay for this summer visit to the grocery store--namely migration. It's not just a five- minute trip to the local store, but (for the Aransas/Wood Buffalo flock) a 2,400-mile migration on a trip that can take as long as a month. The cranes work up quite an appetite during this migration since they often fly 6-8 hours a day. This doesn't leave much time for finding food. And the migration period is when the cranes encounter the most danger. We think that between 60 and 80 % of all deaths of fledged whooping cranes occur during migration.

What do you think is the Number One danger to migrating cranes? Write your thoughts in your journal, then compare as Tom Stehn reveals that answer and more, here:

Migration: A Dangerous Journey

TEACHER TIP: Use our new Reading/Writing Lesson with this short, high-interest nonfiction selection. Choose from a menu of options as you read, revisit, reflect, make Connections or offer Writers Workshop. Here?s one of several ideas:

Revisit the selection to identify each of the dangers described in the text. Invite students to create a Two-Column Chart for the information they collect. In the left column, list the dangers whooping cranes face during the migratory journey. In the right column, invite students to write personal responses for each danger listed. Ask questions to elicit students? responses: Which dangers are "manmade? How could the dangers be reduced or eliminated? What creative solutions are needed to make the migratory routes less arduous for the cranes?

How Many Miles? Discussion of Challenge Question #8

Daphne (left) plays in a girls' band when she's not at her computer.

Last time we asked you to look at satellite migration data for the first 24 hours and answer: "How many miles did the group of 15 cranes cover on their first day of migration?"

Daphne is the GIS Specialist who makes all the Journey North migration maps. She shares how she found the answer: "I measured the distance between Chassahowitzka and Lee County, GA using my GIS and WWW-based "Distance Calculator." (With the question, we provided a link for a lesson that takes you to the WWW-based "Distance Calculator." That URL was http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/DistanceLatLong.html).

Daphne continues: "Using my GIS, I came up with 231 miles (371.75km). Using the WWW-based "Distance Calculator," I came up with 230 miles (370.15km). This calculator switches the latitude value a BIT, so it's a little different, but the answers are quite close. I looked into the actual location data in Lee County and still come up with 231 miles." Thanks, Daphne! And WAY TO GO, cranes!

NOTE: If you calculate the distance manually and use the distances you come up with while looking at a map (process described in the Latitude, Longitude and Distance Traveled lesson), you should be close to 230/235 miles, but not exact. (Eyeballing on a map is never exact.)

Birds on the Brain: Discussion of Challenge Question #9
Last time we asked: "Why do you think the whooping cranes in the new Eastern flock are given numbers rather than names, like the manatees that are tracked by Journey North?"

You know that these birds are part of a migration experiment, when losses are not unexpected. Would giving them names make any losses even more poignant? Maybe that?s part of the answer, but here?s more from our friend Rachel at the International Crane Foundation. See how you feel about her explanation:

Eastern Flock: Nonessential Experimental

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 #10 (OR #11).
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 18, 2003.