Whooping Crane Migration Update: April 18, 2003
Today's Report Includes:
- Migrating Chicks on the GO!
- 2001 birds: Four out of Five Locations Known
- Tom Stehn Reports From Aransas: Sudden Departure!
- Wally Reports Whoopers Over the Midwest
- Fitting in with Their World: Whooping Crane Adaptations
- Keeping Them Wild: Discussion of Challenge Question #10
- Thriving While Skipping Meals: Discussion of Challenge Question #11
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What a busy week for cranes! Sara Zimorski, the Aviculturist at the International Crane Foundation, sent us this report, filled with exciting and good news. Can you follow Sara's report on the map?
April 10, Day 10
With winds out of the north at 15-22mph, conditions remained unsuitable for the group of 15 cranes to continue their migration. They remained in Jackson County, Indiana, feeding in harvested cornfields and roosting in the flooded field, where they've been for the past week. One Sandhill Crane roosted with them again tonight despite being chased and harassed by them earlier in the evening.
#9-02 has not been located since early on 6 April.
#14-02 continued her migration today after taking yesterday off, her first break since the migration began on April 1. She left her roost in Hardin County, Illinois and headed northwest, but she made very slow progress due to the strong northern winds. By 2:00 she was no longer making forward progress and she spent the next 3 hours circling over an area in southern Illinois. At 5:04 she landed to roost at a pond in Jackson County, Illinois.
#6-01 who had been in Dodge County, Wisconsin, was detected in flight today during an aerial search as he flew to Necedah NWR.
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| #'s
5-01, and chicks 2-02, 4-02, 13-02, and 18-02 at roost on a partially drawndown lake in Montgomery and Parke Counties, Indiana. These birds had been part of the group of fifteen, but took off and continued their migration on Friday, leaving the ten others behind. Photo by Richard Urbanek |
April 11,
Day 11
Today, for the first time in over a week the sky was clear over
central Indiana and though the wind was still out of the north the group
of 15 birds took off at 9:21. Five of the birds (#5-01
and chicks 2, 4, 13, and 18) began migrating north while
the other ten (chicks 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, and 17)
kept flying, riding thermals for about an hour before landing back in
the flooded field. The group of five made slow progress flying into a
headwind and only flew 97 miles in 7.3 hours. They landed at 4:40 and
spent the night in a partially drawndown lake in
Montgomery and Parke Counties, Indiana
#9-02 has not been located since early on 6 April.
Cloud cover in the mountains has continued to prevent aerial searching.
#14-02 left her roost in Jackson County, Illinois, at
10:17 and headed north. The sky was clear, but again the wind was out
of the north so she also made slower progress than usual, and flew just
131 miles in 10 hours. She landed after dark at 8:15 and roosted on a
lake in Sangamon County, Illinois.
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| Busy
day on April 12! #5-01, and chicks 2-02, 4-02, 13-02, and 18-02 at roost on April 12 in a quarry in LaSalle County, Illinois. |
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| Here they are
again in the quarry where they roosted on the evening of April 12. Photos by Richard Urbanek |
Skies were clear over all our crane areas today, but the wind was again strong out of the N/NE, however it shifted to E in the late afternoon over Indiana and Illinois .
The group of five birds that split from the original group of fifteen yesterday, left their roost at 8:34. The crossed into Illinois around 1:00 and landed to roost in a quarry in LaSalle County, Illinois at 6:51. The had flown for 10.3 hours and covered 153 miles.
The group of ten chicks left behind yesterday must have had enough of Indiana as well, because they headed out at 9:55. The crossed into Illinois around 5:00 and landed at the edge of a pond in Douglas County, Illinois at 6:38. They had flown for 8.7 hours and covered 143 miles.
#14-02 was up in the air at 9:30, but decided to make it a short day and landed a little after 1:00 in Mason County, Illinois. She landed on the shore of a lake and spent the rest of the day and night there.
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CRANE #9-02, a small
and submissive female, was found again!. |
By far the most exciting news of the weekend is that #9-02 was found! For the first time since April 6, when she was last seen/heard, the weather was good, the clouds lifted, and the plane was able to fly to try to find her. We hoped if it was a good day for the plane to fly it might also be a good day for a crane to fly. If #9-02 was flying it would be much easier to detect her signal, and with both bird and plane in the air the signal can be heard from a much greater distance. This is exactly what happened and at 8:40 tracking intern Lara heard #9-02. Less than an hour later they caught up to her and saw her flying, heading ENE. She landed around 3:30 in a flooded cornfield in Wilkes County, North Carolina and stayed there to roost for the night.
When the group of five birds left Indiana yesterday Richard went with them, leaving the group of 10 on their own. However, Richard has family that lives near that area so he recruited his brother-in-law to check on them. When he came over in the morning, Brad was just planning on checking the birds, but since they left he ended up following and tracking them all day, while Richard, Lara, and Colleen each tracked their own birds.
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| #5-01,
and chicks 2-02, 4-02, 13-02, and 18-02 on a mudflat at Necedah NWR. They completed their migration when they landed here at 4:30 near one of the training sites where the chicks are raised during the summer. Photo by Richard Urbanek |
April
13, Day 13
Once again the sky was clear and the winds were finally out of the south
(in Illinois and Wisconsin) giving the birds a great tailwind to help
push them north. This must have been a nice and welcome break since most
of them had been fighting a headwind for the last few days.
The group of five (#5-01 and chicks 2, 4, 13, and 18) left their roost at 9:30. They crossed into Wisconsin around 12:30 and completed their migration when they landed at Necedah NWR, near one of the training sites, at 4:30. On their last day of migration they covered 189 miles in 7 hours, compared to 153 miles in over 10 hours the previous day when winds were out of the north. A tailwind sure makes a big difference. Migration was completed after 13 days, 6 of which the birds actually flew.
When the group of ten left Indiana yesterday we decided to call in a second plane generously offered and donated by Windway Capital Corporation, who was already supplying the first plane and pilot currently tracking #9-02 in North Carolina. ICF reseach associate Anne Lacy, who helped Richard track the 2001 birds back last year, flew down with Windway pilot Charles to help with the tracking effort. The group of ten (chicks # 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, and 17) left their roost in Douglas County, Illinois a little after 7:00. Around 1:15 while in flight the group split up into a group of three: chicks 1, 11, and 12, and a group of seven: chicks 3, 5, 7, 8, 15, 16, and 17.
The group of three crossed into Wisconsin at 2:34 and landed in a large marsh in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin at 5:31. They had flown 279 miles in 10.4 hours.
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| #'s
3, 5, 7, 8, 15, 16, and 17 at their roost site in Wood County, Wisconsin
on April 13. This group flew over Necedah NWR then continued flying north before landing to roost at a private cranberry farm. Photo by Richard Urbanek |
Meanwhile the group of seven was headed towards Necedah NWR, but when they reached the refuge at 5:25 they kept going, and eventually landed on a private cranberry farm in Wood County, Wisconsin at 6:50. They had flown 316 miles in 10.3 hours, then an additional straightline distance of 14 miles in 1.4 hours to reach their roost location. They too had finished their migration after 13 days, 8 of which were spent on the ground waiting for better weather, so they actually covered the 1200+ miles between Chassahowitzka and central Wisconsin in just 5 days.
#9-02 remained in a flooded cornfield in Wilkes County, North Carolina.
#14-02 left Mason County, Illinois, in late morning. She was aerially tracked, but tonight's roost site was not determined.
April 14, Day 14
The group of five (#5-01, and chicks 2,
4, 13, and 18) spent the day on the refuge in the general area
where they had landed and completed their migration the previous evening.
The group of three (chicks 1, 11, and 12) remained at the large marsh in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin where they roosted the previous evening. During the day they spent time in local corn and hayfields. There are many sandhill cranes in this area and the three whoopers were often seen stalking and chasing them throughout the day.
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| Seven
chicks #'s 3, 5, 7, 8, 15, 16, and 17 left the cranberry farm and returned to Necedah on the morning of April 14. Photo by Richard Urbanek |
The group of seven (chicks # 3, 5, 7, 8, 15, 16, and 17) left the cranberry farm this morning and flew a short distance south to the Necedah NWR. They spent most of the day near one of the training sites, but not the same one as the group of five cranes.
#9-02 remained in the flooded cornfield in Wilkes County, North Carolina.
#14-02 was lost yesterday afternoon during the tracking of all the different groups of birds, so today Anne and Charles searched again from the air but were not able to locate her.
This morning a local citizen called ICF to report seeing a single whooping crane with a large number of sandhill cranes in Waushara County, Wisconsin. Our receptionist gave me the message and after looking at a map I realized this location wasn't too far from where Colleen was with the three chicks. I called Colleen, gave her the information, and asked her to check it out if she had time. The three chicks were content to stay put and chase sandhills for the day so Colleen was able to get away and follow up on the sighting. The sighting was valid, there was a single whooping crane in that area, #7-01, who had last been seen in central Indiana on March 17. The other good news aside from finding her is that her transmitter still works, at least for now.
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This is of
chicks 1, 11, and 12 with three |
April 15, Day 15
While most of the birds settle back into life at Necedah,
the group of three chicks continued migrating further north. At 9:11 they
left the marsh Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin where they'd been since arriving
back in Wisconsin on April 13. The sky was clear and winds were out of
the south, so the group took off and flew northward until encountering
a massive cold front with thunderstorms and a 40 degree drop in temperature.
At this point they landed in Oconto County after flying 91 miles in 4.1
hours.
#9-02 remained in the flooded cornfield in Wilkes County,
North Carolina.
#14-02's location is currently unknown. She was last
detected in Mason County, Illinois on April 13.
#1-01, 5-01, and 6-01 and chicks 2, 3, 4, 5,
7, 8, 13, 15, 16, 17, and 18 were all present at Necedah today.
April 16, Day 16
Chicks 1, 11, and 12 remained in Oconto County, Wisconsin.
#1-01, #5-01, and #6-01 and chicks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 15, 16, 17, and 18 remained at Necedah NWR.
#9-02 remained in Wilkes County, North Carolina.
#14-02's location is currently unknown.
2001 birds: What are they up to?
We know #1-01 and #2-01 have been at Necedah since they completed their spring migration and refuge biologist Rich King has been checking on them. After spending last year and all winter together these two birds have apparently separated. #2-01 cannot be tracked because her radio's no longer work, but we've been able to keep track of her because she's stayed with #1-01. Even though she's no longer spending time with #1-01 we're still keeping tabs on her and she's been spotted several times around the refuge. Now they've been joined at the refuge by #5-01 and #6-01. And female #7-01 is in Waushara County, Wisconsin hanging out with Sandhill Cranes.
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Not only do we have to keep track of all the WCEP Whooping Cranes, there's also the wild migratory flock that wintered in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. And this week they're suddenly just as much on the move as the WCEP birds. Tom Stehn sent us this report:
April 16
Dear Journey North:
"It has happened, and all in a hurry. Between April 10th and April
15th, 114 whooping cranes started the migration from the Texas Coast.
This is more than half the flock of 184; 62% to be exact, all heading
north in a period of 6 days. I only found 7 cranes at Aransas on my census
flight on April 15th.
Why did so many birds depart in such a rush? What do the birds that remained behind have in common? How's the crane with the droopy wing doing? Read all about it!
Wally Reports Whoopers Over the Midwest
So what happens to the Whooping Cranes after they leave Aransas? Wally Jobman keeps an eye out for them in Nebraska, and collects confirmed sightings from other places as well. He sent us the following confirmed sightings that have been reported since our last Update:
| Confirmed Whooping Crane Sightings, Spring 2003 |
||
| Date |
# of Birds |
Location Description |
April 10-11 |
2 |
Bottineau Co., ND |
Apr 6 |
1 |
Valley Co., MT 8 mi. southwest of Glasgow. |
Apr 10 |
2 |
Bottineau Co., ND 5.5 mi. west of Souris. |
Apr 11 |
2 |
Bell Co., TX Union Grove Wildlife Area on Stillhouse Hollow Lake. |
Apr 13 |
3 |
Oliver Co., ND flying 9 mi. southwest of Washburn |
Apr 13 |
3 |
Burleigh Co., ND flying 5 mi. north and 3 west of Driscoll. |
Apr 15 |
5 |
Williams Co., ND 1.5 mi. west of Williston. |
Remember: 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?
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Whooping Cranes have to be able to survive in Florida and Texas, Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada, the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin, and everywhere in between! How are their bodies adapted to survive in all these different circumstances? Find out here:
Then answer this question:
Challenge Question #12:
What adaptations do cranes have to keep their bodies warm and dry in bad weather?
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
Keeping Them Wild: Discussion of Challenge Question #10
Last time we asked, "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?"
The steps taken to ensure that the Eastern whoopers remain wild are part of the protocol followed while the cranes were raised. You can read about this here:
If people approach the cranes, the cranes will normally fly away, sometimes wasting energy or leaving a good feeding spot. And if enough people approach the cranes, little by little the cranes will get used to people and may stop avoiding places where there are people. That will make them very vulnerable to injury from crashes with cars, wires, and buildings. Also, if they learn to accept food from people, it may seriously compromise their nutrition levels, making reproduction and migration more difficult, and may cause them to fly too close to humans who don't understand about Whooping Cranes and may even hurt them.
Thriving While Skipping Meals: Discussion of 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?"
Tom Stehn discussed this in this week's report. Read his discussion about body fat and the importance of blue crabs in the winter diet here:
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 #12
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
25, 2003.
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North. All Rights Reserved.
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