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Whooping Crane Migration Update: April 25, 2003

Today's Report Includes:

Texas to Canada: Hurrying Home

The whooping cranes know they need to hurry home to get started on nesting and raising their chicks. Between April 10th and April 15th, more than half the flock of 184 started their journey north to the nesting grounds in the Canadian wilderness. The latest word from Tom Stehn is "going, going, almost gone." How many are left? Here?s the news:

Dear Journey North:

"We waited three hours for the clouds to lift today (April 23) and managed to squeeze in a 3-hour flight before the winds got too strong. We found 2 cranes in the first 30 minutes of the flight, right where they had been last week. But that was it. Apparently the other 5 whooping cranes at Aransas last week had migrated, including the chick that had separated from its parents early in the winter. That chick probably started the migration with another subadult with whom it spent the last half of the winter. This chick will be fine.

"So far, 182 cranes (98.9% of the flock) have started the migration, with just 2 cranes remaining. Departures from the Texas coast are on schedule. A few cranes sometimes remain at Aransas into late April or even May.

"I had a good day last week taking part in a project I had organized. A cleanup effort of old crab traps involving 7 boats and 17 agency personnel took place April 16 on Matagorda Island. Approximately 400 abandoned crab traps in the crane area were picked up."

You?ll want to find out why these traps are such a danger. Find out in Tom?s full report:

So where are the Texas whoopers? Wally Jobman keeps an eye out for migrating cranes in Nebraska, and collects confirmed sightings from other places as well. "Much to my surprise, no confirmed sightings have been reported since my April 16 email," reports Wally. "Weather during the past week has not been good for migration. North wind most days with cloudy showery weather. It snowed in North Dakota during the past week. So, nothing new to report this week." Up in Canada, what does wildlife biologist Brian Johns report? That?s next!

Canada, They?re Back!
Whooping Cranes have arrived in Canada! Brian Johns gives us the news: "The first birds confirmed were a pair near the Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area in south-central Saskatchewan. These birds were first observed on April 12 and were still present on April 15. The cranes arrived about the same time as a number of other migrants moved into the area. At that time the skies were alive with flocks of Tundra swans, small Canada Geese, Snow geese and white-fronted geese. Light precipitation fell from April 13 to 16, beginning as rain and ending with snow. These wet conditions grounded a lot of the smaller migrants including Dark-eyed Juncos, Tree Sparrows, Fox Sparrows and American Robins, which were seen foraging in the snow on the morning of April 16. Mild temperatures and southerly winds over the Easter weekend brought a few more cranes into Canada. As of April 23 there have been several reports of cranes moving through Saskatchewan. The farthest north reports were from Dorintosh on April 14 and Leoville on April 21. These sightings were at the northern edge of agricultural land in the province and only a 2-day flight from the breeding grounds in Wood Buffalo National Park." Go cranes!

Pull out your maps and see if you can find these locations. Does this mean the first whoopers will be at Wood Buffalo National Park when you read this report?

This is #1-01 at Necedah. He's been spending time near one of the
training sites feeding on bullheads (fish) that are trapped in the pool
that's been drawn down.

This is a picture of the three chicks, #'s 1, 11, and 12 feeding in a
harvested cornfield in Oconto County with a couple of sandhills. Photos Richard Urbanek, WCEP

Whoopee! Chicks at Necedah: How Did They Find It?
At our last report, most of the Eastern flock had reached Wisconsin. Do you wonder how the chicks found Necedah after being gone all winter, and what they?re doing now? Aviculturist Sara Zimorski gives a full report. She says, "There?s not a lot to report since most of the birds are somewhat settled and have established a routine." But we think you?ll find lots of great stuff in Sara?s report! What are the chicks doing now that they?re back where they started as babies 10 months ago? Which chicks still haven?t been located? Which two are hanging out with yearling Crane #5 a short distance southwest of the refuge? Is it true that cranes mate for life? How long do the cranes?radio transmitters last? Why might Cranes #2-01 and #7-01 be captured this summer? Sara has the answers here:

As to how they chicks found "home," Tom Stehn, Joe Duff and other experts were right when they predicted the chicks would recognize the landscape where they were raised. 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, "We fly these birds locally a lot. It gives them a wide picture of what they're looking for on their way back." When we asked Joe how the birds might know when they are in the right area as they migrate back north again, he said, "When they reach the latitude they're familiar with, they say 'Now, it's around here somewhere. Let's just look for it.'" Hear Joe explain a bit more:

Next Ultra-whoopers Hatching Now!
crane02WCEP_007
Hatching crane chick
Credit Patuxent WRC
Welcome, fuzzy babies! Sara says, "As of Tuesday April 22, the first two chicks for the new 2003 cohort had hatched and a third was in the process of hatching. The chicks will be hatched and trained at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland and sent to Necedah when they are around two months old (sometime in late June or early July). So, just as the excitement of the migration winds down there's new excitement as the 2003 chicks hatch and we all get ready for another year." We?ll have more details for you next time from Operation Migration pilot Joe Duff. Stay tuned!

Crane Population So Slow to Grow
You may recall our first report this season, when Tom Stehn said the whooping crane population takes a downturn every 10 years. As the spring breeding and nesting begins, this table shows you how many whoopers are in the world and where they are as of January 10, 2003:

How many cranes survived in 1940? See the whooping crane numbers from 1940 to the present and make 3 graphs to help you analyze the data. You?ll also find good discussion and journaling questions to help you think about the next challenge question. First, look here:

Last week Tom Stehn explained how fat reserves gained by the whoopers during winter help them to spend 2-3 weeks migrating, and then 4 weeks nesting and sitting on eggs. Tom then asked you another important question:

Challenge Question #13:
"Since most adult cranes nest every year, why do you think the whooping crane population has grown so slowly and the species is still endangered?"

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

A Dangerous Journey
The Aransas/Wood Buffalo cranes often fly 6-8 hours a day on a 2,400-mile migration that can take as long as a month. And the Wisconsin/Florida flock flies around 1200 miles. The migration period is when the cranes encounter the most danger. Why do these endangered birds make such a long trip? And what are the perils?

Over nearly a 40-year period, of 13 cranes that died during the migration and were found by people, 5 hit power lines, 4 suffered trauma due to collisions or gunshot injuries, 1 was shot, 1 died in a muskrat trap, 1 may have had a heart muscle disease, and 1 may have had a viral infection. What percentage of those crane deaths were directly related to human activities? Tom Stehn says, "If humans could minimize these impacts to cranes, the whooping cranes would do just fine. But humans continue to build more power lines, cell towers, and fences, and the whooping crane remains very much endangered." Humans are part of the problem but also part of the solution. See why:
Reading Writing Selection

TEACHER TIP: This high-interest nonfiction page links to a Journey North Reading and Writing Lesson. Here?s an opener from the menu of choices: Prior to reading the selection, have students imagine being a whooping crane flying north on its migratory route. Have them list questions and predictions based on the title of the article. Examples: What are the possible dangers that make the journey treacherous for whooping cranes? How can the dangers be managed to help make the journey less treacherous? Who must take responsibility for the dangers? Encourage students to brainstorm anticipatory questions using Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

Crane Adaptations: Discussion of Challenge Question #12
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! Last week we asked you to read about their adaptations and answer: "What adaptations do cranes have to keep their bodies warm and dry in bad weather?"

To stay warm, cranes have thick down feathers that work like a warm, snug sweater to insulate their bodies. Also, blood flowing down their legs and toes warms the blood returning to their bodies, so even if they're standing in water that is only 34-degrees Fahrenheit, their bodies don't get chilled. Imagine if we stood in frigid water in our bare feet!

To keep their bodies dry,and especially those important down feathers, cranes have outer feathers called contour feathers, which make a smooth, waterproof wind-breaking raincoat. And cranes have another adaptation --their behavior--to protect themselves from wind and driving rain. When a powerful wind or torrent of rain is rushing into them, they stand facing directly into it. The aerodynamic shape of a crane?s face and body makes the wind and water rush right past without ruffling the feathers or penetrating to the skin as it would if they stood sideways or backwards.

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 imaging doing these tasks and more:

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 #13.
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 9, 2003.

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