Whooping
Crane News Flash: May 20, 2004
Today's Report Includes:
Juvenile
Crane #302 Home After Missing for 33 Days
After eluding trackers for the past 33 days, ultra-crane #302 has finally
been located! To the immense relief of the WCEP team, he spent the night
of May 19 roosting approximately 28 miles from the new Eastern flock's
summer home. Hatched April 22, 2003, he’s now just over one year
old, and has successfully completed his first unaided migration.
Crane #302 has been “missing in action” since April 16th.
You may recall that he departed from the Chassahowitzka NWR wintering
habitat with seven others from his cohort on April 7th. He was last seen
nine days later, in flight at approximately 1:40 pm south of Bloomington,
Illinois.
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#302
a year ago Photo Dan Sprague |
7
months later, on fall ultralight migration Photo OM |
Back
on the Radar
Here's what happened: ICF's Richard Urbanek was checking telemetry signals
on the Necedah refuge the afternoon of May 19 when he detected the signal
of this missing male crane from the most recent ultralight cohort. The
radio signal from the bird's leg band showed that he was approaching from
the northwest. Richard, who has tracked many of the cranes on their journey
north, soon intercepted the determined yearling in Waushara County, Wisconsin.
The crane was making progress toward his summer home, using a north-to-south
zigzag flight pattern in southerly winds. Shortly before 6 pm, the young
crane landed in a sedge marsh in Marquette County, WI, but was back in
the air after being attacked by a pair of resident Sandhill cranes. He
landed about an hour later in neighboring Adams County, WI. “Unfortunately,
the welcome mat wasn't exactly rolled out at this location either,"
wrote Operation Migration’s Heather Ray. "At 8:20 pm, while
in sleeping posture, crane #302 was again attacked by a different pair
of territorial Sandhill cranes. They obviously objected to his presence
in their wetland. Apparently the dispute continued as darkness fell. But
at least for last night this crane roosted approximately 28 miles from
HOME!
The obstacle of Lake Michigan stands between eight of the young cranes
from the sixteen 2003 ultralight-led cranes, and #307's location is still
unknown.
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