Personality and Training:

Notes from the captive breeding "hatchery" at Patuxent WRC in Maryland:

Barb says #829 and #830 (the two youngest in the entire Class of 2008) are little buddies. They walk together and get trained together. He was the best follower in his group of six chicks. But it didn't last! On July 15 Barb wrote, "Our little #829, who used to be fine with other birds, has turned into a cranky little bird too."

Because chick #829 kept being too aggressive, he was given his own pen. Barb said, "#829 is our most dominant chick. Although he himself does not start the trouble. It is those other three hopefuls, #827, #828 and #824, who keep challenging his dominance and make him cranky and provoke his anger. If they would just let it go and let him be the top dog (bird) things could be so easy for them." He was paired with 830 for training and they get along great, with #829 the best follower of the group.

Notes from "flight school in Wisconsin:
Arrived at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge July 29 in cohort 3, the youngest group in the Class of 2008. Pilot Brooke says Chick #829 is the “King” who refuses to be voted off the island and reigns supreme over his bird world. He is so aggressive that the team was too worried to leave him with the other chicks unless an adult was present. On Aug. 3 after training, they took a chance and finally left 829, unattended by a costumed human, with the rest of the cohort all day and all night. "He earned our trust and justified our faith in him by being a model crane," reported Brooke. Will it last?

By August 4, Brooke reported that #829 is the “King” who refuses to be voted off the island and reigns supreme over his bird world. On Aug. 7 when the trike came to get the chicks for training, #829 was lying down resting in the pen. The other five chicks charged out of the gate. While the other chicks followed the trike to the end of the runway, Bev coaxed #829 out of the pen. He finally came down to the end of the runway and joined the group as they continued training.

During training on August 27, "king" #829 tried to take on adults #313 and #318 when they showed up on the runway. He quickly found out that birds a foot taller are indeed tougher! They flattened him on the runway. As quick as he was down, he was back up for another round. Bev (in costume) went running out of the pen to defend her "baby." Brooke tried to chase off one of the adults with the trike, and Bev ran after the other one. Meanwhile, 829 seemed to feel bummed out by the whole scene. Bev said, "I could have sworn he was pouting." But it didn't last long. Training continued with #829 soon running and flapping enthusiastically, as if nothing had happened! He weighed 5.0 kg at his pre-migration health check.

First Migration South: Chick #829 left Necedah NWR for her first migration on October 17, 2008. Find day-by-day news about the flock's migration and read more about #829 below.

November 21, Day 36: Crane #829 and 12 others flew with Brooke over the Twin Groves wind farm with no problems at 2,000 feet altitude. They flew 114 miles! Today's lead pilot Brooke summed it up: "I don’t know if it was my imagination or what, but I swear our birds looked as proud of themselves as we were of them. They had been in the air 2 hours and 20 minutes, withstood teen temperatures the whole flight, and performed beyond our greatest expectations."
Photo Joe Duff, Operation Migration

November 27, Day 42: He flew all 108 miles without leaving Joe's wing!

He and the other birds relax after landing in Union County, Kentucky on Nov. 27.

Photo Chris Gullikson, Operation Migration

Dec. 8, Day 53: This is #829 and #819 in a stand-off during the exercise session on this no-fly day.

 

Photo Heather Ray, Operation Migration

January 9, Day 74: After being grounded for 9 days in a row, #829 was one of the seven dropouts when they left Chilton County, Alabama. He was crated and driven for the second (Day 57) time during this migration.

January 17, Day 82: Migration to St. Marks NWR Complete (cranes 805, 812, 813, 826, 828, 829 and 830)!

Fall 2010: On Nov. 23 he began migration with #827. They were reported in Winnebago County, Illinois, on that evening and remained in that area until continuing migration on November 27. They were reported in Santa Rosa County, Florida on December 16 through at least Dec. 31.

Spring 2011: Crane 29-08 was seen with four cranes from the Class of 2009 SE of Tallahassee on a survey flight March 11.

Spring 2012: Crane #29-08 (with #9-08) was reported back on Wisconsin's Necedah NWR on March 11, migration complete!

Fall 2012: No news.

Spring 2013: Crane #29-08 (with #W3-10) completed migration by or on April 3. Soon another male, 804 (4-08) tried to steal away female W3-10. Tracker Eva didn't think 4-08 and W3-10 would stay together, but is watching to see.

Fall 2013: Male #29-08 and mate #W3-10 migrated to Greene County, Indiana, and later moved to knox County, IN, where they were last reported on February 2. Here they are in Daviess County, IN on Feb. 12, 2014—photographed by ICF tracker Eva on her aerial tracking flight.

Spring 2013: It was assumed that #29-08 (whose transmitter doesn't work) was with his mate W3-10 when she was detected back at Necedah NWR on April 5.

Fall 2014: By November 23 pair #29-08 and #W3-10 had migrated south to Knox County, Indiana, where they joined cranes #7-12, #3-11, #24-13 and #38-09 DAR.

Spring 2015: Male #29-08 and his mate W3-10 successfully migrated back to Wisconsin. They nested and the second nest hatched two chicks—the first second-generation wild-hatched Whooping Cranes in the Eastern Migratory Flock! (W3-10 is herself wild-hatched.) It's a milestone for the new flock, but unfortunately, this pair's chicks did not survive to fledge.

Fall 2015: Male #29-08 migrated to Knox County, Indiana, and spent the winter with #19-14.

Spring 2016: Lone male #29-08 returned to Juneau County, Wisconsin and was associating in with an unidentified female.

Fall 2016: Male #29-08 was associating with female #6-15 in Juneau Co, WI as November began in an unusually mild autumn. They migrated to Greene County, Indiana by December.

Spring 2017: Still alone, #29-08 returned to Juneau County, Wisconsin, where he remains. (For a short time he was with #6-15 near New Lisbon, WI.)