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Photo: John Cullum  |
Meet
the 2008 DAR Whooping Crane Chicks!
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Crane
DAR #36-08 (836D)
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Date Hatched |
June 27 , 2008 |
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Gender |
Male |
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Egg Source: |
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Permanent
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Personality
and History
This
bird was known as the bully during his young chick days. Although in his
past he would get upset at the sight of another bird
and would chase anyone who got too close, he mellowed out. By end of August
he had become a strong member of the younger group, though still the
dominant
bird of the younger cohort. He always has been very fond of
the crane costume and likes to be near it often.
He was released on Necedah NWR with #35-08 on October 18th. The next day these two as well as DAR #37-08 and #38-08 flew back to the site where they were all raised. A few days later,#35-08, 36-08 and 38-08 flew to the northern end of the refuge and joined up with flockmates #31-08 and #32-08. These five DAR chicks remained together on the northern end of the refuge. Signals from the birds’ radio transmitters sometimes indicate that adult Whooping cranes may be interacting with these chicks, but their remote location means no one usually sees this.
| Fall
weather in Wisconsin was unusually warm. On November 1, ICF Tracking
Interns Eva Szyszkoski and Binga Elger checked on the five DAR
cranes located on a remote part of the Necedah NWR. The area is
quite difficult to get to. Binga took this photo of the DAR cranes
and adult whooping crane #401. Many sandhill cranes were also with
the whooping cranes, but the sandhills flushed when the costumed
biologists entered the scene. Photo Binga Elger, ICF |
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Fall 2008 — First Journey South as a DAR Crane: On November 17 DAR chick #36-08 began migration with experienced adult #216 and DAR flockmates 31-08, 32-08, and 38-08. Thatnight the small group roosted near Ogle County, Illinois! They were still in northern Illinois as of Dec. 1. They were still in northern Illinois as of Dec. 1. On Dec. 5 they arrived in Lawrence County, Tennessee.
Spring 2009: Trackers think #36-08 left on migration with this wintering group of five cranes, since #31-08 began migration north from Lawrence County, TN on March 17th or 18th and PTT data indicated that he (and probably the others) stopped in Gallatin County, IL on March 18th and Rock County, IL on March 20th. The group likely reached home on the night of March 22, as all were confirmed at Necedah on March 23! He wandered during the summer and was seen with DAR 31-08 and DAR 38-08 in a marsh in Columbia County in September.
Fall 2009: Last seen in Wisconsin, together with DAR 31-08 and DAR 38-08, November 10. The three migrated together and data from DAR 31-08's transmitter on the night of Nov. 11 showed them in Winnebago County, Illinois. They were less than 20 miles from where the Class of 2009 was camped. The three birds completed migration to their previous wintering location in Lawrence County, Tennessee, on November 27. But 36-08 disappeared from the group between then and December 11. No subsequent reports.
Fall 2010: Male #36-08 was declared presumed dead and counted out of the population at the end of 2010. He had been considered longterm missing because no confirmed sighting had been made since Dec. 11, 2009.
Last updated: 1/04/11
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