Dear Students,
The first cranes are on their way to Canada! I've just been told that two whooping cranes were sighted at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford, Kansas on March 13th. Since it takes about a week for the whoopers to fly from south Texas to Kansas, the two cranes must have left Aransas the first week in March.
This is about as early as we have ever noted whooping cranes starting the migration. Normally, most of the birds depart the first three weeks in April. I did an aerial census on March 20th and estimated that about 10 cranes had started the migration. It's hard to know whether birds that I did not find on my flight have actually migrated, or did I simply overlook them?
One chick was not found during the flight, even though I was able to find its parents. Since chicks always spend the first winter at Aransas with their parents, I knew the chick was dead. I went out in a boat the next morning and started walking the marsh looking for a pile of feathers. I found the bird where about six vultures had been. The bird had died several days before and we were unable to learn why it had died. However, we do believe it was natural causes, either disease or predation.
With the record number of 28 chicks present this winter, the loss of at least one is to be expected, since chicks are the most vulnerable. Once a whooping crane survives for 1-2 years, it can expect to have a long life of 20-30 years. I really feel bad about the loss of the whooper chick, but that is part of nature. I just hope all the rest of the whooping cranes have a safe trip on their way to Canada.
Regards,
Tom Stehn
Refuge Biologist
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Austwell, Texas
How Many Whooping Cranes?
In 1940, there were only 22 cranes left in the wild. Their numbers
have been steadily building, year-by-year. This year a record
number of 158 cranes wintered in Texas under Tom Stehn's careful
watch. Each spring the entire flock of wild whooping cranes takes
the annual 2,700 mile journey from their wintering grounds in Texas
to their nesting grounds in northern Canada.
Whooping Crane Population Recovery
Year.....# Whooping Cranes
1940.....22
1950.....34
1960.....33
1970.....56
1980.....76
1990.....146
1991.....132
1992.....136
1993.....143
1994.....133
1995.....158
(This represents the peak count for winter, always in December.)
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