Whooping Crane Headquarters Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Austwell, Texas April 6, 1995
"Dear Students,
"I've been waiting for the start of the whooping crane migration and it finally occurred in a hurry. I got a call yesterday from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office that confirmed four cranes present in Nebraska the morning of April 5th. Since it normally takes cranes about a week to fly from south Texas to Nebraska, a few cranes must have left Aransas in late March.
"Today I flew for five hours in a small airplane counting the whoopers. I found 72 cranes still here, whereas last time I flew on March 23rd I found all 132. Thus, 60 whoopers (45%) have headed for Canada. It will take them 2-4 weeks to get there.
"The pair I call the 'Nyarling pair' (this is the pair people visiting our refuge get to see) is still here at Aransas. It doesn't make sense for them to leave as early as some of the other whoopers since the Nyarling River where they nest is the furthest north of any whooping crane nest location. Thus, if they returned to Wood Buffalo National Park too soon they would find ice and snow covering the pond where they plan to nest. Even more important, they would not find enough food if the countryside were still frozen. But they can't wait too long to leave. They must hatch a chick by the middle of June to give it time to grow strong before it has to migrate during early October snow storms. If something goes wrong and a whooping crane pair loses their eggs or chick, the summer is just too short in the far north to give them a second chance to nest. (Last year, nearly half of the whooper pairs decided not to build a nest because there was still lots of ice and snow present when they returned in April.)
"I always feel a little sad when the whooping cranes migrate since I have been watching them all winter. But I also feel excited since I always hope that each pair may bring a chick back to Aransas with them next fall."
Cheers,
Tom Stehn Refuge Biologist
WHOOPING CRANE SIGHTINGS: Thanks to Wally Jobman of the US Fish and Wildlife Service office in Grand Island, Nebraska for reporting the whooping crane sightings below. Mr. Jobman has a network of people across the plains states who are on the lookout for whooping cranes. Since the whooping crane is an endangered species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for its management and protection in the United States. Like loving babysitters, they've watched over this fragile flock for decades. When the cranes reach Canada, Canadian officials do the same. This is an example of the kind of international cooperation required to protect migratory species.
Date # Cranes Place of Sighting April 5 4 Minden, Nebraska April 6 1 Arlington, South Dakota
Remember Tom Stehns' story about the young crane that was separated from its parents during migration last fall? Here are the places it has been sighted since February. It spent the winter in Oklahoma with its sandhill crane cousins and has been travelling with the sandhills thus far this spring. Compare its location with those of the other whooping cranes. Do you think it will find its parents and whooping crane relatives?
Date Place of Sighting Feb. 1 Guymon, Oklahoma Feb. 10 North Platte, Nebraska Feb. 17 Guymon, Oklahoma Mar.3-Apr. 2 Lamar, Colorado
CHALLENGE QUESTIONS:
1) If it usually takes a week for whooping cranes to migrate from Aransas, Texas to Minden, Nebraska, how many miles per day do they travel?
2) Do you think the juvenile whooping crane will return to Wood Buffalo National Park this spring?
The final question is specially designed for Journey North classrooms in Canada!
3) Look at a weather map of Canada in today's newspaper. What's the temperature in the region of Wood Buffalo National Park? (The Park is located on the border of Alberta and the Northwest Territories.)
Send your answer to: jnorth@informns.k12.mn.us
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