Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership

Mid- August 2009 Project Update

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August 2009 Population Status

As of mid-August 2009 there are approximately 78 birds in the Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane population, consisting of 47 males and 31 females. The most recent known locations of all birds are shown in the map below. Whooping cranes are present in at least 11 Wisconsin counties, and at least 2 birds are known to be in Michigan, with the location of two others unknown.

All the birds from the 2008 cohort are currently at Wisconsin locations away from the Necedah NWR where they were raised, with all three of the 2008 DAR birds at a site in Columbia County, and another group of nine 1-year old cranes being found together in Dodge County.

Nesting

As noted in previous updates, 12 territorial pairs of Wisconsin whooping cranes built nests and laid eggs in 2009, with 11 nests located on the Necedah NWR, and one nest on private land off the Refuge. All 12 pairs abandoned their nests before the eggs hatched, and 5 of these pairs re-nested, with two pairs producing single chicks. Both of these chicks were eventually lost to predation prior to fledging.

Several field studies were conducted this year in an attempt to gain insight into the causes of nest failures observed over the past several years. Results of these studies are expected to be available in September. We are also reviewing the possible use of alternate release sites, such as Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area (SWA), Mead SWA, and Horicon NWR/SWA (see map below).

Reporting Sightings

Please forward any sightings you receive to us through the whooping crane reporting web site we have established for that purpose: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/whoopingcrane/sightings/sightingform.cfm
The link above provides a public reporting form on a site maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). When a report is submitted, the information goes simultaneously to multiple partners including the biologists who are tracking the birds, FWS, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, International Crane Foundation, and Operation Migration.

This update is a product of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership. To access our previous project updates and additional information on the project visit our web site at http://www.bringbackthecranes.org/.

Map of Wisconsin and Michigan with whooping crane locations marked.

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Last updated: August 19, 2009