Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership

Mid-March 2010 Project Update

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Mid-March 2010 Project Update

Spring Migration!

Many whooping cranes have begun spring migration, and we have already received unconfirmed reports of birds in Wisconsin. In past years, we have had a large proportion of the population back in Wisconsin by the end of March. All birds are expected to begin migration over the next few weeks, and we ask that you quickly pass on any sightings you receive. We encourage everyone to use our reporting web site: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/whoopingcrane/sightings/sightingform.cfm

March 2010 Population Status

As of mid-March 2010 there are up to 105 birds in the Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane population, consisting of 59 males and 46 females. This total includes five birds not recorded since late 2009, and seven birds that have not been seen since mid-summer. The most recent known locations of all birds are shown in the map below.

Map of eastern U.S. showing location of whooping cranes.

2009 Ultralight Cohort

The 20 young cranes led to Florida behind ultralight aircraft have been doing well in their winter quarters, with 10 birds at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and 10 at Chassahowitzka NWR. One of the Chassahowitzka birds recently disappeared, though its fate remains unknown at this time. The birds will continue to be monitored until they depart for Wisconsin, and the Tracking Team will then closely monitor the young cranes on their first northward migration. Based upon our experience from previous years, we expect departure to occur some time in late March or early April.

2009 Direct Autumn Release (DAR) Cohort

Of the nine birds released using the DAR technique this year, all continue to associate with older whooping cranes. The latest information indicates that most have departed their wintering areas in Kentucky, Indiana, and Florida, and are currently in migration.

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/history.

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Last updated: May 3, 2010