Tracking the flock Archives - Page 2 of 9 - Friends of the Wild Whoopers

Public Encouraged to Report Sightings of Whooping Cranes

March 29, 2017March 21, 2017 by Admin

Wildlife agencies asking for help

The entire population of whooping cranes in the Central Flyway is expected to migrate through Nebraska and North Dakota over the next several weeks. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department encourages the public to report whooping crane sightings. Information on crane sightings is used to positively affect whooping crane conservation and recovery efforts.Wildlife agencies in Nebraska and North Dakota are seeking the public’s help in reporting whooping crane sightings as they make their spring migration through the two states.

Nebraska reports

If you see a whooping crane in Nebraska, please report your whooping crane sighting to Nebraska Game and Parks (402-471-0641), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (308-379-5562), or The Crane Trust’s Whooper Watch hotline (888-399-2824). Emails may be submitted to joel.jorgensen@nebraska.gov.

North Dakota reports

If you see a whooping crane in North Dakota, please report your whooping crane sighting to, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offices at Lostwood, (701) 848-2466, or Long Lake, (701) 387-4397, national wildlife refuges; the state Game and Fish Department in Bismarck, (701) 328-6300;; or to local game wardens across the state.

Should you see a whooping crane, please do not get close or disturb it. Keep your distance and make a note of date, time, location, and what the whooping crane is doing.

Reason for reporting

You may wonder why the wild life agencies are asking for these sightings to be reported. The reports are very helpful in gathering data and information on when and where the whooping cranes stopover, what type of habitat they are choosing, and how many there are.

With just over 300 wild whooping cranes migrating along the Central Flyway, odds are low of seeing a wild whooping crane. However, FOTWW hopes that someone reading this article will be one of the lucky few and if you are, please report your sighting so that these agencies and other conservation groups, including FOTWW can continue helping these magnificent cranes.

Wildlife agencies seeking help with whooping crane sightings. — Whooping Cranes in Flight. Photo by Charles Hardin.

***** FOTWW’s mission is to help preserve and protect the Aransas/Wood Buffalo
population of wild whooping cranes and their habitat. *****

Friends of the Wild Whoopers is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.

friendsofthewildwhoopers.org

Where are the wild Whooping Cranes and what are they doing?

March 10, 2017June 18, 2016 by Admin

by Chester McConnell, Friends of the Wild Whoopers

Where are the Wild Whooping Cranes?

Wild Whooping Cranes are now on Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada. They arrived there during late April and May after migrating 2,500 miles from Aransas Refuge on the Texas coast. Each nesting pair located their nesting site which is normally in the same general area as past years. Park records show that several pairs have nested in the same areas for 22 consecutive years. Soon after their arrival on their nesting grounds, they build their nest. Nesting surveys completed to-date indicates that 78 Whooping Crane nests have been observed.

Their nesting territories vary in size but average about 1,500 acres. Whooping Cranes guard their territories and nesting neighbors normally locate their nest at least one-half mile away. Nests are normally constructed in shallow water. Vegetation from the local area is used to construct nest.

Wild Whooping Cranes nesting information

Eggs are usually laid in late April to mid-May. Normally two eggs are laid but occasionally only one and rarely three have been observed in nests. Incubation begins when the first egg is laid. Incubation occurs for about 30 days. Because incubation starts when the first egg is laid, the first chick hatched is about two days older than the second hatched. This difference in age is substantial and creates problem for the younger chick. It is weaker than the older chick and has difficulty keeping up as the adults move around searching for food. The younger chick often dies due to its weakness. Records indicate that only about 10% to 15% of the second chicks hatched survive. Importantly, the second egg plays an important role in providing insurance that at least one chick survives.

From the time Whoopers begin egg laying until their chicks are a few months old, the family groups remain in their breeding territory. They feed there and don’t move long distances until after their chicks fledge.

Friends of the Wild Whoopers will publish an update of the ongoing Whooping Crane chick reproduction and related activities soon.

friendsofthewildwhoopers.org

***** FOTWW’s mission is to help preserve and protect the Aransas/Wood Buffalo
population of wild whooping cranes and their habitat. *****
Friends of the Wild Whoopers is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.

Whooping Crane Winter 2015-2016 Survey Results Released

March 10, 2017April 18, 2016 by Admin

Whooping Crane Survey Results Release

Six surveys were flown, beginning on Monday, December 7 and ending this past Thursday, December 17, 2015. Terry Liddick, pilot/biologist from our migratory birds program, served as pilot, flying a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Cessna 206. Observers were Wade Harrell and Beau Hardegree (Coastal Program Biologist, Corpus Christi FWS office). Doug Head (Refuge Inventory & Management biologist) served as ground survey coordinator and Diane Iriarte (Refuge biologist) served as data manager.

329 Wild Whooping Cranes Estimated on the mid-Texas coast on and around Aransas NWR.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed aerial surveys of the primary survey area centered on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge to estimate the abundance of Whooping Cranes in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population. Compared to the 308 wild Whooping Cranes estimated in the Winter 2014-2015 this year’s estimate shows that the only natural wild population of whooping cranes has approximately 329 whooping cranes within the primary survey area and nine whooping cranes were observed outside the primary survey area.

Preliminary Analyses

Preliminary analyses of the survey data indicated 329 whooping cranes (95% CI =
293–371; CV = 0.073) inhabited the primary survey area (Figure 1). This estimate included 38 juveniles (95% CI = 33–43; CV = 0.078) and 122 adult pairs (95% CI = 108–137; CV = 0.071). Recruitment of juveniles into the winter flock was 13 chicks (95% CI = 12–14; CV = 0.036) per 100 adults, which is comparable to long-term average recruitment.. click on the link to see full report: Whooping Crane Winter Survey Results.

friendsofthewildwhoopers.org

More Military Installations Considered As Whooping Crane Stopover Habitats

March 13, 2017October 11, 2015 by Admin

By Pam Bates, Friends of the Wild Whoopers.

A partnership of two Whooping Crane organizations is hard at work enlisting the help of military installations to provide wild endangered Whooping Cranes places to stopover during their 2,500-mile migration from Canada to Texas.

Whooping Crane in Texas marsh. USDA Photo by John Noll. — Whooping Crane in stopover haitat.. USDA Photo by John Noll.

Whooping Cranes have already begun their fall migration from Wood Buffalo nesting area to Aransas Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast. They normally stopover an average of about ten times during their journey. They need to rest and feed occasionally during the 2,500 mile trip.

Chester McConnell, President of Friends of the Wild Whoopers explains that, “stopover habitat sites on private lands are not as secure as they once were. A growing number of the small wetland ponds where Whoopers stopover are being drained and filled to enlarge agricultural fields. So, we met with military employees associated with Partners in Flight, Department of Defense. Partners in Flight officials assisted us in getting in touch with appropriate officials on the military bases.”

McConnell and Whooping Crane expert Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, who serves as the science adviser for Friends of the Wild Whoopers (and works with Gulf Coast Bird Observatory), are partners in the stopover project. They are assessing 45 sites owned by the military that fall in or near the Whooper migration corridor for possible stopover habitats.

McConnell and Ramirez just returned from a four day evaluation of Whooping Crane stopover habitats on Fort Hood, TX and Fort Sill, OK. Other bases have been evaluated several weeks ago. Fortunately both of these bases have many highly suitable wetland ponds that can serve as stopover habitats. “In fact, Whooping Crane use of several of the wetland ponds on Fort Hood has been detected during the past several years. This use provided evidence that we are on the right track in working to protect and manage stopover ponds on military installations”, said McConnell.

Some of the wetland ponds will require minor management to suit the needs of Whoopers but the military managers are up to the task. Military bases are legally required to have natural resources programs and the stopover project is completely compatible with the laws. Project leaders do not request base officials to do anything that would interfere with the military mission of the bases.

“Stopover places are just as important as wintering and nesting areas because Whooping Cranes can’t fly the entire 2,500 migration corridor in one trip,” McConnell explained.

Won’t you please consider helping?

If you would like to help us continue this on going project, would you please consider becoming a member/friend or making a donation to help our efforts and some of our expenses? You can either become a member/friend or you can send us a donation by check or PayPal. Please click here . FOTWW is an all volunteer nonprofit organization and no one receives a salary, so all of your contributions go to help the only natural wild flock of Whooping Cranes remaining on earth.

Won’t you please consider helping us so we can help them?

THANK YOU!

friendsofthewildwhoopers.org