Some Whooping Cranes are still on Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada while others are migrating south and a few have made it all the way to Aransas Refuge, Texas. They have reared their young on Wood Buffalo but now the weather there is getting frigid and the call of the wild is growing louder. The Whoopers hear the wild call and all of them will have soon departed on their 2,500 mile migration south.
The whoopers will find the wild portion of Texas coast in better condition when they arrive than it has been during the past two years. The habitat on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge has improved due to some recent good weather and work by refuge personnel. Wade Harrell, U.S. Whooping Crane Coordinator advises that the refuge received more than 10 inches of rain since September and is wetter than it has been in several years. Refuge vegetation and water levels in fresh water ponds has improved due to the rains. Importantly the refuge staff has been carrying out wildlife management practices to improve habitat for the flock’s arrival.
During their 2,500 mile migration south the whooping cranes will face many difficulties. Stormy weather and obstacles such as power lines, communication towers and a growing number of windmills can cripple or kill whooping cranes if they fly into them. And, unfortunately, hunters sometimes mistake Whooping Cranes for Sandhill Cranes and shoot them. Thankfully, hunter related causes of Whooping Crane deaths have declined in recent years, but it is still a problem.
Friends of the Wild Whoopers is attempting to encourage improvements in identification of Whooping Cranes by hunters, birders and the general public. We have developed an improved “Whooping Crane Identification” section on our web page https://friendsofthewildwhoopers.org/whooper-identification/ Hopefully this new tool will be useful to many. Check it out and pass the word along to others. Endangered Whooping Cranes lives will be saved if you and others become better at identifying Whooping Cranes.
***** 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 selected four videos to aid our viewers in learning more about whooping cranes and the places they live during winter months. Watch carefully and you will learn how to better identify whoopers and other birds. Hope you enjoy.
A whooping crane adult pair and their juvenile on Texas coast where they live during winter months.
Whooping Cranes at Aransas Wildlife Refuge – Texas Parks and Wildlife
The 5-foot-tall whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America and among the rarest. A small but growing flock of whoopers winters on the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most reliable places in the country to see these unique birds. The video explains problems and needs on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Although the video was produced several years ago, the situation is about the same today.
Endangered Whooping Cranes – Texas Country Reporter
Only a few hundred whooping cranes exist in the entire world. Tommy Moore and former boat “Captain Ted” will take you on a boat ride to photograph them up close. They have taken thousands of people on trips to see whooping cranes and numerous other species on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Enjoy.
Aransas and Matagorda Island National Wildlife Refuges – U.S.F.W.S.
This video describes Aransas and Matagorda island’s wide variety of wildlife, fish and plants. Management practices and general recreational opportunities are explained,
by Wade Harrell, U.S. Whooping Crane Recovery Coordinator, USFWS
We’ve had exciting news here at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge: four adult whooping cranes arrived about a month ahead of normal early arrival time! These four birds were first sighted on Friday, September 12 by an area fishing guide and confirmed with photos by Refuge staff on Monday, September 15. Although not unheard of, this early arrival is fairly rare. The average early arrival date for wintering whooping cranes is around the second week of October. We haven’t had any other migration reports as of yet, but as frontal passages become more frequent, migration should begin in earnest.
Fall Migration Behavior:
I often receive questions about timing and speed of migration this time of the year, and will try to summarize what we know about whooping crane migration. We have some information that was collected by the Canadian Wildlife Service during the first whooping crane telemetry study in the early 1980’s. At that time, researchers actually followed a few migrating whooping cranes in a single-engine prop plane to determine migration behavior.
Here is a bulleted summary of some of the findings:
(Kuyt, E. 1992. Aerial radio-tracking of whooping cranes migrating between Wood Buffalo National Park and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, 1981-84.)
• Whooping cranes do not all migrate simultaneously.
• Total migration distance is 2,500 miles.
• “Fall migration of yearlings and subadults began after the middle of September, with family groups and some paired adults following in early October.”
• “Whooping cranes usually migrated as pairs, family groups or small aggregates of 4-5 subadults.”
• Weather conditions were important in determining migration initiation and stopovers.
• Typical fall migration took up to 50 days, consisting of a:
… 2-3 day flight from the breeding grounds Wood Buffalo NP to Saskatchewan;
… 1-5 week “staging period” in the Saskatchewan prairie pothole region; and a
… 1 week journey through the US plains states.
• During average flying days, under normal weather conditions, flights consisted of:
… Flights during daylight hours;
… Average flight distance of 250 miles over 7.5 hrs; and
… Flights at < 2,000 ft. altitude.
• Greatest observed flight behaviors included:
… Flight speed of >62 miles per hour;
… Flight altitude of 6,400 ft.; and
… Daily flight distance > 500 miles.
As the whooping crane population continues to grow, we expect to see a wider range of behaviors than we have observed in the past. Keep in mind when the study referenced above was conducted, there were only about 75 whooping cranes in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population and now there are over 300. A larger population will exhibit a greater variation in behaviors, which will help the species continue to recover (i.e. individuals seeking out new habitats, etc.).
Texas Whooper Watch
Be sure to report any Texas sightings beyond the known Aransas/Lamar area via email: whoopingcranes@tpwd.state.tx.us or phone: (512) 389-TXWW (8999).
Habitat at the Refuge:
Freshwater ponds on the Refuge, while still not at the “normal” level, have at least some water available as compared to last year. We are currently working to rehabilitate one freshwater well and drill a new freshwater well on the Blackjack Unit of Aransas NWR to provide drinking water for whooping cranes and other wildlife species. We owe a big thanks to the San Antonio Bay Partnership for taking the lead on administering and funding this important project. We hope to provide some pictures of wildlife using these freshwater sites in the near future, so stay tuned!
Precipitation/Salinity:
The Refuge has received slightly more than 5” of rain from July through today. We expect to see more rain this week, which is greatly needed considering the continued drought conditions. A large rainfall event would help to fill and maintain our freshwater wetlands and freshen up the marshes used by whooping cranes. Salinity levels in San Antonio Bay are currently around 29 parts per thousand, which is reflective of the continued drought conditions and limited freshwater inflows from the Guadalupe/San Antonio River basin.
Two of four whooping cranes that made early migration to Aransas Refuge. Arrivaled 9/15/14 Photo by Laura Bonneau/USFWS
***** FOTWW’s mission is to help preserve and protect the Aransas/Wood Buffalo population of
wild whooping cranes and their habitat. *****
Four adult whooping cranes made an early surprise arrival on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge last week. Normally, the whoopers do not begin arriving on the refuge until October. Wade Harrell, U.S. Whooping Crane Coordinator wrote Friends of the Wild Whoopers (FOTWW): “As you noted on the FOTWW page, we did confirm the presence of 4 adult whooping cranes on Aransas NWR yesterday afternoon. Same general location that was noted by the fishing guide, so it is likely the same individuals.”
Four whoopers made early surprise arrival on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas.The first report about the whooper’s arrival was made by a local fishing guide. The guide had observed the birds at Sundown Bay in Aransas Refuge on (September 11 ).
When the whoopers arrival was first disclosed last week, local birders and Aransas personnel were skeptical. Some believed the birds may have been Wood Storks or Sandhill cranes. Both of these birds are often mistaken for whooping cranes. They are similar in size and appearance, especially at a distance. Others wondered if the birds had traveled from the experimental Louisiana “non-migratory” flock. There were numerous questions by serious birders.
Pam Bates, FOTWW Vice President keeps in touch with “whooper watchers” all along the 2,500 mile flyway from Fort Smith, Canada to Aransas, Texas. None of Pam’s contacts had reported seeing whoopers since the northward spring migration. Bates advised, “We haven’t heard of any being sighted along the flyway or in Saskatchewan staging areas. I haven’t heard of any sightings from Regina or Saskatoon.” So, the early arrival caught everyone by surprise.
The USFWS Southwest Region Facebook page advised “Whooping Cranes have arrived at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast. Four adults, the first arrivals this wintering season, were spotted by a local fishing guide and confirmed by refuge staff.”
During the past several days, birders have kept busy on social media attempting to determine the truth about the 4 whooping cranes. They succeeded. Now the birders can get some rest after their relentless pursuit of the facts.
by Chester McConnell Friends of the Wild Whoopers
***** FOTWW’s mission is to help preserve and protect the Aransas/Wood Buffalo population of
wild whooping cranes and their habitat. *****
