Whooping Cranes Migrating Back to Canadian Nesting Grounds

by  Friends of the Wild Whoopers

Whooping cranes are now well underway on their long 2,500 mile migration back to their nesting grounds. While some of the birds are still at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast, many are working their way northward to Canada. The birds are departing Aransas Refuge in good condition due to improved habitat conditions there. Soon they will reach Wood Buffalo National Park Canada where they will build their nest and raise their young.

“Friends of the Wild Whoopers (FOTWW) received a report yesterday that four whooping cranes were spotted just outside of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and is a stopover spot for the AransasWood Buffalo  whooping cranes before reaching Wood Buffalo National Park.

Today, FOTWW received another reported sighting from Regina along with two photographs taken this afternoon. The report read “From what we could see there were three adults and one juvenile feeding at quite a distance from the road. Due to the foreshortening of the telephoto lens, the birds appear closer to the city limits than they actually were.  The field is a few miles past the city limits.”

Reports out of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and other places along the Central Flyway have been advising for the past couple of weeks that the wild whoopers have started their migration toward their nesting grounds in Wood Buffalo. Kevin Sims was out on the water yesterday and stated to FOTWW that “We managed to find eight  whoopers today. They were all very far out in the marsh. I was happy to see them it won’t be long now before they are all gone. Back to Wood Buffalo.”

During the past two weeks FOTWW has received a number of reports of whooping crane sightings near Platte River, Nebraska; Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira Refuge, Kansas; and Aulne, Kansas.

The two photos below are proof that they are almost home.

FOTWW wishes to thank the Saskbird member for sending us the report and photos, and for Kevin who has kept everyone up to date this winter with his reports and photographs. Hopefully, we’ll have more reports and photographs, of the wild ones throughout the summer.