After a record hatch at Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta, Canada, an estimated 431 endangered whooping cranes are making their way into the marshes of and around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Canada wildlife officials earlier reported 98 nests within Wood Buffalo National Park, which produced 63 fledglings. The old fledgling record set in 2006 was 49. Lush wetlands in Canada helped produce this record hatch, according to Chester A. McConnell, president of Friends of the Wild Whoopers. Salinity and marsh conditions at the Aransas refuge are favorable again this year.
The population’s health and continued growth relies on good habitat at their nesting site, in their wintering grounds, and everywhere in between, according to McConnell, who has been negotiating with military officials to enhance wetlands along the crane’s migratory route. And he’s garnered much cooperation.
Marsh conditions appear to be healthy, despite enduring a thrashing from Hurricane Harvey. The last time heavy rainfall inundated the birds’ wintering habitat the explosions of crabs and shrimp created a boon for whoopers and other wildlife.
To read David Sikes’ of The Corpus Christi Caller-Times article “Record number of whooping cranes expected to spend winter in the Coastal Bend”, click here.
***** 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.
