CALL FOR SILENT AUCTION ITEMS!

The second annual Whooping Crane Festival will be celebrated over the weekend of September 13-15 with activities in Berlin, Necedah, Baraboo and Green Lake, Wisconsin.

As a component of the celebration, we are holding a SILENT AUCTION which will be held both online and in person during Saturday’s lineup of events.

Last September your generosity in both contributed items and bidding generated over $5000.00, to support the Whooping crane project! We are hoping to exceed that amount this year.

At this time, we are reaching out with the hope that you will consider contributing an item for the auction. Your name will be prominently displayed at the event and all proceeds will help Operation Migration carry out our work in 2013.

If you have an item you would like to contribute please reach out by email to: Colleen(AT)operationmigration.org. Colleen Chase will be in touch with you immediately to arrange for shipping.

WILD ONES

Jon Mooallem’s book Wild Ones launches today so be sure to get your copy!

Jon’s journey is framed by the stories of three modern-day endangered species: the polar bear, victimized by climate change and ogledWild Ones by tourists outside a remote northern town; the little-known Lange’s metalmark butterfly, foundering on a shred of industrialized land near San Francisco; and the whooping crane as it’s led on a months-long migration by costumed men in ultralight airplanes.

The wilderness that Wild Ones navigates is a scrappy, disorderly place where amateur conservationists do grueling, sometimes preposterous-looking work; where a marketer maneuvers to control the polar bear’s image while Martha Stewart turns up to film those beasts for her show on the Hallmark Channel. Our most comforting ideas about nature unravel. In their place, Mooallem forges a new and affirming vision of the human animal and the wild ones as kindred creatures on an imperfect planet.

“Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in America,” is published by Penguin Press, New York.

Excerpts from the back cover…..

….Our most comforting ideas about nature unravel. In their place, Mooallem forges a new and affirming vision of the human animal and the wild ones as kindred creatures on an imperfect planet.
….With propulsive curiosity and searing wit, and without the easy moralizing and nature worship of environmental journalism’s older guard, Wild Ones merges reportage, science, and history into a humane and endearing meditation on what it means to live in, and bring a life into, a broken world.

More about the author: Jon has been a Contributing Writer to the New York Times Magazine since 2006 and also writer at large for Pop-Up Magazine, the live magazine, performed on stage, in San Francisco. He has contributed to This American Life, Harper’s, Wired, The New Yorker, Radiolab and lots of other magazines and radio shows.

Check out the video trailer below and the books website for more information, including where you can get your copy!

WILD ONES book trailer from Jon Mooallem on Vimeo.

 

READY – SET – GO!!!

And so it begins…

The first three Whooping crane chicks and members of the Class of 2013 aircraft-guided migration have hatched!

Whooping crane number 1-13 (1 since it was the first to hatch and 13 for the hatch year of 2013) broke free from the confines of its egg early Tuesday, May 14 at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Number 2-13 hatched out that evening and number 3-13 popped Wednesday, May 15.

Patuxent’s Dr. Glenn Olsen tells us Chick #1 was panting heavily yesterday morning after handling for his or her daily examination and after being placed back in the intensive care unit where new chicks go. We quickly removed the chick and re-examined it, including a laproscopic look down its trachea, but the problem seemed to be the chick was becoming overheated in the ICU. Cooling the chick by running water on its feet and leaving it out of the ICU quickly resolved the problem. The chick is now in the back of the Propagation Building in a normal chick pen. 

Chick #3 hatched with splayed legs and a possible vertebral problem. We are planning to do some corrective work to help with the splayed leg situation and will watch the chick closely for further developments. Chick #2 seems to be doing well, and is still resting in the ICU.

You may recall in a recent post from Joe Duff that approximately 75% of hatched chicks will survive to be shipped to the reintroduction sites. We always hope for the best outcome and we know that these crane chicks have the best care possible but we must still warn that in the first week or two, losses could occur.

Geoff Tarbox arrived at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center last evening to begin work caring for and feeding this newest crop of cranes and he will send some photos to share with you as soon as he gets a chance.

So here we go – another season is underway! This is definitely something to WHOOP! about!

NESTS ABANDONED

Black flies may be responsible for a high number of whooping cranes abandoning their nests in the core reintroduction area in central Wisconsin.  To test this hypothesis, the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP), the coalition of public and private groups that is reintroducing whooping cranes to eastern North America, has been conducting a multi-year study to examine the causes of nest abandonment.

Whooping crane eggs covered with Black flies

Abandoned Whooping crane eggs with black flies. Photo credit: Richard Urbanek, USFWS

The specific goal of this study is to temporarily remove target species of black flies from the environment and examine whooping crane nest success as a result.  Other factors that may relate to reproductive success are also being examined, including predation, food availability, and age/nesting experience of the birds in the population.

In spring 2011 and 2012, WCEP biologists conducted a two-year black fly suppression treatment to evaluate the role that black flies play in whooping crane nest abandonments.   Two rivers near Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) that were known to have significant populations of breeding black flies were treated with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), a naturally occurring soil bacterium used as an alternative to chemical pesticides to control insects. Bti is the most common, environmentally safe way to reduce adult black fly numbers.

Follow-up assessments found that the treatments during the two-year study significantly reduced black fly numbers during the whooping crane nesting season.  This spring, no Bti treatment was applied, allowing researchers to differentiate between the increasing experience of the nesting birds at Necedah NWR and the effect of black flies.

Twenty whooping crane pairs have initiated nests this spring so far.  Seventeen of those nests were abandoned during a four-day period, from May 4-7.  Nineteen eggs were collected from the abandoned nests. At the time of egg collection, dense clouds of black flies were observed at the nests.  Several of the collected eggs have been determined to be fertile and are currently being incubated at the International Crane Foundation. They will be used in whooping crane reintroduction efforts.

“This study is critical to guide future decisions for how to manage whooping cranes that currently nest within the area affected by black flies, as well as where else we can work to re-establish whooping cranes in Wisconsin and in the Upper Midwest,” said Jeb Barzen, Director of Field Ecology, International Crane Foundation.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – MARSHBIRD SURVEYS

The Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative is in need of volunteers for their fifth year of statewide marshbird surveys. Wisconsin DNR’s Ryan Brady says a volunteer is needed particularly for #37 White River Marsh in Green Lake County. (This is an excellent route in a birdy place!), however there are a couple of other locations still available as well.

These surveys use playback methodology to target rails, bitterns, coots, and grebes at randomly-selected wetlands across much of the state. Routes are not necessarily roadside, most involve some off-road hiking, and a few are water-based (e.g. canoe/kayak). Surveyors conduct three replicate surveys of their route during early mornings or late evenings in May and June.

Details on the survey can be found at http://wiatri.net/projects/birdroutes/marshbirds.htm. Click on the map to see general locations of routes and then click on green balloon markers to get additional info such as level of difficulty. The site is not yet set up for online sign-ups, so please contact Ryan Brady for more detailed information about routes or to sign-up: ryan.brady(AT)wisconsin.gov (replace (AT) with @)

Some level of training may be needed as this survey is a bit more complex than other WBCI surveys. Playback equipment can be provided, but volunteers in most cases should be physically fit with good hearing, possess knee or hip boots, and have access to a GPS unit for locating established survey points.

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES….

There is little doubt that kids love animals.

The really cool thing about this is the innate connection they seem to naturally have with them. Perhaps this is because of their stature; small kids dwarfed by the people and things that surround them. Perhaps because most creatures they encounter are as small, or smaller than they are, they readily identify with them.

Whatever the reason, youngsters non-judgmentally embrace the foibles and limitations of the creature or creatures of their focus. Something that more often than not, we adults looking thorough our seasoned and somewhat jaundiced lenses, have difficulty achieving.

It is hard for us to comprehend the attractiveness or charm a youngster sees in creatures we’d prefer not to encounter – much less spend any cuddle time with. Yet they fall in love with rats, cockroaches, reptiles and other critters neither pretty nor huggable.

It follows that kids love to learn about animals, and as we strive to ensure that when we depart the world we will leave them an earth replete with a full complement of thriving species, it is crucial that we fuel their passion for the children of today are the conservationists of tomorrow. Most of all, we need to teach them about endangered species.

Or do we?

Maybe it is we who need to learn. Click here to hear what 7 year-old Olivia Binfield has to say about that.

PREPARATIONS AT THE USGS PATUXENT WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTER

Guest Author: Sharon Peregoy, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Our minds this time of year are filled with anticipation. The first whooping crane chick is due to hatch very soon. This is what we work so hard for all year and preparations start long before the start of the breeding season. Actually, we begin getting ready for next year’s chicks as soon as the ultralight flock goes to Wisconsin and the chicks reared for Louisiana are sent south in the Fall. The chick buildings must be cleaned up and closed for the season, incubators and hatchers shut down, fields and pens that have been left to grow (for fear of disturbance to the chicks) are mowed.

We evaluate the year’s breeding season and make plans for the next year. Our sandhill cranes assist with the incubation of whooping crane eggs which allows the whoopers to lay more eggs. We evaluate how they incubated their own eggs and that will determine who gets to have whooping crane eggs next season. The flock manager (Jane) makes plans for artificial insemination (AI) on our whoopers based on the fertility from natural breeding. AI begins around the end of March and will take place 3 times a week for the duration of the egg laying season.

Sandhill cranes and whooping cranes here at Patuxent require year round care. Each  bird is checked every day to make sure all is well. As of today, our whooping crane flock has 26 pairs, and 22 single birds (74 birds). We also have a flock of 116 sandhill cranes that in addition to incubating whooping crane eggs also provide us with valuable information through various studies. The information we collect directly relates to the work we do with whooping cranes and may help us to make improvements to the project as we move forward.

A lot of work goes into maintaining a healthy flock of whooping cranes.  These are the birds from Patuxent (along with those at our partner institutions) that will produce the chicks for release.  Every crane gets an annual health exam prior to the start of the next season. Their pens are inspected and repairs are made to feed sheds, waterers, shade shelters, fencing and netting.

One of my favorite things to do at Patuxent (aside from raising chicks of course) is crane dating. Single birds that are old enough to reproduce are introduced to their prospective mate. Mates are chosen according to genetics. We need to make sure that the chicks they may produce for release have the best genetic diversity possible.  Sometimes it is love at first sight, but often the potential pair may need to live as neighbors with a fence between them to get used to one another. We look for behavioral signs of acceptance or aggression. If the pair looks amicable then we will allow them to have a supervised “date” with us being the chaperone. The male is allowed to go in to the female’s pen and we watch. First for an hour at a time, then maybe they spend the day together, then an overnight. It can take months and up to a year to get a single pair living comfortably together.

Before we know it the spring peepers are peeping and breeding season is here.  Maybe that new pair will lay their first egg this year! Time to get the incubators up and running, get the chick buildings clean, heat lamps hung, puppets ready, costumes repaired, and an endless check list of to dos. The AI team has started making the rounds. Many things to do! Checking for eggs in pens and hoping you will be the one to find the first whooper egg. Candling the first whooper egg with all fingers crossed. Yay! It’s fertile! Now we know when the first chick is due. OK now it’s real! Before we know it, the calendar is full of due dates and chick season is in full swing. One day runs into the next and then it’s time to send the ultralight chicks to Wisconsin and the Louisiana chicks will be sent south in the fall and then we start again. How lucky we all are to have such a job.

The Patuxent Crane Crew includes:

Ali Lopez
Jane Chandler (flock manager)
Brian Clauss
Barb Clauss
Robert Doyle
Sharon Peregoy
Charlie Shafer

Ed. note: our sincerest thanks and appreciation for all you do each and every day!

A GREAT MOTHER’S DAY GIFT IDEA!

As with every year for the past twelve years; the soon-to-hatch Whooping crane chicks in the Class of 2013 will be relying on you to help fund the biggest adventure of their young lives – their first-ever migration this fall behind our small aircraft and they will NEED YOUR HELP!

Why not make a MileMaker contribution and dedicate it to Mom? When completing the form on our secure site, watch for the Donation Note field to include a special message, which will be published alongside your name on the MileMaker recognition page.

Won’t you become a MileMaker sponsor today? A one mile sponsorship is $200; a half mile is $100; and a quarter mile is $50. Don’t forget to include a note for that special someone (you can also choose to leave the Donation Note field blank if you don’t want to include a message).

Remember too, that becoming a MileMaker supporter might also earn you a sensational Thank You Gift!

All MileMaker supporters are eligible to have their name drawn for a Thank You Gift of a two-week stay at Mot Mot Manor in fabulous Costa Rica! This lovely 3 bed/3 bath home is located overlooking the Nicoyan Peninsula in the beautiful gated community of Roma del Mar. The closest airport is in Liberia, Costa Rica (~2.5 hour drive). A total of $2000.00 will be provided to cover airfare and car rental for your Costa Rican getaway!

MileMaker Sponsors’ names will be entered in the Thank You Gift Draw as follows: 1 entry per quarter mile | 2 entries per half mile | 4 entries per one mile sponsorship. More details can be found here.

View a photo gallery featuring images taken at Mot Mot Manor and surrounding area.

Become a MileMaker supporter today... and help the soon-to-hatch Whooping cranes who will comprise the Class of 2013 reach their winter home in Florida this coming fall.

WHOOPING CRANE #7-12 – UPDATE

Brooke Pennypacker sent us the following image, which he captured late last week showing Whooping crane #7-12* in Sauk County, WI.

You may recall when she and crane 4-12 & 5-12 finally turned up in Wisconsin, it became apparent that #7-12 has sustained an injury to her left foot. Since then ICF’s Eva Szyszkoski and Brooke have been checking on her and the two report that while her foot still appears swollen, she is getting around better and using it occasionally.

Female Whooping crane #7-12 holding her swollen foot up.

Female Whooping crane #7-12 holding her swollen foot up.

USING DRONES TO COUNT WILDLIFE…

… including cranes!

Drone units originally designed for combat and each costing $250,000 were slated for destruction until an army colonel had the idea that they might be suited for wildlife surveys. They were donated to the U.S. Geological Survey and their first mission was to count Sandhill cranes.

CLICK to read more.

 

Image captured by a Raven drone showing roosting Sandhill cranes.

Image captured by a Raven drone showing roosting Sandhill cranes.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

Feeding bread to wild geese, ducks and other birds is incredibly harmful. Bread has almost no useful nutrients, so while the birds become full quickly they also become malnourished and more susceptible to disease.

Compounding the problem is excessive bread that ends up in the water when feeding waterfowl, which leads to high levels of E. coli and even botulism outbreaks. Other issues that can develop include over-crowding, delayed migration, and increased hybridization.

Visit for more info:  http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7001.html

2013 EGG ALLOCATIONS

Whooping cranes are an international species. The only naturally occurring population nests in northern Canada and they migrate to Texas. Accordingly there is an active Recovery Team in each country and they cooperate using an MOU or Memorandum of Understanding.

This joint Recovery Teams also governs the Eastern Migratory reintroduction project and the Non-Migratory reintroduction in Louisiana. Since the latter project began three years ago, the Recovery Team has allocated half of the birds raised in captivity to each of the two experimental flocks. Because of the low numbers we have had in the last three years, WCEP submitted a request to the Recovery Team this spring for a disproportionate share of the eggs. 

At this stage of the breeding season everyone talks in percentages of the captive production because no one can predict how many eggs will be produced. There are hundreds of factors that influence captive breeding, many of which are not fully understood. We can however, estimate the number of chicks that will survive. Historically 75% of the egg that are laid will hatch and 75% of those will survive to be shipped to the reintroduction sites. This year the flock managers estimate that 36 bird will be available for release. There is a possibility that some will be collected from abandoned nests at Necedah as well. 

Out of that estimate of 36 chicks the Recovery Team has allocated 14 to the Louisiana flock and 22 to WCEP. Within the EMP, eight of those chicks will be assigned to the Ultralight method, eight will be released as DAR birds and 6 will be for the Parent Reared (PR) project that is new this year. 

In addition the Recovery Team made the following comments.

  • If additional chicks are available, they should be allocated equally between Louisiana (LA) non-migratory flock and the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) e.g., the 37th chick to LA, the 38th to EMP, etc. If fewer are available, reductions should be applied to achieve the same proportions as above.

  • The PR birds should be released at Necedah NWR in order to learn about the effects of costume rearing chicks for reintroduction. Adequate numbers of adult cranes exist at Necedah such that the PR chicks can be released/socialized with adult birds. Additionally, past years of DAR releases at Necedah (2005-2010) can be compared to the PR releases. Key metrics include survival and reproductive success. The PR experiment at Necedah NWR should be run for a minimum of 2 years (2013-14) and then be re-evaluated for future allocations.

  • The PR trial at Necedah is consistent with WCRT statements from last year on the value of using Necedah birds to learn more about the success of our releases and Whooping crane management for improved reproduction. Thus, we do not view this trial as part of the EMP allocation. Rather, it is supported for its benefit to Whooping crane reintroduction overall, and in future years could be conducted in the Wisconsin rectangle or in Louisiana, depending on the need for more data and the availability of white birds as targets for release.

This time of year the Flock Managers at the five captive breeding centers gather once a week on a conference call to report progress and try to estimate production. The last call reported thirty-one eggs have been laid to date. Nineteen have been either infertile or accidentally broken by the parents prior to pick up. 

It all reminds me a pulling the arm on a slot machine. The mind blurs at the complexity like the prizes that spin so fast you can’t see them. Then they stop suddenly and our season begins with whatever nature has decided is our payoff. Cross your fingers

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