Photo Journals!
Wintering Whoopers |
Ultralight-guided
Migration |
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Whooper Happenings
Mark Chenoweth's latest audio podcast all about Whooping Cranes! |
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Operation
Migration is pleased to provide this link to Whooper
Happenings to its website visitors.
Mark Chenoweth, an OM supporter with a long history in
broadcast journalism, developed Whooper Happenings. In
addition to OM staffers and WCEP partners, Mark's podcasts
include interviews with various experts and lay people on
Whooping crane history, husbandry and reintroduction.
The
comments and
opinions expressed on Whooper Happenings are not necessarily
those of Operation Migration. |
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| Date: |
July
28th, 2006 - Entry 2 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Bev Paulan |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Training update |
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This morning we awoke to clear skies and
calm winds. At least I think it was, because at 5AM it was
still quite dark. It was a beautiful morning to train, and
as I drove out to Site #2, the refuge looked like it had
been strung with crystals. Spiders are rather busy little
critters, and the dew covering their overnight work was
sparkling in the early morning light. Looking at their
masterpieces while being serenaded by a bird symphony
brought home to me once again how truly lucky I am to be
working on this project.
At least that's the way I felt until I walked into the pen.
Cohort #2 was actually easy to entice out of the wet pen and
up to the gate, what with the brood call blaring from our
MP3 players and several grapes being tossed their way.
However, it became much more difficult when, just as Joe
landed in the trike, an adult pair next to the pen began
unison calling and scared the youngsters into the back of
the pen.
So it took more brood calls, lots of grapes, and
three of us herding to finally get all of the birds out of
the pen and onto the runway. The first pass in the trike
seemed to go well with all the birds flapping, and a couple
even taking rather large bounds.
On the second pass, I noticed a shortage of birds, and sure
enough, 615 was up to his usual tricks and had wandered off
into the marsh. 611 was hot on the heels of the trike as
always; 612 was bounding with longer and longer strides; and
at each pass, 613 and 614 looked like they were becoming
more and more weightless.
There is no doubt about young Mister 615 having a mind of
his own! After the rest of the birds finished training, 615
finally came out of the marsh and got some private lessons
from Joe. Hopefully tomorrow he will pay more attention to
his flight instructor!
And, yes, in spite of the extra work this morning, I am
still feeling pretty lucky. |
| Date: |
July
28th, 2006 - Entry 1 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Brooke Pennypacker |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Rain, at last |
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We really needed the rain, and although
it puts the whammy on training, it's small price to pay for
its benefits in what has so far been an alarmingly dry
summer. You wouldn't know though it to stand on the refuge
observation tower and look out. The landscape is filled with
water bodies of every geometry imaginable. But like they
say, "We've got plenty of water, but it' mighty thin!"
It doesn't take long for the combination of low rainfall,
evaporation, and ground seepage to exact a toll on our
meager reserves. We are left with 'stay awake at night'
worries of; will water levels in the wet pens be high enough
for the chicks to roost in, and, how long before existing
pen water becomes stagnant and polluted and a health threat?
You see, it is not for nothing that cranes are sometimes
thought of as waterfowl.
John Olsen, our able and always enthusiastic refuge
hydrologist, keeps a wary eye on the water situation,
juggling existing water supplies daily through an elaborate
system of canals, gates, and dams to insure our chicks have
access to the water they need. But the job is not an easy
one.
Last summer, another dry one, John supplemented dangerously
low water flows by rigging up a large 12 inch tractor-driven
pump called a Cristofoli, (try saying that fast three times
and I guarantee it will clean the tartar out of your teeth!)
and using it to pump water from West Rynerson Pond into Rice
Pond, thus providing Sites #2 and #4's wet pens with
adequate water levels - and saving the day.
This year, the entire refuge staff, including the Fire
Crews, were mobilized to respond to dangerously low water
levels at Site #3, the DAR site. They mounted an emergency
civil engineering project with so much heavy equipment and
manpower that, from the ultralight, it looked like the
Invasion of Normandy all over again. Their continuous
dedication to the health of the birds, and the ultimate
success of this project year after year, is nothing short of
amazing. Well you know what they say, "It takes a
village....."
So now, I'll pour the water out of my boots, (I left them
outside last night), grab my wet costume, (I left that
outside too) and my puppet head (yup - also soaked, but the
mealworms inside it DID need a bath) and despite the fact
I'm going to look like a fugitive from the set of the old TV
show, Sea Hunt, I'll drag my soggy self out into the new day
and hopefully respond appropriately to the challenges that
await. Wish me luck!!!!! |
| Date: |
July
26th, 2006 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Disheartening news |
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Just
after 6:30 last evening, monitoring team members Tally Love
and Serena Grover located the partially decomposed carcass
of 203* just southeast of her nesting marsh on Pool 18W at
Necedah NWR. She was found in dried sedge-reed canary grass,
marsh-willow scrub-shrub. The heavily vegetated
drought-stricken area is currently devoid of water except
for very small amounts in small ditches and a pond.
Richard Urbanek advised that, "Tracking data indicates that
mortality occurred on the afternoon or evening of July
22nd." In an earlier communication, Richard commented on the
disassociation of 317 and 203*. Now we know the unfortunate
cause. As the remains were cached under some deadfall,
predation is suspected.
203*, the mate of 317, is the second member of a breeding
pair to succumb to mortality during the reintroduction. This
young pair started several nests in 2005, but laid no eggs.
They laid two eggs in April this year, but they were lost to
predators early on in incubation.
203 is the 15th mortality of a released bird to occur since
the reintroduction began in 2001; the third confirmed
mortality within the past 2 months. This sad event once
again reduces the number in the eastern migratory population
- now standing at 61 adults/sub-adults and 2 chicks. |
| Date: |
July
22th, 2006 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Every little bit helps |
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If you are like us, you too often use a
search engine to look for things, articles, or news on the
internet. Thanks to Dave and Suzanne Johnson, of Wild Birds
Center, Foxgrove IL, we now use GoodSearch.com to do this.
What is unique about GoodSearch is that they have developed
a way to direct money to your favorite charity or non-profit
with every click. Each time someone uses Good Search to
search the internet, money goes to your favorite
organization. Why not give it a try and support the cause
you care most about - which hopefully is Operation
Migration.
The GoodSearch site is powered by Yahoo! so you will get the
same quality search results that you are used to. The more
people who use this site to search, the more money will go
to worth causes. If you like the idea, please spread the
word to your friends and family. You can find Goodsearch at
www.goodsearch.com |
| Date: |
July
20th, 2006 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Bev Paulan and
Richard van Heuvelen |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Summer training update |
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Bev's Report -
This morning I got up late due to a fantastic
overnight thunderstorm that knocked out the power rendering
my alarm clock useless (I'm still trying to adapt to the 5am
wake up). Luckily it was right at 5:30, the usual start time
of our morning briefing. It was determined that training
would be a 'go' and everyone split up to head out to the two
training sites.
We had 2 additional handlers today due to yesterday's
arrival of Laurie Lin, OM's other intern, and Mary, a
volunteer from Patuxent. Chris, Mary and I headed to site 4
(I confess to my ulterior motives in wanting to see the
chicks taking their first tentative flight) while the others
went to site 2. Charlie volunteered to play 'swamp monster'
at site 2 to discourage the chicks from wandering into the
marsh. In this role he hides under a tarp in the marsh and
if a chick wanders out there, he quickly stands up,
hopefully scaring the chick back onto the runway. Apparently
this worked so well the chick not only ran back onto the
runway, but continued right off the other side - with all
the other chicks in tow. I'm glad I wasn't there to watch as
my laughter would not have been well contained, and I would
have risked breaking the no noise rule.
Back at Site 4 things couldn't have been more exciting. All
of the birds became airborne for at least a moment, with the
stronger chicks flying nearly the length of the runway. As a
flight instructor I was always so proud when one of my
students would solo for the first time, but the sight of
these beautiful young birds realizing they have the gift of
flight and can actually break the bonds of gravity is beyond
my grasp of words. I was awestruck.
Going from a gangly, loping
chick to a fledged sub-adult is a matter of one step really,
but the change in attitude (the birds and mine) is much
greater. As Mary stated, watching as they realize the hidden
power they posses in their wings is bordering on observing
the miraculous occur. I can't wait until my next turn at
site 4. It will be hard to share them with the others!
Richard's Report -
Today we decided Brooke
would train site 2 and I would train site 4. We took off
from Necedah airport and headed for the refuge. There was a
bank of fog off in the distance, and wisps of fog drifted by
in the still air. After a good night's rain, you could see
and feel the difference in the landscape as every thing
seemed greener.
Site four came into view with the ground crew already in
position. Landing, I turned on the vocalizer and with a
signal from Chris adjusted it to the proper volume. The
doors swung wide and the chicks clamored out. Off we went
with 1, 2 and 6 immediately getting airborne. They flew the
entire length of the runway. 4, 5,and 7 flew about half the
distance. 8 and 10 lagged behind, flying in spurts, touching
down every once.
The return trip went almost as well. However, 101 and 202
had come out of the marsh onto the runway and while most of
the chicks ignored them and flew on past, 610, struggling to
get airborne, landed next to them. But the adult whoppers
helped us out and chased 10 who took off to rejoin us at the
other end of the runway. A couple more runs with rest and
treats in between and then we put the chicks back into the
pen. By this time the fog had rolled in and I had to wait it
out before flying back to the airport.
Chris called from the office to let us know that Cohort #3
would be arriving in about 30 to 45 minutes, so we all
loaded up and headed for the airport. The Windway Caravan
arrived on time as usual, and again, many thanks to Windway,
Mike Frakes and Stu Walker for the safe arrival of yet
another healthy cohort of chicks. We are forever in their
debt.
The chicks were quickly loaded into the air conditioned van,
and we headed for site 1. After weighing , we let them out
of the boxes inside the pen, where they stretched their legs
and wings (see photo below) and quickly settled into their new home.
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| Date: |
July
18th, 2006 - Entry 2 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Chris Gullikson and
Richard van Heuvelen |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Taxi and almost Flight Training |
Note:
Happily we have two training reports today; one from
Chris and one from Richard. Thanks guys! Sounds like they
are having fun with the chicks in the Class of 2006. I wish
I could be there to watch, don't you? Liz
Chris Reports... Cooler temps and first flights.
The intense heat wave has finally broken and we were greeted
to beautiful calm skies with less humidity and cool temps
this morning. Having been unable to train for the last few
days because of wind and heat, we were eager to see how the
birds would respond to the cooler weather.
It was my turn to train Cohort 1 at the north site. Charlie
and Bev opened the doors and 3 birds exploded out of the
pen, leaving 5 others inside hanging out in the wet pen. The
3 chicks were eager to get going so I revved the engine and
blasted down the runway watching all 3 taking huge gliding
steps. 602 actually found herself about 15 feet off the
ground and she looked rather proud of herself after she
managed to make a less then spectacular landing. (Remember
602? She is the offspring of 213 and 218 from the
ultralight-led Class of 2002. Their eggs were collected to
be captive-hatched when they abandoned their nest.)
While I sat at the end of the runway feeding grapes to the
three apt pupils, Charlie and Bev managed to persuade a few
more birds to come out of the pen. One by one they raced
down the runway to join us under the trike wing. 608 was the
tardy scholar of the group today, and was finally coaxed
outside after having missed 2 taxi runs up and down the
runway.
Most of the birds were able to fly for a short distance in
ground effect* this morning. 605 glided under my wing a good
50 feet before losing momentum and returning to earth. We
finished up training just as the adult pair of 101 and 202
wandered out on the runway. We got the chicks back into the
pen easily after spending some time foraging around the
trike, and as usual, they were quite happy to get back into
the wet pen.
I looked over towards the south site as I lifted off the
runway just in time to see Richard lift off the runway
himself. We wandered over towards the east site and could
see the adult pair of 211 and 217 with their two chicks just
off the north end of our wet pen. What an exciting summer it
is going to be having the 'First Family' so close to us.
Richard Reports...
After a two days of not training due to high wind and a
heat wave of almost 100 degrees, we woke up today to a
comparatively cool morning. It was decided that Chris would
train site 4 with Charlie and Bev, and I would go to site 2
with Marie and Brooke to act as ground crew.
The chicks were slow to come out of the pen and 611 stayed
in the wet pen. So off we went with 12, 13, 14, 15. 614 and
615 kept up with the trike, while 612 and 613 lagged behind
either struggling to following the trike or taking off into
the swamp. It took some persuading in the form of tossing
out grapes from the puppet while taxiing down the runway –
but the trike won.
After spending some quality time at the end of the runway,
off we went again and things went a little smoother this
time. By the time we got back to the pen area Brooke and
Marie had coaxed 611 out, and we found him on the runway
south of the pen also wanting to go to the swamp. Thanks to
more grape tossing we were able to get all five chicks to
follow.
611 ,614, and 615 were still tempted by the swamp however,
and one chick did wander in. It took more treats, but they
finally followed. Feeling abandoned, the lone chick came
charging back onto the runway. The return trip was a repeat
of the first. Then, when we got back to the pen, all
of the chicks wanted to get into the swamp. In fact 615
climbed over the fence and ran in. I quickly accelerated the
trike up to the pen doors and the remaining four birds
followed. Brooke helped put them in the pen while Marie
mushed into the swamp to retrieve 615, who surprisingly,
followed her eagerly back to the pen.
Here is a photo of four chicks following the trike and one
of 611 by himself at the pen.
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| Date: |
July
18th, 2006 - Entry 1 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Monitoring Team Update |
We
received the Monitoring Team's (Richard Urbanek, Tally Love,
and Kelly Maguire) latest update this morning.
Richard reports that all '01 to '05 birds are in Wisconsin
with the exception of 318, 522, and DAR533 who are in
Michigan, and 107* and 509 whose locations remain unknown.
He said that the reintroduction area in Central Wisconsin
was experiencing severe drought and extreme heat by the end
of last week.
Chick Rearing
211 and 217* continued rearing both of their chicks in
their territory along the east dike of East Rynearson Pool.
Portions of the nest marsh covered by emergent vegetation
were dry, however by July 9th the family had moved from the
nest marsh and remained exclusively on the west side of the
dike. The primary component of their diet appeared to be
green frogs which were abundant in the area.
Mortality
As we previously reported, 302 was confirmed dead on July
16th when his partly consumed carcass was found in Monore
County. (See entry #2 July 17th) Tracking data for 302 and
his mate 209* indicated that mortality occurred before July
10th, most probably on or about July 5th.
Transmitter Replaced
On July 11th 102* returned to Site 3 at Necedah. She had
last been sighted in Adams County May 30. Her non-functional
transmitter was replaced on 15 July.
Our thanks to Richard Urbanek for providing the photos
below.
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| Date: |
July
17th, 2006 - Entry 3 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Latest Word from Patuxent |
PWRC's
Brian Clauss reports that with the exception of July 14th,
all five chicks in Cohort #3 (618, 619, 620, 622 and 623)
have trained together every day. "All birds have been
following the trike without hesitation and have also spent
lots of quality time pecking at it and getting mealworm
treats," said Brian.
Health exams were substituted for training on the 14th when
all the chicks were checked by Dr. Glen Olsen. Because some
blood values were off on his last health check, another
sample was drawn from 620. Brian said that none of the birds
limped or had any problems after their exam, and after an
hour or so, they went to the White Series pond. The chicks
will all be de-wormed on July 19th, the day before being
shipped to Necedah.
Brian noted that while these five chicks have for most part
been pretty well behaved, there have still been some bouts
of aggression during training. "This morning 622 attacked
619 as she was eating some mealworms," Brian said. "619
tried to run away but 622 would not let go of her head.
After we got him (622) off of 619, he wanted a piece of any
bird he saw. We quickly diffused the situation by turning
off the trike vocalizer and leaving the training area.
Socialization
In addition to 622, 618 can still be quite aggressive at
times. Birds just hock-sitting minding their own business
find themselves getting nailed on the back of the head by
one of these aggressors.
As of July 12th Cohort #3 has been spending 5 to 9 hours a
day at the White pond pens. They were constantly supervised
in the pen or by video until the 15th when they started to
be checked hourly by video. Last night, they spent their
first night at the White Series pond pen.
Health issues
618 still has a bit of a wheeze and one toe that appears
to be slightly swollen or thickened near the last joint. It
does not feel hot, or cause him any problems while walking
or running behind the trike. He is still on antibiotic and
antifungal meds which are given to him twice a day in
smelts.
Our thanks to Brian for the extra effort to keep us
posted.
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| Date: |
July
17th, 2006 - Entry 2 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
302 Lost |
In a
report just in, Dr. Richard Urbanek advised that the carcass
of 302 was found earlier today in a dense huckleberry
thicket in Munroe County.
Richard said the cause of death had not been determined, but
he noted that part of the left thoracic area had been
consumed by a predator or scavenger. He said that the
remains were otherwise intact but desiccated, with mortality
probably occurring sometime during the last one to three
weeks. The area were the remains of 302 was found is heavily
vegetated and currently devoid of water except for small
amounts impounded by beaver dams in ditch channels.
"302 is the first member of a breeding pair to succumb to
mortality during the reintroduction," said Richard. "He was
the mate of blood sibling 209. The pair nested for the first
time this spring on Monroe County Flowage, approximately 3
miles southwest of the mortality site. They incubated for
two weeks during the latter half of April before losing
their clutch. The pair subsequently moved northeast of Dandy
Creek Flowage, where 302 was suspected to be molting. By
July 10th no signal from 209 was detected in the local area,
and a report received yesterday indicated that 209 had
moved."
302 is the 14th mortality of a released bird since the
reintroduction began in 2001. The eastern migratory
population now stands at 64; 62 adults/sub-adults and 2
newly hatched chicks.
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| Date: |
July
17th, 2006 - Entry 1 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Joe Duff |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Exercise for everyone |
It is natural for birds like
Whooping cranes to migrate with their parents to spend the
winter in warmer locales. By the time they head north again
in the spring they have acquired the plumage of an adult,
and look a lot like their parents. When they arrive on the
breeding grounds (or where they think they started life) it
is normal to want to hang around mom and dad. After all they
won't get interested in breeding for another few years,
besides, what else is there to do.
Of course by this time the parents are getting tired of the
nurturing thing. The chicks are now as big as them, are
competing for the same food, and are beginning to look a lot
like interlopers. In no uncertain terms the young are chased
off to make room for the next descendants and on it goes.
In our case, we are the parents, at least for the first
generation, and it's incumbent on us to chase off the
prodigal children and concentrate on the
'young-of-the-year'. Unfortunately we are not fast enough to
dissuade a persistent Whooping crane. They outrun us as we
charge down the runway, hampered as we are by restrictive
costumes that block out oxygen and hold in the heat. They
tread lightly on marsh grasses while we plunge knee deep in
the muck. Then, once they have led us on a merry chase out
into the wetlands, they simply fly back to the runway and
laugh at us, which in Whooping crane, equates to a unison
call.
We get a short reprieve during the early part of the summer
when the chicks first arrive at Necedah. The white birds
defend their territories, but are tolerant of us because
they have begun to moult. This leaves them flightless for
about a month, and they spend most of that time trying to
avoid attention. They stay in the deeper part of the marsh,
mostly in water, while we happily carry on, free of their
daily interference.
Well that period of tranquility is about to end for another
season. At the west site we are beginning to see the white
birds gather every morning to meddle with the training - and
to see what treats they can steal. The other day there were
ten white birds all in front of the pen waiting for us to
arrive. Inside, the chicks still seemed eager to see us and
willing to follow despite the orchestra of unison callers
just outside. From now on most of our mornings will begin
with a little exercise.
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10 of the Class of 2005 visit the pen site. (2 are
off-camera) |
Socializing before taxi-training. |
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| Date: |
July
14th, 2006 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Bev Paulan |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Activity Update |
Halleluiah and praise the rain gods! A
beautiful thunderstorm rumbled through here this morning
leaving an accumulation of almost an inch of water. It
prevented training with the chicks, but helped reduce the
crunchiness of every green thing in sight. Water has really
become an issue, and the thunderstorm was a very welcome
event.
We checked on the chicks this morning as 607 is receiving
meds for a cough, and 614 has been limping slightly. Both
chicks looked great this morning with no sign of a cough or
a limp, and their meds (hidden inside a smelt to make them
more palatable) were eagerly eaten.
Damp feeders were cleaned, and fresh dry food put out. Pens
were inspected for wind damage and seeing none, we headed
back to camp.
Adults 101 and 202 were on the runway near the pen at Site 4
the entire time we were there. Coming out of the pen I was
startled by the nearness of the white birds, and got my
first, real up close look at an adult Whooper. What a
magnificent bird! This will prove interesting though when
training resumes tomorrow.
Today's schedule consists of trailer maintenance until
it gets too hot to work. Forecast highs are for temps in the
upper 90's and nearing 100 for the next several days. I wish
I had a wet pen to stand in all day!
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| Date: |
July
13th, 2006 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Chris Gullikson |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Training Update |
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Things are rolling along smoothly here
in Necedah, WI. The weather has allowed us to train the
birds just about every morning, although we desperately need
rain to maintain the water level on the refuge. So far we
are in good shape at the 3 ultralight training sites, but
the site used by the DAR chicks has dried up and there is no
rain in sight for the foreseeable future.
July 10th
It was a bit too windy to fly this morning so we went
out to the south site to train Cohort 2 with the taxi trike.
As I drove the trike towards the pen, I was surprised to see
10 Whooping cranes on the runway standing right in front of
the pen. They flushed at our approach but only flew 100
yards to land further down the runway. We were able to chase
off 8 birds, while 2 others landed by the wet pen about 100
feet off the runway.
There have been 12 birds from last year's migration hanging
out at this site and I was delighted to see "my old friends"
at close range again. Despite all the commotion, the 5
chicks that make up cohort 2 came eagerly out of the pen
when Marie and Bev opened up the doors and they all followed
well at a fast run with their wings held out.
July 11th
While Joe flew out to train Cohort 1 at the north site with
Charlie, I flew out to the south site to meet Bev, Marie,
and the Cohort 2 birds. Once again the birds exited the pen
quickly and followed the trike well. 614 is very conscious
of his surroundings, and pays more attention to the swamp
than to the costume and trike.
This seems to be very normal behavior for some birds and is
likely a great survival instinct, but it is a behavior issue
that we need to alter in order to keep all the birds
together in a group. This is usually remedied very quickly
by just spending some time near the trike feeding out some
meal worms with the puppet head. This allows the bird to get
comfortable being outside and near the trike. At the north
site, 604 and 606 exhibited the same wary behavior. Both
have now done a 180 degree turn and are much more attentive
to the trike.
July 12th
It was a warm morning and 3 of the birds were reluctant to
come out of the wet pen at the North site. I taxied off with
the 5 birds that I had, while Bev and Marie tried to
convince 604, 608, and 610 to come out of the pen and join
us for training.
This can be a difficult task; you want the bird to walk out
on its own without being forced. A negative experience can
make a bird become gate shy. They managed to get 604 and 608
out of the pen after my first pass, and soon had 610 out on
the runway. After a few taxi trips up and down the runway,
we put the birds back in the pen and I flew over to the
south site where Charlie had been waiting patiently for the
last hour.
This time it was 614 who was slow to come out of the pen, so
I taxied the other 4 birds down to the end of the runway
while Charlie opened the doors and convinced him to come out
on his own by digging around in the dirt with his puppet
head. 614 finally ambled over to us and we began our first
taxi run down the runway. The birds followed well as we
taxied away from the pen, but they would lag behind me on
the return trip and seemed much more interested in getting
back into the wet pen and getting into the cool water. It
will be interesting too see how training goes over the next
several days as the temps are expected to soar into the mid
90’s by this weekend. |
| Date: |
July
11th, 2006 - Entry 2 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Joe Duff |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Cohort
#3 arrival delayed |
|
Just
when you think you have it all figured out, Whooping cranes
have the ability to change everything.
The chicks at Necedah are behaving like troopers, and so far,
we have not seen any of the typical problems associated with
young birds. The remaining chicks at Patuxent however, seem
reluctant to socialize. There are two (618 and 622) that are
quite aggressive - to the point that they cannot be left
unsupervised without placing the others at risk.
As a result, a decision was taken to postpone shipment of
Cohort #3 until July 20th; the latest ever shipment date. We
will just have to hope we can get them integrated soon enough
for a normal migration departure. |
| Date: |
July
11th, 2006 - Entry 1 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Joe Duff |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
What
a photographer! |
|
Last
evening, Dr Richard Urbanek of the US Fish and Wildlife
Service and lead on WCEP's Tracking Team, offered us an
opportunity to join him on his regular check of the wild
chicks. We met him at the east site, and Bev, Marie, Charlie
and I, jumped into his truck for the short drive north.
The chicks are old enough to wander with their parents, and
Richard used his tracking equipment to locate them not far
from the hatch site. They had moved from a small marsh and
were on the east side of East Rynearson Pool. The water is
shallow there, and they were meandering from one small grassy
island to another.
The sun was going down and the water backlit as they crossed
an open area only a few inches deep. The male led, with the
female behind - followed by the two chicks in a perfect family
line. I shot several full frame photos with the lens on full
zoom and was excited by the images. No one else had their
cameras ready and I promised to share my good fortune.
Later, as it grew dark, I hit the preview button to see what I
had captured. The message, "No CF Card" was the only
thing that flashed on the screen. Unbelievable given I made my
living for 20 years as a photographer! My apologies. I should
have had great shots of the 'First Family' foraging together
to post here. What a photographer! |
| Date: |
July
10th, 2006 - Entry 1 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Cohort
#3 Update |
|
PWRC's
Brian Clauss sent along the update below on Cohort #'s
training. In passing, he commented that 615 (in Cohort #2
shipped last week) was sometimes aggressive to others,
especially when a costume was present. It will be interesting
to see if, or how the move to Necedah impacts his behaviour.
Brian's Report: We are down to just the five chicks in
Cohort #3 here at Patuxent, and overall, training is going
well. 619, 620 and 623 are getting along and training together
nicely. 619 follows well, and is very alert and during
training, but is nervous at the half moon field. He does not
seem to fear the trike, just the training area.
We are working on getting 618 and 622 in with this group, but
we are taking it slow because these two birds are so
aggressive. Both have been training well by themselves
however.
Besides some slightly scraped beaks and slightly crooked toes
there are no real health issues with any of the chicks in this
group. |
| Date: |
July
8th, 2006 - Entry 3 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Festival
Time's around the corner |
|
Dave
Arnold, the Necedah Lions Club's intrepid Festival
organizer, emailed to ask me to remind everyone about the 6th
Annual Necedah Whooping Crane and Wildlife Festival. This
year, the event is being held on Saturday, September 16th.
You'll find the fairgrounds filled
with both indoor and outdoor booths, some hosted by WCEP
partner organizations, and others displaying everything from
artwork and crafts, to honey and homemade soap.
In Operation Migration's booth will be one of our ultralights,
and once morning training and all (or most of) the chores of
the day are completed, OM's 4 pilots, Joe, Brooke, Richard,
and Chris will be on hand to meet and talk to festival
visitors, as will our 'newbie', Bev Paulan. A selection of
OM
merchandise will also be available for purchase.
Why not join us just after dawn at the
Observation
Tower
on the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to watch 'flight
training'. Weather permitting, the guys always do a fly-by or
two with the Whoopers in training, so don't forget your
camera.
Then, by the time you grab a bite of breakfast, the
fairgrounds will be open and you can check out the displays,
shop for the unusual, or take in one of the many special
presentations offered by a myriad of speakers (including OM's
own Joe Duff). A BBQ dinner
wraps up the day, and there is always some great
toe-tapping/dancing music to round out the evening.
The Necedah Lions Club's Festival website provides maps and
directions, information on food and lodging, the event
schedule, and more. If you'd like to take a look, here's a
link: http://www.whooping-crane-festival.com/
It's a terrific event, a fun time, and you'll meet fellow
Craniacs from far and wide. Why not come? |
| Date: |
July
8th, 2006 - Entry 1 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Beverly Paulan |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Cohort Two |
|
Today, we started taxi
training with Cohort #2. This group includes birds 611-615.
Boy, were they ever eager to come out of the pen when we first
arrived! They came running out and ran right up to the trike.
After making sure they were comfortable walking around the
trike, Brooke fired it up and taxied down the runway with all
5 chicks eagerly following. After a quick stop at the end, and
some meal worm treats, it was time for the next run down the
runway. This time, everyone was facing into the wind so wings
were flapping and necks were outstretched as the chicks were
running as quickly as they could.
Another run up and down the runway, some more meal worms, and
their first day of training was concluded. The chicks went
back into the pen with no trouble and started right in to
wading in the water troughs. It appears this cohort didn't
mind the travel from Patuxent, and has picked right up with
the new team where that crew left off. They should be a good
group to work with. |
| Date: |
July
7th, 2006 - Entry2 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Joe Duff / Laurie Lin |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah / Patuxent |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Cohort Two
/ Cohort Three |
|
Cohort
Two - by Joe Duff
It's funny how you become good at something if you do it often
enough. Yesterday afternoon, pilots from Windway Capital Corp
delivered our second cohort of birds for this season. This was
the fourteenth time they have volunteered to fly to
Baltimore
and back in the name of crane conservation. They have covered
almost 12 thousand miles and delivered 94 birds, and, as
always, they arrived safely.
It only took a few minutes to unload the 5 crates into the air
conditioned van we had waiting at the
Necedah
Airport
. Then we took a few more minutes to make sure Windway's
pilots knew how much we appreciate their efforts.
With the chicks onboard, top speed on the way from the airport
to the west site is about 20 miles per hour. Once we arrived
at the pensite, the crates were moved carefully into the pen.
Costumes, puppets and vocalizers were all in place before the
first crate was opened. The chicks stepped out completely
unscathed despite the ordeal. They wobble for a minute, like a
sailor finding his sea legs, but settle in almost immediately.
Barry Hartup, DVM from the International Crane Foundation,
watched each bird as it moved about. He checked for limping,
damaged feathers, and any signs of stress. But after only a
minute, these birds looked like they had always been here.
They were checked several times during the day but they all
seemed relaxed.
This morning we let them out for the first time to explore the
marsh with the aircraft and get a little exercise.
Cohort
Three - by Laurie Lin
I was relieved when I learned that Cohort 2 arrived in
Necedah safe and sound. It was good to hear because the chicks
were doing a lot of moving and screaming all the way from
Patuxent to the airport.
Here at Patuxent we are now focused on the socialization of
Cohort Three. 622 and 618 are being introduced separately to
the trio of 619, 620 and 623. They both showed much less
aggression and a willingness to cooperate. The entire Cohort
will have their 4 day pre-shipment x-ray completed tomorrow,
and they will also be given more time to hang out at the pond
during the day.
Note: Laurie will head for Necedah to join the rest
of the crew the day after the last cohort is shipped from
Patuxent (expected to be July 13th). Liz |
| Date: |
July
7th, 2006 - Entry 1 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Subject: |
Cohort Two and the 'First Family' |
|
All five birds in Cohort Two (611, 612, 613, 614 and 615) arrived safely
yesterday afternoon. They were delivered from Patuxent to
Necedah
Airport
by Windway Capital pilot Mike Frakes. Our thanks to both Mike
and Windway for this, the umpteenth flight they have made with
young Whooping cranes aboard.
Joe advises that all the chicks are healthy and happy and they
have been installed at Site 2. He promised to send an update
for the Field Journal soon.
OM Board Member and ICF Co-founder, George Archibald, reported
he watched the 'First Family' for a time yesterday seated in
the van with Richard Urbanek. George said, "At first, the
parents were each on opposite sides of the road that cuts
though the refuge near their wetland nesting grounds. Then the
female flew across and landed not far from her mate."
While George and Richard watched, the adults, separated by
30-40 feet, would each catch something and then walk a short
distance to pass it to a hidden object in the tall wetland
vegetation. Seems that they were each feeding a chick.
Finally, they approached the edge of the pond allowing George
to snap the photo of them shown here.
|
| Date: |
July
6th, 2006 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Bev Paulan |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah NWR |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Activity: |
Oh Wow! |
|
Wow! That's what I keep saying - and will keep saying for some time I'm
sure. The birds make me say wow, this place makes me say wow,
and the people constantly make me say wow.
I am in total awe of the people I am working with and everyone
I have met here. Their knowledge, talents, and most of all,
patience, are amazing. I am overwhelmed by it all. I am
learning new things everyday, and seeing and hearing new
things that will shape me as a crane handler/field tech, and
hopefully help me become an integral part of the OM Team.
This morning at training (the crane chicks as well as mine) I
watched Chris herd 604 from the pen. She was reluctant to go
out, and when she decided the marsh was more interesting than
training with the trike, Chris had to retrieve/herd her back.
He has a true gift for working with the birds - and I believe
he actually is able to think like one. I hope I can catch on
as quickly as he did.
Watching Brook fly and keep the chicks' attention is a marvel.
He should be called the Pied Piper of Necedah for his ability
to hold their interest and keep them following the trike when
there are so many other interesting things for them to look
at.
Joe has been extremely kind and patient. Last evening he took
me up for my first flight in the trike. I can see why these
guys do what they do. During all the years I have been flying,
nothing has come close to the thrill I experienced last
night. |
| Date: |
July
5th, 2006 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Activity: |
Tracking/Monitoring Update as of July 4 |
|
Tracking
Team: R. Urbanek, A. Rohde, and T. Love, Kelly Maguire
(* = female)
There are 65 individuals in the reintroduced Eastern Migratory
Population. (35 males, 28 females, and 2 newly hatched chicks.
As of July 1st, distribution was:
59 in Wisconsin - (57 adults/sub-adults and
2 chicks)
3 in Michigan
- 318 (apparently molting) remained with large numbers of
Sandhills in Oceana County.
- 522 has not been detected since June 14 when he flushed
with Sandhills during reconnaissance for a retrieval attempt.
He flew southward from Oceana toward Muskegon County and was
not tracked further.
- DAR 533* remains with a small number of Sandhill cranes
in Barry County.
3 Unknown
- 509 was last recorded June 18th in Fayette County, Iowa
but was not present when the site was checked on July 4th.
- 107* and 201 were last recorded in Adams County, WI on
April 18 and May 30 respectively. Both have non-functional
transmitters. |
| Date: |
July
4th, 2006 - Entry 3 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Activity: |
The 'First Family' |
|
Parents
211 and 217* with their chicks W601 and W602 remained on the
same wetland at Necedah where on Friday, Richard Urbanek was
able to observe the family for a time. It appeared that one
chick was getting all the food while the other chick hid. When
the timid chick came near, the stronger, more dominant chick
would drive its sibling back into hiding. Sibling aggression
or 'cainism' is
not uncommon between chicks,
with the larger bird usually picking on its smaller sibling.
The following day the family was spotted foraging at water's
edge, and despite Friday's apparent display of rivalry, the
two chicks stuck together and both were repeatedly fed by
their parents. Frogs....yum.
Research
Note:
A
five year study of captive Sandhill cranes chicks reported
aggression is evident within 2 days of hatching, increases by
day 4 or 5, is most intense around 30 days after hatch, and
subsides after three months of age. The study noted that
although sibling aggression, in which fighting may be severe
enough to lead to death of one of the chicks, has been
frequently recorded in captive Sandhills (Hyde 1957, Drewien
1973, Miller 1973, Archibald 1974, Quale 1976, Voss 1976),
there have been few published observations,
and no quantitative data on frequency of occurrence, of this
behavior in the wild.
|
| Date: |
July
4th, 2006 - Entry 2 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Activity: |
Operation Migration
Receives Award from Disney Wildlife
Conservation Fund |
|
Operation Migration
(OM) has been selected by the Disney Wildlife Conservation
Fund (DWCF) for a cash award in support of its work with
Whooping cranes. The DWCF funds will go toward the purchase of
new North Wings for
OM
's ultralight aircraft. The North Wing design eliminates the
king post and wires and means greater bird pilot safety.
OM
was selected from more than 240
applications reviewed by scientists, veterinarians and other
animal experts. The organizations range from large national
groups to small community efforts, from Africa to
Florida
, and in total received $1.4 million in awards, bringing the
DWCF total to more than $10 million in conservation projects
supported.
"The ability to enable such
important work to protect wildlife and wild places is a key
component of Disney's mission," according to Jerry
Montgomery, Sr. Vice President of Public Affairs, Walt Disney
World. Montgomery
oversees the DWCF program through Disney's office of
conservation initiatives. He said the programs chosen
demonstrate solid science, engage local communities, and
measure the impact being made to protect the environment.
"We also appreciate the fact that many of our Guests who
visit Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Cruise Line
contribute to DWCF, showing their own personal commitment to
conservation."
Disney pays all overhead costs of the award program, and its
corporate outreach program supplements DWCF awards. For a
complete list of Disney Wildlife Conservation projects visit www.disneywildlifefund.com.
Joe Duff,
OM's Whooping Crane Project Leader, said, "The Disney
organization and the DWCF have been solidly behind Operation
Migration since the project's inception. And that is not
all. Earlier this year, Disney committed more of its resources
when it agreed to contribute veterinarian services to the
project. They are a great partner, good friends, staunch
supporters, and we look forward to working with them for years
and years to come."
This latest award brings the total of DWCF's financial support
to Operation Migration over the years to more than $110,000.
|
| Date: |
July
4th, 2006 - Entry 1 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Activity: |
Report
of the IWCRT Chair |
|
Below is a
Summary report from Tom Stehn, Chair of the International
Whooping Crane Recovery Team
It has been a RECORD production year for all three
Whooping crane populations in the wild. The captive flocks
produced nearly 30 chicks that will be reintroduced into the
eastern migratory population, and approximately 6 chicks with
especially valuable genetics will be kept in captivity for
breeding.
Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada
In May, Brian Johns and Lea Craig-Moore of the Canadian
Wildlife Service reported a record 62 nests at Wood Buffalo.
Production surveys on the nesting grounds were carried out
between June 13th to 17th. Using a Partanavia twin-engine
aircraft piloted by Jim Bredy, USFWS-Region II documented a
record hatch of 76 chicks from the 62 nests. The record chick
production in 2006 was a result of the combination of the
large number of nests and productivity. Previous highs were 66
chicks hatched from 61 nests found.
Fifty-two (84%) of 2006's 62 nests produced one or more
chicks. The 76 chicks include 24 sets of twins! Compared to
the 7 pairs that failed to nest in 2005, an estimated 9 known
adult pairs and two single adults, were present on their
territories but failed to nest this season. Thus, there are an
estimated 71 breeding pairs in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo
population.
Water conditions on the nesting grounds looked slightly above
average and the weather was good throughout most of June, so I
am optimistic that survival of the chicks will be above
average. Based on the excellent production in June,
approximately 230+ Whooping cranes are expected to reach
Aransas in the fall, surpassing the record high of 220 present
in the winter of 05/06. This increase of the population is
anticipated since it is in the growth portion of the 10 year
population cycle that has occurred during the middle of every
decade.
We thank the Refuge and Endangered Species divisions of USFWS
and the Canadian Wildlife Service for funding the June
production surveys, and we acknowledge the tremendous skill of
Pilot Jim Bredy, and Canadian Whooping Crane Coordinator Brian
Johns for his knowledge of the nesting pairs in the virtual
maze of small ponds that characterize Wood Buffalo National
Park's Whooping crane nesting grounds.
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Three Whooping cranes did not migrate and are still at
Aransas. The three include the 2004 Lobstick chick that was
injured in spring 2005, and who did not migrated in 2005 or
2006. All three cranes look fine, but it is always a worry
that the failure to migrate is an indication of a health
problem.
Florida
It has also been a record production year for the
non-migratory Whooping crane flock in central Florida. Five
chicks are still surviving from a total of 7 hatched from 12
nests. Recent rains have improved wetland habitat that had
been dealing with drought.
Wisconsin
On June 22nd, the first wild Whooping crane chicks were
hatched in Wisconsin in over 100 years. The parents were both
4 year old Whooping cranes hatched in captivity at the
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. They attended Operation
Migration's 'flight school' at Necedah National Wildlife
Refuge in 2002 before being led on migration behind OM's
ultralight aircraft from central Wisconsin to Florida. The
hatching of the twin chicks validates that Whooping cranes,
isolation-raised and taught a migration have all the behaviors
needed to become successful parents.
Excerpted from a recent WCEP press release on the wild
hatch of two chicks -
"This is a long awaited moment." said Signe
Holtz, Director of the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources' Bureau of Endangered Resources. "The success
of this effort sets a goal for endangered species recovery
efforts everywhere. The partnership of public, private and
government organizations that has made this possible shows
what can be done when we all pull together with a common goal
in sight. These chicks have a long and dangerous road ahead of
them, but with luck, we'll see them wing south with their
parents this fall."
|
| Date: |
July
3rd, 2006 - Entry 2 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Joe Duff |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Necedah, WI |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Activity: |
Update |
|
I arrived in Necedah
Saturday for the first time this season. Richard vanHeuvelen
has already been and gone. Brooke Pennypacker has been here
for a while, and Chris G. showed up last week along with
Charlie Shafer from Patuxent. Beverly Paulan also started here
yesterday, and we gave her the grand tour.
Next week another cohort of birds will arrive and our summer
season will be in full swing. If you count the year we raised
Sandhill cranes, this will be the seventh season Operation
Migration has set up camp at Necedah.
The last time I saw the chicks was at Patuxent and they were
tiny fluff balls. I was anxious to see how they have
progressed, so the first thing I did was find a costume for
Bev, and we headed for the north site. I drove leisurely to
let her get oriented, and we were treated to the sight of
two adult Whooping cranes flying slowly across the road a
hundred yards in front of us.
We spotted soft shell turtles laying eggs near the road, and
saw a group of Sandhills on the runway as we approached the
pen. Even better, our chicks were eager to see anyone in a
costume. The entire experience reminded me of what a haven
Necedah is in the summer time.
Normally we can make a circuit around east Rynearson Pond and
visit all three sites, but the pair (211 and 217) with the two
chicks are defending a territory too close to the road to
allow local traffic. So we doubled back instead so not to
disturb them. The Monitoring Team checked them on Saturday
morning and the whole family seems to be doing well so far.
Cohort Two will arrive early next week, again courtesy of Windway
Capital. Brian Clauss from Patuxent reports that they are
finally able to socialize some of the more aggressive birds
into small groups so they can be trained together.
It looks like we will only have 18 birds for this season's
ultralight-led migration. There were 22 originally, but 603
had to be euthanized last week because of extreme hock
rotation. 617 was put down because of a bone infection in the
leg and respiratory problems. 625 only has one eye, and
because it missed so much training early on, it’s afraid of
the trike and will likely be pulled out of the project. 616
appears to have scoliosis. Its neck is so distorted it often
falls over.
It has been a confusing year. We have gone from thinking we
would have very few chicks, to the expectation of record
numbers, and now we're back to a fairly normal year.
During early training at Patuxent when the birds are still
weeks from flying, we remove the wing from the aircraft to
make the process simpler. That way, if it is windy we can
still train, and the trike is much easier to maneuver around
the circle pen. Everything changes for the birds when they
arrive here at Necedah, so, to give them one constant, we
leave the wing off until they have had time to settle in.
Today, Brooke flew into the north site and we trained the
birds with the wing on his aircraft. Some were reluctant to
come out at first, while others seemed oblivious to the new
appendage - until they were standing right under it. When they
finally looked up, we did our best to distract their panic
with treats of smelt and meal worms. Most of them recovered
quickly and, after another few sessions, they will begin to
ignore the wing just as if it has always been there.
604 was horror stricken however, and ran off into the long
grass. She was coaxed back with treats and the vocalizer, and
would follow the trike as long as it didn't get too close.
You could see she was torn between the instinct to run and the
conditioning to follow. We spent half an hour in front of the
pen with number 4 alone, getting her slowly closer to the wing
and progressively less vigilant. This little bird will need
lots more attention because as Mark once said, "Number 4
is afraid of everything."
|
| Date: |
July
3rd, 2006 - Entry 1 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Brian Clauss |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Patuxent, MD |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Activity: |
Update
on Cohorts One & Two |
|
Cohort
2
611, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 616 have all been open-trained at the
half moon field the past few days and are adjusting to it
well. They have also been spending most of the day in the
White series pond pens and are getting along fine there.
Behavior-wise, this cohort seems to be socializing well.
616's scoliosis* continues
to worsen and is becoming more and more noticeable. It is
unlikely that he will be able to be included in the project.
Cohort 3
618, 19, 20, 22 and 23 have all been training and are
improving at pretty much a normal level. These birds were in
the crane-chick building until they were about 20 days old,
and while they were there, did not get any 'real' training -
just exposure to stationary trike revving. 619, 20 and 23 are
starting to get along together, however, 618 and 622 don't
get along with anyone. I think they would fight the adults if
they could get to them.
Likely as a result of her eye problem, 625 is very afraid of
the trike and any strange noise it encounters. Basically she
is blind in one eye and cannot be considered a candidate for
the ultralight-led migration.
Notes: OM Interns Marie Brady and Laurie
Lin, and Patuxent's Brian Clauss, have picked up where Mark
Nipper left off with reports from Patuxent. The above update
came in this morning from Brian - to whom we say, 'thanks'. A
report just in from Joe in Necedah on Cohort One's progress
follows. Liz *Derived
from the Greek word 'skolios,' meaning crooked, scoliosis is
an abnormal lateral curve to the vertebral column, in other
words an unnatural curvature of the spine.
Excerpt from USGS Northern Prairie
Wildlife Research Center's
Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan
"Having come through an extreme genetic bottleneck - the
current population is derived from at most 12 (and more likely
6-8) founding individuals. As a result the species is
susceptible to inbreeding effects. This loss of genetic
diversity and subsequent inbreeding depression are general
concerns for the small and narrowly based Whooping crane
population. The incidence of scoliosis and
tracheal deformities among captive Whooping Cranes is higher
than would be expected based on studies of wild Whooping
Cranes and other cranes. The distribution of scoliosis cases
among captive birds suggests that there may an inherited
susceptibility within the population."
|
| Date: |
July
2nd, 2006 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Mark Nipper & Marie
Brady |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Patuxent, MD |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Activity: |
Update
on the Class of 2006 |
|
Note: Cohort One left Patuxent
on Monday and Mark left on Wednesday, so this report is a
joint effort. It was started by Mark and then updated on July
1st by OM intern Marie Brady. Liz
Around 11:00am on June 26th, Windway Capital's aircraft took
off for
Wisconsin
with the eight birds (numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10) in
Cohort One. Charlie Shafer of PWRC, Richard Van Heuvelen, and
Brooke Pennypacker got all the birds tucked into their new
pens at Necedah without any trouble.
For the last week or so, Cohort One had been living full time
in the White Series pond pens. To check to make sure they
hadn't swallowed anything metal, we brought them into the
Propagation
Building
to be x-rayed before they were shipped. These birds have been
getting along much better for the past little while, and have
been doing pretty well in training too.
Cohort Two is split. 611, 613, and 614 are living in the White
Series Pens, while 612 and 615 are in the
Propagation
Building
. This is to analyze the difference between the two. These
birds are all still getting along really well. They go for
walks and train together as a group.
Cohort Three consists of numbers 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, and 25.
These guys still have a long way to go in every respect. Not
only have they only been training since June 18th, they do not
get along that well. 619 and 620 are good with each other, but
most of the rest of them hate absolutely everything and they
all fight through the walls of the pens. 622 wants to kill
anything that moves. 623 gets along with 619 and 620
reasonably well, although not when its very hot. Then everyone
tends to get cranky.
The past week was dominated by scheduled health checks,
radiographs, and serious health problems. Cohort One consisted
of nine chicks until 603 had to be euthanized on June 21st.
She was a good little bird but had an ongoing leg problem,
which led to her quick deterioration last week.
616 was an assisted hatch and has had respiratory problems
ever since. Despite having scoliosis, this fellow has a great
attitude and has kept up with the rest of the group just fine
so far.
617 recently became of extreme concern. As a result of an
infection in the bone of his toe, he was in a lot of pain, and
at times could hardly stand or walk. He also developed a
respiratory problem which worsened. After extensive treatment,
617 underwent surgery on June 29th to attempt to help its
increasing respiratory problems. Unfortunately, the little guy
died while still under anesthesia.
We also have grave concerns for 625. She injured her eye when
she was still pretty little, and the ensuing infection
resulted in blindness in that eye. 625 is also undergoing
extensive treatments, but not being able to see is pretty
serious. She is a great little bird with a wonderful attitude
and gets along well enough considering her condition.
Sadly, the class of 2006 is shrinking.
|
| Date: |
July
1st, 2006 |
Links |
| Reporter: |
Liz Condie |
Spring 2006 Photo Journal. |
| Location: |
Main Office |
MileMaker Challenge!
Win a trip to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and visit with the Operation Migration team! Click here for details! |
| Activity: |
Update
on
Wild601 and Wild602 |
|
Both
chicks were last observed in a wetland area on the Necedah Refuge
late on June 29th. During the evenings, one parent has been
brooding the chicks on the nest, and from all appearances, they
both seemed to still be doing well.
While
keeping in mind that Whooping crane parents do well to rear
one chick, we are full of optimism and hope for these two
milestone birds. The dangers of sibling rivalry aside, the
fledging of these chicks, and the added safety the ability to
fly affords, is still many days off. Nonetheless, the fact,
unrelated as it may be, that an incredible 24 sets of twins
were produced from 62 nests in the Wood Buffalo/Aransas flock,
somehow leaves this untutored Craniac encouraged.
Brooding birds of any species do not like close activity. This
precludes doing any close up observation in order to monitor
the progress of little W601 and W602 - as much as we would
like lots of reports and lots of pictures. But stay tuned, we
will post every little tidbit of news we are able to glean.
|
CLICK HERE to view the June 2006 Field Journal
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