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Notes: It seems only a few weeks have gone by since we delivered the 2003 hatch year Whooping cranes to their southern home at the Chassahowitzka NWR in Florida, yet here we are again, ready to begin our fourth field training season. Time really does fly! 

The crew at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland have been busy hatching out and caring for a new clutch of priceless crane chicks, following a productive breeding season. Here, at our headquarters in Ontario, Canada, we've been busy writing funding and grant requests, which we hope will be equally productive in generating the funds necessary to keep this reintroduction in the air.

OM Pilot and crane guide Richard van Heuvelen left Ontario two weeks to deliver the  equipment trailer containing the 3 ultralight aircraft to the Necedah NWR. These small, 365 lb. airplanes will soon become surrogates to the newest cohort of cranes to be returned to eastern North America by the Founding Members of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership. 

As soon as the aircraft were off-loaded, Richard headed over to begin setting up "Camp OM" which will the base of operations for the field team over the next four-or-so months as the new flock is conditioned and prepared for their maiden fall migration. The next day, Richard boarded a commercial flight to Fort Lauderdale, FL to retrieve Deke Clark’s motorhome that he is again loaning to us. Following a 3-day return drive from Florida, Richard put the finishing touches to the North training site, which didn’t require a great deal of work thanks to the fantastic staff at the refuge who already had most of the work completed.

OM Team Leader and Crane Coach, Joe Duff departed our headquarters last Wednesday, and began the 16-hour drive to Necedah, WI hauling our 32ft. travel trailer. Simultaneously, Patuxent’s Brian Clauss was driving from Laurel, MD to the reintroduction area in central Wisconsin; carrying with him five new top-nets for the training-site enclosures, and enough crane chow to begin the season. 

With everyone converging on the Necedah refuge, all they need now are young Whooping crane colts, and the first cohort of seven is slated to arrive this week. The timing of the transport is important because the first area the young cranes see from the air is what they perceive to be their natal area - and where they will return to each spring. For this reason, they must be shipped prior to fledging. It would be much easier to determine the shipping date if all of them hatched on one particular day but unfortunately, captive breeding techniques are not that advanced – yet. 

Because of the varied hatch dates the chicks are divided into small groups. Cohort formation takes place while the chicks are still at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and takes into consideration age and ability of the birds, and even personality traits. For example, if an older chick appears to be the subservient member of a group it may be moved into the younger cohort; making it the oldest and largest, which will often bolster its self-esteem. Dividing them into smaller cohorts also allows the pilots and trainers to adjust the training schedule for each group; obviously the older chicks will begin flying sooner than the later hatches. Eventually though, all of the birds will reach the same level of flight ability and endurance, and later, as the season progresses; these individual groups are blended into one large flock.

Later this week, chicks 401, 402, 403, 405, 406, 407 & 408 will be carefully placed inside specially made shipping containers and will be loaded onto a Windway Capitol Corp. jet, which again has been donated to this reintroduction. Once inside, the pilot will lift off, taking the young cranes on their first flight – (before they even realize they can fly). As soon as they land at the small Necedah airport they will be off-loaded into two air-conditioned vans and will be slowly driven to a small building located on the refuge. After a brief medical examination and x-ray, Cohort One will be moved to the North Training Site where they will be released to spend time with our costumed staff who will interact and observe with them to ensure that each bird is behaving normally after the stressful day. All this work takes place without anyone uttering a word because these cranes, just like the project cranes before them, are never exposed to the sound of humans.

Several of the eggs this year came from adult pairings that have either never produced previously, or have thus far, not been prolific breeders. As a result the chicks hatched from these eggs are extremely valuable from a genetic standpoint and even more so, if they are female. One of the mandates of the Whooping Crane Recovery Team is to build on the limited gene pool of the species, so these genetically valuable chicks will be held back at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and in the future will help to increase the genetic viability of the species. Such is the case this year with chicks 410 & 413 - both of these are considered valuable to the gene pool, and both are female, so these two youngsters will remain as part of Patuxent's important captive flock.

Whether she realizes it or not, this is probably good news for crane #410 as in past project years, we've not had good luck when it comes to the number "10." In fact, pandering to the superstitious nature of most pilots, Operation Migration suggests that in the future we avoid use of the number 10 to identify birds. Just as the numbering system in high-rise elevators skips from 12 to 14 to circumvent the use of the plagued number 13, we propose to skip from 9 to 11 and retire forever the fraught number 10. We present the following history of birds that have been condemned with this ominous identifier as justification for our dubious logic. We believe that by avoiding this numerical designation we can increase our survival rate by one bird every year. 

Sandhill crane #210 - Aircraft strike. Whooping cranes #110 - Bobcat predation; #210 - Aircraft strike and #310 - Living in fear...

Once a chick has emerged from the confines of its egg, a small sample of the embryonic sac is carefully extracted and sent off for DNA analysis, which will provide the gender of the new chick since it’s impossible to tell by simply looking for, um, you know. Until the sex of a young chick is determined they will still go participate in the critical imprinting and conditioning procedures with the costumed caretakers and crane puppets before the final decision is made to either hold it in captivity for future production, or to allow it to continue as a WCEP crane.

OM’s Mark Nipper explains the early training process: “We have been fortunate this year to have birds that get along well enough to begin training them in groups early. This makes it easier on the staff from a time-management standpoint. It is also an essential part of the training and migration process to get these birds socialized as little chicks and allow them to work out their social structure. Right now our first cohort consists of: 401, 402 & 403 – This group of three has been going out to the Half-moon field to train with the trike. The half-moon is a long open field that allows the ground-training trike to reach faster taxiing speeds with the young birds. These three follow the trike and costume pretty well. They have also been going out to the White Series pond pens. This area provides then an opportunity to forage and become accustomed to a marshy pen, as well as gain some independence from the costume. They all love spending time out there and do great when left alone.

The hatch dates for Cohort One range from April 20th to May 5^th, creating a 15-day span between the oldest and youngest birds in the group. 

Prior to the formation of cohorts, chicks are often worked in pairs if there are two that have similar hatch dates. Mark explains the progress of the future Cohort Two and Three cranes: “411 and 412 have been doing great with training ever since they were little.  412 can be a bit of a jerk every now and then, but for the most part, he cooperates.

414 & 415 get along great and appear very dedicated to the aircraft. 417 & 418 also get along and follow the taxiing aircraft very well. #416 has a bit of catching up to do since he missed almost a week of training due to an earlier respiratory condition.

On June 6^th, we worked cranes 414, 415, 416, 417 & 418 together as one group for the first time.  All of these birds are close in age, but more importantly, are of similar size and temperament.  They were all getting along rather well until we began giving out mealworm rewards. The youngest, and smallest of the new group #418 decided he didn’t want to share with any of the others, and chased off the four older and larger chicks.” 

The final number of chicks that WCEP will receive this year is potentially eighteen. Of the last few chicks to hatch, two will be held back because they are from genetically significant pairings as mentioned above. Once the gender of the chicks is determined, Patuxent's flock manager, Jane Chandler will make this decision but for now, here's who we do have:

Notes: On May 20th we reported that crane #302 had finally reappeared after eluding the team of crane trackers from the International Crane Foundation for 33-days. Prior to his return to the Necedah refuge on May 19th the last time this bird, and the only other missing '03 crane, #307 were recorded was on April 16th the two yearling males were each spotted, traveling separately, in Illinois. 

Yesterday brought news from Richard Urbanek, USFWS/ICF that crane 307 had also finally decided to return to his fledging grounds at the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin. 

Shortly before noon on Wednesday June 2nd Lara Fondow was on an aerial search flight over Poygan Lake, in Winnebago Cty, WI when she detected the radio signal of #307 to the distant west.  He was intercepted and observed in flight about an hour later over forested wetlands between Castle Rock Lake and the town of Mauston, Juneau County. He continued in undirected flight and was just north of Lake Redstone at approximately 1:30pm. 

With this missing male yearling finally accounted for, Lara left the area to continue searching for other birds. Upon returning to the refuge at 5:30pm, crane 307 was on the ground near his former home: the North Training Site. He remained there to roost for the night with crane #208, and two Sandhill cranes. The next morning 307 was observed foraging near his roost site with cranes 102 & 311. (photo)

With a total of thirty-six Whooping cranes in the new eastern migratory population, I thought it might be helpful if we provided a scorecard of sorts, so that you can see who has, and has not as yet, returned to the core reintroduction area.

Crane #	Gender	Ret. to NNWR	Last Known Location
101	M		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
102	F		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
105	M		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
106	M		Jackson Cty, WI
107	F		Horicon NWR-Dodge Cty, WI
Total: five (5) Hatch Year '01 Whooping cranes
201	F		Lake Cty, FL (April 6th)
202	F		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
203	F		Monroe Cty, WI
204	F		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
205	M		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
208	M		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
209	F		Monroe Cty, WI
211	M		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
212	M		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
213	M		Monroe Cty, WI
214	F		Monroe Cty, WI
215	F		Monroe Cty, WI
216	M		Monroe Cty, WI
217	F		Monroe Cty, WI
218	F		Monroe Cty, WI
Total: fifteen (15) Hatch Year '02 Whooping cranes
301	F		West-central MI
302	M		Monroe Cty, WI
303	F		Central MI
304	M		Juneau Cty, WI
305	M		West-central MI
306	M		Monroe Cty, WI
307	M		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
309	F		West-central MI
310	M		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
311	M		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
312	F		Central MI
313	F		NNWR - Juneau Cty, WI
316	M		Southwest MI
317	M		Monroe Cty, WI
318	M		West-central MI
319	M		West-central MI
Total: sixteen (16) Hatch Year '03 Whooping cranes
Grand Total: thirty-six (36) migratory Whooping cranes in eastern North America

In other news: At the Siberian crane conservation meetings held recently in Russia, Operation Migration offered to help train their staff in the methods and techniques we use to teach Whooping cranes to migrate. If a similar method is used to reestablish Siberian cranes, then perhaps our past mistakes and experiences learned could save them a few seasons of frustration.

Tatiana (Tanya) Zhuchkova is an experienced aviculturist that has worked diligently with Siberian cranes for many years at the Oka Reserve in Brykin Bor, Russia.  She will be arriving at the Baltimore airport tomorrow, and as soon as she is settled in will join Mark Nipper and Vicki Trabold, our OM field team members already assisting the crane-crew at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.

Tanya will probably come out to Wisconsin with the last shipment of birds sometime in July and will spend the summer with us. Her travel visa allows her to stay in the U.S. for 6 months and will expire around the time we should be arriving in Florida with the Whooping crane chicks she will soon be working with. It will be a whirlwind experience for her and a precursor of what to expect if the Siberian crane project gets off the ground.

Speaking of Patuxent and the crane-crew: They've been busy caring for and conditioning sixteen chicks! The first hatched out on April 21st, and the latest, #419 just emerged earlier this week. Crane #419 hails from the captive population at International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI and recently experienced its' first flight when it was very carefully shipped to Patuxent's facility almost 750-miles to the east for hatching. We'll have another update shortly on the chick situation at Patuxent.  

Dallas Man Gets Jail, Fines for Shooting Crane

Link to Houston Chronicle article.

Notes: After disappearing and seemingly eluding trackers for the past 33-days, Whooping crane #302 has finally been located! The last time this crane was spotted since his departure from the Chassahowitzka NWR wintering habitat with seven others on April 7th, was nine-days later, on April 16th. He was observed in flight at approximately 1:40pm south of Bloomington, Illinois.

ICF's Richard Urbanek reports that yesterday afternoon while checking telemetry signals on the Necedah refuge near the east training site, he detected the signal of this missing male crane. 

The signal emanating from small radio transmitter mounted on the leg of #302, indicated he was approaching from the northwest. Richard intercepted the determined yearling in Waushara County, WI. a short time later. 

Although winds were southerly, #302 was making westerly progress toward his former summer home, using a north-to-south zigzag flight pattern. Shortly before 6pm, the young crane landed in a sedge marsh located in Marquette County, but he was back in the air after being attacked by a pair of resident Sandhill cranes. He proceeded westerly, and landed about an hour later in neighboring Adams County.

Unfortunately, the welcome mat wasn't exactly rolled out at this location either - at 8:20pm while in sleeping posture, crane #302 was again attacked by a different pair of territorial Sandhill cranes who obviously objected to his presence in their wetland. Apparently the dispute continued as darkness fell (photos) but at least for last night this crane roosted approximately 28 miles from HOME.

Of the fifteen species of cranes worldwide, 11 are threatened or in danger of extinction. Whooping cranes (Grus americana) are the leaders in this horrible contest of survival in which the winner… loses everything. Most endangered, by definition, means there are fewer of them than any other cranes and their continued existence is most in question. However, there are two reintroduction programs underway and with luck, and a sustained effort, we are cautiously optimistic that there is room in North America for enough birds to make the population sustainable.

By rough census there are 2900 to 3000 Siberian cranes (Grus leucogeranus) in two populations in Eurasia and the Russian Federation. This is substantially more than the 433 Whooping cranes that remain but the number is dropping steadily. The problem is complicated both by the length of their natural migration, and the number of countries along their flyway. This includes cultures when cranes represent sustenance and are hunted regularly, and regions where exploding human population has placed high demands on water resources, threatening their wetland habitat.

Coordinating efforts to safeguard Siberian cranes requires the cooperation of many states, jurisdictions, conservation values, cultures and economic backgrounds. Technically, Siberian cranes are not as endangered as Whooping cranes but there is no question that they are more in jeopardy.

Despite the myriad threats facing Siberian cranes, efforts are underway to safeguard the species and a conference of all range states along their flyway was held in Moscow in late April. The United Nations Environment Program’s Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the International Crane Foundation (ICF) hosted the meetings. There were fifteen countries; represented by 47 delegates with each reporting on the progress by their respective jurisdiction.

Because of the successes of the eastern North America Whooping crane reintroduction, Operation Migration Inc. was asked to participate. Part of the recovery plan to reintroduce Siberian cranes may include using an adaptation of the techniques we have worked for the past decade to develop, but their challenges are staggering.

The 3700 miles between the historic breeding range and safe wintering grounds of the “Sibs” pale our 1200-mile migration, as arduous as it is. Equating this distance in North American terms means they would be traveling from north of Hudson Bay to Tennessee. For those unfamiliar with Canadian geography try Fairbanks, Alaska to Los Angeles, California. It takes us 50 days to cover our range and simple mathematics shows that almost half a year would be needed if they traveled at our pace. Whooping cranes, like Sibs, are soaring birds and are able to fly all day, carried aloft by rising currents of warm air or thermals. In this almost effortless flight they can cover astonishing distances and evidence of this ability is the five days it took our birds to make the return trip on their own in 2002. If the natural flight of cranes could be replicated, maybe the distance of human-led migration could be stretched.

Our ultralight aircraft are limited to 3 hours of fuel but hang gliders can stay aloft for hours at a time. Maybe these even lighter craft can provide an answer. Another advantage is that due to their reduced weight and slower speed, hang gliders can land in smaller areas and with the pilot’s feet as landing gear, they can almost perch. Small motors have been fitted to state-of-the-art hang gliders eliminating the need for towed take-off's.

Still, the challenges are many. It remains to be seen if one hang glider, or even several, can keep a flock of birds together. Often, we have dropouts and any of the three aircraft we use can descend to pick up a tired bird. We rely on engines and are able to fly indefinitely at treetop levels if needed. Adding or reducing power easily accomplishes the subtle adjustments in speed, needed to pace the birds. Relying on thermals for lift requires attention from the pilot, whereas most of our attention is needed to keep the birds on the wing. Still, experienced pilots in hang gliders have accomplished amazing feats and the people proposing this reintroduction are determined.

Dr. David Ellis of the U.S.G.S. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center conducted several studies leading Sandhill cranes along a migration with a truck. The birds were imprinted on costumed handlers and conditioned to follow the truck, similar to our studies. Several researchers have trained birds to follow surrogate parents in boats so maybe a combination of these techniques would work. The migration could begin with the birds flying above a pontoon boat traveling down the Ob River for the first 1000 miles. Then the hang glider could lead them to a suitable wintering site. Through regions that are too heavily populated, or politically unstable, it may be possible to truck the birds past these man-made obstacles.

We at Operation Migration have gained experience in many of these areas. We have spent years making all the mistakes fathomable and some, we could not have imagined. We have pledged to assist in whatever way we can and maybe our assistance will save them a few seasons of frustration.

Whatever combination of techniques is eventually attempted, my visit to Russia assured me of one thing. Within the group of delegates and scientists that gathered in Moscow in support of Siberian crane conservation there was enough dedication, determination and expertise to accomplish anything.

Notes: Half of the hatch year '03 Whooping cranes have remained in Michigan this week, still divided into two groups, and still separated from the core reintroduction area of central Wisconsin's Necedah National Wildlife Refuge by the 2nd largest of the five Great Lakes, Lake Michigan.

The group of five includes both the oldest (301) and the youngest (319) from the '03 cohort, as well as #'s 305, 309 & 318. After traveling north to Manistee County in the early part of the week, they have since reversed direction and have ventured south to the west-central portion of the State. Yesterday, staff from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources were able to confirm for WCEP that all five are still together and occupying ideal wetland habitat. 

The smaller of the two groups contains cranes 303, 312 & 316. After encountering the east shoreline of Lake Michigan at the end of April, this group moved a bit further inland. According to May 12th satellite readings for #312 the three birds have moved from Allegan County, and have been occupying an area slightly northwest and again closer to the shoreline.

May 12th also brought news from ICF's Richard Urbanek, from his operations base at the Necedah refuge that cranes 306 & 317 returned for the first time to the refuge, after departing their former location in Trempealeau County, WI. Richard indicated they roosted that night on the east side of Rynearson Pool, which means they should be visible from the public observation tower. If you have not had the opportunity to visit the Necedah refuge yet, we encourage you to do so. The view is spectacular even if there are no Whooping cranes present. But in addition to these two new returnees, Richard indicated that cranes 211, 212, 203, 215, 216, 217, 218, 101, 202, 105, 204 & 205 are also using various locations within the refuge boundaries. This is a total of fourteen opportunities to see a wild Whooping crane in its natural habitat, and from a safe, non-disturbing distance.

Elsewhere, crane 208 is spending time approximately 13 miles east of the refuge reintroduction site, while cranes 209 & 213 are in suitable habitat about 12 miles from their former home. Crane #311 visited the refuge briefly last week and then returned to his favourite spot about 12 miles to the south. Though #304 has not yet returned to the reintroduction area, he was recently reported in nearby La Crosse County. The only other '03 cranes not included in this update are 302 & 307. There have been no reports received since they were last seen separately on April 16th, flying over north-central Illinois. One other crane, #201 remains M.I.A. This independent-minded female has not been seen since departing her winter habitat in Lake County, FL on April 6th. 

From the other side of the country, at the U.S.G.S Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, MD and where Joe and I spent much of last week, the chicks are hatching, and growing at a fast rate. On a conference call held Tuesday this week, flock manager Jane Chandler reported a total of eleven new chicks, with several others at varying stages of incubation. They've had their hands full caring for the new arrivals, so OM's new intern, Vicky Trabold, along with the newest member of the OM flock, Mark Nipper, are both at the Patuxent captive breeding facility helping to care for and condition the 2004 cohort before they are transported to the reintroduction site, compliments of Windway Capital aircraft next month. 

Some of the regular followers probably just thought "Mark Nipper? newest member of the OM flock? - wait a minute, Mark has been involved for a couple of years now."  You're absolutely right, however, we have recently invited him to join Operation Migration's small cohort on a full-time basis, and we're thrilled that he has accepted the offer. So, if you'd like to send Mark a note of congratulations (or condolences?) I'm sure he'd love to hear from you.

Notes: that is the question that the founding members of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership have been pondering for the past couple of weeks after half of the '03 ultra-cranes ended up on the east side of Lake Michigan. 

How they found themselves that far east of their learned southward route is something only they can know. Perhaps the persistent westerly winds, during the first two days of their northbound trek are to blame... We do know that when they managed to find what they believed to be the only suitable habitat for miles, they were within 100-miles of their original fall path.  We also know that unfortunately, eight Whooping cranes, traveling together generates quite a spectacle. Word got out, and traveled faster than the cranes could ever hope to, given the north breeze and light rains that kept them grounded on the Little Tennessee River, in Macon County, North Carolina. 

Their presence created a steady flow of curiosity seekers; non-birders, novice and yes, even seasoned birders turned out to see these special reintroduced cranes as they attempted to retrace their way home to Wisconsin. Eight tall, glowing white cranes, fresh representatives of the hundreds that once graced the skies over North Carolina, more than a century ago, before man pushed them out of their critical wetland habitats. 

And on the late evening of April 3rd, as if history really does repeat itself, the tolerance level of the group reached its breaking point when a neighbor, his wife, and their three children drove their vehicle to within several feet of the puzzled cranes and then proceeded to approach them on foot. In a flurry of white they bolted into the air; one grazing a powerline upon exiting the Little Tennessee River at 6pm. When the one slowed by it's brush with the powerline caught up to the others they circled over the area as if confused for almost 90-minutes  - should we land where there is danger? or now that the winds have calmed, continue northward? At 7:30pm they chose what they perceived as the lesser of two evils and traveled at night with only the nearly full moon to guide them.

For the next two days their whereabouts remained a mystery and when they did finally reappear they were in southwest Ohio, and about 110-miles east of their fall course. I suppose we'll never know if they had not been forced to fly at night, and had had the benefit of the sun whether they would have been able to correct their course to the northwest and find their way around the southern shore of Lake Michigan instead of on the far side, looking longingly toward the west.

We've been asked by the public, about as many times as we've asked ourselves "so, what are you going to do with the eight birds that are off course? Are you going to retrieve them, crate them, and return them to Necedah? Why don't you haul an ultralight down to Ohio and pick up those five, then head north to pick up the three that are in Michigan, then head south, and eventually west, oh and then north until you "fly away home" to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge? What if you hazed them out of the area?"

Here's an idea: As long as they are not in any danger, what if we just leave them alone?  Perhaps they could teach us a great deal about navigation, determination, and general crane behaviour?

Cranes 303, 312 & 316 have remained in the crane-suitable area they selected in southwestern Michigan, and the other five that were in west-central Ohio last week moved north into Michigan on May 7th. The next day they moved again, further north and are currently in an area boasting excellent crane habitat very near to the slimmest section of Lake Michigan. I measured it today and estimated it to be approximately 57-miles across, and almost due east of the Necedah refuge, and a distance of less than 200-miles. If only they could get an easterly tailwind, and climb to a high enough altitude, then maybe, just maybe they could cross the lake and be back in Wisconsin... Or, maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part.

Michigan is one of the possible dispersal States (as is Ohio) whose approval was necessary to get this reintroduction off the ground (pun intended). So if they do decide to stay there they are welcome. Either way, I'm anxious, as are you to see what their next move will be...

Notes: There has been very little movement among the eastern population over the past two days. Cranes 301, 305, 309, 318 & 319 remained at their location in west-central, Ohio, as did numbers 303, 312 & 316 remain at their location along the east shore of Lake Michigan. The remaining '03 yearlings that have already returned to Wisconsin, also stayed at their selected areas. 

The male #106 who was the first of the eastern cranes to return from Florida, has apparently resurfaced and has been reported from Clark County, near where he was observed last summer and fall. This area contains a large number of Sandhill cranes.

Notes: The group of five Ohio cranes, including 301, 305, 309, 318 & 319 remained at their previous location in the west-central portion of the State. You may recall that on April 10th, it was this group of five that after separating from the other three cranes, traveled north, into Michigan and encountered the eastern shore of this large lake. The following day, April 11th, they flew southward but instead of heading west, and around the lower end of the lake, they returned to familiar territory in Ohio where they remain.

On Saturday, April 24th the smaller group of three Ohio cranes departed the west-central area of the State that they've been occupying since April 9th, and headed north. On Sunday, April 25th they continued northwest and encountered Lake Michigan at exactly the same point that the group of five (above) had two weeks ago! 

Cranes are soaring birds and take advantage of thermal activity, which allows them to cover great distances during their twice annual migrations. Thermals are warm columns of air, which are created as the sun warms the earth, and everyone knows that warm air rises. Whooping cranes, will seek out these thermals and ride them up much like an elevator, until it tops out and sometimes altitudes of more than 8,000 ft. They will then glide out of the thermal, headed in a north or south direction, barely flapping, until they find another rising column, where they will repeat the process. This is how they are able to make the return, northward trip to Wisconsin in as little as 9-days ('01 class). Our ultralights are not able to take advantage of these thermals. Actually, let me re-phrase that. The ultralights could take advantage of them, however, thermal activity tends to be unstable air, and when we're guiding a young flock of very precious, endangered Whooping cranes, we wouldn't want to risk their safety by entering an unstable air mass with them following the aircraft so closely, which could result in a mid-air collision.

Bodies of water, especially large ones like Lake Michigan cannot heat up as quickly as the surrounding land, and as a result there is rarely any thermal activity occurring over them. Cranes know this and typically will not fly over large spans of water. Lake Michigan is an insurmountable obstacle - directly in their intended path to central Wisconsin. Like their five former flockmates did two weeks earlier, cranes 303, 312 & 316 roosted nearby overnight on April 25th, and remained there yesterday as well. 

A rather disturbing incident occurred yesterday when Richard Urbanek arrived to monitor the cranes. Upon viewing them from the spotting scope, which is mounted to his vehicle, he noticed the crane #312 had what appeared to be the ragged top of an aluminum can lodged over her beak. After observing her for a short time, it was apparent she was unable to open her beak, which of course prevented her from eating or drinking. At this point there was no way to tell how long the can top had been wedged over her beak, but something had to be done to help her.

Richard donned his costume and using corn to bait the young cranes, he was able to convince them to approach the familiarity of the costumed caretaker. As soon as he could safely do so, he grabbed 312 and very carefully removed the lid of the aluminum can, which had substantially incised her lower mandible, but her wounds, though covered with clotted blood, appeared clean.  She was immediately released to join the other two birds.

Needless to say, if this had gone unnoticed, this young crane, barely 1-yr. old would have died from starvation and dehydration. Richard submitted these images of the offending piece of trash; carelessly tossed there by a human, and which very nearly killed an endangered Whooping crane - one of only 430 or so left in this world. 

Notes: Whooping cranes 301, 305, 309, 318, 319, 303, 312 & 316 remained at their previous locations in west central Ohio. 

Crane 310 & 313 remained at their selected location in Wood County, WI. 311 remained in his selected wetland near the reintroduction site in Juneau County. Cranes 304, 306 & 317 were last recorded in Houston County, Minnesota on April 20th. They were gone from this location when it was checked on 23 April.

Still no word on yearlings 307 & 302 after they were last recorded on migration in north-central and central Illinois, respectively, on April 16th.

A bit of shuffling has been going on among the older cranes from the first two years of the reintroduction. On Saturday, females 203 & 215 separated from males 213 & 216 and moved out of their Monroe County location. The boys were not left alone for very long, however, as a short time later, females 209 & 218 decided to leave their location in Winnebago County and flew to join them. These four birds and the male/female pair of 105 & 204 all roosted in the nearby wetland in Monroe County, WI. 

At 10:30am Saturday, male crane #208 left his roost, also in Monroe County. He flew extensively over the Necedah NWR area during the day, and then eventually landed, more than 6 hours later at 5:15 to roost in a wetland only 2.5 miles southwest of his previous night's roost. Crane-cruisin'?

Crane #102 was detected in flight over the core reintroduction area but was not tracked. Her previous location was at Decatur Lake, Green County, WI., approximately 15 miles from our Green County fall migration stopover. Crane #214 remained at her location in Lafayette County, WI. A sighting reported over the weekend placed the female crane #217 in Burnett County, in northwest Wisconsin. 

Dan Sprague reports that the crew at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is currently keeping a watchful eye on four new Whooping crane chicks for this year's WCEP reintroduction.

Notes: On April 20th and 21st the eight 2003 Whooping cranes, including numbers 301, 305, 309, 318, 319, 303, 312 & 316 stayed at their previous locations in west-central Ohio.

Cranes 310 & 313 left the East Rynearson Pool area on April 20th and roosted at an unknown location. Yesterday, April 21st, their radio signals were detected from a marsh located in neighboring Wood County. 

The signal of crane 311, who completed migration to near the Necedah NWR on April 17th was detected during aerial tracking near Mauston, WI on Tuesday but no signals could be detected from the ground. Yesterday, April 21st, #311 was located in a small marsh in Juneau County, WI., not far from the Necedah refuge.

Cranes 304, 306 & 317 remained in southeast Minnesota on April 20th, and they were not checked on yesterday, April 21st.

Still no sign of cranes 307 or 302, after both were last reported migrating over north-central Illinois. 

Among the older birds, 203 & 215 left Monday night's roost location at Rattail Pool, Necedah NWR, and moved to the East Rynearson Pool area on Tuesday morning. They then moved to feed during the afternoon in a harvested cornfield in Monroe County, and later roosted just a bit north of the Mill Bluff State Park.

The big male #101 and younger by one year female #202 were seen together feeding in harvested cornfields near Mauston, in Juneau County on April 20th.

Another male/female pair; cranes 105 & 204 remained in the Mill Bluff area of Juneau County. (Hmmm, did #204 succeed in driving out the other female of the trio #218?)

Crane #205 remained in a secluded wetland on the Necedah NWR, while #208 spent Tuesday, and roosted for the night in a marsh located in Monroe County. 

Crane #213 was found roosting in northeastern Wood County, WI. Cranes 209 & 218 left their Monday night roost location near Puckaway Lake, Marquette County, and moved to an unknown location.

Two males, #'s 211 & 212 remained at the East Training Site and the southern Necedah NWR area, while another male #216 stayed at the Sprague Pool, also located within the refuge boundaries. The #217 female was detected in flight in the Shawano County area.

April 20th brought a telephone call from Dan Sprague at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, MD - The first WCEP chick of the year had hatched early that morning! And they were anticipating the second chick to hatch out later the same day. Depending on the sex of this second chick, it may, or may not be designated as a WCEP chick. To build genetic diversity among the captive breeding stock, if this chick turns out to be a female, she will be held back at the facility for future egg production. If it's a male - it's ours... Patuxent will be posting weekly updates on their own website during this busy time of year when they have many eggs (both Whooping cranes and Sandhill cranes) hatching. To check out the latest report, be sure to bookmark this webpage. In the meantime, it is our extreme please to introduce you to chick #401.

Notes: Cranes 301, 305, 309, 318 & 319, as well as 303, 312 & 316 remained at their previous in Ohio.

Crane 311, who had completed migration to Juneau County, WI on April 17th, remained in the area, although he was not recorded on the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge.

Cranes 310 & 313 departed Saturday night's roost near Hesper, Winneshiek County, Iowa, and landed at mid-morning in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. After a brief stop they took flight and completed their first unassisted Spring migration to Juneau County, Wisconsin. At approximately 3:15pm they landed the eastern part of Meadow Valley Flowage. On Monday morning they moved to just west of the North Site training area on Upper Rice Pool, Necedah NWR.

On Sunday, cranes 304, 306 & 317 apparently remained at their location in southeast Minnesota. 

For the second day in a row radio signals of 307 and 302 were not detected on Sunday.

Among the older Whooping cranes, #214 remained, at least through Sunday morning, in Lafayette Co. WI.

Two of #214's original classmates, females 203 & 215 were reported from near Kalkenbrenner Slough in Meeker Co., Minnesota, between April 17-19th. These are two of the three females that last spring, wandered west into South Dakota.

All other hatch year '01 & '02 Whooping cranes, except #201 were previously confirmed back in Wisconsin. An aerial survey to determine current locations will be performed as soon as Windway aircraft is available.

Notes: No changes over the past weekend for the eight Ohio cranes. Five are still situated in west-central area of the state, and the other three remain at their selected Ohio location, approximately 25 miles further south.

For the other half of the 2003 cohort, however, there have been many changes! Windway was able to provide aircraft tracking support on Friday and Saturday, after poor weather had kept their pilots grounded for a few days earlier in the week.

After departing their winter habitat at the Chassahowitzka NWR on April 7th, the group of eight cranes split up the next day upon encountering thunderstorms. Once aerial tracking was able to resume, Lara Fondow and Denise Maidens, both from the International Crane Foundation were able to locate the scattered birds. 

On Friday, Denise tracked from the ground and logged an approximate departure time of 10:30am for crane #311 from an area estimated to be south of Kankakee, Illinois, near the Indiana border. He landed to roost 7 hours later in the Pheasant Branch Marsh, west of Middleton, in Dane County, Wisconsin. On Saturday at 10am he launched again and after an 8 hour flight, landed to roost in Juneau County, Wisconsin, just a few miles west of the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, earning him the title of being the first of the sixteen 2003 "ultra-cranes" to return home.

310 and 313 departed their undetermined Thursday night roost location in Illinois shortly after 9am. They landed in a wetland along Little Rock Creek, south of DeKalb, in DeKalb County, Illinois, shortly after 6pm. The next morning they were off at 8:42and eventually they landed at a small pond in northwest Iowa just after 7pm. 

Cranes 304, 306 & 317 departed Thursday night's roost in Douglas County, Illinois, at 9:45am. After 8 hours in the air they landed to roost on the Rock River, west of Rock Falls, Whiteside County, Illinois. Saturday morning the trio was airborne at 9:40am. Flying for almost 11 hours and well after darkness fell they landed in southeast Minnesota, approximately 65 miles southwest of the Necedah NWR reintroduction site. 

#307 left his Thursday night's roost, apparently in or near Shelby County, Illinois, at 8:42 on Friday morning. Several visual observations of the bird in flight were made during the day, the last just before 2pm, south of Pontiac, Illinois. He was not tracked further, but the last signal detected, at roughly 6pm, indicated that he may have landed in north-central Illinois. There was no signal detected from him on Saturday.

#302, the farthest south of the group of eight young cranes, was not tracked on Friday, but a detected signal indicated that the bird was in flight south of Bloomington, Illinois, at 1:40pm. Like #307, there was no signal detected from #302 on Saturday.

The report of the female #214 still at Chassahowitzka NWR on April 14th was apparently in error, as this crane was detected in flight on Saturday just before noon, over northern Illinois. The first visual of the bird, flying alone, was obtained near Amboy, Illinois, at 1:14pm. Crane #214 landed at 4:45pm in Lafayette County, Wisconsin -- the first time she's been back on Wisconsin soil since the fall of 2002, and after selecting northern Illinois as her summer home last year - Our apologies to the State of Illinois... 

Notes: The ICF tracking team reports that yesterday skies were clear to partly cloudy in Ohio, and winds were southerly but light. The eight hatch year '03 cranes that departed their winter release pen at the Chassahowitzka NWR on March 30th, remained at their locations west-central Ohio. 

Further south, winds were strong and southerly and the remaining eight cranes in the class of '03 were detected from Windway aircraft. All were continuing their northbound migration, and all were on the correct migration route. (Ed. note: I'm betting they make it back to Necedah before the Ohio eight!) 

Crane #307 left his Wednesday night's roost location on the Duck River Unit of Tennessee NWR, Humphreys County, TN, at approximately 10am. He was not tracked further, but later in the day signals indicated that he may have landed to roost in southern Illinois.

#311 was observed in flight near Bedford, Indiana, at noon. He apparently landed to roost in northeastern or north-central Illinois.

Cranes 310 & 313 were observed in flight at 2:30pm north of north of Carthage, in Smith County, TN.

#302 was in flight over the Cumberland River northwest of Nashville, TN, at approximately 3pm.

Cranes 304, 306 & 317 were detected in flight in west-central Kentucky shortly after 1pm. They landed to roost along a river in east-central Illinois at approximately 6pm. 

No radio signals were detected for the three older females; 201, 203 & 215. These three all left their wintering areas in Florida last week, but their subsequent locations have not been confirmed.

For those of you perhaps who aren't as familiar with this reintroduction as others that have been supporting our work for awhile now, I've put together a short video production, viewable using either RealPlayer or Windows Media software. 

To preserve the quality of the footage and still images, I didn't compress the files a great deal, so depending on your connection speed the clip may take a minute or two to download - I think it's worth the wait and I hope you do too. 

Presenting Fly Away Home... and BEYOND! Real version  |  Windows version

Notes: While the skies over Ohio were clear, the winds were blowing at 10-20mph out of the north-northwest creating an on-the-beak headwind for the eight young cranes still at their respective locations in the west-central portion of the state. Cranes 301, 305, 309, 318 & 319 remained at the site they selected on Sunday upon returning from a long-weekend excursion into Michigan. The other three birds; numbers 303, 312 & 316 remained at their location in a neighboring county, approximately 25 miles from the first group.

Weather improved enough in the mid-South allowing for tracking efforts to be resumed for the other eight hatch year 2003 cranes. Crane 307 was located in flight near Tullahoma, Tennessee prior to noon. At 6:30p.m. he landed to roost in a suitable area west of Nashville. Number 311 was also detected in flight during mid-afternoon. He was over the south-central portion of Kentucky and heading northwest.  Radio signals of cranes 304, 306 & 317 were briefly detected at about noon in south-central Tennessee. No signals were detected for cranes 302, 310 or 313.

Hatch year 2002 cranes 201, 203 & 215 left their wintering areas in Florida last week so the tracking team also scanned their radio transmitter frequencies with no luck.

The signal of the female #214 continued to be reported from the winter pensite at Chassahowitzka NWR. This girl was the last to leave her summer habitat in north Illinois and head south for the winter so I suppose it's only fitting she is the last to head back...

All other Whooping cranes in the eastern migratory population are in Wisconsin.

Notes: Due to stalled weather systems there were no location changes yesterday for the eight Ohio cranes, and tracking efforts for the other eight birds remained stalled because of continued poor weather in the southern Appalachians. 

Hmmmm, I wonder if we have any leftovers from our fall migration boredom boxes we can ship to the tracking team....

Notes: There were no location changes yesterday for the eight Ohio cranes, and tracking efforts for the other eight birds remained stalled because of bad weather in the southern Appalachians.

Notes: At 8:37am the group of five cranes including 301, 305, 309, 318 & 319 departed from a large marsh along the Paw Paw River in Berrien County, Michigan. Skies were clearing with winds NE at 6-10mph. Realizing they were on the wrong side of Lake Michigan, they flew southward, crossing the Indiana state line south of Galien, Michigan, at 11a.m. Winds had shifted, becoming N at 3-5mph in the afternoon. The cranes proceeded southeastward and shortly after 3pm landed in a grassy field near a flooding along the Wabash River in Adams County, Indiana. They didn't stay long, however, and less than an hour later they resumed flight and then landed in similar habitat 1.5 miles east. They again stayed only a short time and resumed flight. They crossed the Ohio state line at 5pm and landed in a cornfield/grassy area near a large pond in west-central Ohio shortly after. 

They would probably have roosted at this site, but the landowners approached them on 4-wheelers, apparently thinking they might be escaped turkeys. The cranes flushed and eventually landed to roost in a smaller pond further to the east.

Cranes 303, 312 & 316 were observed feeding in a cornfield near the area in west-central Ohio where PTT readings have indicated they have been roosting for the past 3 nights. 

Tracking efforts for the other eight HY2003 cranes were stalled because of bad weather in the southern Appalachians.

Notes: At 8:50a.m. cranes 301, 305, 309, 318 & 319 departed from along the Prairie River near Centreville, St. Joseph County, Michigan under clear skies and with 3-6mph winds from the east-southeast. The five birds flew northwest and by 10:25 skies had turned overcast and winds had shifted from the west at 6-8mph.

The flock encountered Lake Michigan at the south edge of South Haven, Van Buren County, at 1140. After some lingering over the area, they turned south; following the shoreline of the lake for more than an hour before settling to roost in a large marsh in the southwest area of the state.

PTT readings for #312 indicate that she may have roosted, hopefully with #303 & 316 at the same location for the past two nights in the west-central area of Ohio, approximately 15-20 miles south of their previous location in Auglaize County. No staff are available to check this new location, and no reports of sightings have been received.

The other eight members of the 2003 flock: #311 left his Friday evening roost in Gwinnett County, Georgia, at 8:55a.m. and landed to roost in east-central Tennessee at 3:45p.m.

#307 left Friday night's roost in Henry County, Georgia, at 9:29a.m. and was not tracked. #302 left Friday night's roost at an undetermined location in Upson County, Georgia, at 9:46a.m. and was not tracked. Cranes 310 and 313 were not tracked yesterday and #'s 304, 306 & 317 were last detected in-flight in northwestern Georgia or northeastern Alabama in late afternoon.

We'd like to wish everyone a very happy Easter and once you've finished your feasts you may, or may not want to check your local listings for PBS' Nature program, which tonight features "Flight School," originally produced by the British Broadcasting Company. If you do plan to watch we hope you'll read our thoughts on the production.

Notes: Grab a scratch pad - The second group of eight, which was reported to have separated into three smaller groups, after encountering thunderstorms during their second travel day, actually split into five. Trackers were unable to determine the roost location for three of the returning cranes after storms on April 8th grounded the cranes and plane, but yesterday, Windway pilot Mike Frakes and ICF tracker Denise Maidens detected the radio signals of the three missing birds. 

While I'm sure the tracking team had hoped that the three would stick together; it turns out that 302, 307 & 311 are now traveling solo. Each managed to get in about another 100 miles with one roosting east-northeast of Atlanta; another due south of Atlanta and the third lone crane south-southwest of State capital. 

#'s 310 & 313 continue to retrace their fall route rather closely; after leaving their Colquitt Co., roost location southeast of Moultrie yesterday morning they flew to an area in Coweta Co., very near to one of the fall stopovers we were able to pass over last fall during our record 200-mile day.

The small group consisting of #'s 304, 306 & 317 had retreated southward into Florida upon encountering Thursdays storms. This trio is apparently still traveling together, and yesterday was detected in flight, northwest of Dawson, Georgia, which is where we had the honor and privilege of meeting former president and first lady Jimmy & Roslyn Carter during the 2002 ultralight-led fall migration.

Now lets go north - to Ohio, AND Michigan... Yes, Michigan! 

Yesterday morning birds 301, 303, 305, 309, 312, 316, 318 & 319 left their last location in Auglaize County, Ohio. Skies were clear with wind NNW at 8-10mph. The flock flew westward and separated south of Celina, Ohio, at 12:25. #'s 303, 312 & 16 retreated eastward, toward the location they had just left. They continued past the Auglaize County site, heading northeast, and at 1:20p.m. tracking of these three birds was discontinued so that Richard Urbanek could concentrate on tracking the larger group of five. Wind was WNW 8-15mph for the remainder of the afternoon. At 5:30p.m. #'s 301, 305, 309, 318, and 319 landed to roost in a marsh in southwest Michigan.

Notes: The second half of the 2003 flock which departed their winter release pen on the morning of April 7th spent their first night in north-central Florida after encountering rain.

Yesterday morning the group of eight resumed their northward journey at  10:42. Soon after crossing the invisible State line and entering into Georgia they encountered an approaching weather front; complete with thunderstorms.  The strong storms grounded the Windway C-182 tracking plane, and the last time all eight radio signals were detected together was at 2:18p.m 

Just to add more confusion to the already difficult task of tracking these cranes, the flock of eight separated into three smaller groups. Cranes 304, 306 & 317 continued flying but retreated southward and eventually landed at 4:40p.m. in a large wetland complex in north Florida.  Cranes 310 and 313 were later found on the edge of a pond in a cow pasture, which is located less than 3-miles off the 2003 fall migration route in and area of south Georgia, and the roost location of the remaining three youngsters; #'s 302, 307, and 311 was not determined.

Four States to the north, Richard Urbanek continues to keep a watchful eye on the first half of the '03 cohort, which left the winter pen area on March 30th. They remained yesterday at their selected location in west-central Ohio.

Notes: ... of the 2003 cohort has DEPARTED their winter release pen located on the Chassahowitzka NWR in Crystal County, FL!

8-days after the first eight youngsters flew the coop, the remaining group of eight, including birds 302, 304, 306, 307, 310, 311, 313 & 317 began their first unassisted northward migration from the pensite at approximately 9:10a.m. yesterday! 

After flying for roughly 6.5 hours they encountered rain and landed in a cow pasture in north-central Florida, where they remained last night to roost. This group is being tracked by ICF's Lara Fondow, and new intern Denise Maidens (welcome aboard!) with Windway aircraft support since all three of the '03 birds that are wearing satellite transmitters departed in the first group.

The female #214 remains alone at the Florida pensite -- no doubt thrilled to have the entire area to herself after spending the last two months putting up with the antics of the sixteen '03 birds, as well as the aggressive tendencies of the older trio of 105, 204 & 218.

The first half of the HY2003 cohort, which has an 8-day/800-mile head start on their flockmates spent last night at their west-central Ohio location.

Necedah refuge biologist, Rich King drove the refuge yesterday and reports the following new returnees: 105, 204, 218, 202 & 213 (arrived Apr. 7).

Recap - FIFTEEN of the TWENTY experienced cranes from hatch years '01 & '02 have completed their 2004 spring migration. These are birds 101, 102, 105, 106, 202, 204, 205, 208, 209, 211, 212, 213, 216, 217 & 218. The only bird to have completed the spring migration but has not yet been detected on the Necedah NWR reintroduction site is the male #106, who at last word was in neighboring Adams County, WI.

Of the remaining FIVE: As mentioned above, #214 is enjoying the solitude of the Chass pen site; #107 was last confirmed on Mar. 27th in Cook County, IL; #201 departed Lake County, FL on April 6th; #'s 203 & 215 at last word are still occupying their winter habitat in Sumter Co., FL. This latter pair was the first of the experienced cranes to return to FL last fall, arriving on Nov. 16th -- The first to arrive, and perhaps the last to leave... (I can relate!)

Notes: After roosting one night in southwest Ohio, this determined group of eight 2003 cranes departed yesterday at roughly 9:30 a.m. The group flew a short distance to a harvested cornfield where they fueled up until 11 a.m. before departing to resume migration under clear skies and 5-10 mph south-southwest winds.

By early afternoon they had reached an area with full cloud cover and winds had become stronger and more westerly. They landed at approximately 4 p.m. in west-central Ohio, apparently no longer willing to fight the headwinds.

Can someone explain to me why it is that in the autumn when there should be a decent north wind assisting our aircraft-guided migrations, we faced perpetual headwinds out of the south? And, in the spring when warmer temperatures are supposed to be pushed northward from the south, which would obviously help these crane-kids during their first solo journey home, they've been facing perpetual headwinds out of the north-northwest? 
Doesn't seem at all fair...

Notes: A Windway aerial search yesterday indicated that the group of eight HY2003 juveniles were far gone from their last recorded stop in Macon County, NC and the Great Smoky Mountains to the north. With assistance of PTT readings, the birds were located last evening, after dark in a farm field in southwestern Ohio. 

All eight birds were present, including the one which hit a powerline after being flushed by local residents from the North Carolina site in late afternoon on April 3rd. 

The other eight juveniles and no. 14-02 remained at Chassahowitzka.

Notes: FWS - ICF biologist, Richard Urbanek reports the group of eight HY2003 juveniles (nos. 1, 3, 5, 9, 12, 16, 18, and 19) have not yet been located after they were flushed by local residents from the Little Tennessee River in Macon County, North Carolina, late afternoon of 3 April and then flew northward after dark. No usable satellite information to indicate their whereabouts has been received during the following two nights. 

The Windway C-182 tracking aircraft is currently en route from Florida to North Carolina to assist in located the group of young cranes. Pilots Charles Koehler and Mike Mauer have been waiting in Crystal River, ready to lend assistance to ICF's Lara Fondow once the remaining half of the '03 group decide to leave. 

In case you haven't taken a recent look at the '03 bird-bio page you may not have noticed that all three PTT-unit cranes are in the above group. Of additional interest is that the group contains both the oldest (#301) and the youngest (#319) as well as the crane everyone was rooting for last fall, #303 after she underwent knee surgery on Oct. 7th, just prior to the start of the fall journey.

Notes: After arriving in Macon County, North Carolina on April 1st the group of eight hatch year 2003 cranes endured far more than they ever should have. After strong northwest winds and rain pushed them off course they were forced to put down in an area of the Nantahala National Forest in the southwest portion of the State and wait for migration conditions to improve. Whereas normally they would select a crane-suitable wetland or marsh, away from human activity, these types of habitat simply don't exist in the middle of a National Forest. Word got out rather quickly about the eight large white birds, and people, some even claiming to be "birders" flocked to the area in hopes to see these rare visitors.

The river they had been foraging and roosting in was situated alongside a normally quiet two-lane State Rd., Across the road and about 300 yards from the rivers edge is a home occupied by two very supportive, and now crane-savvy folks. After speaking with Richard Urbanek, shortly after the cranes appeared this couple kept a watchful eye on them through their living room window. If a car stopped, they invited its occupants onto their porch to watch them through a scope they had set up, to avoid having them head down to the river for a better look. Thankfully they even intercepted the nitwit that attempted to capture one of the cranes. It's friends like this that these birds need - folks that respect them for the wild creatures they are, and who unfortunately, also realize that humans, even those claiming to be "birders" cannot be trusted to not approach them. 

Now, before I have all the birders out there writing in defense their chosen pastime, let me publicly state that "I too, am a birder." And yes, I may even be tempted to go out in search of a group of Whooping cranes if I heard rumors that they were nearby. The difference is that I know, and bird by, the American Birding Association's - Code of Birding Ethics. 

The ones who just read the last sentence and thought to themselves "code of ethics?? I didn't know there was a code of ethics for birdwatchers" are the ones we worry about. The "local birder" like the woman who yesterday, while