Date: Mar. 31, 2004 Reporter: Heather Ray Distance Traveled: 203 miles Accumulated Distance: ~356 miles Notes: The group of eight cranes depart Lowndes Co., Georgia in early morning (estimated ~0730). Migration conditions deteriorated during the day with strong west winds followed by rain in the afternoon. The birds landed well east of Atlanta in Wilkes County, Georgia, at 4:15 p.m. The easterly track was apparently influenced by the strong west winds. The other eight juveniles and female #214 remained at Chassahowitzka. International Crane Foundation's, Richard Urbanek sent this photo along which shows the group of eight cranes near last nights roost location in Lowndes County, GA.  Date: Mar. 30, 2004 Reporter: Heather Ray Distance Traveled: 153 miles Activity: They're OUTA There! Notes: Well, half of them are... Mere hours after posting the Mar. 29th update came word that eight of the sixteen still-juvenile Whooping cranes had flown the coop. "HY2003 juveniles nos. 1, 3, 5, 9, 12, 16, 18, and 19 left the wintering area at the pensite on Chassahowitzka NWR, Citrus Co., FL. at 9:33a.m. Clear skies and light winds as migration began, deteriorated to low ceiling and rain by mid-afternoon in north Florida and Georgia. The flock of eight landed at 4:25 p.m. in Lowndes Co., GA. The other eight juveniles and no. 214 remained at Chassahowitzka." Date: Mar. 29, 2004 Reporter: Heather Ray Activity: Spring Migration Update  Spring Migration: In the March 22nd update we reported that the male #106 crane was confirmed in Adams Co., WI. There have been no further reports. Spring migration complete. The female #107 was confirmed foraging in a field adjacent the northeast corner of the Jasper-Pulaski State Fish and Wildlife Area in Starke Co., IN, on the afternoon of Mar. 26th.  The next afternoon a Whooping crane was reported flying with sandhills at the Saganashkee Slough, Cook Co., IL. The last confirmed location of 107 prior to this was at Watts Bar Lake, Roane Co., TN, on the evening of Mar. 12th., and prior to this, she hadn't been seen since Nov. 26, 2003. No word yet on whether she has since arrived at her favourite summer home at the Horicon NWR in southeast WI. The group of six cranes that left Pasco Co., FL on either Mar. 13th or 14th includes #'s 101, 102, 205, 208, 216, and 217. PTT readings indicated that the group roosted near the Bell Conservation Lake just north of Evansville, IN on the night of Mar. 22nd. The next day they continued north, flying 260 miles to DeKalb Co., IL where they remained at least until this morning. Their current location is only 14-miles from our LaSalle County fall migration stopover, and directly on the path that the ultralights led them on during their first fall journey south. Cranes 209, 211, and 212 began spring migration on Mar. 18th, also from Pasco Co., FL. Last Friday morning, Mar. 26th, we received several reports of this trio, located just south of McHenry, IL in McHenry County. Apparently they roosted at this location the previous night, and on overnight on Mar. 26th. The three birds were next reported from East Rynearson Pool and Site 1, Necedah NWR, Juneau County, WI, at approximately noon on Sunday, Mar. 28th. Here is the sighting we received from the ecstatic craniac who spotted them from the public viewing tower located on the refuge:  "Hi! You probably already know this but at least 3 whooping cranes are back at Necedah. Sunday, March 28, 2004 (around noon) we were fortunate enough to see three whoopers from the viewing stand. They were flying from west to east over the pond that the observation tower faces -  and then we saw them again foraging near the pen site that you can see from the tower. Seeing these birds in their majestic flight is always a breathtaking experience, but to see them at their summer home yesterday as we stood silently in the mist was a true blessing! -- Ingrid Stephan" Thank you Ingrid for the great news! Crane 209 is the female that ended up off-track during her first unaided spring migration last year, and was eventually retrieved from Ohio by the ICF tracking crew and relocated to central WI. She since made an entire migration south to Florida last fall so we were fairly confident she would be able to retrace her path and return to Wisconsin but now we know for sure that she does indeed know the way south, and north. Migration complete for these three cranes! The pair of cranes 202 & 213 left their Suwannee Co., Florida winter home on Mar. 20th, and according to PTT readings, spent their first night in west-central Georgia. Subsequent hits on Mar. 24th through 26th place them in southeastern Indiana in Jackson County, approximately 10-miles from our fall migration stopover at the Muscatatuck NWR.  The trio of older cranes that spent the winter at the release-pen site with the sixteen juvenile cranes left the pensite on Chassahowitzka NWR, Citrus Co., FL at roughly 9:30a.m. on Mar. 27th. The male #105, and his two female companions, 204 & 218 spent more than 8 hours heading north, eventually landing at 6:15p.m. to roost in Crisp County, in south-central Georgia - approximately 29-miles from our Terrell Co., GA fall migration stopover.  Whooping cranes still on wintering areas: The male/female pair of 203 & 215 remain in Sumter Co., FL. and the oldest bird from the '02 hatch year, #201 is still wintering in Lake Co., FL. Finally... the Chassahowitzka NWR pen site still has seventeen cranes, including the female  #214, and the sixteen '03 hatch year juvenile birds. Reports from Richard Urbanek and Lara Fondow, of the International Crane Foundation indicate that the entire group has been taking evening flights lasting between 4 - 15 minutes on Mar. 24th to 27th (final day of latest weekly report) before returning to the pen to roost. Crane #304 has attained his adult voice, leaving #307 as the only one in the group to still have his chick voice. New Bobcat tracks were noticed on the path leading to the observation blind on Mar. 26th, and despite three live-traps, nothing was captured. Whew! is it just me or does is seem like there are a LOT of cranes to gather information on  after only 3 years of ultralight-guided migration flights??? Date: Mar. 22, 2004 Reporter: Heather Ray Activity: Spring Migration Update Notes: By the end of the week thirteen of the hatch year '01/'02 Whooping cranes had begun spring migration and seven remain in Florida at the same wintering locations they have been occupying since they returned last fall.  We received quite a few reports of a single Whooping crane spotted in Wisconsin last week... but each time plans were made to follow up on these sightings, it snowed. Just imagine how difficult it would be to find a Whooper in a snowstorm. Yesterday, ICF's Anne Lacey was able to confirm that the male #106 is, in fact, in Adams County, Wisconsin! #106 was the first bird to return north to WI last spring as well. The last confirmed location for the somewhat independent female #107 was in the evening of March 12th when she was spotted in Roane County, TN. It seems she is back to her favourite game of hide 'n seek, so we'll just wait and see where/when she turns up next. Also currently on spring migration are birds 101, 102, 205, 208, 216, & 217. This group apparently left their Pasco County, FL winter home on March 13th. There have been no subsequent reports and PTT data received from the two cranes in the group that have satellite transmitters were inconclusive. Cranes 211, 212 & 209 departed from their Pasco County winter location on March 18th and spent that night in southern Georgia. No reports have been received since. Crane 209 is the female that wandered off track last spring during her first northward migration. She was eventually retrieved from southeast Ohio and returned to the Necedah, WI area where she spent the summer. Last fall, she was in a group of eight Whooping cranes, which returned south to Florida. Since she made that trip without getting lost, we're hopeful that she'll be able to simply reverse course and arrive back in central WI and not Ohio. The male/female pair of 213 & 202 apparently began their spring journey on March 20th as PTT readings indicate they spent that night in east-central Georgia. At the Chassahowitzka NWR release pen the four older cranes (#105, 204, 218 & 214) continue to share living space with the sixteen '03 juvenile birds.  Roost-time water depths ranged from the lowest level of 3 inches to the highest of 27 inches during the past week, and salinity levels remained in the acceptable range.  No chicks were led into the pen during the week. All 20 birds went to roost on the flooded shore near the constructed oyster bar on March 14th when the water level measured 27" in the older portion of the pen. All 20 birds roosted on the constructed oyster bar every other night of the week.   On March 20th all of the cranes except juveniles 302, 303, and 313 left the pen for a 22-minute evening flight before returning to roost. Cranes 302, 306, and 317 attained their adult voices during the past week, leaving 304 & 307 as the only ones yet to develop their adult voices.  Date: Mar. 15, 2004 Reporter: Heather Ray Activity: On the move! Notes: Well, well, look who finally turned up. For the first time since the end of November, the ever-elusive, and somewhat independent female Whooping crane #107 from the first group of ultra-cranes has finally reappeared. With a non-functional radio transmitter, this crane cannot be tracked using telemetry equipment so her location has remained a mystery until Saturday. Early Saturday morning I received an email with the subject heading "Whooping crane spotted." We get on average about 10 such email messages each week during the winter months, and probably five times this number during the summer months so the fact that someone thought they spotted a Whooper didn't come as any great surprise, until I noticed that there was a photograph attached to this message!  Upon viewing the photo and reading the accompanying message, which provided details about the time, and location the crane was spotted, I began to get excited. Though difficult to see the exact legband colour combination, I could see that there was clearly a white band on each of the cranes legs. Based on information from the ICF tracking team, which indicated that all of the remaining cranes were accounted for except #106, which doesn't have a white band on his right leg, I determined that the lovely white crane in the photo was none other than the only crane that has not been seen since late last November -- #107!  Many thanks to the Kaldenbach's of Roane County, TN (who also happened to be on hand to watch our departure from the Hiwassee Wildlife area last fall) for the sharp eye, and the photograph. Not long after this sighting came two additional sightings of a Whooping crane seen migrating with a flock of twenty-one Sandhill cranes near Bloomington, Indiana. It turns out the above-mentioned #106 crane was the subject of these sightings.  Then, just this morning came word that the group of six birds that had been wintering in Pasco County, FL were no longer at their selected location. This group includes 101, 102, 205, 208, 216, & 217. There current location is unknown, however, two of these cranes are wearing satellite transmitters, which should provide information soon.  Date: Mar. 8, 2004 Reporter: Heather Ray Location: Headquarters - Port Perry, ON Activity: The waiting (and wondering) begins... Notes: Here in Ontario our friend Mother Nature continues to taunt us... Just last week she sent 5- consecutive days of warm spring-like weather, which almost completely melted the 12" snow cover. Then, just in time for the weekend, another cold blast arrived, bringing with it more snow. I'm not one that enjoys the cold and snow of winter, so much like the groundhog, I usually start my own spring countdown at the beginning of February each year. In addition to marking the days off the calendar, I watch anxiously for signs of spring. Early one morning during last weeks warm spell I heard the first Robin of the year, singing loudly as if announcing its arrival. It reminded me that I had to fill my bird feeders before I went to the office, and while I was doing this a red winged Blackbird sounded its unique shrill call - Yep, the countdown to spring is on! The sixteen still-juvenile cranes continue to occupy the release enclosure at the Chassahowitzka NWR in Citrus County, FL. They have all attained their adult voices with the exception of cranes 2, 4, 6, 7 & 17. Four older cranes (105, 204, 218 & 214) remained at the pensite. The male 105 continued to be aggressive toward the juveniles and defend the feeding station, but overall the aggression has significantly declined within the past few weeks. Attempts by no. 218 to drive no. 204 from the trio were unsuccessful and have been discontinued. Salinity levels at the pensite remain acceptable at 14-16 ppt. and water levels fluctuated between a low of 4" to the highest level of 23" during the past week. All of the remaining wild whoopers remained at their selected inland wintering areas with the exception of the male #106 who, until Feb. 23 had been in Alachua County. His whereabouts, as well as the location of the female #107 are currently unknown. Last spring brought a telephone call on April 1st telling us that the 2002 cranes had departed their winter pen and were being monitored by the ICF tracking team as they headed north. We initially thought it might be an April Fools Day prank but quickly found out it was true.  With only 3 weeks left until April, we, probably just like many of you, are left to impatiently wait, and wonder just when the Class of '03 will fly away home... If you haven't already, be sure to check out our revamped merchandise page. We've added a few items and there are some great new colours available in the Non-Fiction sweatshirts! Date: Feb. 9, 2004 Reporter: Joe Duff Location: Headquarters - Port Perry, ON Activity: A Busy Time of Year... Notes: Believe it or not, winter is one of our busiest times of year. Annual reports are due for the grants received in the previous year, and a host of new applications must go out before the new field season begins. The data we collected over the previous summer and fall must be assembled in a presentable fashion and the 2004 crew schedules, budgets, and equipment lists are all due. Another wintertime duty is to present the results of last years study to the Whooping Crane Recovery Team at their annual meeting, which was held last week in Calgary, Alberta. Calgary is a charming city, even in the subzero temperatures of late January and after 3-days of meetings in a 35th floor conference room, the team enjoyed a dinner and tour at the Calgary Zoo and a few days skiing in picturesque Banff. Despite the publicity the ultralight-led migration generates it is only one small segment in the overall recovery of Whooping cranes. Brian Johns of Canada Wildlife Services recounted a successful year in Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada where the only naturally occurring population of Whooping cranes nests. Tom Stehn of the US Fish and Wildlife Services reported on the wellbeing of that flock once it reached the wintering grounds in Aransas NWR, Texas. Marty Folk of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gave an account of the non-migratory flock in central Florida, and reported two fledged chicks last year. There are now six propagation centers around North America, each producing eggs and chicks for the various release programs. They have perfected the process of raising captive-hatched birds until it is a subtle mix of science and art. Each flock-manager reported on their past results and made predictions about the number of chicks they would produce in the coming breeding season. From these forecasts the Recovery Team can allocate specific numbers to each release program. Captive birds that breed in the southern propagation centers like the San Antonio Zoo in Texas produce eggs much earlier than in northern facilities like the Calgary Zoo in Canada. In the past we have been concerned with the age difference of the birds we condition to follow us fearing that the older ones would be flying well while others would still be running up and down the runway trying to catch us. In 2002 the age difference of our flock was 39 days. Last year it was 32 days and in both cases our fears were unfounded. All of the birds matured in time to make the migration and the dropouts we experienced had little to do with age. Now that this worry has been minimized the Recovery Team has allocated at least as many birds as last year with the option of moving eggs from any of the captive centers, including the Calgary Zoo, to Patuxent for hatching and early conditioning. During the early stages each bird has to be trained individually so the real limiting factor will be the capacity of the Patuxent facilities and the endurance of their staff. Each presenter at the meetings added a piece to the big picture and a common warning was mentioned in almost every case: Water issues. Both the absence and abundance of, threaten the habitats of Whooping cranes. The Guadalupe River runs through the heartland of Texas before its fresh water mixes with the salt water of San Antonio Bay near the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The brackish mixture that results is the perfect salinity for Blue crabs, which are the principal food source of the Whooping cranes that winter there. Texas is a fast developing and relatively dry state and most, if not all of the water, in the Guadalupe River has been allocated for human use, endangering all of the inhabitants of the bay, including Blue crabs and Whooping cranes. An application has been submitted to allot a percentage of the river, as inflow into the bay to protect this vital ecosystem. The idea of allowing some of the water to reach the end of the river is so novel that a moratorium on conservation flow permits was issued while a study committee is appointed. Unfortunately, there was no such suspension of human-use applications. Meanwhile, progress continues on a plan to remove whatever water still reaches the bay and pump it back to San Antonio. The Platte River in Nebraska is an important staging area for Whooping cranes along their migration route from northern Canada to southern Texas. Every year birds rest and forage on the sandbars and estuaries of the river. To control flooding the annual water levels have been managed, and the river and the habitat it provides have changed as a result. In January 2003, the Department of the Interior contracted with the National Academy of Science to establish a multidisciplinary committee to evaluate the science regarding the central Platte River habitat needs and flow recommendations for the federally listed Whooping crane. The report is pending. All of the Whooping cranes that exist, either hatched in, or are descendants of birds that hatched in, Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta and the Northwest Territories of Canada. This isolated area is the nesting-grounds for the only naturally occurring population of Whooping cranes and considered habitat critical to their survival. It appears that artic fringe areas are particularly susceptible to the effects of global warming and the mean annual temperature recorded at Fort Smith NWT has increased by 3° C over the last 55 years with winter temperatures increasing by 5° Celsius. It is hard to estimate what effect this could have on the water levels of the area but undoubtedly it will impact vegetation, predation, food availability and nesting habitat for Whooping cranes at a critical time in their life cycle. Even the multi-year drought that affected Florida and the non-migratory flock recently, and the dry summers we experienced in Wisconsin have an impact on the overall survival of Whooping cranes. Added to this is the threat imposed by West Nile Virus, Infectious Bursal Disease and now Bird Flu and you can see that the Recovery Team has its hands full. Despite recent successes the Whooping crane is not out of the woods yet. Florida update:'01 & '02 cranes - With the passage of a strong cold front on Feb. 7th, female #214 left the Madison County, region of north Florida and returned to the Chassahowitzka pensite. As far as is known, this was her first contact with other whooping cranes since Apr. 1, 2003 when she separated from the flock on the first day of last spring's migration. At the pensite she joined sub-adult cranes 105, 204 & 218 and the sixteen juveniles from the class of '03. Two additional feeding stations have been erected inside the release enclosure to discourage competition among the 20 cranes now there. Current locations of wintering cranes not at pensite: Pasco County: Nos. 101, 102, 205, 208, 216, 217, 209, 211, and 212. Sumter County: Nos. 203 and 215. Lake County: No. 201. Alachua County: No. 106. Suwannee County: Nos. 202 and 213. Still no word on the female crane #107 since Heather last saw her on Nov. 26 at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in southeast Tennessee. This crane spent last winter in Madison County, FL alone, prior to returning to her favourite summer habitat at the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Wisconsin where she again summered alone. Class of '03: Water levels fluctuated between 0 and 27" during the past week at the roost locations inside the cranes open-topped enclosure. Salinity levels remained acceptable at 14 - 16 parts per thousand. All youngsters were in the pen at roost time with the exception of #'s 301 and 303, which were led inside to roost of Feb. 6th and crane #307, which was led in on Feb. 7th. Cranes 312 and 318 have attained their adult voices. Date: Jan. 21, 2004 Reporter: Heather Ray Location: OM Headquarters - Port Perry, ON Activity: January 11 - 17 Update Notes: Not much has changed for the wintering cranes in Florida. In fact, only two of the older birds moved last week in what would be considered "local" moves. Crane 101 (male) moved about 6 miles and is now at the same location he and his former friend, the female number 102 occupied last winter. Number 102 is also still at this same location with several of the 2002 birds. In north Florida, the yearling female 214, which was the only crane not to return to central Wisconsin but rather, chose to spend her summer about 8 miles south of the WI State line in neighboring Illinois, moved about a mile, within the same large wetland complex she has been occupying since returning south. Since turning up a couple weeks ago the #106 male has apparently been seen several times over the past week, even prompting a story to run in the Gainesville Sun newspaper on Jan. 13th. One very important item that was not mentioned in the story was the need to please leave this, and any other Whooping crane you may come across, alone. Please bear in mind that these are reintroduced cranes, and while we, and others make every effort possible to teach them to be wild, we are restricted by our human capabilities and cannot possibly teach them the correct safety zone, or exactly when to fly away from potential danger. These are vital lessons a parent would normally teach its chick.   After raising and training them in isolation from humans, and making every effort to insure they never hear a human voice, we can only hope we have instilled in them a fear of the unknown -- IF they are to have any success at becoming, and remaining wild, humans must remain unknown to them.  PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH these cranes... to get a "bit closer" for a better photograph... DO NOT call to them... AND PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED THEM. A great deal has already gone into this project; financial, physical, and emotional resources continue to be put toward safeguarding this species. Please afford these birds the respect, and privacy they deserve and enjoy them from a safe distance. Meanwhile, at the release pen situated off the coast of Florida at Chassahowitzka NWR, three older cranes; male 105, and females 204 & 218 are still harassing the sixteen juveniles.  The trio returned to their former pen site on Jan. 8 and attempted to monopolize the feeders. On their own, however, the juveniles made some use of the feeders anyway, and costumed caretakers also intervened to ensure additional access on several evenings. Tolerance of the juveniles by older birds at the constructed oyster shell roost site also greatly improved since the previous week. Over the past week water levels have ranged from 0" to 8" on the roosting site and on all but one evening as many as twelve chicks were led or herded into the safety of the release enclosure. Salinity levels have remained within the acceptable range and despite the operation of the three live traps, no predators were captured. Date: Jan. 12, 2004 Reporter: Heather Ray Location: OM Headquarters - Port Perry, ON Activity: January 4 - 10 Update Notes: The tracking team from the International Crane Foundation reports that all trackable whooping cranes except nos. 105, 204, and 218 remained at the same inland Florida locations that they occupied during the previous week.  Pasco County, FL: Cranes 101, 102, 205, 208, 216, 217, 209, 211, and 212. Sumter County, FL: Cranes 203, and 215.  Lake County, FL: Solitary crane 201. Suwannee County, FL: Pair 202 and 213. Madison County, FL: The lone female crane 214, which summered in north Illinois and was the last to depart on a southward migration. Whooping crane #106 turned up on Jan. 3rd in Alachua County, FL. just long enough for a positive identification but the whereabouts of the illusive female crane #107 are still unknown. Both of these first year cranes have nonfunctional transmitters. The trio consisting of a first year male #105 and two second year females, 204 & 218 moved from their Hernando County location on Jan. 8 and returned to the release pen at the Chassahowitzka NWR in Citrus County to create trouble. The three older cranes, especially the #105 male, was aggressive toward the sixteen chicks and asserted control over the feeding station. On the evening of Jan. 8 the trio settled in the older area of the pen, near the feeding station while fifteen chicks settled on the constructed oyster bar. Crane 309 remained after dark on the mashed needle rush plain south of the pen. A costumed caretaker successfully flushed her back into the pen, but during an attempt to count the chicks with a flashlight, all sixteen then flew out. After several additional efforts, fifteen were successfully harassed/flushed back into the pen, and the last remaining chick flew in on its own at 10:30pm. All juveniles apparently then roosted on the oyster bar. The older birds continued to defend and monopolize the feeding station and on the next evening they again roosted near it. Because of rain, high water, and darkness, efforts of caretakers to get the chicks in the pen were unsuccessful, and the entire flock of sixteen juveniles was eventually left to roost in the sparsely flooded mashed needle rush plain located south of the enclosure. On the evening of Jan. 10th the flock of 16 chicks was foraging in the tidal creek to the west end of the pen. After harassment by caretakers, the three older birds eventually left the feeding station and moved toward this area. Aggressive interaction between females 204 & 218 preoccupied the older birds and assisted in return of the chicks to the pen. Costumed caretakers successfully led ten youngsters into the old part of the pen where they could use the feeders. The other six were successfully herded to the fence where they then flew over it landing inside the enclosure. As darkness fell all chicks were inside: four on the oyster bar (exposed because of low water), and twelve near the feeding station. The three older birds were last seen in the tidal creek area west of the pen. Crane #301 is the first of the youngsters to attain her adult voice. New bobcat tracks were observed near the pen, but nothing was captured in the three live traps. Date: Jan. 5, 2004 Reporter: Heather Ray Location: OM Headquarters - Port Perry, ON Activity: Update Notes: It seems as if all of the trackable cranes from '01 & '02 are enjoying themselves at the locations they selected upon returning to Florida as none have moved elsewhere over the past week. Adult birds 106 & 107 still have not surfaced, however, we aren't concerned given the past behaviour of both of these cranes. The two were confirmed last winter in north Florida in a large wetland habitat, and upon returning north to Wisconsin in the spring of last year, each spent the entire summer in seclusion. The female #107 returned to her favourite location at the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, and the male #106, after stopping briefly at the Necedah NWR moved on and spent his summer undetected, until he was eventually located in late September, approximately 20 miles from the refuge. 2003 Whooping Cranes Water levels, roosting, and movements: Approximate water depths (inches) on the following roosting areas at dusk on 28 Dec - 3 Jan, respectively, were: Center of constructed oyster bar in new part of pen: 0, 2, 5, 0, 0, 1, and 5. Deep end of constructed oyster bar: 3, 8, 11, 6, 5, 7, and 11. Near old roost area in old part of pen: 5, 10, 13, 8, 7, 9, and 13.  Highest recorded tide was 22 inches on 29 and 30 Dec AM on the old roost area. Birds remained in or near the pen during the week. None needed to be led into the pen at roost time by a costumed caretaker. All went to roost on or near the constructed oyster bar each night. Salinities: Salinity was 17-19 ppt. - within acceptable levels. Predators and predation: Three live traps were operated during the period, however, nothing was captured. Photo Journal now contains images taken during the final health check and banding procedure.

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