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Latest NewsJanuary 10, 2012 - FAA Grants Waiver Allowing Ultralight-led Migration to ContinueJanuary 9, 2012 - Reward Fund Started for Indiana Whooping Crane CaseJanuary 5, 2012 - Ultra-light-led Migration of Whooping Cranes on Hold in Alabama
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2011 WCEP PSA
October 4, 2011
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Young Whooping Cranes Will Learn Migration Route from their Elders
September 22, 2011
Eight Whooping Crane chicks, hatched and raised by costumed biologists at the International Crane Foundation (ICF) in Baraboo, Wis., arrived Tuesday at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Dodge County, Wis. The cranes are part of the Direct Autumn Release (DAR) project conducted by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP), an international coalition of public and private organizations that is reintroducing this highly imperiled species in eastern North America, part of its historic range.
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May 27, 2011 Nesting Update
There is one active whooping crane nest on Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. That pair began a renest effort on or about May 18. Necedah staff are making visual observations of other pairs to determine if any new or renest efforts are initiated.
One pair’s (22-07/12-05) renest attempt failed. The nest was last known to be active on May 22. A tornado passed through the area in the evening of May 22 and the nest was observed abandoned on May 23. An egg salvage operation produced no eggs as the nest was empty (no eggs or egg shell fragments).
Two whooping crane chicks are alive as of this writing. The pairs with chicks are: 9-05/13-03 and 2-04/46-07. One chick is presumed dead since the last update was provided. The chick belonged to the pair 17-03/3-03. This chick was last seen on May 22. A tornado past directly over the pair’s nesting territory in the evening on May 22. A search of the chick’s last known location was conducted on May 23 and no sign of the chick was found. The surviving chicks are being monitored following the methods outlined in the Necedah NWR’s Chick Monitoring Plan, which was peer-reviewed and implemented in 2010.
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May 19, 2011 Nesting Update
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There is one active whooping crane nest on Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. That pair (22-07/12-05) began a renest effort on or about May 18. Necedah staff are making visual observations of other pairs to determine if any new or renest efforts are initiated.
One whooping crane chick hatched since the last updated was provided. That chick came from the pair 2-04/46-07 and hatched on or about May 16. Two other chicks are alive as of this writing. Those pairs with chicks are: 9-05/13-03 and 17-03/3-03. The chicks are being monitored following the methods outlined in the Necedah NWR’s Chick Monitoring Plan, which was peer-reviewed and implemented in 2010.
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Nesting News - May 12, 2011
Photo by USFWS; Richard Urbanek |
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) are celebrating another success in efforts to reintroduce a wild migratory whooping crane population in eastern North America.
Three whooping crane chicks hatched this week at Necedah NWR in central Wisconsin. The first chick to hatch this season was the offspring of wild whooping crane W1-06. W1-06 was hatched and raised in 2006 on Necedah NWR and is the first wild offspring from the eastern whooping crane reintroduction project started more than a decade ago.
Read More>> (links to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service News Release)
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Nesting News May 6, 2011
Nesting – There are currently at least 11 active whooping crane nests. All of the active nests except two are being monitored via DVR or camera. Among the active nests are pairs with young birds (2 years old) that may not be able to produce an egg. Other pairs have been reported building nests. These pairs may also produce an egg or eggs depending on the age of the male or female.
Failed Nests – Seven whooping crane nests failed since the last update was written. This brings the 2011 total of failed nests to 10.
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Citizen Tip Leads to Closure of Whooping Crane Shooting in Indiana
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Closure comes in the case of matriarch whooping crane shooting because of a citizen tip. Wade Bennett of Cayuga, Ind. pled guilty and was sentenced on March 30, 2011, for his involvement in the shooting of a whooping crane in Vermillion County, Ind. Bennett and a juvenile were charged and sentenced in Indiana State Court, in Vermillion County, Ind. Bennett and the juvenile received probation, fines and fees for their involvement in the shooting of the crane. Voluntary information from a local citizen was instrumental in closing this case.
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Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
Nesting News
April 15, 2011
There are currently seven confirmed Whooping Crane nests on the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge! The nests are being monitored via video by refuge staff. Below is a list of the nesting pairs on the refuge. Stay tuned for further nesting updates.
About WCEP
The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) is a group of agencies, non-profit organizations and individuals, formed to restore a migratory population of whooping cranes to eastern North America. There are currently 96 whooping cranes in the Eastern migratory population as a result of WCEP's efforts.
The whooping crane (Grus americana) is a critically imperiled North American crane species with fewer than 250 birds in a single wild population that migrates between northwestern Canada and the Gulf Coast of Texas. The International Whooping Crane Recovery Team has recommended the establishment of additional populations to safeguard against extinction.
Whooping cranes being released in this reintroduction project come from captive whooping crane flocks in Maryland, Wisconsin, and Alberta. Eggs laid by captive birds are hatched in incubators and chicks are then raised by project personnel under strict protocols designed to prevent the chicks from imprinting on humans. To ensure the birds remain wild, handlers adhere to a no-talking rule and wear costumes designed to mask the human form while in the birds' presence.
The whooping crane chicks are transported to Wisconsin in June where they are conditioned to follow ultralight aircraft in preparation for their fall migration to wintering grounds in Florida. Pilots lead the birds on training flights over the refuge throughout the summer to build the birds' stamina. Every year since 2001, a class of cranes has been led on their first migration south from Wisconsin to Florida's Gulf Coast.
Beginning in 2005 the ultralight-led migration was supplemented with a second reintroduction technique called Direct Autumn Release (DAR). Young cranes are released in small groups with wild whooping cranes, with the intent that they will learn the migration route from these older, more experienced birds. After learning the migration route by following the ultralight aircraft or older cranes to the wintering areas, the young cranes make the return flight to their summering grounds in the north on their own the following spring.
All birds are banded with a unique combination of color bands to allow for their identification in the field. Every bird is also outfitted with a VHF transmitter that allows biologists to track their locations with handheld receivers. Some of the cranes also carry satellite transmitters, which allow us to locate them if they are lost or out of range of traditional receivers. WCEP project biologists track and monitor the released cranes in an effort to learn as much as possible about migration behaviors, habitat selection, and to monitor movements and survival.
WCEP Annual Reports