Whooping
Crane Training at
Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
August
27, 2002
by Colleen B. Robinson,
Park Ranger, Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
 |
Inside
the predator proof enclosure at Site 4. |
Routine health checks this week have confirmed the good health of all seventeen whooping crane chicks in training this year! That is not the only great news for these aspiring birds. This year, the seventeen whooping crane chicks were divided into three separate groups for training, based on age. The goal for migration is to eventually combine these groups so that they will follow the ultralight aircraft to Florida this fall as a unified group. To realize this goal, trainers have carefully monitored the progress of each group of chicks, determining the best time in their development to introduce the groups to one another.
This week, the middle-aged group of four birds left their original training site and joined this year's six youngest birds at the Refuge's newest site. The introduction has proved successful, and the ten birds are now training behind the ultralight together.
The oldest four birds are flying for over seven minutes at a time behind the ultralight. They are well ahead of last year's birds in reaching this stage.
Water roosting remains a success. This is a very important skill, as it keeps them much safer overnight in the wild.
The five "Class of 2001" pioneer whooping cranes remain healthy. They are often visible, as is dawn training of this year's chicks, from the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge observation tower. Viewing from the tower offers visitors a possibility to witness the beauty of these birds, while respecting their need for solitude.
Staff from Operation Migration, Inc., USDA Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and the International Crane Foundation are training the whooping cranes at Necedah. See Operation Migration's field reports for additional updates and photographs.
Reintroduction Project Updates
This Whooping Crane Migratory Reintroduction project involves many public and private partners, sponsors, and donors who give their time, money or resources in support. Check out how you can help reintroduce migratory whooping cranes to eastern North America.