Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership

Mid- May 2009 Project Update

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May 2009 Population Status

As of mid-May 2009 there are approximately 79 birds in the Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane population, consisting of 48 males and 31 females. The most recent known locations of all birds are shown in the map below. Whooping cranes are present in at least 12 Wisconsin counties, and many of these are one and two year old birds engaged in their typical spring wandering. One bird traveled as far west as North Dakota, and then moved back eastward into Minnesota. Interestingly, this bird was most recently documented very close to another two wandering whooping cranes in southeastern Minnesota. Besides Minnesota, whooping cranes have also recently been sighted in Michigan and Illinois.

We have had an increased number of reports received via the Partnership Web Form, as more people use the site to report whooping cranes in their area. One group of 5 one-year-old whooping cranes has been reported by numerous members of the public, as they have wandered from Dane to Juneau Counties and most recently to Dodge County, Wisconsin.

Nesting

All of the 12 territorial pairs of Wisconsin whooping cranes built nests and laid eggs, with 11 nests located on the Necedah NWR, and one nest on private land off the Refuge. Between April 18 and May 3, all incubating pairs abandoned their nests.

This nest abandonment pattern is similar to what has been observed in the past few years. WCEP is investigating the cause of the nest abandonments through analysis of data collected throughout the nesting period on nesting crane behavior, temperature, black fly abundance and distribution, and food availability. At least two pairs have initiated nest building, so we're still hopeful to have some reproduction this year. In 2006, a successful re-nesting pair initiated incubation on May 23rd and hatched two chicks on June 22nd.

Reporting Sightings

Please forward any sightings you receive to us through the whooping crane reporting web site we have established for that purpose: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/whoopingcrane/sightings/sightingform.cfm

The link above provides a public reporting form on a site maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). When a report is submitted, the information goes simultaneously to multiple partners including the biologists who are tracking the birds, FWS, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, International Crane Foundation, and Operation Migration.

This update is a product of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership. To access our previous project updates and additional information on the project visit our web site at http://www.bringbackthecranes.org/.

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Last updated: May 15, 2009