Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership

Late April 2010 Project Update

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June 2010 Population Status

As of mid-June 2010 there are approximately 100 birds in the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) of whooping cranes, consisting of 52 males, 43 females, and five chicks (see below). Most birds were located in Wisconsin, with single birds located in Indiana and Michigan, and two birds last reported from North Dakota on May 25. Two other birds have not been located since spring migration, and three are long-term missing. The most recent known locations of all EMP whooping cranes are shown in the map below.

Nesting Status

At least nine breeding pairs of whooping cranes attempted nesting this year, with all nests except two located on Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. As of mid-June all nests have either hatched or failed due to abandonment. This year, we had a mix of early and late nesting and renesting, and also placed one captive-reared egg into the nest of a pair with two infertile eggs. A total of 7 chicks hatched in the nests of 5 pairs, and 5 chicks are alive as of mid-June, one with each pair.

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: June 21, 2010