Migratory Whooping Crane Reintroduction

2007 Summary

2007 marks the seventh year that ultralight planes are leading whooping crane chicks on their migration south. Seventeen whooping crane chicks are currently following the planes on their 1,200-mile journey south to Florida where they will overwinter at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. The planes and cranes departed from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to begin their migration on October 13th. As of November 20th, they have travelled 456 miles and are in Jackson County, Indiana.

Of the 17 birds following the ultralights this year, two were from eggs that were laid in the wild, one at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and one in Florida.

Ten additional young whooping cranes were released by International Crane Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists during late October at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in this year’s “direct autumn release (DAR)” migration experiment. These birds follow older whoopers that learned the migration route from ultralights in previous years but have since completed the migration unaided. These cranes began migration in early November.

As of November 2007, there are 59 wild whooping cranes in the Eastern Migratory Population. Forty-five of the cranes are in Wisconsin, two in Michigan, six in Illinois, two in Indiana, two in South Carolina, and two in Florida. The cranes have spent the summer months in places such as Necedah, Mill Bluff State Park, Black River State Forest, and Meadow Valley, Sandhill, McMillan Marsh and Horicon State Wildlife Areas, as well as wetlands in Winnebago County. There are about 500 birds in the total population of whooping cranes in the wild and captivity across the country.

The Wisconsin DNR and members of Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership were deeply saddened by the deaths of 18 whooping cranes in last year’s cohort. After completing their migration to Florida, a tornado struck their pensite in February. The whooping crane reintroduction project has always succeeded in overcoming challenges, however, and losing so many of the cranes to a natural event reminds us of why the whooping crane reintroduction efforts took flight in the first place. The effects of nature on a population cannot always be controlled, and to ensure the survival of this rare bird, reintroduction efforts must continue to help the population grow until it is robust against natural events such as tornadoes. This year, both the weather and the pensite will be closely monitored while the birds are in Florida to prevent such a situation from occurring again.