|
|
Update on the Wild Family, Sept. 15, 2006
|
Whooper
Reintroduction Updates
|
|
| Photo by Richard Urbanek, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
Current Trip:
Summer 2006: Monitoring the
Whooping Cranes
Entry September 15
Update on the Wild
Family, Sept. 15, 2006
The first family of Whooping Cranes moves
widely while
foraging at Necedah – up to three miles in a day now. These
two wild
chicks have even begun to fly, at least once each of them has flown
over a hundred yards. That might meet our definition of
“fledging” but
these chicks are still clumsy and inept in the air. Mostly, the family
walks.
I visited Necedah recently, and was greeted by Richard
Urbanek with the news that the previous afternoon he had watched the
family for 90 minutes and only saw ONE chick. Soon we located the
family again, by radio signals from the parents – again there
was only
one chick! We watched for over an hour. While often one or both of the
chicks may sit down (out of sight) and rest for 20 or 30 minutes,
Richard had never observed such a long absence. The fledging period is
another danger point for young cranes. They become so conspicuous
especially with those white wings, when any eagle can see the chicks
hardly know how to fly. We saw several Bald Eagles, waiting in tree
tops.
The three cranes gradually moved up the shoreline. From a
distance, we saw project staff from Operation Migration and Patuxent
Wildlife Research Center let the ultralight chicks out of their pen at
site #1. The ten chicks burst out, and took repeated short flights, as
the costumed humans ran ahead of the chicks to encourage their flight.
Poor weather had prevented a training flight with ultralight aircraft
that morning, so this was the chance for the birds to stretch their
wings. Site #1 is the location of the observation blind, and also
happens to fall into the territory of our wild family. We visited the
blind, and from the windows saw three Sandhill Cranes land close before
us. The female from our family flew right across our view and put those
Sandhills to flight. We could hear her voice, as she and the male
unison called. It was interesting to see the female defend against
intruders, while the male stayed closer to water with, again, just one
chick.
I was escorting foreign visitors, to see the cranes and
wild areas of Necedah, and so we left to visit other areas, with a sad
feeling that our chick had probably died. All summer, it has seemed
miraculous that this first family in Wisconsin has succeeded so well
with two chicks – the wild Whooping Cranes from Wood Buffalo
National
Park seldom rear two. Over the summer, we have felt so much hope,
knowing of our two young birds.
My guests wanted to see a timber
wolf, but of course we couldn’t find one during the mid day,
even under
clouds and rain, but we did watch a female northern river otter with
three pups, close by for over 15 minutes. The young ones tussled and
played, and occasionally buried their mother with writhing bodies and
as suddenly slipped away underwater. We returned late in the day to the
campsite at Necedah, gloomily checking with Operation Migration for
news of the missing chick.
It had reappeared, shortly after we
left! Both chicks had been spotted, not far from the netted pen with
the ten ultralight chicks. Perhaps, during the family’s
wandering up
and down the shoreline, the second chick had been distracted by the
ultralight chicks and so separated from its family. Or perhaps, the
chick in experimental flight had miscalculated badly and ended up
landing on the wrong side of pool. The water here is wide and long, and
a chick walking will take a long time getting back to the right side.
Even
six years into our project, we still are learning much about what
Whooping Cranes do, or might do given the opportunity. Now we are
learning about families, and the uncertainties of the early weeks of
flight for wild chicks.
Update written by Jim Harris, ICF Vice President.
This email is generated by the International Crane Foundation located
at E11376 Shady Lane Road, Baraboo, WI. 53913. Visit our website!
 Previous Entry | Next Entry 
Back to List
|
|
