I am very sad to report the loss of #W1-09, the first of two whooping crane chicks to hatch in the wild last month.  (#W2-09 disappeared several weeks ago when it was only 2 weeks old.)  #W1-09 hatched on June 12 from an ICF captive egg that was substituted into the nest of #’s 12-02 & 19-04 after we determined their own eggs were infertile.  The chick appeared to be doing well when it was last seen with its parents on Sunday, July 12th.  When the family was next checked on Wednesday, July 15th the parents were out in the open but #W1-09 was not with them.  Eva Szyszkoski, ICF’s Tracking Field Manager, watched the pair for over an hour but never saw the chick and the behavior of the adults indicated they no longer had a chick.

Update by Sara Zimorski, ICF Aviculturist/WCEP Tracking and Winter Management Co-chair.