Today's News
A/CPB
Whooping Crane Migration Update: May 15, 1997
Claudia Fonkert, Macalester Colle
| To: | Journey North |
| From: | Brian Johns, Canadian Wildlife Service |
| Date: | May 12, 1997 |
"Dear Journey North,
"Right now I am at the summer home of the Whooping Cranes here in Wood Buffalo National Park. About 1/2 of the birds have completed their migration through Saskatchewan on their way to Wood Buffalo National Park.
USFWS
"The first birds arrived in Saskatchewan around April 18th. On the 25th of April I observed a breeding pair at the same location they were observed last fall. The pair was in a harvested grain field and both birds where jumping up and down and flapping their wings. All this flapping and jumping is part of the crane mating dance. This pair did not raise a chick last summer because a Northern Raven eat their eggs. I hope they are successful this year.
"Many of the cranes are here on their breeding territories now. A breeding or nesting territory is an area that a nesting pair defends from all other cranes and is the area that they will use to nest and raise their young. Pairs return to the same territories each year and some even build their new nest beside their old nest. I have made one flight on May 7 over the breeding grounds and will be flying again on the 15th. All of the nesting ponds and small rivers were free of ice. Only the large lakes and the Slave River had ice on them. Most of the snow had melted and there were only a few small snowbanks left. In the places where there were snow banks it made it hard to find white cranes. About half way through our survey it started to snow but not enough to make us quit. I was only able to check the southern part of the nesting area that day and discovered 13 nests and another 9 pairs on their territories.
"The pair of cranes that nests at Lake of the Grave was just building their nest. They were standing beside each other and piling up moss and dead stems of bulrushes. The top of the nest, which wasn't finished yet, will be lined with dry bulrushes and sedges (a marsh grass). Once the nest is complete the female will lay 2 eggs about 1 or 2 days apart. When the eggs are laid the male and female will take turns sitting on the nest and incubating the eggs. The eggs will hatch about 1 month later. This summer one of the Wardens from Wood Buffalo National Park will be watching the birds at the nest to try and find out what the cranes are eating and also what they feed their chicks.
"So long for now and watch for the next nesting update."
Brian Johns
Wildlife Biologist
Canadian Wildlife Service