 Photo: Operation Migration |
Meet
the New 2004 Whooping Crane Chicks! Hatch-year 2004 of the Eastern Flock |
|||||
|
Crane
# 401 |
||||||
| Date Hatched |
April 20 , 2004 |
|||||
| Gender |
Male |
|||||
| Date Arrived in Wisconsin |
June 16, 2004 |
|||||
| Permanent
Leg Bands R/G/W |
| |||||
|
||||||
Personality and History
Migration Training: Introduced to the trike at 8-days of age. Received 6 hrs & 24 min. of aircraft conditioning while at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) Followed the trike well from the start, and also did well when left alone. Very small bird and rather submissive. Loves the costume and is a bit clingy around it. Follows and begs for treats.
History:
Spring 2005: Left
on first journey north with the group of 11 on 25 March, 2005 after
103 days on wintering grounds. After flying through Georgia and veering
as far east as South Carolina, the flock corrected their course,
stopping in Indiana before reaching Wisconsin. Still together,
the group of
11 entered Wisconsin the evening of April 4. On
April 6 the group of 11 split. Chick
#401 stayed with 407, 408 and 414. They returned to their previous
roost in Fond du Lac County, WI and were gone when the site was checked
on April 7. They were next seen April 14 during an aerial search
in Winnebago County, Illinois, in a harvested cornfield 1 mile south
of
the Wisconsin border. They roosted at this
location and foraged in cornfields on both sides of the Illinois-Wisconsin
state line until 25 April when they proceeded northward to roost
in Adams County, WI---27
miles from Necedah NWR. On April 27 they completed migration to
Necedah NWR, then flew to nearby Yellow River Cranberry, just east of the Refuge,
to join #312 and #316. They stayed there several days, but #401,#407
and #408 departed the area on May 3 (after #414 was killed by a
large predator the night of May 2). On May 9 and 10, they were confirmed in
southeastern Wisconsin. These three flew into southeastern Minnesota in mid
June in wandering
behavior that is is normal for yearling cranes. During summer, #401,
407,
and
408 roosted
together back at Necedah NWR.
 |
Cranes
#401, 407, 408 on Nov. 22, 2005. Photo WCEP Trackers
|
Fall 2005: Cooler temperatures at the end of August prompted some early autumn staging/pre-migratory activity, and the three birds moved from Necedah NWR to Morrison County in central Minnesota. They were seen there on several dates up to Nov. 9. They were next sighted Nov. 22 in Washington County, Indiana—on migration! They were using the shallow edge of a lake and foraging in a harvested cornfield next to the lake. They roosted near Hiwassee NWR in TN on Nov. 24. On Nov. 24 they were in Sumter County, GA. On Nov. 30, cranes #401, 407, and 408 completed migration when they arrived at the Chassahowitzka pen site. They soon moved on to other nearby areas.
Spring 2006: Still with #407 and #408, he left Madison County, Florida, and flew into Georgia on March 9. They completed migration to Wisconsin's Necedah NWR March 20.
Fall 2006: Began migration from Wisconsin on Nov. 19. Made it to SE Indiana that day. Detected in flight over Pasco County, FL on Nov. 24. Remained there with the subadult flock (309, 407, 520) and sandhill cranes during December. Visited the Chass pen in January after the new chicks arrived.
Spring 2007: Crane #401 (and 520) left Pasco County, FL on March 13. Arrived on Necedah NWR by the night of March 22. The pair separated and #401 was not located again until April 19. He and #508 were found together in Wood County on an aerial survey. Female 508* had apparently been in this area for several weeks.
Fall 2007: Migrated from Wisconsin to Kane County, Illinois, on November 22 with crane #508. By the end of December the two were in Davidson County, Tennessee.
 |
| Cranes #401 and #508 are on private property. The owner put up a sign because people were trespassing to see the pair of whoopers. (Unfortunately, some people still trespassed, endangering the birds' safety.) |
Spring 2008: Signals heard on the refuge March 30 confirmed the pair (401 and 508) was back on Necedah NWR. They began nesting around April 16, but only eggshell fragments were found when the nest was checked on May 5.
Last updated: 5/06/08
Back to "Meet
the Flock 2004"
Journey North is pleased to feature this educational
adventure made possible by the Whooping
Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).