 Photo: Operation Migration |
Meet
the New 2004 Whooping Crane Chicks! Hatch-year 2004 of the Eastern Flock |
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|
Crane
# 415 |
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| Date Hatched |
May 16 , 2004 |
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| Gender |
Female |
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| Date Arrived in Wisconsin |
June 30, 2004 |
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| Permanent
Leg Bands R/G (PTT) |
W/G | ||||
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Personality and History
Migration Training: Introduced to the trike at 7-days. Received 7 hrs & 27 min. of aircraft conditioning while at Patuxent WRC. Gets along great with #414 and seems dedicated to the aircraft. Scared of thunderstorms as a little chick. She was the only female in cohort 2. Submissive, but always a great flyer and follower. She sometimes acts the same way with treats that #406 does. She seems too nervous to take them from the puppet, but quickly gobbles them up if they are dropped on the ground.
History:
First
Migration South: One of the seven who flew
on day 1.
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 #415 stayed with 2, 3, 16, 17,
19 and 20 in
Dane County, WI. They all finished their migration to Necedah
NWR on May 3. She
spent much time with
sandhill cranes on or in nearby farm fields in
Dane County, WI during the summer and fall.
Fall 2005: She was not found in her usual area on Nov. 17, a day when at least 18 whoopers began migration from the area. She was confirmed that night at Jasper-Pulaski SWA in Indiana! She roosted at Hiwassee NWR in TN on Nov. 24 and left on Nov. 25. She passed 3 male flock mates#401, 407 and 408 and roosted at a Georgia location farther south. She was in Madison County, FL on Nov. 26. She moved around, but remained in Madison County locations.
Spring
2006: Began migration on March 25. PTT readings showed
she roosted that night in Dooly County, Georgia; on March
26 in Gordon County, Georgia. She crossed Indiana the next
3 days, and completed migration on March 30!
Fall 2006: #415 was last reported in the
staging sandhill flock in Adams County, WI during the last
week of October. All were gone by November
4 and may have migrated. Transmitter doesn't work so she can't
be tracked. A Whooping crane found with wintering sandhill
cranes in Madison County, FL during an aerial survey Nov
22 is believed to be 415* as this is her usual wintering area.
She was still there the end of December.
Spring
2007: A whooping crane believed to be #415 was last observed
with a small number of sandhills in Hixtown Swamp, Madison County,
on February 19.
Her transmitter doesn't work, and she cannot be tracked.
No further reports have been received, but
she is expected to be back in Wisconsin.
Fall
2007: Began migration from Columbia County, Wisconsin,
after November 16.
Her transmitter no longer works and she cannot be tracked. Reported
in Ewing
Bottoms, Jackson County, Indiana, on November 24 and 25.
A bird with no
signal was observed at Hiwassee WR in Tennessee on November 28
may have been #415. Next she was confirmed with #505 in Meigs County,
Tennessee, on December 2.
They were still there the end of December.
 |
April 30 nest check: eggshell fragments only Richard Urbanek, ICF |
Spring 2008: Female #415 (with male #505) began migration from Hiwassee WR in Meigs County, TN sometime between February 28 and March 2. They remained with migrating sandhills in Jackson County, Indiana, at least through March 18. The pair was back at Necedah NWR March 27. In April they were nesting, but by April 30 the nest had failed. The pair was seen foraging away from the nest area, and a nest check found only eggshell bits. Sara said, "It's not surprising; this pair just formed this winter and neither bird had previous nesting experience."
Fall 2008: She was seen walking abnormally on Nov. 5. During an unsuccessful capture attept on Nov. 13, handlers saw a fishing line or similar debris tangled on and dragging from her left leg, interfering with her movements. She and mate #505 were still in Wisconsin in mid-November, but they successfully migrated south. They were confirmed in Meigs County, Tennessee.
Spring 2009: On March 8 female #415 and mate #505 left a migration stop in Jackson County, Indiana, where they'd been since March 5. They were the first whooper sightings reported for the spring 2009 migration. The pair was next reported in White County, Indiana, on March 12 and 13. By April 2 they were already observed incubating on a nest on their usual territory in Wsconsin at Necedah NWR! (The nest failed.) The pair remained in the core area all summer.
Last updated: 9/26/09
Back to "Meet the Flock 2004"
Journey North is pleased to feature this educational
adventure made possible by the Whooping
Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).