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Meet
the 2008 Whooping Crane Chicks!
Hatch-year 2008 of the Eastern Flock |
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Crane
# 824
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Date Hatched |
June 8 , 2008 |
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Gender |
Female |
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Date of Photo: |
Egg Source: Patuxent WRC |
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Permanent (Attached after reaching Florida)
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Personality
and Training
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#824
Preens
Photo Brian Clauss, Patuxent |
Notes
from the captive breeding "hatchery" at
Patuxent WRC in Maryland:
Cohort
3 (the youngest birds) has a few meanies — and #824 is
one of them. However, these youngest meanies have been associating
with other chicks
with a little less hatred
than the bullies in Cohort 1. She is a good follower but makes a beeline
to peck at any other chicks that she sees. We have walked #24 with
#20 and #26. One day Bev and Barb tried socializing #824 with
#826 for #824's first interaction with another chick in a while.
"Overall it went well," said Barb. "When we have an
aggressive chick we just try to keep them moving to avoid any stops
that
may allow
for
time for meanness. Bev and I were huffing and puffing during
and after the walk. Bev said she thought her head would explode
we were moving so quickly, but it worked."
Because chick #824 kept being too aggressive, she was given her own pen. Barb said, "That's what you get for being a mean little chick here at Patuxent: the luxury of having your own big pen, your own shed and your own food dish and water. The chicks are probably wondering why they should bother being a sweet little bird when they can have everything to themselves.
"Chick #824 is one of the only two girls in the last group probably tries the hardest to be the most dominant bird. She will stand up very tall when #829 is near and give him the stink eye. He really doesn't want to fight, but she provokes him. She normally ends up turning and walking away."
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#824
at Necedah in August
Photo Operation Migration |
Notes
from "flight school in Wisconsin:
Arrived
at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge July 29 in cohort 3, the youngest group
in the Class of 2008. The team calls her the waterbug because she prefers
the wet pen to the dry pen, and likes spear fishing more than pecking crane
chow at the feeder. On Aug. 21 chick #824 was able to experience
a short flight in ground effect and on Aug. 24 she became the first bird
in cohort 3 to fledge!
She weighed 4.4 kg at her pre-migration health check. Her new leg bands bothered her at first. On Sep. 7 Chris said, "824 has been our best flier of the group and today she hardly even bothered to fly in ground effect." She got over it, though.
After her
cohort joined with Cohort 2 and the dominance order changed, she kept
trying to show all the others that she was a higher status
bird. Despite all her "monster" behavior at Patuxent, Brooke said,
"She's a beautiful bird now."
Last updated: 9/25/08
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