Photo: Operation Migration	Meet the 2009 Whooping Crane Chicks! Hatch-year 2009 of the Eastern Flock
	Crane # 910 (#10-09)
	Date Hatched	May 9, 2009
	Gender	Male
	Egg Source	Calgary Zoo, Canada
	Permanent Leg Bands (Attached after reaching Florida)	Left Leg Right Leg  radio antenna
	Read about the naming system, hatch place in Maryland, release site in Wisconsin, over-wintering site in Florida, and leg-band codes.

Personality, Early Training

#910 in his pen while watched by Sadie, one of the Patuxent role-model cranes. Photo Operation Migration

Notes from the captive breeding "hatchery" at Patuxent WRC in Maryland:

At first chick 910 followed 905 like a shadow! He is also very cooperative when following the trainer and puppet back to his pen after ground school training. He must like his pen. One day when he saw his pen in the distance he started running for it! When outside, 910 likes picking apart a pile of dried grass in his ongoing search for worms. He grabs a beak full, shakes it to shreds, and then goes into the leaf pile for another beak full.

He was soon paired with 910 for socializing and soon they were spending days and nights together, doing just fine in the pond, grass and pen. These two will be part of Cohort One, the oldest and the first group of birds to be shipped to Wisconsin for flight school before migration in October.

Cohort 1 FLYING Aug. 17 Photo Bev Paulan, Operation Migration

Notes of Flight School in Wisconsin:
He was flown to Wisconsin with Cohort One chicks on June 25. When they were finally led into their new pen, the tired 910 took a nap. When they awoke, most of the chicks pecked at their new leg bands or even investigated the bands of other chicks. Female 901 and male 910 had a staring contest while they were standing next to each other at the feeder, but one of them backed down and wandered away. That was as close as they came to a conflict. All was peaceful on Day 1 in Wisconsin! In the following weeks he proved to be a good student and, like all the chicks in cohort one, he was flying by July 20. By early August cohort one was flying circles over the training areas. By mid-August they were flying larger and longer circuits. He gained strength and stamina with each practice session. When moving day came on September 16, #910 flew alone with Brooke's ultralight the whole way to the larger pen site where Cohorts One and Two were already living together. Maybe he will remember how nice it was to be the only crane and try for more "solo" flights with the ultralight!

October 11, 2009: Migration has not yet begun but the crane rodeo has. The team hoped to combine training with a flight to a remote part of the refuge that was closer to their fist stopover site. But the Class of 2009 ended up at three different pen sites on the refuge, and the team had to track and find some lost birds, including 910! After dropping out of the morning flight, he wasn't found until late afternoon when Richard was airborne again. His radio picked up 910's signal and quickly zoned in to his location. Richard saw #910 in a clearing in the center of a wooded area to the north and west of the pen site he'd left this morning as the pilots tried to lead the birds away. Although Richard tried to coax him into the air behind his ultralight, the bird wouldn't follow. The only solution was for the crew to come with a crate to box him up and drive him. They brought him to the old pen, where several of his classmates were foraging. The rest of the flock is at the new site in a travel pen. After a crazy day, he must be happy to be with some buddies again!

First Migration South: Chick #910 (and 14 others!) turned back to Necedah NWR when the Class of 2009 left on their first migration on October 16, 2009. They all had to try again the next day to follow the ultralights to the migration's first stopover site, where five flockmates landed on Day 1. Find day-by-day news about the flock's migration and read more about #910 below.
Oct. 22: Chick 910 (and 913) didn’t want to leave the wet pen to come out and exercise today. After some treats, they ran out and flew a few circuits to join their flockmates at the end of the runway by their Necedah pen. Then all eight stay-behind birds were boxed up and driven to Stopover #1! Surprise! Chick 910 (and 913) were the last to go into the new travel pen because they were excited to be running around and playing with clumps of grass. Richard and Bev were very patient. Eventually they got the two playful chicks into the pen. Brian stayed behind to watch over the chicks, and to make sure they all settled in to their portable home. At last all 20 are together again and ready to migrate —when the rain goes away.
Oct. 27:Crane 910 (and several others) turned back again to old Stopover #1 and had to be boxed and driven to Stopover #2. Nov. 1: Hooray! 910 (and ALL the others!) flew the distance to Stopover #3. No crates needed!
Nov 20: Crane 910 was one of the 16 who flew off on this exercise day and didn't come back! The 16 flew more than 15 miles before Richard located and caught up to them. He then turned them on courseand led them to safe landing at the next planned stopover. Until today, this has never happened since the pilots began leading whoopers south in 2001. Nov 30: Crane 910 was one of the three birds who flew loyally but then dropped out when he got too frustrated in rough winds to finish. He finished the trip to Stopver #9 traveling by road in a crate. January 13, 2010, Day 82: Migration complete for the "St. Marks 10:" #906, 908, 910, 911, 912, 914, 915, 918, 925, and 926! Crane 910 flew all but 30 miles of this migration!
Winter at St. Marks NWR: #910 uses his beak to pound open the shell of a blue crab.

Spring 2010, First Journey North: Eight of the St. Marks juveniles left at mid-day March 24 on their first journey north! According to a PTT reading from #908, she (and probably #915, #910, #911, #914, #918, #925 and #926) reached Shelby County, Alabama— about 260 miles from the pen! Their next flight took them an additional 380 miles to Monroe County, IN, where an observer photo confirmed that they were all still together. As of March 29 they had flown another 73 miles to the Fountain County, IN, roughly 70 miles due east of the Piatt Co., IL stopover used during their ultralight-guided journey south last fall. Tracker Eva said a PTT reading for #915 on March 31 put them in Monroe County, Wisconsin. On April 1 Sara picked up their signals in the Necedah area. They successfully completed migration!" HOORAY!!!!!

Fall 2010: Crane 910 successfully migrated and was with #804 on December 23 in Levy County, Florida. They appeared the St. Mark’s NWR pensite in Wakulla County, during late afternoon on January 24 and stayed until at least January 26. They were not welcome because the newly arrived Class of 2010 chicks were there. The two had moved to Dixie County. FL by February 5.

Spring 2011: Began migration March 11 and reported back at Necedah NWR area by March 21. By March 24 he was with female #717 in Monroe County. (#717 has a nonfunctional transmitter and cannot be tracked.) They stayed at this location into April.

Back to "Meet the Flock 2009"

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