Eastern Flock Losses By Calendar Year Updated July 15, 2008 Year # Lost 2008 5 2007 35 2006 5 2005 9 2004 3 2003 1 2002 2 2001 2 Details 2008 Crane #202, missing since March 2007, was officially removed from the population in February 2008. The team presumes she has died. DAR #43-07 died March 22, 2008 as a result of a power line collision in Indiana on her first migration north. Crane 714 was killed March 30, 2008, the victim of a predator while on a spring migration stopover. Crane #201, missing since June 2007, was officially removed from the population in July 2008. The team presumes she has died. Crane 735 was alive and well in July 2008, but unable to fly from an injury received during final health checks in Florida after her first migration. She was transported back to Wisconsin in spring, but, unable to fly, removed from the population to a captive breeding center to become a parent bird. 2007 Crane #204 died in January of 2007 in Florida. Her remains are being examined for cause. Seventeen of the 18 juveniles at the Chassahowitzka NWR pen site died in the early morning of February 2, 2007 as a severe thunderstorm with high winds, resulting high tides and heavy rain, passed through the area: Cranes#601, 602, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 610, 611, 612, 613, 614, 618, 619, 620, 622, and 623. DAR #32-06 was killed by a predator (probably bobcat) the end of January, 2007. Her remains were discovered Feb. 6, 2007. Crane #521 died in her wintering area in Citrus County, Florida, between February 9 and 12, 2007. Her remains were discovered Feb. 20, 2007. Bobcat predation is suspected. DAR #26-06 was killed (likely by a predator) on April 13, 2007 at a migration stopover in Indiana. Crane #202 is presumed dead because she did not return with her mate in spring 2007. Crane #523 died in Florida in April, 2007, likey from alligator predation. Crane #615 died April 30 (?) in Florida in the area where he had been since after the Feb. 2 storm that killed all 17 of his other flock mates. Crane #306 was found dead on his Wisconsin territory on July 12, 2007. He was flightless due to molt (loss and regrowth of feathers). His molt was about 80% complete when he was killed by a predator, apparently a large mammal, in a dried marsh in this drought-stricken area. Tracking data indicated that he died on or about July 6. Crane #510 died in Wisconsin in July, 2007, killed by a predator when she was molting and flightless in a drought-stricken wetland. DAR #32-05 died in Wisconsin sometime during the first two weeks in July, 2007, killed by a predator next to a dried-up pond. Crane #502's completely intact body was found August 20, 2007. Experts believe she died on August 16 or 17, before the rains came and the marsh was likely dried up. Her carcass will be given to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center for necropsy to determine cause of death. Crane #407's decomposed but otherwise intact carcass was found on September 13, 2007, in dry sedge marsh at his Wisconsin territory on northeastern Meadow Valley Flowage. Tracking data indicated that death probably occurred during August 29-31. He was last seen alive on August 20, the same date that the carcass of his mate (#502) was retrieved in the same general location. Crane #301 was found dead September 28, 2007 at Necedah. Tracking data indicated that death probably occurred on the night of 25 September, and her carcass was intact. Cause of death is unknown and a necropsy will be performed. DAR#45-07 was killed Oct. by a predator just hours after her release on Necedah NWR. DAR#41-07 was killed Oct. 31, 2007 when he was struck by a small jet at the Dane County Airport in Madison, Wisconsin. DAR #36-07 died Nov. 4, 2007 as a result of a power line collision in Kentucky on his first migration. DAR #43-07 died March 22, 2008 as a result of a power line collision in Indiana on her first migration north. Crane #503 was missing since May 2007 and not found until April 2008 when faint radio signals were detected from the territory of her and mate 507. The remains of both birds were found there on April 20, 2008. Death had likely occurred shortly after they were last observed in May 2007. Crane #507 was missing since May 2007 and not found until April 2008 when faint radio signals were detected from the territory of him and mate 507. The remains of both birds were found there on April 20, 2008. Death had likely occurred shortly after they were last observed in May 2007. 2006 Crane #203 died July 22, 2006 in Wisconsin, the apparent victim of a predator. Crane #208 died Dec. 27, 2006 in Indiana (see photos), from stress-induced myopathy after an apparent powerline strike while at a migration stopover site in Indiana. Crane #302 was found dead July 17, 2006 in Monroe County, WI, likely the victim of a predator. It was the first death of a member of a breeding pair of whooping cranes in the new Eastern flock. Crane #417 died in June 2006, the victim of a Wisconsin predator. Crane #522 died sometime between July and September, 2006. His remains were discovered Oct 28, 2006 when his signal was detected during aerial tracking. 2005 Crane #106 was found dead May 3, 2005, likely killed by a predator just after returning to Wisconsin. Crane #214 died Feb. 2005 near the pen in Florida, the apparent victim of a bobcat. Crane #215 was found dead in Alabama on Jan. 3, 2005. Death is under investigation. Crane #304 was found dead Oct. 27, 2005 at Necedah NWR in WI. No signs of trauma. Crane #418 was killed by a power line collision in Wisconsin in July, 2005. Crane #414 died May 11, 2005, the victim of a Wisconsin predator. Crane #405 died March 14, 2005, killed by a bobcat while roosting 200 meters from the Florida pen. Crane #515 died September 13, 2005 from colliding with the plane wire during training (before the chicks and ultralights left Wisconsin on migration). Crane #526 died on Day 27 (Nov. 9, 2005) of the southward migration, found dead in the travel pen after a fight with another crane in the pen. 2004 Crane #319 was found dead in Michigan in August 2004, likely killed by a coyote. Crane #305 was killed in South Carolina, likely by a bobcat, during 2004 fall migration. Crane #416 died Dec. 11, 2004 of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, one day before arrival at the Florida pen site with her group's ultralight migration. 2003 Crane #207 died August 30, 2003 from capture myopathy after being retrieved from South Dakota. 2002 Crane #210 was fatally injured when struck by ultralight wing during on first leg of fall migration. He was euthanized on Oct. 25. 2002. Crane #110 was killed by a bobcat at the pen site in Florida in January 2002. 2001 Crane #103 died in October 2001 from a power line collision when she escaped in a storm during the ultralight-led journey south. Crane #104 was killed by a bobcat at the pen site in Florida Dec. 17, 2001, shortly after arrival. * Includes only deaths of cranes that left Wisconsin as chicks on their first migration. Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure in collaboration with Operation Migration and the entire Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP). 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