Greetings all!
The following report is forwarded with permission from Tom Stehn, USFWS
biologist and US Whooping Crane Coordinator.
Where applicable, CWS stands for Canadian Wildlife Service; USFWS is US Fish and
Wildlife Service. Crane monitoring involves cooperative efforts and support by
both countries, plus many volunteers and non-profit organizations along the way.
Anyone wanting to contact Tom about the report or the whooping crane projects
can reach him via email at: tom_stehn@fws.gov. Other information, including
archived copies of these reports, can be found at the Texas Whooping Crane web
site at http://www.ccbirding.com/
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December 22, 2004
An aerial census on 22 December, 2004 of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
and surrounding areas estimated the number of whooping cranes present at 183
adults + 32 young = 215 total. The peak total at Aransas for the winter was 183
+ 33 = 216. One of the twin chicks is believed to have died.
A chick separated in migration from its parents was sighted in November in
northeast Colorado and in southwestern Oklahoma right by the Texas border. This
is the 217th bird in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo peak population (183 adults + 34
chicks). A single white-plumaged crane still in migration, having departed
Quivira NWR in Kansas on December 10th, would be the 218th member of the
Aransas-Wood Buffalo population if it makes it to Aransas safely. Two
white-plumaged cranes seen on December 1st at Grulla NWR in New Mexico near the
Texas border would be #'s 219 and 220 if they make it safely to Aransas. This is
apparently the first-ever documented sighting of Aransas-Wood Buffalo whooping
cranes in New Mexico.
Recap of cranes observed on the flight: (197)
adults + young
Refuge 50 + 10
Lamar 7 + 2
San Jose 39 + 8
Matagorda 56 + 8
Welder Flats 16 + 1
Total 168 + 29 = 197
Remarks: The flight was delayed by morning fog so that complete coverage was not
done on San Jose Island in the late afternoon. Visibility was fairly poor in the
morning because of thick clouds. The skies cleared in the afternoon, but
northwest winds gusting to 25 mph made for bumpy flight conditions. Tide levels
were lower compared with one week ago, with refuge tides measured at 1.7 mlt on
12-20-04. About 60 % of San Jose Island was exposed mudflats, and oyster reefs
were exposed in the bays.
Not all of the cranes were located on today's flight. Territorial cranes
overlooked (n=8) included the Middle Pond, Jay Bird Point, and single adult
families. This latter grouping of 1+1 has apparently moved off the refuge's
Blackjack Point. Light conditions made it difficult to find cranes during the
first 4 hours of the flight over Matagorda Island and Welder Flats. Crane
numbers were down 10 on Matagorda Island compared with last week's flight, which
probably reflected the poor visibility on today's flight rather than a change in
crane use areas. One family group formerly believed to be the unbanded twin
family was still present on the far north end of Matagorda Island.
No new cranes were found on today's flight. Stragglers can continue to arrive at
Aransas into December, with peak counts for the winter usually not made until
now in mid-December. Recent believable reports of whooping cranes in migration
include a single southwest of Fort Worth, Texas in Comanche County on November
26, and a single 70 miles south of Amarillo, Texas on December 1. A very
believable probable sighting of 2 cranes in Oklahoma was made on November 29th
about 30 miles northwest of Oklahoma City (near Kingfisher, OK), and 2 cranes
were sighted on December 1st at Grulla NWR in New Mexico located on the Texas
border. There have been no reported sightings of the white-plumaged crane that
apparently resumed migration from the Quivira NWR in Kansas on December 10th.
On today's flight, bands were seen for the first time this winter on 2 cranes. A
look at the feet of the Vinson Slough pair provided a glimpse of a metal band
above the left foot of one of the adults. The mate of the South Matagorda radio
pair was seen with a low silver band above the left foot.
A slight change in habitat use was noted on today's flight. On today's flight,
11 cranes were using open bay habitat. Eleven cranes were using a prescribed
burn (Unit C5) carried out December 14th along the refuge's East Shore Road, and
2 cranes were using Unit C12 near the southwest tip of the refuge burned
December 17th. Four cranes on Matagorda Island were using freshwater marsh
habitat on Burn Unit B3 conducted July 28, 2004. Another nearby pair on
Matagorda uplands right near the road south of panther Point was presumably
foraging on wolfberries in dry saline marsh vegetation.
In other crane news, the single juvenile crane released into the wild into a
flock of other whooping cranes in central Wisconsin successfully completed its
migration to Florida. It was sighted at the Hixtown Swamp in Florida with one
whooping crane it had apparently followed all the way from Tennessee. The 13
juveniles led by ultralight aircraft to Chassahowitzka NWR are being held in an
exclosure next to the large winter pen where 5 older cranes are currently
residing.
Tom Stehn
Whooping Crane Coordinator
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Aransas NWR
P.O. Box 100
Austwell, TX 77950
(361) 286-3559 Ext. 221
fax (361) 286-3722
E:mail: tom_stehn@fws.gov
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Patty Waits Beasley
Corpus Christi, TX
email: patty@ccbirding.com
web:
http://www.ccbirding.com/