Whooping Cranes are Migrating

Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle Oct 4, 2006

It’s time for Whooping Cranes to head south for the winter. They don't fly together but leave the nesting grounds a few at a time, the adult birds leading their offspring on their first journey south. The birds from the wild Wood Buffalo flock spend the winter in Aransas, Texas, and some of them are already on the move – they’re being seen as far south as North Dakota already.

The young birds in the Wisconsin captive rearing program are scheduled to leave on October 5, weather permitting. They’ll be led, by humans dressed as cranes in ultra light aircraft, to a winter location in Florida. They and their leaders have been training for weeks.

The first family of Whooping Cranes – will be heading south too, at their own convenience. Sadly, it looks like just three of the family of four will be making the trip. The larger of the two fledglings became separated from the other three early in September and has not been seen since Sept 12. Its fate remains unknown.

As the 2006 migration gets underway, the total count of Whooping Cranes in the world stands at 498. If you live anywhere between northeast Alberta and Aransas, Texas, or between Wisconsin and Florida, keep your eyes on the sky on October – you might be lucky enough to see some Whooping Cranes pass overhead.

Keep up with the captive reared birds from Wisconsin - read the Operation Migration Field Journal. You can start a discussion about it on Suite101.