Migratory Whooping Crane Reintroduction

2008 Update

As of mid-July 2008, 59 of approximately 69 birds in the Eastern Migratory Population returned on their own to Wisconsin. Fourteen of 15 birds in the 2007 cohort, which learned the migration route in fall 2007 by following ultralight aircraft from Wisconsin to Florida, have returned to Wisconsin. The Direct Release juveniles from 2007 migrated to Michigan’s Saginaw Bay region and four of those five birds were captured this summer and released at the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin where they can associate with other whooping cranes. Whooping cranes are spending time this summer in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, and North Dakota, and one bird remained behind in Florida.

Whooping cranes have been observed in numerous counties across the state. They use private wetland properties as well as public properties including Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Horicon State and National Wildlife Areas, Mill Bluff, Meadow Valley, Sandhill, Black River State Forest and MacMillan State Wildlife Areas.

This year, there were a record eleven whooping crane nests in central Wisconsin wetlands. Unfortunately, the whooping cranes abandoned their nests after incubating eggs for several weeks. Biologists were able to successfully collect eggs from several of the abandoned nests and three chicks from the rescued eggs hatched in captivity. These bonus birds are now members of the 2008 cohort and are spending this summer completing flight conditioning in order to follow the ultralights south to Florida in the fall. Scientists are still speculating as to why the cranes abandoned their nests. More intensive monitoring and research are being planned for next year’s nesting season.

The captive-hatched chicks for the 2008 cohort arrive at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in three shipments. The first arrived in late June, and the remaining chicks will be transported via Windway private jet from Patuxent Maryland by the end of July. WCEP anticipates approximately 20 chicks for this year’s ultralight led migration. Up to nine additional chicks will be direct autumn release (DAR) birds, and will be released to Central Wisconsin in late summer into groups of older whooping and sandhill cranes in order to learn the migration route.