Ultralight Migration Update by Joe Duff, Operation Migration

2010-11-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

You would think that after 10 years, the migration would be routine but each one poses its own challenges and every year is different. One of the most influential factors that govern how our season will go is the individual personalities of the birds. It all begins at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland where the chicks for the ultralight release are hatched and imprinted.

Who can say what portion of their character is the result of nature or nurture but a strict protocol is followed and for the most part, the birds all get the same amount of attention and training. Yet their personalities are diverse. Just like any social environment, the individuals that make up the group also dictate the flock dynamic. If there is one clear leader, often a flock will appear cohesive with very few confrontations. But add a couple of aggressive birds that are not content with one leader and the entire flock will appear to be aggressive.

Their position in the dominance structure will also evolve as they grow and more birds are added to their group. Despite monitoring the hierarchy within the group, it is impossible to predict how this will impact the final flock dynamics. All of this will impact how they follow us along our 1285 mile migration and how they get along over the winter. It may even influence their return migration. Over the past 10 years, we have witnessed every possibility -- from 20 birds that would all follow one aircraft, making the migration simple -- to having only a few birds that consistently wanted to turn back.

With experience, we have learned to handle these situations and all of the birds eventually reach the wintering grounds. This year, we have eleven birds and all but one follows the aircraft with only a little encouragement. We have worked closely with number 2-10 but he consistently drops out shortly after take-off. Although he has flown for over two hours, we believe he has a physical issue that causes him to drop out initially. It will be up to the WCEP Health Team headed by Barry Hartup from the International Crane Foundation to determine if he is suitable for release or captivity. Either way, he is a very large and beautiful bird and we hate to lose him.

At this writing, we have reached Kentucky, a bit less than halfway through the migration. We have had a few long weather delays but also a few back to back flying days. It seems we have had more than our share of headwinds but that is likely just a pilot’s complaining spirit.

Once we reach Florida, the flock will be divided and half will winter at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge south of Tallahassee. The other half will be led to Chassahowitzka NWR near Crystal River. This procedure was adapted to lessen the chance for mass loss as happened in February 2007 when 17 birds were killed during a severe storm. Despite having only eleven this year, the practice is still valid.

The second half of the migration has historically gone faster than the first. It has to do with the birds ability to fly greater distances, their experience in knowing how to fly with the aircraft and more cooperative weather. Generally, in the southern half we begin to skip stopovers covering 100 miles or better in each flight. Of course, like everything else in Whooping crane conservation, just when you think you have it all figured out – they surprise you.

Winter in St. Marks with the Class of 2009

2010-09-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Adult Whooping crane at International Crane Foundation.
Credit WCEP

More than forty endangered species biologists, crane experts, researchers and scientists convened February 8-10 for the ninth annual Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) Winter Meeting in Wakulla County, Fla., to review the progress of the eastern migratory population of whooping cranes, and see the 2009 cohorts, which arrived at St. Marks and Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) on Florida’s Gulf Coast less than one month ago.

Brooke Pennypacker, Operation Migration pilot, flew one of the four ultralights that led the cranes on their 89-day migration to their wintering grounds in Florida. Brooke equipped me with rain boots and led me through patches of muddy forest to get to the pen site at St. Marks, where 10 of the 20 whooping cranes are spending the winter. Brooke joked, “This is where they filmed Jurassic Park.”

As we approached the blind, I saw the familiar structure that I had seen last year while visiting the other pen site at the Chassahowitzka NWR. Since 2008, the flock has been separated to winter in two separate Refuges along Florida’s Gulf Coast. At Chass, the pen site is only accessible by airboat. Here at St. Marks, the pen site is just a short ATV ride, but remains closed to public access to ensure safety of the cranes. The Florida panhandle has had unseasonably heavy rainfall this winter, turning the journey to the pen site into a muddy mess.

Once we arrived at the blinds, we lowered our voices. Although the blind is out of ear shot from the pen, we don’t want to risk startling the birds should they fly out and closer to the blind. The birds are kept inside a top-netted pen for the first 6-8 days after arrival at their wintering destination. After undergoing health checks and getting accustomed to their surroundings, the top-netted pen is removed, and the birds are able to fly freely in and out of a larger pen a few acres in size.

Brooke Pennypacker, OM, enters the viewing blind where researchers can monitor the Whooping cranes while at the pen site in St. Marks NWR. Credit WCEP

Just minutes after we picked up the binoculars and peered through the camouflage netting that covered the opening in the blind, a single bird flew outside of the pen, to be followed by the remaining nine birds. They flew in unison directly toward us, and then circled back to land just a few feet from their departure spot.

A curious raccoon crept toward the crowd of cranes then scurried away as one of the birds returned the raccoon’s curious advance. As I watched the interactions of the birds, their movement and mannerisms, I realized how quickly hours could pass without so much as a single check of the clock. St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is a serene setting, and the birds provide continuous entertainment.

View from within the blind. Credit WCEP

The birds are now around eight months of age. They were hatched in March and April of 2009. Their initial training as part of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership project was at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, where they were first introduced to the ultralight aircraft and began flight conditioning. After several weeks of initial training, the birds were then shipped by corporate jet (from a very generous sponsor), to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin to spend the summer months training for short flights around the Refuge with the ultralights, to prepare for the fall migration.

A second whooping crane re-introduction method is ongoing at Necedah Refuge. In its third year, the Direct Autumn Release (DAR) program was developed to allow whooping crane chicks opportunity to bond with older cranes and subsequently join the fall and spring migrations with those birds, instead of following the ultralight aircraft along the migration route.

Nine DAR birds were released this year, and all continue to associate with older whooping cranes. The latest information indicates these birds are in Kentucky, Indiana and Florida.
A challenge facing the Eastern Migratory Population reintroduction project has been unsuccessful nesting during the spring months in central Wisconsin. Although whooping crane pairs have successfully produced eggs, only two chicks have been successfully hatched in the wild since the program began in 2001.

The birds are now around eight months of age. They were hatched in March and April of 2009. Their initial training as part of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership project was at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, where they were first introduced to the ultralight aircraft and began flight conditioning. After several weeks of initial training, the birds were then shipped by corporate jet (from a very generous sponsor), to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin to spend the summer months training for short flights around the Refuge with the ultralights, to prepare for the fall migration.

A second whooping crane re-introduction method is ongoing at Necedah Refuge. In its third year, the Direct Autumn Release (DAR) program was developed to allow whooping crane chicks opportunity to bond with older cranes and subsequently join the fall and spring migrations with those birds, instead of following the ultralight aircraft along the migration route.
Nine DAR birds were released this year, and all continue to associate with older whooping cranes. The latest information indicates these birds are in Kentucky, Indiana and Florida.
A challenge facing the Eastern Migratory Population reintroduction project has been unsuccessful nesting during the spring months in central Wisconsin. Although whooping crane pairs have successfully produced eggs, only two chicks have been successfully hatched in the wild since the program began in 2001.

View overlooking the National Wildlife Refuge from St. Marks Lighthouse. Credit WCEP

Bring Back the Cranes

Ultralight Migration Update by Joe Duff, Operation Migration

Winter in St. Marks with the Class of 2009