USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Whooping Crane Report

We've Gone to Wisconsin!

Our first seven graduates leave for Necedah.

Remember WCEP #01 when he was just a day old? (See report 33) Here he is at 55 days old, the day before leaving Patuxent for the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge where staff from Patuxent and Operation Migration will continue the training started at Patuxent. Genetic testing has confirmed that #01 is male.

WCEP #02 (left) is and #03 are both 54 days in these pictures. They're wearing their new, large, brightly colored leg bands. Both are male.

WCEP #05 (left), a male, is 51 days old, ten days older than #06 (right), who is female. #05 is the bird who got along better with birds much younger than himself, (see report 39) and trained well with them. At this stage, the age difference isn't as significant as it was just two weeks ago.

WCEP #07 (left) is 40 days of age, and #08 (right) is 39 days. They are both males. The chick down still remaining on the tips of their feathers gives them a very fuzzy appearance. The down will gradually break away as they preen.

Once again, we'd like to thank the Windway Capital Corporation for donating the plane and pilot to transport the chicks from Patuxent to Necedah.

Before they left for Necedah, the oldest chicks spent a lot of time in the pond pens socializing and getting used to a natural environment. Mark, in costume, uses the robo-crane to interact with 5 of the 7 chicks. This first group of birds got along well and spent most of the day in the pond when they weren't training with the trike.

Photos, Kathleen O'Malley, USGS

Current Number of Chicks: 22
WCEP Chicks: 18
Patuxent Chicks: 4

This picture is a graphic example of the rapid growth rate of whooper chicks. The bird on the left is WCEP #12, a male at 35 days of age. The smaller chick on the right is WCEP #20, and is only 9 days old. There is less than a month in age between them, yet the size difference is startling. A plate of Plexiglass allows the chicks to interact, yet prevents accidents or aggression. Genetic tests haven't been completed for birds younger than WCEP #18.

Here is a close-up of WCEP #20 (left) taken on the same day. He's resting under his heat lamp, which casts a reddish glow. On the right is #22 at 8 days of age.

The chick on the left had been WCEP #23. Unfortunately, his sibling, WCEP #21, did not survive. Both those chicks were from a pair of whoopers who have not previously had chicks. To maintain genetic diversity in the breeding flock, at least one of their two chicks were scheduled to remain at Patuxent. Since the first chick of the pair died, that left WCEP #23 to continue the line. The chick on the right is WCEP #24; he is only 4 days old in this picture. WCEP #24 is the last chick that hatched this year.

WCEP #21 was the second chick we lost this year. The chick had hatching difficulties, and had problems with his feet shortly after hatching. We were able to solve those problems, but the chick failed to thrive, in spite of very intensive care from everyone involved. The chick lived 14 days but never grew much, or learned to eat or drink on his own. The staff devoted many hours to the chick's care, but the chick finally succumbed. The chick is 10 days old in this picture, a day older than WCEP #20 in the picture above, yet is still the size of a newly hatched chick.

WCEP #05 can see his own face in the camera lens and gets closer to investigate "that other crane." #07, in the background, is content to let #05 be the brave one.

WCEP #05, his curiosity satisfied for the moment, decides to give his wings a workout. The large primaries are still emerging from the shafts. This is a fragile stage for wing feathers, when they can get damaged or broken. The pond pens offer plenty of room for the chicks to run and flap safely.

Photos, Kathleen O'Malley, USGS

This Year's Migration Success!

Now that the first group of 2004's WCEP chicks have arrived at Necedah to start flight school, you will be able to follow their progress with regular updates and pictures on Operation Migration's website in their Field Journal.

You can read current updates and see pictures of the WCEP migratory flock as they return to Wisconsin at the International Crane Foundations' migration website: http://www.savingcranes.org/whatsnew/Migration_flocks.asp. Many of the birds from 2001, 2002, and 2003 have already arrived at Necedah, but 8 of the 2003 birds were affected by weather and are spending the summer in Michigan. You can follow their progress on ICF's site and on Operation Migration's Field Journal.

Their migration photo journal can be seen at: http://www.savingcranes.org/whatsnew/Photo_Journal0304.asp.

More updates and information on the WCEP project can be found at:
The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership website and at the Journey North Whooping Crane website.

Information about the WCEP whoopers' winter and summer homes can be found at the Chassahowitzka NWR site and the Necedah NWR site.

Florida Update!

The non-migratory whoopers in Florida are nesting. Information about last year's production can be found on the Whooping Crane Conservation Association's website under Flock Status.

See our Crane Videos!

Hatch Day (Click on numbered links to view all other egg (negative numbers) and chick days).

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