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 Aransas
National Wildlife Refuge
Whooping Crane Reports
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ~
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Update: February 17, 2012
From the Whooping Crane
Conservation Association
Whooping Crane Update at Aransas NWR
Click Link Below for More Information Available:
http://whoopingcrane.com/2012/02/
Update: December 19, 2011
Whooping crane family with banded
individual. Photo by Cathie Foster
Most of the estimated 300 whooping cranes of
the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population have now arrived on the Aransas
National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast. The whoopers began arriving
on the Texas coastal bend and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge wintering
grounds in late October according to Dan Alonso, Refuge Manager.
Regrettably the refuge habitat is suffering from the long drought that
affects most of the state of Texas. “Habitat conditions appear to be
somewhat challenging for whooping cranes this year, specifically with
regard to drought and salinity aspects” advises refuge manager Alonso.
Whooping crane family with banded individual.
Salinity levels in the San Antonia Bay are currently 35.3 parts per
thousand, resulting in many cranes frequently using inland freshwater
sources according to refuge officials. “To date, Aransas National
Wildlife Refuge has received 14 inches of precipitation, which is
approximately 23 inches below the annual average” according to Alonso.
In addition, harmful algae blooms, known as red tide, have occurred
along the Texas coast. Red tide toxins can accumulate in fish, oysters
and clams in the bays, possibly causing illness and/or death to cranes
and other wildlife consuming toxic seafood. “Fortunately, there are no
known reports of cranes dying from the red tide in past outbreaks but
biologists continue to keep a
vigilant watch. Fortunately cooler temperatures have helped reduce red
tide blooms”, refuge officials say.
Aransas biologists made their initial plane flight of the season on
December 8 to check out the first whooping crane mortality discovered on
Aransas according to a refuge report. One juvenile crane was found dead
from unknown causes. The carcass has been sent to the National Wildlife
Health Center in Madison, WI for disease testing.
Aransas officials say the goal of the first flight was also to assess
the general distribution and condition of the whooping crane population.
During the flight, biologists observed a significant number of cranes in
the uplands, as opposed to marshlands where they are typically found.
Field observations have resulted in biologists finding evidence of
wolfberry and blue crab remains in crane scat. It appears that cranes
are utilizing some resources within the marsh. A second flight to
estimate the crane population will be scheduled for January 2011
according to refuge personnel.
Recognizing the potential problems associated with the extreme drought
conditions along the entire Texas coast, Aransas officials spent the
summer months planning for the return of the whoopers. This included
initiating work to maximize freshwater output from existing wells
located throughout the refuge. And the refuge has had some valuable
assistance from the private sector.
The Friends of Aransas and Matagorda Island National Wildlife Refuge, a
non-profit organization of volunteers are dedicated to supporting the
refuge in its goal of enhancing habitat and wildlife. They have been
instrumental in raising funds for converting windmills to solar pump
energy. This conversion is intended to provide a more reliable fresh
water supply for wildlife. Refuge personnel are also planning to
prescribe burn over 9,700 acres to provide additional food resources for
cranes. The refuge recently conducted its first burn of the season,
consisting of 654 acres of whooping crane habitat. Refuge officials
reported that the cranes made immediate use of the prescribe burned
areas.
The Whooping Crane Conservation Association believes that Aransas
officials are doing everything within their capabilities to compensate
for the “challenging” habitat conditions on the refuge. Mother Nature
has dealt Aransas Refuge and most of the state of Texas a serious blow
with the long term drought. After a successful nesting season, with
approximately 37 chicks fledging from a record of 75 nests in August
2011, biologists anticipate that the flock size could reach record
levels this winter, possibly 300. The large whooper population will now
face degraded habitat conditions and hopefully they will overcome the
taxing situation.
Update: December 16, 2011
Below is the most recent update in
regards to current migration status:
Webmaster Note: Big thanks to Dan
Alonso, USFW Manager at ANWR for sending birdRockport the current
update!
Individuals of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo
whooping crane population began arriving on the Texas coastal bend and
Aransas National Wildlife
Refuge wintering grounds in late October.
Habitat conditions appear to be somewhat challenging for whooping cranes
this year, specifically
with regard to drought and salinity aspects.
Salinity levels in the San Antonio Bay are currently 35.3 parts per
thousand, resulting in many
cranes frequently utilizing inland
freshwater sources. To date, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge has
received 14 inches of precipitation, which
is approximately 23 inches below the annual
average. In addition, harmful algae blooms, known as red tide, have
occurred along the Texas
coast. Red tide toxins can accumulate in
fish, oyster, and clam populations in the bays, possibly causing illness
and/or death to cranes
and other wildlife consuming toxic seafood.
Fortunately, there are no known reports of cranes dying from red tide in
past outbreaks; biologists
continue to keep a vigilant watch. Recent
cooler temperatures have helped reduce red tide blooms.
The first whooping crane flight of the
season was conducted on Thursday, December 8th, in response to
confirmation of the first
whooping crane mortality discovered the
previous day. One juvenile crane was found dead from unknown causes. The
carcass has been sent
to the National Wildlife Health Center in
Madison, WI for disease testing. The goal of the flight was to assess
the general distribution and
condition of the whooping crane population.
During the flight, biologists noted a significant number of cranes were
observed in the
uplands, as opposed to marshlands where they
are typically found. Field observations have resulted in biologists
finding evidence of wolfberry
and blue crab remains in crane scat. It
appears that cranes are utilizing some resources within the marsh. A
second flight to estimate the
population will be scheduled for January.
In recognition of extreme drought conditions
along the entire Texas coast, refuge officials spent the summer planning
for the return of
cranes. This included initiating work to
maximize freshwater output from existing wells located throughout the
refuge. The Friends of
Aransas and Matagorda Island NWR, a
non-profit organization of volunteers dedicated to supporting the refuge
in its goal of enhancing
habitat and
wildlife, have been instrumental in raising funds for converting
windmills to solar pump energy. Prescribed burning, which
can provide additional food resources for
cranes lasting several weeks, has been planned for over 9700 acres. The
refuge recently conducted its
first burn of the season, consisting of 654
acres of whooping crane habitat, and refuge officials observed immediate
use by cranes.
After a successful nesting season, with
approximately 37 chicks fledging from a record 75 nests in August 2011,
biologists anticipate that the
flock size could reach record levels this
winter, possibly 300.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish,
wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and
wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship
of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment
to public service. For more information on our work and the people who
make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.
Previous Reports:
December 1, 2011 278 whooping cranes left Aransas National Wildlife
Refuge in the spring of 2011. With approximately 37 chicks fledged from
a record 75 nests in August 2011, we expect the flock size to reach
record levels of around 300 birds this winter. Many of the cranes have
already arrived on the wintering grounds, and to date we have many
confirmed sightings on and off refuge including 26 individuals occupying
the blackjack peninsula. Currently, 12 of the 21 active radio-tagged
birds have arrived on the Texas coast. The remaining cranes are
scattered between North Dakota and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
Thank you again for your continued support and dedication to the
National Wildlife Refuge System. It is through these partnerships that
we continue to make great strides in protecting our endangered species
for future generations.
Please note: this message is being sent out on behalf of
the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Project Leader Dan Alonso.
Please respond to
Dan_Alonso@fws.gov
___________________________________________________________________
Update from the
Webmaster: October 24, 2011
I was just informed that Tom Stehn has retired and I
won't be receiving his reports any more. I have contacted the ANWR
Manager Dan Alonzo to inquire as to whether someone will be taking Tom's
place or reporting on the Whooping Cranes as they migrate here for the
winter months. I will keep you informed via this web page as soon
as I know more. Perhaps if those of us who are interested in these
reports called Dan Alonzo, maybe he can help initiate the reports so
that the Coastal Bend Birders and other interested parties can know how
many are coming, when they get to the refuge and other pertinent
information. The phone number is 361-286-3559. I'll
get back to on this as soon as I hear from the ANWR manager. Thank
you for our patience.
FROM THE CORPUS CHRISTI
CALLER TIMES NEWSPAPER: October 25, 2011
A record-breaking flock
of whooping cranes could soon arrive in Texas. About 300 cranes
are expected
to arrive at their
wintering grounds along the Texas coast over the next few weeks,
according to a
report in Monday’s Corpus
Christi Caller-Times. Published: 10/25/2011
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE:
http://www.caller.com/news/2011/oct/24/whooping-cranes-expected-to-set-another-record/
_________________________________________________________
UPDATE SEPTEMBER 12, 2011
TOM STEHN'S LAST REPORT:
 The Aransas-Wood Buffalo population (AWBP) of whooping cranes rebounded from
263 in the spring of 2010 to 279 in the spring, 2011. With approximately 37
chicks fledged from a record 75 nests in August 2011, the flock size should
reach record levels of around 300 this fall. Threats to the flock in Texas
including land development, reduced freshwater inflows, the spread of black
mangrove, the long-term decline of blue crab populations, sea level rise, land
subsidence, and wind farm and power line construction in the migration
corridor all continue to be important issues.
Twelve whooping crane juveniles were captured in Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP)
in August 2011, bringing the total number of radioed birds to 23. Crews
visited migration stopover sites to gather habitat use data. This project is
being carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with partners including
The Crane Trust, Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) and others. It is funded by the Platte River Recovery
Implementation Program, The Crane Trust, and the Northern Prairie Wildlife
Research Center. The tracking is the first done on the AWBP in 25 years and is
a top research priority of the Whooping Crane Recovery Team! Since the 1950s,
525 AWBP whooping cranes have died with only 50 carcasses recovered, and
approximate cause of death was determined in only 38 instances. It is
imperative that we learn more about whooping crane mortality.
Based on opportunistic sightings, the Cooperative Whooping Crane Tracking
Project documented 79 confirmed sightings of whooping cranes in the U.S.
Central Flyway during fall, 2010 and 49 sightings in spring, 2011.
Ten captive-raised whooping cranes were released in February, 2011 at White
Lake, Louisiana where a non-migratory flock had resided up until 1950. Seven
of the birds were alive after the first seven months of the project.
Production in the wild from reintroduced flocks in 2011 was again very
disappointing with no chicks fledged in Florida or Wisconsin. Incubation
behavior in Florida and nest abandonment in Wisconsin continued to be the
focus of research. Data collected so far in Wisconsin indicates that swarms of
black flies play some kind of role in a majority of nest abandonments.
The captive flocks had a good production season in 2011. Approximately 17
chicks were raised in captivity for the non-migratory flock in Louisiana, and
18 chicks are headed for Wisconsin (10 for the ultralight project at the White
River marshes, and 8 for Direct Autumn Release at Horicon National Wildlife
Refuge). Approximately four chicks of high genetic value were held back for
the captive flocks.
Including juvenile cranes expected to be reintroduced this fall, flock sizes
are estimated at 278 for the AWBP, 115 for the WI to FL flock, 20 nonmigratory
birds in Florida, and 24 in Louisiana. With 162 cranes in captivity, the total
of whooping cranes is 599.
In personnel actions, Dr. Mark Bidwell is the new Canadian whooping crane
coordinator. U.S. whooping crane coordinator Tom Stehn will be retiring
September 30, 2011 after 29 years at Aransas.
This report is seasonal and dependant upon the migration habits of the
Whooping Cranes.
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 100 Austwell, TX 77950
(361) 286-3559 Ext. 221 ~ fax (361) 286-3722
birdRockport.com expresses great appreciation to the Aransas
National Wildlife Refuge.
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