Reintroduction of the whooping cranes

[gayle]

Hurray!  There are six wild hatched chicks at Necedah.  Here is an account of them.

http://www.savingcranes.org/by-the-numbers-five-new-whooping-crane-chicks-hatch-in-the-wild-june-13-2010.html

They are still most vulnerable however.

Gayle

[Donna]

Hurray!  There are six wild hatched chicks at Necedah.  Here is an account of them.

http://www.savingcranes.org/by-the-numbers-five-new-whooping-crane-chicks-hatch-in-the-wild-june-13-2010.html

They are still most vulnerable however.

Gayle

That's amazing...thanks for the link.

[gayle]

Any new wild hatchings are signs of progress in the recovery of this species.

Gayle

[gayle]

I just happened across this video which features the cranes and the ultralights.  It was made on the migration southward the year before Katrina.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGX52B9iXXU&NR=1

And here are two engaged in a mating dance filmed at a zoo.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM_GeD8w0QI

Gayle

[dale]

wonderful video, Gayle, thanks! 
When that bird pecked the camera lens, I cracked up, but what followed was terrific.
It was great seeing the cranes in flight from above (from the ultralight). Beautifully made little film.

[Donna]

Gayle..thanks, that is amazing. I had to watch it twice, it was that interesting.

[MAK]

    Nice little film. Sad those 18 didn't make it.   

[Patti from Kentucky]

Great videos!  What a dream job...flying an ultralight on a frosty morning with some magnificent cranes behind you...

[Donna]

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/environment/article_6ed581cc-83d1-11df-aca6-001cc4c002e0.html 

While the Gulf Coast oil spill looms large for those who work with Wisconsin's migrating birds, the spring brought some much needed good news for the effort to restore a flock of migrating whooping cranes.....

[gayle]

While the faithful Rochester watchers are doing their utmost to ensure the peregrine fledglings are successful, other similiarly-minded people are doing the same with the whooping cranes in Necedah, Wisconsin.  Here is the account of some of those efforts.

http://www.savingcranes.org/egg-swap-july-4-2010.html

Gayle

[gayle]

Three of the wild-hatched chicks survive.    Couple of great photos.

http://www.savingcranes.org/wild-whooping-crane-chicks-update-july-12-2010.html

Gayle

[dale]

they're very cool. so yellow.

Three out of 7 - and they just disappear...I assume predation...is anything known about who takes them?

Thanks, Gayle!

[gayle]

Bad news and good news.  There are only two wild hatched chicks remaining:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7901247/Forty-ton-whale-lands-on-yacht-during-Cape-Town-sailing-trip.html

The DAR chicks (Direct Autumn Release) have arrived at Necedah from ICF in Baraboo to learn how to be wild whooping cranes:

http://www.savingcranes.org/dar-cranes-arrive-at-necedah-nwr-july-21-2010.html

Gayle

[dale]

"The chicks will spend the remainder of the summer at the refuge, under the watchful eye and supervision of costumed staff from ICF and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."

the watchful, yet costumed eye and supervision of
staff (costumed) from the International Costumed Foundation and the
U.S. Costumed Fish and
Costumed Wildlife Service, that is. Them, and their costumes.

Nothing is what is seems in Wisconsin.

Dale

[gayle]

Touche!!