Whooping Cranes
Sep. 5, 2011
Whooping Cranes, named for their loud and penetrating unison calls, live and breed in wetland areas, where they feed on crabs, clams, frogs and aquatic plants. They are distinctive animals, standing five feet tall, with white bodies, black wing tips and red crowns on their heads.
They are also one of the most endangered. With fewer than 500 left in the wild, whooping cranes are on the verge of extinction. Already threatened by powerline collisions and other accidents on their migration routes, the cranes face a deadlier threat from humans. Whooping cranes have been targeted by criminals—shot and left to die. Whooping cranes are protected under the Federal Endangered Species and Migratory Bird Treaty Acts, as well as state wildlife laws. Disturbing, harassing or killing whooping cranes or other non-game wildlife is a crime, punishable by jail time, fines, and other penalties. Help save the whooping crane. Report suspected illegal activity. Contact your local law enforcement or natural resource agency. This message brought to you by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership and the St. Marks Refuge Association.
Protocol for Viewing Returning Whooping Cranes
Thank you for supporting St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge’s whooping crane recovery program! Please read the following recommended protocol to ensure their continued wild and natural behavior:
- Because these whooping cranes were raised in a strict isolation rearing protocol, they have a natural fear of humans and human environs. Staff relies on your support to keep these large water birds from acclimating to humans.
- Do not approach birds on foot within 600 feet; try to remain in your vehicle; do not approach in a vehicle within 600 feet or, if on a public road, within 300 feet. Please remain concealed and do not speak loudly enough that the birds can hear you.
Whooping crane calls on Operation Migration
Unison (334Kb wav) Flight (223Kb wav)
Class of 2011
The Class of 2011 will leave White River Marsh SWA in Wisconsin sometime in October 2011. For background information on each bird, visit Journey North.
Take this time to become a MileMaker sponsor! There are still many miles needing sponsors.
St. Marks Flyover Video 12/15/2010: Windows Media (approx. size: 32Mb) or YouTube
Crane Pen Release Video 12/25/2010: Windows Media (approx. size: 42Mb) or YouTube
Become friends with the Crane Chicklets
Crane Cam
Streaming video is currently not available do to technical difficulties at the remote site. In the meantime, the camera will be taking snapshots periodically and sending them to this website. The images will automatically refresh; therefore, you will see the images "go away" a very short moment as they are being refreshed, then Voilà! you'll see new images! So, sit back, be patient—and enjoy! To view the image, go to the crane cam page. Our apologies for the inconvenience. We wish to thank all the children and others who gave to the "Coins for Cranes" project, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for their $5000 grant through the National Wildlife Refuge Friends Group Grant Program, the Disney Corporation for a laptop PC and monitor for the Refuge Visitor Center, and Network Tallahassee for DSL service. We especially thank the many volunteers for giving thousands of hours working for the survival of the endangered Whooping Cranes.
Vocalizing 03/24/2010 (approx. size: 19MB),
Vocalizing – Podcast Download
Flyover 2010 Video recorded by Gayla Kittendorf (approx. size: 26MB),
Crane Pen Video 01/31/2010 (approx. size: 24MB),
Crane Pen Video 3/14/2010 (approx. size: 17MB),
Buck Lake Elementary School, Tallahassee, FL
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 Presenting Certificate to Buck Lake |
Conley Elementary School, Tallahassee, FL
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 Presenting Check to Operation Migration |
 Presenting Certificate to Conley |
St. Marks Crane Pen
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 Photo by Lou Kellenberger |
THE WHOOPING CRANES ARE AVAILABLE St. Marks Arrival Flyover (map) Get your long and short sleeve T-shirts at the St. Marks Refuge Nature Store in the Visitor Center now! |
First Whooping Cranes Winter at St. Marks NWR
 (Click image) | St. Marks NWR at Last Joe Duff captured this shot as the 7 cranes glided down to Patuxent's Brian Clauss and Jane Chandler, who were in costume and standing between the two large ponds in the pen. The cranes are on the right side/middle of the image. Once they landed, Brian and Jane led them into the top-netted section (top center) where they'll be housed until their final health check. Each bird will be fitted with their permanent leg bands and transmitters during the health check so that they will only be handled one final time. Photo and text courtesy of Operation Migration. |
| Meet our first arrivals. Go to the Operation Migration – Class of 2008 and check out the St. Marks' Cohort — #805, 812, 813*, 826, 828, 829, and 830*. |
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Photo by Bob O'Lary for ArtFortheSky.com (© 2009)
The Whooping Crane's Blessing — 1000 students and teachers at Gilchrist Elementary in Tallahasse, Florida formed a Whooping Crane in honor of a small flock which arrived at their new home at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge the day after the project ended. The border design depicts the Seminole Indian symbol for "bird."
(Art For the Sky)
Whooping Cranes are Coming
Follow their progress, view photos, and more at Journey North. There are many ways you can help the cranes reach the St. Marks NWR. Please read the Invitation to Support Whooping Cranes below or visit the Operation Migration website to find out how.
Whooping Cranes, named for their loud and penetrating unison calls, live and breed in wetland areas, where they feed on crabs, clams, frogs and aquatic plants. They are distinctive animals, standing five feet tall, with white bodies, black wing tips and red crowns on their heads.
Invitation to Support Whooping Cranes
The critically endangered Whooping Crane will be arriving at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge for the first time this December to spend the winter. With only a few hundred Whooping Cranes existing in the wild, these young cranes will need to learn to feed and protect themselves away from humans. Although they must remain hidden from us, learning about the amazing Whooping Cranes and their survival is important for refuge neighbors.
To support the cranes, the St. Marks Refuge Association invites all area civic groups and schools to donate to "Coins for Cranes." This project involves collecting spare change to sponsor a satellite camera with live action feed into the refuge Visitor Center at St. Marks NWR and sponsoring miles along the cranes' winter migration.
The civic group and class that raise the most money will receive a Crane Team certificate, personal visit from the Crane Research Team and a group photo to be displayed in the refuge Visitor Center. To participate, please contact:
Ms. Lori Nicholson
Environmental Education Specialist
(850)925-6121
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Welcomes the Opportunity to Host Wintering Whooping Cranes
The staff at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (St. Marks NWR) was pleased to hear that The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) announced Thursday, February 7, 2008 that it plans to split the ultralight-led Class of 2008 cranes into two groups upon arrival in Florida this fall. One group will winter at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and the other group will winter at St. Marks NWR. Both refuges are on the Florida Gulf coast.
The decision comes after the loss in February 2007 of 17 of the 18 Class of 2006 Whooping Cranes in a severe storm at Chassahowitzka NWR. WCEP has spent the past year examining the circumstances of the deaths. While the loss resulted from a rare and severe storm, WCEP is exploring all options to safeguard against such a loss in the future. In making the decision to divide the next group of ultralight-led cranes between two winter sites, WCEP's highest priority concerns were maximizing first-year survival of young Whooping Cranes (including avoiding the catastrophic loss of a class group) and maximizing opportunities for the young cranes to socialize and form pair bonds on the winter grounds.
After studying potential alternative winter sites, WCEP identified St. Marks NWR as a suitable release site. The Chassahowitzka and St. Marks sites have different habitat characteristics and each meets many of WCEP's priority objectives for winter management of the cranes. Splitting the flock between Chassahowitzka and St. Marks meets the highest priority concerns for the safety and well-being of the young Whooping Cranes and offers an opportunity to learn more about what is best for these endangered birds. Evaluating the response of the cranes will improve WCEP's understanding of Whooping Crane ecology and inform future management.
The prospective wintering site at St. Marks NWR requires closing portions of Mensler Creek and Cow Creek and their surrounding marshes to all public access approximately December–April. The exact closure dates will depend on when the cranes arrive.
An international coalition of public and private organizations, WCEP is conducting the reintroduction project in an effort to return this endangered species to its historic range in eastern North America. This spring, there will be 76 migrating Whooping Cranes in the wild in eastern North America thanks to the efforts of WCEP and its many donors, partners and supporters.
For more information, go to WCEP's Web site at: http://www.bringbackthecranes.org
or Operation Migration: http://www.operationmigration.org.
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Constructs Whooping Crane Pen
The staff at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is pleased to announce that we have received the Whooping Crane Pen construction permit and are preparing for a December arrival of the cranes. We appreciate all of the community support we have received for this. Several volunteers including the Wakulla High NJROTC filled sandbags to use as reef for the cranes to roost and tied together fencing material. The Refuge staff and volunteers spent several days in the marsh constructing the three acre pen.
Crane Pen Construction
The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) is responsible for bring the whooping cranes to Wakulla County. An international coalition of public and private orgaizations, WCEP is conducting the reintroduction project in an effort to return this endangered species to its historic range in eastern North America.
For more information go the WCEP's website at http://www.bringbackthecranes.org.
Crane Pen Construction
Wakulla High NJROTC Volunteers
Crane Pen Construction
Wakulla High NJROTC Volunteers
St. Marks Arrival Flyover (map)
Track the Cranes progress
Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership
Operation Migration, Inc.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
International Crane Foundation
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Friends of Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge
Friends of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
Information and Ultralight photo courtesy of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership
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