Ten Whooping Crane Nests

This is nesting season and we have much to celebrate. Among the birds we watch with hope are the ten whooping crane pairs who have built nests in the wetlands of Necedah Wildlife Refuge, WI and are currently incubating. These potential parents are special because they are part of a population of approximately 72 whooping cranes who have been reintroduced to eastern North America after over 100 years of absence. And their presence in the east helps to insure the survival of this species. The original surviving wild population of whooping cranes which was reduced to only 15 birds in the 1940's, migrates from nesting grounds in the Northwest Territories of Canada to wintering grounds on the gulf coast of Texas. An oil spill, a disease, a hurricane, development, draining of the bay or any number of other man-made or natural disasters could wipe out this entire population of only 266 whooping cranes. This is the most nest production we have had in this re-introduced population in a single spring season. The first successful wild chick hatch occurring in 2006 and this chick fledged and successfully migrated with his parents the following fall. All of these cranes had to pass numerous tests before they could reach this stage of potential parenthood. The first of which is that whooping cranes generally require five years to reach breeding maturity. And here is the rest of the story. These birds were all costumed reared in captivity and taught to migrate following ultralight ‘parents’ with the first of these migrations occurring in 2001 and led each subsequent fall by Operation Migration. The costumes help to insure that the birds do not recognize or accept the human form or the sound of a human voice. It is important for them to remain as wild as possible to survive the dangers they face in the wild.
And the rest of what they must accomplish? After successfully completing their fledgling flight south, they must then return to their fledging grounds completely unassisted by man. As they mature, they must select a mate of their own kind. And learn to build their nests on the water where they are safer from predators. The next step is to protect their nests and eggs and, if hatch occurs, they must acquire good parenting skills...all of this on their own.
Because we allowed these birds to disappear in the east, they must now re-develop their entire survival and breeding culture. This comes partially innately and is partially learned from experience and observation of more mature birds. But there are no experienced parents for these cranes to observe. And so we watch and we wait and we hope. And we also become expectant parents. * photography by Vickie Henderson