Bob Hatcher Honored with AEF Bald Eagle Release

Challenger, the famous free-flying Bald Eagle, cared for by the American Eagle Foundation, who has flown free during the singing of the national anthem at many national sports events, paid a visit to a very special person earlier this week--Bob Hatcher.

The name Robert M. Hatcher is practically synonymous with the phrase "Bald Eagle recovery in Tennessee". In the 1960s and '70s, Bald Eagles were on the brink of extinction, with only about 400 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states and no known eagle nests in Tennessee. Since then, strict protection laws, the banning of DDT, and dedicated restoration and recovery efforts have helped restore this majestic species to America's skies. As of January 2014, there are about 143 successful Bald Eagle nests in Tennessee. From these nests, around 250 eaglets fledged in 2013. As of today, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, American Eagle Foundation and other partners have released 358 captive-hatched or translocated eaglets into the wilds of Tennessee.

Betty Hatcher (Bob's wife), Laura Cecere and Challenger at the Bells Bend release.  Photo credit:  Cyndi Routledge

The American Eagle Foundation (AEF) in cooperation with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) released a Bald Eagle near the Cumberland River in Nashville on Tuesday, July 15th, 2014 at the Bell's Bend Park. This release honored Bob Hatcher, who initiated Tennessee's Bald Eagle recovery efforts in the early 1980s.

The AEF and TWRA arranged this special eagle release to honor and thank 76-year-old Bob Hatcher for his dedication to helping bring our nation's living symbol, the Bald Eagle, back from the brink of extinction. He served as the Non-Game and Endangered Species Coordinator for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency from 1978 to 2001 and served TWRA for a total of 38 years. 

Above, former TWRA Executive Director, Gary Myers addresses the audience.  Photo credit:  Cyndi Routledge

The AEF invitation to the event included the following:  "Since the mid-80s, Hatcher has been a mentor and close friend of Al Cecere, Founder and President of the American Eagle Foundation (Est. in 1985). Hatcher is one of the main reasons the AEF exists, having generously volunteered thousands of hours of time and expertise to the cause.  TWRA Executive Director Ed Carter, AEF President Al Cecere, and Mr. Hatcher's Wife, Daughter, Son, family, and friends will attend the ceremony to recognize and honor this exemplary individual.... The Bald Eagle to be released on Tuesday will be appropriately named "Hatcher's Legacy"....  

"Mr. Hatcher is dearly loved and respected by friends, colleagues, and conservation representatives all over Tennessee and the country. He is the epitome of selflessness, integrity, patience, passion, and humility. He has gone above and beyond the call of duty for the sake of Bald Eagle and endangered species conservation. He has always been a big promotor of "symbiotic relationships," focusing on what people could achieve by working cooperatively together and sharing the credit. Thus, he has humbly never taken the full credit that his friends and colleagues all know that he so greatly deserves. He is a legacy....Through this release, we hope that the public will truly understand the impact Mr. Hatcher has made not only on endangered and threatened species conservation, but on the thousands of people he has taken the time and patience to individually speak to, teach, and mentor throughout his life. More importantly, however, we hope Mr. Hatcher will truly understand how grateful we all are for his lifelong selfless dedication."  (American Eagle Foundation press release and invitation).

Al Cecere, President and Founder, American Eagle Foundation, Dollywood, Tennessee.  Photo credit: Cyndi Routledge

TWRA Executive Director Ed Carter (above left) announces the establishment of an annual scholarship fund named in honor of Bob Hatcher, to be awarded to a biology student with an concentration in Ornithology. The first scholarship will be awarded in the fall of 2014.  The scholarship will be administered by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation.

James Rogers speaks briefly before singing "Fly Eagle Fly".

Above, Al Cecere and family members listen to "Fly Eagle Fly".

More than 150 people attended the event honoring Hatcher and witnessed the eagle release.

Ron Hoff, President of the Tennessee Ornithological Society (TOS) (above left) with TOS members Susan Hollyday, Ken Dubke (Chattanooga), and Polly Rooker.

Above, Hatcher's Legacy's palagial tag.

Bob was unable to attend the event due to illness but the ceremony and release were video-taped for his viewing afterward.

Appreciation to Cyndi Routledge for all of the above photographs and to the American Eagle Foundation and TWRA for this public tribute to one of Tennessee's greatest and most beloved conservationists.

Bob Hatcher (third from left) pictured with Ken Dubke (Chattanooga TOS), Joan Garland (International Crane Foundation) and Ed Carter, Executive Director, TWRA, at the 2013 Sandhill Crane festival held at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. Photo credit: Bob Hatcher

Links and Resources:

American Eagle Foundation

American Eagle Foundation facebook --image of Challenger's visit to Bob Hatcher 

Tennessee Watchable Wildlife--bald eagle

Facts about Bald Eagles in Tennessee--Bob Hatcher is the author of this document

Tennessee Ornithological Society

TWRA

Tennessee Wildside Reports on Tennessee's Sandhill Cranes

In April, Tennessee Wildside aired a report on Tennessee's sandhill cranes with some very nice footage on the cranes that migrate through the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, near Dayton, Tennessee.  The video includes a great report on the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival, the sandhill cranes that migrate through and winter in Tennessee, and the controversy over Tennesse's sandhill crane season.



To see more sandhill cranes wintering at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, visit wintering sandhill cranes.

Tennessee Wildside

Sandhill Crane Season Passes in Tennessee

Despite strong opposition--888 comments opposed out of 1073 responses--the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unaimously to pass a new sandhill crane season in Tennessee.

Sandhill crane viewing created a direct economic impact of $232,200 in 2012 and Tennesseans have a strong history of 22 years of celebrating sandhill cranes in an annual festival that attracts thousands to the viewing areas in and around the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge.  Despite the watchable wildlife value of this species, the Commission's vote was unanimous.  The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has stated that sandhill crane hunting is not expected to generate additional revenues for the Agency, yet TFWC Chairman, Jeff McMillan, was quoted by the Chattanooga Times Free Press as saying, "By getting people interested in hunting sandhill cranes more revenue would be available to create more habitat."

Additionally, strong penalties for the accidental shooting of Whooping Cranes and an online ID course that can be taken as many times as needed to make the required 100% score, are expected to protect the valuable reintroduced eastern population of endangered Whooping Cranes that mingle with wintering sandhill cranes in Tennessee.

Read Pam Sohns comments on the proposed season and the planting of corn that attracts the cranes in her August 24th opinion editorial.  In its report of the issue, the Chattanooga Times Free Press interviews Axel Ringe, conservation spokesman for the Sierra Club, who suggests the wildlife commission needs to be "rebalanced".  I think most citizens in Tennessee would agree.

Previous blog posts and information about the eastern sandhill crane hunting issue.

August 10th is Deadline for Comments on the Proposed Sandhill Crane Season in Tennessee

Tomorrow at midnight will be the last opportunity to submit comments to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency regarding Tennessee's proposed sandhill crane season.

President Jimmy Carter, an avid hunter, urges the Commission to not approve this season because of the whooping cranes that mingle with sandhill cranes in Tennessee throughout the winter.

Dr. Jane Goodall has urged the Commission to not aprove this season because of the peaceful, watchable wildlife qualities of the species and the endangered whooping cranes that mingle with them.

 Photo credit:  Charlie Corbeil

My letter:
Dear Chairman McMillin,

I am writing to urge the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission to deny approval of the proposed sandhill crane season in Tennessee, for the following reasons:  1) hunting of sandhill cranes and watching sandhill cranes cannot successful occur in close proximity; 2) a sandhill crane season would increase the danger of accidental shooting of whooping cranes; 3) there is no evidence that the Eastern Population needs to be managed; 4) there is no evidence that sandhill crane crop depredation is a significant problem in Tennessee; 5) sandhill cranes are conservation ambassadors and offer the opportunity to educate the public, attract wildlife-watchers, boost the economy, and increase the potential for funding support for the Agency.  

The Eastern Population History
Sandhill cranes have been hunted for many years in the west and mid-continent of the United States.  The majority of these cranes are of the Lesser Sandhill Crane subspecies whose population numbers are approximately 650,000.  The Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes that migrates through Tennessee is a separate and distinct population composed of the larger, Greater Sandhill Crane subspecies, and their numbers approximate 87,000.

Sandhill cranes were once rare in our state and were on the brink of extinction in the 1930’s.  Without receiving any direct human assistance, they recovered as a result of wetland conservation, hunting regulations and their own ability to adapt to smaller breeding territories.  Their dramatic come-back has been a reason for celebration in Tennessee for 22 years and has resulted in the oldest and most well-attended wildlife festival in our state, the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival.

The Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge is now the second largest staging area for sandhill cranes in the east, next to the Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Management area in Indiana.   This concentration of staging sandhill cranes attracts thousands of visitors annually to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge.

Why can’t the hunting of sandhill cranes and wildlife watching co-exist in Tennessee?

Our eastern migrating sandhill crane population travels through a funnel-shaped migratory corridor that concentrates the population as it stages at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in search of good roosting sites and food.  Sandhill cranes must roost in shallow water for safety.  They are attracted to the vast wetland created by the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers and, of course, find the grain planted by TWRA for waterfowl.  The areas designated for hunting are in close proximity to the refuge.  Visitors come to the refuge from November through February to view cranes.  It is impossible to peacefully enjoy the sight and sound of staging sandhill cranes when you also hear gun shots in the vicinity and know these guns are targeting the very birds you have come to admire.

Whooping Cranes
In 2001, the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership began to reintroduce Whooping Cranes to the eastern United States in an effort to establish a separate breeding population of the endangered species to further protect it from extinction.  The original wild population, migrating from Canada to Texas, numbers less than 300 birds and recently faced drought conditions leading to the starvation of some and causing many of the birds to disperse beyond their traditional wintering grounds to find food and water, making the population more difficult to monitor.

The Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge and surrounding area is a major staging area for eastern Whooping Cranes as they migrate in the spring and fall where they mingle with sandhill cranes can easily be confused with sandhill cranes.

There are currently a maximum of 104 whooping cranes in the re-introduced eastern population.  The designation of “Non-essential Experimental Population” (NEP) gives states the freedom to make hunting season decisions without the burden of considering an “endangered species”.  The NEP designation, however, does not lessen the importance of each individual bird in the eastern Whooping Crane population to the survival of the species.

In the USFWS summary of the proposed Tennessee season, it is stated:   “The proposed crane hunt in Tennessee would begin in early December and continue until late January. These proposed season dates would begin approximately 2 to 3 weeks after whooping cranes are normally migrating through Tennessee and would reduce the likelihood that sandhill crane hunters would encounter whooping cranes.”

According to the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership database, whooping crane presence in the vicinity of the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge from December through January for the past five years is as follows:

2012/2013: 11 (2 in Davidson County, 9 in Meigs/Rhea Counties...one additional bird was released in Meigs Co in mid-Feb)
2011/2012: 11 (all in Meigs/Rhea Co area)
2010/2011: 21 (11 in Meigs/Rhea Co, 2 in Bradley Co, 8 in Hamilton Co)
2009/2010: 27 (14 in Meigs/Rhea Co, 2 in Bradley Co, 1 in Greene Co, 2 in Lawrence Co, 8 in Hamilton Co)
2008/2009: 22 (13 in Meigs/Rhea Co, 2 in Bradley Co, 2 in Davidson Co, 5 in Lawrence Co)

These numbers make it very likely that potential sandhill crane hunters will encounter whooping cranes.

The reproduction rate of the eastern whooping cranes is low, partially due to a slow maturity rate.  One of the most tragic losses to the population was the shooting death in 2009 of the “First Family” female, the first female in the population to successfully fledge a chick in 2006.  I describe this because the accidental shooting of even one whooping crane is not an ordinary loss but can represent an enormous set-back to the reproduction rate and genetic diversity of the population.

Need for Management
Research from the International Crane Foundation indicates that when breeding habitat is not optimal sandhill cranes will not breed.  The increase in the eastern sandhill crane population has resulted in expansion of the species’ breeding territories to new states and provinces.  For example, Ohio and Illinois are enjoying the return of their breeding population for the first time in over 80 years.  In 2011, one of Ohio’s radio tracked breeding pairs spent a portion of the winter months at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge.

Crop Depredation
There is no research that indicates hunting is beneficial in the reduction of sandhill crane crop depredation.  In Tennessee, there is no evidence that cranes are having a detrimental impact on farmers.  I have attached a summary of crop depredation complaints through 2010, provided by TWRA Region 3 Biologist, Kirk Miles.  There are very few complaints.  In 2011 and 2012 (not included in the chart), only one depredation permit was granted each year.

Sandhill cranes are majestic creatures, and their staging behavior is magical to observe and hear.  There is no other wildlife species in Tennessee that creates this kind of spectacle, offers this type of visibility, tells as compelling a conservation story, or affords us as grand a viewing opportunity to both celebrate and use to educate the public about wildlife and wildlife conservation in Tennessee.

I sincerely hope the Commission will vote to keep the sandhill crane a celebrated, watchable wildlife species in Tennessee and deny approval of a sandhill crane season.

Respectfully,
Vickie Henderson

For more information visit the following link: http://kyc4sandhillcranes.com/eastern-states/tennessee/

Send you comments to:  TWRA.Comment@tn.gov  and give the subject title:  sandhill cranes

Photo credit:  Charlie Corbeil

Charlie Corbeil Photography

International Crane Foundation
More on this issue:  http://vickiehenderson.blogspot.com/2013/07/sandhill-crane-hunting-in-tennessee.html

Julie Zickefoose:  Sandhill Cranes Need Your Voice Now

Results of Tennessee Resident and Hunter's Survey on Knowledge of and Opinions on Sandhill Cranes:  62% of residents are opposed to hunting sandhill cranes; only 42% of hunters support and 35% are opposed; 62% of wildlife watchers are opposed.

TN Ornithological Society's Position on Sandhill Crane Hunt

Report from University of Wisconsin, Madison.  Hunting could hurt genetic diversity.

Richard Simms Comments at Nooga.com
Wintering Sandhill Cranes:  three blog posts with close up photos and stories about sandhill cranes wintering at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge; first post is at the bottom
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Other posts on this blog discussing key issues in Tennessee's Sandhill Crane hunt proposal in 2010.
Sandhill Crane Hunting in Tennessee--Multiple Factors say No!
Greater Sandhill Crane--An Intimate View of Family Life
Links to sandhill crane posts related to hunting proposals in both Kentucky and Tennessee

The history of sandhill crane hunt initiatives in the east at the Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes website

Summary of the 2011 USFWS National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Activity
Tennessee's Survey Results      To find your state click here

Tennessee Conservationist Features Majestic Sandhill Cranes

Louise Zepp, editor of the Tennessee Conservationist,  has selected "Tennessee's Majestic Sandhill Cranes" as the website's feature article for the November/December issue to help promote the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival, scheduled for January 19th and 20th, 2013.

The most exciting part about being selected as the feature article is that the entire article is available for reading on line.   So visit the link provided below and enjoy!  The article features the Eastern Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes and their spectacular migration staging each fall when they stop to rest and feed at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge.  That collection of thousands of sandhill cranes creates a majestic spectacle that we all enjoy seeing and celebrating each year at our Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival.

The beautiful four-page layout includes six full color images, including my watercolor, "Sandhills Landing", depicting one of my favorite sandhill crane postures as they float down for a landing.

If you do not already subscribe to this beautiful magazine, you should, so also visit the subscription section while you are visiting the article at the website.

A special thank you, again, to Louise Zepp, TN Conservationist editor, for promoting our majestic sandhill cranes and the sandhill crane festival!

Links and Resources:
Visit my blog posts on sandhill cranes and the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival  .
Visit this link to see my other Tennessee Conservationist articles.
The Tennessee Conservationist website

Keeping an Informed Eye on America's Hooded Crane

The appearance of an Asian hooded crane in southeast Tennessee in December of 2011, came as a surprise to everyone, raising much speculation about how this individual crane came to be so far from its native habitat and whether it was actually a wild crane or a previously captive one.  Questions also arose about whether this was the same individual seen at the Platte River in April (2011), or in Idaho the previous year, or whether it was a different individual.  (More on this discussion provided in the links at the end of this post.)

Hooded Crane in a corn field with staging Greater Sandhill Cranes, Goose Pond Wildlife Management Area, Green County, Indiana, February 2012.   Photo credit: Marty L. Jones

Dr. Guo Yumin, of Beijing Forestry University, a chief researcher of the hooded crane and its breeding biology, advises us that we can actually come closer to distinguishing hooded crane individuals by studying the white/gray neck line of the individual, confirming similarities and differences through photographic record.

To that end, he has sent the following slide show to demonstrate how researchers have used this distinctive neck line characteristic to help identify individuals in mated pairs as they are observed on their breeding territory and while nesting in different locations from season to season.  

(Note:  Picasa has a quirky interface. When you open this blog post, the slide show may already be in progress.  The first slide is entitled:  "How to Discriminate Different Individuals of Hooded Crane." If your browser shows distortion or disorientation of slides, or if you want to see a larger view, click on the image.   This will open a separate window and take you to the Picasa website.  Click on the words "full screen" at the top left over the image to see a larger view of the slides.  In either location, you may manually move the slides forward or set the time lapse to a preferred time by using the controls at the bottom of the screen.)

Jeff and Amy Davis traveled from Pennsylvania to Tennessee to see the Hooded Crane in December while the crane was staging with sandhill cranes at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge from December 14th, 2011 to February 5th, 2012.

Hooded crane among Greater Sandhill Cranes at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, Tennessee, December 2011.  Photo credit:  Amy and Jeff Davis

The images they captured give nice views of the Hiwassee Hooded Crane's distinctive white/gray neckline from all sides.  I say, distinctive, because the patterns are pronounced and irregular in an identifiable way.  Below, you see a front, left and back view of the crane's white/gray neck line.  Each view holds a pattern that has the potential for identification.  Any two views would allow further confirmation that you are viewing the same individual.

I suspect that the appearance of the Hooded Crane in Idaho in the spring of 2010, and subsequently, at the Platte River in April of 2011, stirred interest similar to that experienced in Tennessee.  And I would imagine there were many images taken as a result of that interest.  These images can affirm whether this Hooded Crane is the same individual that has appeared in all three locations, or whether these sightings represent more than one individual.

Hooded Crane flying with Greater Sandhill Cranes at the Goose Pond Wildlife Management Area, Green County, Indiana, February 2012.  Photo credit:  Marty L. Jones.

This comparative data would give us more information about vagrant migration and tell us whether more than one individual has wandered into North America.  It is amazing enough that this individual has found its way into the eastern United States.  It would be even more informative to be able to track its journey, backward and forward, through photographic records, affirming its identity in each location, so we can learn what it has to teach us as it travels through North America.

No matter what combination of circumstances came together to bring our rare crane visitor to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge this past December, the event has ambassador qualities.  Without a doubt, the crane's appearance has raised interest and awareness for the species, its survival, and the inherent value of saving our wetland ecosystems for the benefit of wildlife, and, ultimately, for ourselves.

Above, Hooded Crane (top) and Greater Sandhill Crane in flight, showing intact primaries on the Hooded Crane and a good size comparison between the two species.  Goose Pond Wildlife Management Area, Green County, Indiana, February 2012.  Photo credit:  Ryan J. Sanderson.

"Cranes are ubiquitous in the earliest legends of the world's peoples, where they often figure as sentinels of heaven and omens of longevity and good fortune.  For their great beauty and imposing size--they are the largest of all flying birds on earth--they are held near-sacred in many lands.  Their broad wilderness habitat requirements make them "umbrella species"; protecting them ensures that other creatures and the earth and water of the ecosystem are also protected.  In addition, the enormous spans of cranes' migrations have encouraged international conservation efforts."   Peter Matthiessen, The Birds of Heaven:  Travels with Cranes

Where ever you find them, our world's cranes are ambassadors of peace, health and good will, for the earth, its wetlands, and for human kind.   Where cranes flourish, so also, the world around them will flourish.

Links and Resources:

Hooded Crane sketch by Vickie Henderson.

A special thank you to Dr. Guo Yumin, College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, for the use of his beautiful images in this series and his slides describing the use of the white/gray neck line as an identification tool.   My appreciation also, to the photographers who have photographed the Hooded Crane in North America and granted permission for the use of their images in this series.

This is the third post in a three-part series on the endangered Hooded Crane and its appearance in North America.  To see all the posts in this series visit:  America's Hooded Crane.  The first post will appear last.

Chinese ornithologist, Guo Yumin, win's Whitley Award for his research on hooded crane.
Study of Hooded crane breeding habitat

Photography credits and information:
Amy and Jeff Davis Flickr Photostream
Marty L. Jones--Birds of Indiana Photostream and Marty Jones Photography
Ryan J. Sanderson Photostream
Mike Nelson's Flicker site with Hooded Crane video and photo stream

Peter Matthiessen:  The Birds of Heaven, Travels with Cranes

More about the Hooded Crane's appearance in the USA and opinions about this occurrence:
Saga of the Hooded Crane ABA
ABA Rare Hooded Crane in Indiana

Tennessee Watchable Wildlife on Sandhill Cranes

Tennessee Ornithological Society
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge

Top Crane Posts on this blog:  Hooded Crane at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in TN
Crane Magic--Three Crane Species at Hiwassee.  Other posts on:  the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival, Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge and sandhill cranes.

At my companion blog, Vickie's Sketchbook:  Sandhill Cranes and Art
Whooping cranes in watercolor, and America's Hooded Crane

What is Causing the Decline of the Hooded Crane?

A secretive bird whose breeding territories were only first discovered in 1974, the Hooded Crane is described as one of the least understood large birds in the world. And that is primarily because it nests in the remote and inaccessible sphagnum bogs scattered through the taiga in southeastern Russia, and in China, in forested wetlands in mountain valleys.

Hooded Cranes on their breeding territory in China.  Photo credit:  Guo Yumin

Throughout history the divergence, degradation and destruction of wetland ecosystems have threatened crane habitat around the world, including the Platte River in Nebraska, and the Guadalupe and San Antonio Rivers in Texas, USA, vital migration and wintering habitats for sandhill cranes and the world's endangered Whooping Cranes. Wetlands are often considered wastelands, areas to be modified for human consumption, development, and agriculture, despite the wetland ecosystem's important role in maintaining water quality and environmental health.

Hooded crane wetland ecosystem in Xing'an Mountains.  Photo credit:  Guo Yumin

The Ussuri, Lena, and Amur Rivers of North East Asia, are fed by the boreal wetland ecosystems of the Xang'an Mountains, which remain one of the last remote wildernesses of the area.  But wetlands are being lost in China faster than any other land type, especially lands desired for agriculture.  The greatest increase in agricultural lands, through the conversion of wetlands to agricultural usage, between 1990 to 2000, occurred in the Xing'an Mountains, a primary breeding habitat for the Hooded Crane.

Hooded Crane at its nest.   Photo credit:  Guo Yumin

Dr Guo Yumin, of the Beijing Forestry University, and his team of Chinese and Russian scientists, are studying  the breeding biology of the hooded crane and teaching area communities about the value of this species.  Below, you see one of the hundreds of annual calendars distributed in local communities to educate and raise awareness about Hooded cranes and their habitat.

The chief threats to the Hooded Crane and its habitat include:  Russia and Mongolia--loss of habitat due to the construction of gold mines and reservoirs; China--illegal hunting, poisoning and reclamation of forest wetlands; Japan--over crowding of the species on wintering grounds threatening disease.

The good news is, Dr Yumin and his team, in partnership with the Whitley Fund for Nature and Grus Monacha International Aid, have been influencing change in the hooded crane's habitat through research and the education of local governments, communities, and businesses.

Successful strategies for influencing gold mining in China are now helping scientists influence relevant parties in Russia, reducing the impact of mining on the Hooded Crane's habitat. The State Forestry Bureau of China has established two Nature Reserves in Hooded Crane breeding habitat with the goal of management for the long-term as a result of Dr Yumin's team's conservation efforts. And in Japan, scientists are studying methods of decentralization for the hooded crane population on its wintering grounds and determining ways to improve habitat management.

Hooded cranes at a wintering feeding station in Japan.  Photo credit:  Walter Sturgeon

Though much has been accomplished over the past several years, Dr Yumin affirms that hard work is yet to come. "The hooded crane still faces many threats, our protection work [has] a long way to go."

Next:  Keeping and Informed Eye on America's Hooded Crane.  Dr Yumin shows us how to distinguish individual Hooded cranes.

This is the second post in a three-part series on the endangered Hooded Crane and its appearance in North America.  To see all the posts in this series visit:  America's Hooded Crane.  The first post will appear last.

Links and Resources:

WFN--Whitley Fund for Nature
Chinese ornithologist, Guo Yumin, win's Whitley Award for his research on hooded crane.
Study of Hooded crane breeding habitat

Saga of the Hooded Crane ABA
ABA Rare Hooded Crane in Indiana
A Hooded Crane and a Local Economy--Birding is Fun blog

Recent articles on wetland habitat conservation and the whooping crane:
Crane Count Murky as Cranes Search for Food--Feb 2012, San Antonio Bay, TX
Whooping Crane Survivors--Whooping Crane's role in preservation of Platte River habitat

Whooping crane and sandhill crane posts on this blog

Tennessee Ornithological Society
Tennessee Watchable Wildlife on Sandhill Cranes
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge

Top Crane Posts on this blog:  Hooded Crane at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in TN
Crane Magic--Three Crane Species at Hiwassee.  Other posts on:  the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival, Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge and sandhill cranes.

At my companion blog, Vickie's Sketchbook:  Sandhill Cranes and Art
Whooping cranes in watercolor

America's Hooded Crane--A Traveling Ambassador

Did you know that there are only 60 known breeding pairs of Hooded Cranes in the world?  And that the Hooded Crane's breeding and wintering habitats are threatened in at least three countries?   This post is the first in a three-part series on the endangered hooded crane and its appearance in North America.

Hooded Crane with young at the nest in the remote Xing'an Mountain wetlands (Lesser Khingan) of China.    
Photo credit:  Guo Yumin

Until recently, the Hooded Crane was not a well-know species in the United States.  But its mid-December arrival at Tennessee's Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge along with thousands of wintering sandhill cranes changed that status, giving it high visibility through state birding list-serves and the news media.  In fact, from the time it arrived at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge on December 14th, 2011 to its subsequent discovery in Indiana on February 8th, 2012, more than 4100 visitors came to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge to see this crane.  These visitors arrived from 47 states and 14 different nations.

Hooded Crane with staging sandhill cranes at Tennessee's Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge.     Photo credit:  Mike Nelson

The above numbers exclude the 3200 plus visitors that came to the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival held from January 14 to 15, 2012 at Birchwood, TN and the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge.  The Hooded Crane made an appearance at the festival on Saturday, the 14th, and I was fortunate to be among the hundreds that viewed it through scopes as it foraged along the river shoreline.  Festival survey responses indicated that 12% of festival attendees came specifically to see the Hooded Crane.

That is quite a stir for a single bird, a rare bird that is smaller and darker than its sandhill crane cousins and often chased to the edges of the foraging flocks.  This is assumed to be one of the reasons it has been so visible and easy to find among thousands of staging sandhill cranes. The Hooded Crane often stays to the edges of the masses and may be seen on the outskirts of cranes in flight.

It is not certain how this individual found its way to the eastern United States, traveling now in the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways with the migrating Eastern Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes.   Birders are watching for its arrival at staging areas north of its last seen location.  I wonder, also, if we should watch for it to the west.

Standing only 3.3 ft tall compared to the 4-5 ft sandhill cranes in the east, a  hooded crane has only twice before been recorded in the wild in North America, near Carey, Idaho, in April 2010, and at the Platte River in Nebraska in April of 2011.

The Hooded Crane is not only a rare species in the United States, it is an endangered species in its native breeding areas in China and Russia, with its numbers continuing to decline.  The hooded crane population is believed to be 9000 in number currently, but only 60 breeding pairs have been confirmed in the world.   Known breeding areas are limited to eastern Siberia in Russia and the boreal wetlands of the remote Xing'an Mountains in China, making it difficult to study its breeding behavior.  But that is just what Dr Guo Yumin and his team of Russian and Chinese scientists are doing--studying the breeding biology of hooded cranes so they can help this species and educate communities near its breeding habitat.

Next:  What Is Threatening the Hooded Crane's Survival?

Links and Resources:

A special thank you to Dr. Guo Yumin, College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, for the use of his images in this post series.  The bottom left photo is one of the many annual calendars that Dr. Yumin and his colleagues publish and distribute to the communities near Hooded Crane habitat in order to help educate people about the special nature of Hooded Cranes.  Additionally, many educational brochures are printed and distributed.

Whitley Fund for Nature
Chinese ornithologist, Guo Yumin, win's Whitley Award for his research on hooded crane.

Map source:  International Crane Foundation

Mike Nelson's Flicker site with Hooded crane video and photo stream
Saga of the Hooded Crane ABA
ABA Rare Hooded Crane in Indiana

Top Crane Posts on this blog:  Hooded Crane at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in TN
Crane Magic--Three Crane Species at Hiwassee.  Other posts on:  the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival, Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge and sandhill cranes.

At my companion blog, Vickie's Sketchbook:  Sandhill Cranes and Art
Whooping cranes in watercolor

Hiwassee's Sandhill Cranes--The Stories in the Faces

"A Miocene crane fossil, thought to be about ten million years old, was found in Nebraska and is structurally identical to the modern Sandhill crane, making it the oldest known bird species still surviving!"  International Crane Foundation  

Sandhill cranes are sometimes referred to as "living fossils", but I'm not sure whether they received that label because of their pre-historic ancestors, or because of the primordial quality of their trilling calls as thousands of cranes gather to rest and feed in a wetland staging area.

Long held as symbols of longevity and prosperity in many cultures, cranes mate for life, and sandhill cranes may live as long as 20 years in the wild.  Add to these qualities, their ballerina-style grace, spreading wings like parachutes with trailing legs as they float to a landing, and you have a heart-grabbing, charismatic species. Watching the sky as sandhill cranes approach in the pale morning light is a moment guaranteed to wrap you in utter awe and silence. 

And looking through these images is taking me there again and again, and bringing into focus things I haven't noticed before.  One special enjoyment I've encountered--so many sandhill crane faces!  They're all different!  I've also noticed many variations in juvenile skin patches, as well as, what appears to be black fuzz on many of the red patches we refer to as "bald" skin.  So I consulted several of my biologists friends for answers, among them, George Happ and Christy Yuncker, authors of the Sandhill Crane Display Dictionary.  And I learned some fun new information.  

Juvenile sandhill crane, above.  The light shows the fine black bristles on the youngster's skin patch.  Notice the cinnamon feathers on the back of the head and neck. 

We experience a special treat while sandhill crane viewing in Tennessee.  While those who are privileged to have sandhill cranes during breeding season observe nesting behavior and the raising of young colts, we, who see them during migration on their staging and wintering grounds, get to see the in-between stages as the juveniles gradually change to gray plumage and develop the red skin patch that is characteristic of mature adults.  By the time they return to their breeding grounds in the spring, most of this season's young will look just like their parents, even though it will be an average of four more years before they produce off-spring.

What we typically call a bare red skin patch, is not really bald at all, but sparsely covered in fine black bristles, as shown in the adult sandhill crane, above.

You can also see that the juvenile skin patches are in various stages of maturity.  Some of them only have red skin around the eyes and brow, others have a more extensive patch but still show many gray feathers where the red skin will eventually appear.  My guess is this variation in skin patch development may be, at least in part, an indicator of the age of the juvenile, how early or late the juvenile hatched in the season.  

The juvenile above has a red-skin patch developed around his eyes and brow but the forehead and crown are still covered in gray feathers.  Below, you see two juveniles having a territorial dispute.  In the first image, you can see one adult on the left in the background focused on a crane hidden from view.  In the second, you can see the two adult sandhill cranes bill-sparring on the left, as one juvenile chases the other away.   

The two adults are vocalizing as they point their beaks at each other, a threat behavior that can escalate into more aggressive displays, including a jump-rake where the crane jumps and kicks or rakes at the other crane with his feet.  Also notice that the juvenile that remains in the foreground of the image, has a red-skin patch that is only partially developed and most noticeable around the eyes.  The rest of the patch area is still partially covered with gray feathers.

And look at this young cutie. I don't know at what point the voice of a sandhill crane changes from the peeping quality of a chick, to the more typical call of a mature adult and I couldn't find a recording for you, so we'll have to do with a description.  To hear a typical sandhill crane voice click here.  After you have heard this sound, imagine a crane near the same size with the peeping voice of a chick.  I heard one of these peeping calls as I was observing and I think it may have belonged to the youngster you see here. You can also hear these calls while cranes are flying overhead, juveniles calling to their parents in the same manner that older cranes are vocalizing.

This juvenile has lots of gray feathers covering his crown.  There is only the faintest appearance of red skin forming near the eyebrow.  And for size comparison, below you see him with an adult, likely a parent.

I believe I could spend days on end observing and learning about these birds.  

Links and Resources:

To see my entire Hiwassee Sandhill Cranes series click here.

For more information about the Sandhill Crane Display Dictionary 

Top Crane Posts on this blog:  Hooded Crane at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in TN

Crane Magic--Three Crane Species at Hiwassee.  Other posts on:  the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival, Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge and sandhill cranes.

At my companion blog, Vickie's Sketchbook:  Sandhill Cranes and Art

Sandhill crane art in my website galleries

Hiwassee's Sandhill Cranes and Territorial Language

Sandhill cranes express their attitudes both vocally and behaviorally in a number of ways.  Every posture, the color and size of their red skin patch, the way they hold their head, practically every feather, offers some kind of communication to other flock members about their intent, attitude and position within the flock.    

Below you see two sandhill cranes with their skin patches showing very different attitudes.  The taller or crane with his neck stretched in back, has expanded his skin patch and flushed it with blood so that it is bright red.  This means he is excited, possibly alert to potential danger or responding to a nearby sandhill crane.  The crane in the front has the red skin patch contracted and partially covered with gray feathers. Sandhill cranes have the ability to contract their skin patch so that less of the surface is exposed to the cold.  

It's hard to imagine that sandhill cranes feeding so close together also establish territories within the feeding area.  But territorial space is as important on the feeding grounds in the winter as it is during breeding season. It means the family's survival and good reproductive health in the spring.  Feeding territories, of course, are much smaller and include only the space in which the crane family is currently foraging.    

Sandhill cranes travel together in family groups, usually two adults with one off-spring, occasionally a family of four with two off-spring.  Above you see a family of three with the mature adults on either side of a sub-adult off-spring hatched early in the season. His red facial patch is pale by comparison.  

Family groups join other families to form the flocks that we see during migration. When feeding territories are being established, sometimes the whole family gets in on the dispute, usually, male sparring with male, female with female and juvenile with juvenile. At the time I was taking the next two images below, I was still in awe of the cranes approaching, and experiencing them as cautious and alert.  But they were gathered here to forage and as soon as feeding began, territorial displays erupted.  

Following this burst of activity, I became more alert and zoomed my 300 mm lens back to better anticipate and capture these disputes!

Below, you see a sandhill crane walking with his head down showing a bright red skin patch engorged with blood.  This head position is a mild threat posture as the crane moves into an area where other cranes are feeding.  He also is displaying "plume" feathers, which are actually the raised tertiary wing feathers.  

Below, two juveniles have a dispute over their feeding territory (note the cinnamon on the back of the jumping cranes's head).  The crane on the right is in the midst of a "jump rake", one of the more aggressive behavioral displays in which the crane jumps and rakes the air with his claws.

The opposing juvenile responds with a similar jump.  Especially notice below, how the adults in the families are joining in the dispute vocally.  If the dispute does not settle quickly, they will join the juveniles in displaying to each other.

Mostly, territorial disputes include vocals and behavioral displays without physical contact.  Disputes settle quickly and the cranes go back to foraging peacefully, which is the whole purpose of their flocking together in feeding areas.  The flock serves the sandhill cranes' survival by aiding in the location of food sources and by providing many eyes on the alert for danger.  

I love observing behavior.  In the past, I have spent many hours watching herd behavior in horses, noticing how this "prey" species communicates with the most subtle of movements and gestures, creating heirarchy within the herd and a fine-tuned response to danger.  Having an opportunity to watch sandhill cranes create this same kind of order with feathers, vocals, and posturing is priceless to me, and especially gratifying knowing that Hiwassee's sandhill cranes, the Eastern Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes, was once on the brink of extinction.   

Next post:  Displays, vocals, and a late season juvenile.

Links and Resources:

To see the first post in this three-part series visit:  An Intimate Visit with Hiwassee's Sandhill Cranes

Tennessee Watchable Wildlife on Sandhill Cranes

Directions to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge

Top Crane Posts on this blog:  Hooded Crane at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in TN

Crane Magic--Three Crane Species at Hiwassee.  Other posts on:  the Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival, Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge and sandhill cranes.

At my companion blog, Vickie's Sketchbook:  Sandhill Cranes and Art

Sandhill crane art in my website galleries