The Loss of Three

I will admit that I didn't want to write this post. I've put it off until the Crane Foundation published their press release.

3 of my babies were found dead on December 30th in southern Georgia. They were shot by hunters while foraging in a field. Gouda, Fontina, and baby Saganaki (20, 24, and 28-10) are a huge loss to the program. The perpetrators haven't been found, but the investigation is ongoing. Thankfully, the other 2 cranes with them, Ricotta and Goat (23-10 and 26-10) have been seen alive in fields nearby.

This is the last picture I took of the group when they were still together near Snow Hill, TN. They were with their adults: 6-05, 6-09, and 38-09.

Notice how fascinated Ricotta is with 6-05's prize. I don't know if it was a fish or a big mess of river muck, but 6-05 kept pecking at it, picking it up and flipping it. At least it's better than the bucket he was playing with the day before.

That day, December 13th, they all flew off to the South, but I lost their signal in Chattanooga. I wish I was able to follow them that day. Maybe we could have monitored them a little better. Maybe the presence of my van would have warned away the hunters. I also wish the young ones would have stayed with the adults. When the adults (all bachelors) reappeared at Snow Hill a week later sans juveniles, I was a little worried that they got into trouble.

They weren't at the time. A local farmer at the scene of their deaths had reported the group showed up a couple weeks before they were found dead. They had been foraging around in his fields for a couple of weeks before the incident.

They were all good cranes. Fontina most of all: one of our best flyers. I know they've changed and grown since beginning their migration. But you tend to keep some personality traits. She was not only valuable because she was a female, but also because it seemed she kept the group in line. She didn't take unnecessary risks. I always thought she'd make a good momma crane: responsible, strong, and just social enough to know to find a mate. I'm projecting a personality on to her, so I'll stop. But I really liked that crane.

Goodbye baby Saga. You had so much youthful joy. I will miss your enthusiasm for life.

 (thanks, Aubrey, for the pictures of Saga)

Goodbye Gouda. I always thought of you as a goober when you were young, but you turned into quite a charming young crane. You will be missed.

And goodbye Fontina. I had trouble finding good photos because you were always close by our side. But you were beautiful and your memory will be cherished.

Thanks again, Aubrey.

Migration South a Success

The birds haven't moved in a while, so we've determined we are now in the "wintering months."

All of my Direct Autumn Release birds successfully migrated! They all went as far south as Hiwassee Refuge, they all migrated south east, and they all met up with some adults along the way. Each white dot represents a known stop-over point.

Small Hang-ups

Before Christmas, I was in an accident with the tracking van. The gentleman with the wrecker assured me that if I was going to be in an accident, I chose the right kind: the one you walk away from.

New valuable life lesson: don't brave hills covered with black ice. Get a hotel. It's worth it.

Since then, I've been tracking cranes around Hiwassee for the past 2 weeks in a Rental Car. Yeah, it's a little cramped, but it is SO nice to have a vehicle that can accelerate. AND come to a full stop within a 1/4 mile.

Because it's taking so long to get the tracking van fixed, my boss decided to fly me up to Wisconsin to work on data analysis and data entry. When my van is out of the shop, I'll return to Tennessee to pick it up and continue tracking. I can't wait to get back down there to see how my cranes are doing. Though really, they are probably doing the same thing they're always doing: foraging.

Roquefort's Migration

During the first week of migration, November 23rd- November 30th, Roqfort went further than the rest of the chicks in only a few short days. It’s probably because he hooked up with the right group of adults. While the other juveniles were taking their time flying south, Roq and his adults were making a beeline for their wintering territories.

He blasted through Wisconsin/Illinios in 2 days. Flew through Indiana and Kentucky in the next 3. He showed up in Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Tennessee the following day.

When choosing a resting place for the night, the cranes, like us when we’re travelling, like to find a place that has both food and a place to sleep. The cranes like to roost in water because it is safer. I’m not sure if it’s because predators don’t like to attack birds in water, or if it’s because the birds could hear the predator coming if it has to splash through water to get to them. It’s not a fool-proof system, but it seems to work for the cranes. Roq and his gang of adults found a great stop-over in Southern Indiana, just outside Louisville, KY. It was fabulously high on foothill, there was an awesome cornfield to graze in and a cute little pond/stream in the center of it. I enjoyed staying there, too, because it was located in fantastic wine country.

Apparently, Roq’s adults weren’t getting along between the pairs. They kept jostling over territory. 24 & 42 flew off to continue their migration the the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alabama.5-05, 15-04, and Roquefort foraged in the area a little longer before taking off to cover the final miles between Southern Indiana and Hiwassee Refuge. 

When they arrived at the refuge, they spent so much time on Hiwassee Island that I was never able to see them. Three days of patience paid off, though. I finally saw them at Armstrong Bend, which is a peninsula made by a bend in the river just north of the island. There are fields at Armstrong Bend, and it is a State protected refuge, so thousands of birds pass through there daily. It's a well known staging and wintering area for migrating birds. I haven't taken any pictures of Hiwassee or Armstrong bend, but it is BEAUTIFUL territory. Especially when the sun is rising over the rivers, casting a pinkish glow over the fog. The mountains in the background provide a surreal or mythical landscape. I enjoy waking up with the dawn; even if I don't see the cranes right away, the view is worth it.

Back to Roquefort; he remained with 5-05 and 15-04 for the whole month of December. The 3 of them can be seen almost every day at Armstrong Bend. Sometimes other whoopers on the refuge will join them there: 37-07 (known as the Michigan bird because he's the only whooper that flies up to Michigan) and 28-08. 12-04 (Super Dad) and 27-05 (First DAR Bird EVER) stopped in when they were passing through the area. They are now down at Weiss Lake with the other Juveniles.

Everytime the adults are jostling each other for territory at the refuge, I like to watch Roquefort. Usually the males will defend the territory more aggressively and the female will join in if she's feeling like it. 5-05 does a good job defending his area, I've seen him chase off 37-07, 28-08 (who is a female), 12-04, and numerous sandhills. I haven't seen Roq become involved, but he's always standing by, watching intently. I've never seen him stray from 5-04 and 15-04, so I wonder if he's become like an adopted son. Or maybe he's more like a foreign-exchange student. Either way I'm glad that he's found a pair of whoopers that will teach him the ropes. He's chosen well, I think.

(I'll post more pictures of Roquefort at Armstrong Bend later if I get them)

Wintering Grounds

Great News!

Most of the chicks have reached their wintering grounds!

(37-09 and Feta/27-10)

I'm happy to announce that Pepper Jack has caught up with Havarti, Queso, & Feta (22, 25, & 27-10) and they will most likely be wintering at Weiss Lake, AL. Weiss Lake is an ENORMOUS lake that straddles the Alabama, Georgia border in the north of the states. There are a lot of rivers and marshy areas surrounding the lake, so there should be enough food for the 4 juveniles (yes, I have to stop calling them chicks) and their adults.

(Havarti/22-10, sweetie)

22, 25, & 27-10 left the adults they were with originally (13-03 and 18-03). We don't know if they found this lake on their own or if they came down with different adults, but they have arrived and it's a good spot, so I'm happy about it. PJ came down from Indiana WITH 11-02 and 30-08!!  George and Trixie are still with him. I was a little worried that George was going to keep them all up there in Indiana. Apparently, Weiss Lake has been a previous wintering ground for him, so they will likely stay.

(37-09 and 22, 25, 27-10)

Every time I go down to Alabama to check on them, I always see PJ hanging out with the adults rather than with the other chicks. I'm not surprised by this. I'm not sad about it, either. Sometimes cranes have difficulty being reincorporated into a group. PJ was separate for so long that he may not feel like part of the group, or the group may not accept him. He IS with the adults, though. He's learning valuable things from them and hopefully he will follow them when they begin their migration north.

(PJ/19-10 is center of George&Trixie, 12-04 & 27-05, also Great Blue Heron)

19-10 with 12-04 (a.k.a Super Dad)

Skipping Logs: Migration Rundown

It’s only been a 2 weeks since migration started, but it feels as though it’s been ages. I barely remember what happened 4 days ago. This is my brief (as it can be) rundown of events:

 (You'll have to zoom in on this pic to see the flying birds)

Nov 20^th – Havarti, Queso, and Feta flew right past the field where the chicks usually landed just south of the refuge and kept going south. Whaaaa!!!! I followed soon after. When I caught up to them on the road, I found that they didn’t have any adults with them. Who knows where they would end up? I actually managed to stay close to them the ENTIRE day until the very end. But they landed on the Mississippi, and I was able to find them the next morning in Iowa. The next day, strangely, 13-03 and 18-03 showed up, and the chicks followed them for the rest of Migration. 

Also Pepper Jack reappeared on the refuge. He floated around from adult group to adult group before finally joining the chicks on the Refuge the next day.

Nov 23^rd – Crazy windy day. All the adults who were left on the refuge and in the surrounding area just POURED out. Everyone started flying south; even the rest of the chicks. This time, they were with adults. Eva followed a large group of chicks into Illinois. Pepper Jack and Roquefort weren’t with the group, but we hoped they were together wherever they were.

My chicks; Havarti, Queso, and Feta flew south with their adults to South Western Indiana. I had to drive overnight just to catch up to them.

Nov 24^th – Crappy rainy day. Nothing much happened, but Eva’s chicks/adults group disappeared. Why would they migrate in this weather? Eva’s group includes Gouda, Ricotta, Fontina, Goat, and Baby Saganaki. Well they kept moving south anyway, we found them 2 days later.

Nov 25^th – My chicks are staying put. In fact, Eva’s not sure they will migrate any further. They are at Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, and that’s where 13-03/18-03 have wintered before.

Spotted Roquefort, but no Pepper Jack. At least Roq was with 4 adults! There’s no way he’s getting lost if he plays it smart and stays with them. I switch birds. We’re pretty sure Roq will be going somewhere with his adults.

No sign of Eva’s chicks.

Nov 26^th – Eva’s Chicks show up in South Eastern Indiana. Everyone’s still alive and all together. Whew.

While I’m following Roquefort and his gang as they migrate south through Indiana, I hear PJ!!!  I’m going to guess he was near Cayuga, Indiana at the time, but a flight the next day didn’t show any sign of him. Well, since I couldn’t get closer to his signal, I just stayed on Roq and his gang. We made it to the very South East corner of Indiana. 

Nov 27^th – Roq lost 2 of his adults. They just up and flew off without the rest of the group. They had been bickering all morning, so it was probably for the best. The 3 remaining (roq, 5-05 and 15-04) got a really late start. They left at 2 in the afternoon, made it through Kentucky and roosted somewhere on the KY/TN border.

Everyone else (though we really don’t know anything about Pepper Jack) pretty much stayed put.

Nov 28^th – Roquefort made it to Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Tennessee! He’ll probably stay there through the winter. That’s where 5-05 and 15-04 stay. It’s also where I’ll be staying during the winter months between migrations.

Nov 29^th – Dec 2^nd – I hang out at Hiwassee, just scanning through all the frequencies. I’m trying to see who’s migrating through. I’m keeping an eye on Roquefort, though it’s frustrating because it’s hard to get a visual of him. I can’t tell if he’s with the adults or not, because their radio transmitters don’t work. Also I’m keeping a close eye on Mr. 5-01. He’s a big troublemaker in Florida. He likes to attack the Ultralight chicks and try to scam food from the pens, I hear. Once he leaves Hiwassee, I’m to call the Refuge in Florida right away to warn them he’s coming.

Pepper Jack shows up in Cayuga!!! He’s with the Jones’!! hooray!! He found a place where he belongs, and I’m really happy that he’s safe. Strangely, 11-02 (or George) has been known to winter near Cayuga, so if PJ stays with them, they may not migrate further south. That means that potentially, most of the chicks have found their wintering grounds. Only time will tell, but Eva’s chicks may move on from Muscatatuck. It only took a week to migrate.

Dec 3^rd to Present – I drove up from TN to sit on PJ in Cayuga. On the way, I stopped in to see the chicks in Muscatatuck. I didn’t get to see them L, but at least they were all together. 

We found him!

Pepper Jack is BACK!!! Eva discovered him while flying over Illinois on the West Side.

It turns out he's hanging out with George and Trixi Jones (or 11-02 and 30-08).

I've returned to Northern Indiana to see if he goes anywhere. Eva suspects that he won't be going anywhere because the adults winter in this area. That's ok, it gives me an excuse to see my friends in the area and enjoy a little bit of snow before heading back South for the winter (ha ha, suckas!)

There are 3 cranes in this picture. Can you find them? I feel like looking for whoopers in the snow is like reading a 'Where's Waldo' book.