Whooping Cranes in North Dakota

January 27, 2009 by admin

By Doug Leier

Feeding whooping cranes

If you’ve read this column with any frequency you know I’m a huge fan of North Dakota, specifically the outdoors.

This time of year so many of the state’s wildlife species take center stage that it’s hard to pick a favorite. While a lot of people will think of pronghorn, bighorn sheep or sage grouse, for me, the animal that makes North Dakota’s fall so special is one I’ve never seen in the wild.

And I’m not alone in my reverence for this seldom-seen species. When you consider that the world only has only 230 or so whooping cranes, it’s not surprising I’ve never been lucky enough to spot one. But I have listened to crane-spotting stories related by family, friends and co-workers and know I’ll eventually get my chance if I spend enough time in the right places.

The whooping crane is one of North America’s most endangered species, and each spring and autumn they migrate through the heart of North Dakota – roughly the middle two thirds of the state – en route to or from their breeding grounds at Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada’s Northwest Territories – some 900 miles north of the North Dakota border.

This fall, biologists estimate as many as 234 whoopers will make their way south from Wood Buffalo Park. That’s a 24-bird increase from fall 2003, a significant increase that includes 41 young-of-the-year birds and five sets of twins.

Identificiation

One would think such a stoic white bird that stands as tall as a short human would be easy to distinguish, but the rare nature of the bird is cause for many doubtful sightings. In flight, when the whoopers black wingtips are visible, they are occasionally confused with pelicans and even snow geese, which also have black wing tips but are smaller birds.

On the ground, great egrets, also a tall wading bird, are sometimes misidentified as whooping cranes.

A lucky duck?

Whooping cranes stopping along the migration

Anyone fortunate enough to spot whoopers should avoid distrubing them and observe them from a distance with binoculars or spotting scope. Take a moment and record the date, time, location, and the birds’ activity. Look closely for colored bands on one or both legs and record those colors and on which leg they occur.

Whooping crane sightings should be reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office at 701-387-4397, the state game and fish department’s main office in Bismarck at 701-328-6300, or to local game wardens around the state.

Reports help biologists locate important whooping crane habitat areas, monitor marked birds, determine survival and population numbers, and identify times and migration routes.

Odds are I won’t see a whooping crane again this fall, but there is a chance, and for me that’s all that matters.