The story of the whoopers recovery from a nadir of 15 birds in the winter of 1941-42 has been celebrated across the world. Progress continues this year with near record numbers of cranes reported in the wild and in captivity. More than 190 cranes in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo flock are expected to arrive in Texas this fall, including 24 chicks that survived through mid-August.
Biologists counted a record 49 pairs nesting at Wood Buffalo National Park in late May. Last fall, 182 birds including 30 young, made the fall migration.
The only other whooping cranes in the world include four in a Rocky Mountain flock, 57 in a non-migratory flock being established in central Florida, and 133 in captivity for a total population of about 375.
The 2,500-mile journey will take the Aransas-Wood Buffalo cranes through Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, and the Midwestern States of North and South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Southward migration requires up to 50 days including a 2-day flight from the breeding range to southern Saskatchewan grain fields where birds remain 1 to 5 weeks, followed by a rapid 1-2 week trip across U.S. prairie states.
Migration by subadults begins in mid-September; family groups and paired adults usually start in early October. Migration begins with northerly winds, good visibility, and increasing barometric pressure. The average date when the first whooping cranes pass through the Dakotas, Montana, Nebraska, and Kansas is October 10 to 15. Migration through Oklahoma and Texas is about October 15 to 20. The first whooping crane arrival at Aransas NWR occurs on average about October 16.
