In early December, members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Regional Directorate Team assisted with banding cranes at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge as part of the Sandhill Cranes Wintering Ecology Study. Some cranes were outfitted with satellite tracking devices called Platform Transmitter Terminals. This study was initiated due to recent declines of the Rocky Mountain Population of sandhill cranes. The Service’s Southwest Region Division of Migratory Birds is working in partnership with the New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit - through the New Mexico State University - to complete this work. The study focuses on the Middle Rio Grande Valley, the principal wintering area for the Rocky Mountain Population of sandhill cranes. This population winters mainly from the City of Albuquerque south to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge near San Antonio, New Mexico. The valley has long been recognized as the most important wintering area for these cranes. Tens of thousands of visitors travel great distances every year to attend the annual Crane Festival held at the Refuge to see cranes on their wintering grounds.
Learn more about the Sandhill Cranes Wintering Ecology Study
Watch the video of Dr. Tuggle, Southwest Regional Director, releasing a sandhill crane after it was banded.
