Winging It: Whooping crane sightings are rare, coveted

It was this time of year in 2020 that we headed to Kearney, Nebraska, for the North American Bluebird Society conference. We were excited to make the trip for several reasons. The conference featured an excellent lineup of speakers and events — an opportunity to learn more about these amazing birds. That year we were also planning to travel as much as possible to see as many birds as we could. We had already been to Florida and had Alaska, Maine and Texas on the calendar. Kearney in March is home to one of the most spectacular wildlife events in North America — the migration of sandhill cranes. An amazing experience for birders and non-birders alike. We drove to Nebraska, and we weren't more than a few hours into the trip when everything began to change due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The first thing I remember was that some NBA games were being canceled. As the conference unfolded, travel began to stall and become more difficult. A couple of scheduled speakers were unable to attend, and the conference had to improvise. And by the time we headed home, everything was closing — making for an eerie trip home. Fortunately, we were able to enjoy most of the conference. In particular, we were still able to sit in the Platte River blinds where we were able to inconspicuously enjoy a closeup view of thousands of cranes coming into the Platte to roost for the night (we were the last group that was allowed to use the blinds). It was a truly magical moment. Also making this trip special was that this column was published for the first time. It was one of the last trips we would enjoy for quite a while. While we knew we would see hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes, there was also a chance — albeit a small one — that we might see a whooping crane. There had been rumors that one or two had been spotted among the sandhills. Whooping cranes also stop in that area to refuel as they migrate north to Canada. I was really hoping we would see one, but no luck. Even today, when people ask which bird I most want to see, the whooping crane is near the top of my list. To say the whooping crane has had a rough history would be an understatement. By 1941, there were reportedly only 21 whooping cranes left in the entire world. About 15 of those were part of the migratory population traveling between Canada and Texas. The others lived year-round in Louisiana. That Louisiana population eventually disappeared, leaving the migratory birds as the last surviving wild cranes. Today, the global population has rebounded to roughly 800 birds, thanks to decades of conservation work. Still, nearly all of them trace their ancestry to those remaining birds in the 1940s — meaning genetic diversity remains limited. These precious birds are protected by both the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Sadly, threats still exist. In January 2024, a juvenile whooping crane was shot by a hunter near Mamou, Louisiana. The Center for Biological Diversity offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person responsible. The organization's press release stated: "I'm grieving the senseless and illegal killing of this majestic bird, and the perpetrator has to be brought to justice," said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center. "This cowardly act against a critically endangered and beloved bird can't go unpunished. I hope someone does the right thing and steps forward with information." More recently, two men were cited for killing a whooping crane on March 3 of this year and face fines of up to $15,000. There are 15 species of cranes worldwide, though oddly none occur naturally in South America. The whooping crane is found only in North America. Cranes can live a long life, with whooping cranes in the wild typically living 20-30 years. A red-crowned crane lived to be about 75 years old in captivity in Japan. The whooping crane is closely related to — and sometimes mistaken for — the sandhill crane. Both are large wetland birds that migrate long distances and have a distinctive, bugling call that can carry for miles. Both are monogamous birds, engaging in a beautiful and graceful mating dance, typically forming pairs at two or three years of age and often remaining together for life. They build nests on the ground, laying 1-2 eggs. The chicks grow quickly, from not being able to stand when hatched to five feet tall in 90 days. However, the two species look quite different. Whooping cranes are almost entirely white, while sandhill cranes are gray. Whooping cranes are also slightly larger — the tallest birds in North America — standing about 5 feet tall with wingspans reaching up to 71/2 feet. They have a striking red crown, which is bare skin rather than feathers, along with a black "mustache" marking and piercing yellow eyes. They are omnivores, eating a wide variety of food from plants and insects to blue crabs and snakes. Perhaps the best place to see whooping cranes is at the Port Aransas Whooping Crane Festival, held each February to celebrate the birds' return to their wintering grounds at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. They are typically in this area from late October to mid-April. Another place to see them — much closer to home — is in Indiana. According to the International Crane Foundation, the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area near Linton, Indiana has become a reliable location to observe members of the eastern migratory population. There are currently several distinct whooping crane populations. The primary wild group is the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population, which migrates roughly 2,500 miles between coastal Texas and breeding grounds in Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories and Alberta (from drone footage, Wood Buffalo National Park looks absolutely amazing). A second group, known as the Eastern Migratory Population, was reintroduced beginning in 2001 from captive breeding programs established in the 1960s. This conservation program was quite intense, teaching the chicks how to eat and drink without human imprinting (including the use of hand puppets). Researchers piped in wetland sounds around the clock to acclimate the chicks. Early in the program, conservationists used ultralight aircraft (with the pilot wearing a whooping crane costume) to guide young cranes on their first migration from Wisconsin to Florida — an extraordinary effort that helped reestablish a migratory population in the eastern United States. All of these birds are banded, some have transmitters, and are closely monitored. Today, many of these cranes breed in Wisconsin, particularly near the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, and migrate to wintering areas across the southeastern United States. Some stop during migration — or occasionally spend the winter — in states such as Indiana. There are also two reintroduced populations which don't migrate located in Louisiana and Florida. At first, Louisiana didn't want the birds because of their culture of hunting, but later accepted them as an "experimental, nonessential population" under the Endangered Species Act, which carries less landowner and community restrictions. Some refer to seeing a whooping crane as a "religious or spiritual experience." I'm confident that someday I'll see one. When I do, I'll be thinking about how close they came to disappearing — and about the decades of conservation work that made their survival possible. I might even call it a real miracle. Black River Audubon Events Bluebird Basics 101 Have you seen a bluebird? Want to learn more about these beautiful native songbirds? On Saturday at 2:30 p.m., Penny and Fritz Brandau of the Black River Audubon Society and Ohio Bluebird Society will present a program on Eastern Bluebirds at the North Ridgeville Public Library, Meeting Room A (35700 Bainbridge Road). Learn how to choose good bluebird habitat, select and monitor nest boxes and manage predators and competitors. The program also includes video of bluebird family life. Registration is requested due to limited space: Call (440) 670-3684. Speaker Series Jack Smith Outstanding Speaker Series William Rapai: "The Kirtland's Warbler: From the brink of extinction to a new model for endangered species conservation" March 28, 2026 Carlisle Reservation 3:00pm-5:00pm Register at blackriveraudubon.org As recently as 1987 there were fewer than 400 birds in the entire population. Today, there are more than 4,000 birds. In October 2019, the Kirtland's Warbler was removed from the Endangered Species List. That's a reason to celebrate, but it doesn't mean we can wash our hands and walk away because conservation of the Kirtland's Warbler has special challenges. Unlike every other animal that has been removed from the Endangered Species List, the Kirtland's Warbler will require continued human intervention to ensure its survival.