Biologists Say Signs Point to Crane Chick

NECEDAH, WI (AP) -- Biologists believe a pair of whooping cranes has produced a chick in central Wisconsin.

If true, the chick would be the first to hatch in the wild in the eastern United States in more than 100 years.

"I'm ecstatic," said Larry Wargowsky, manager of the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge.

The two whooping cranes are nesting at the refuge as part of an effort to establish a second migratory flock of the endangered birds in North America.

Richard Urbanek, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has concluded the birds are tending to their nest as if they had produced a chick, maybe two.

He and others haven't seen a chick because they don't want to get too close to the nest and scare the parents, Wargowsky said. All signs, though, point to a successful hatching.

The chicks would show that cranes raised in captivity can reproduce in the wild, he said.

In another first, two whooping cranes conceived in the wild were hatched in captivity last month.

Biologists artificially incubated the eggs at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo and later in Maryland after determining the parent whoopers weren't diligently tending their nest.

The whooping crane, the tallest bird in North America, was near extinction in 1941, with only about 20 left. The migratory population in the eastern United States has now grown to more than 60 birds.

The only other migrating flock of whooping cranes has about 200 birds. They fly from Canada to spend winter on the Texas Gulf Coast.

It's a "Two-Fer!"

Jun 26, 1:53 AM EDT

Double success ... as released cranes hatch 2 chicks in wild

NECEDAH, Wis. (AP) -- A pair of whooping cranes has hatched two chicks in central Wisconsin, marking the first young of the species to be hatched in the wild in the eastern United States in more than 100 years.

Operation Migration, the group coordinating the effort to establish a second migratory flock of the endangered birds in North America, posted photos on its Web site documenting the success.

Researchers had said late last week they suspected a chick might have hatched because of the way the adults were tending the nest.

The photos show two brown chicks being tended by their adult parents among thick marsh grass of the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge.

Headings above the pictures read: "Even Bigger News ... NOT one chick -- TWO!!!"

Larry Wargowsky, refuge manager, said last week that the arrival of chicks would show that cranes raised in captivity can reproduce in the wild.

Joe Duff, who heads Operation Migration, said the successful nesting was the second attempt by the adult pair this season. They had abandoned a first nest and then re-nested.

"Seems the first try was just practice for this grand event," he wrote on the Web page, while also cautioning that the adults still faced the challenge of keeping the young alive until able to fly.

In another first this year, two whooping cranes conceived in the wild were hatched in captivity last month. Biologists artificially incubated the eggs at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo and later in Maryland after determining the parent whoopers weren't diligently tending their nest.

As part of the project, now in its fifth year, cranes hatched in captivity have been raised at the Necedah refuge and led south by ultralight aircraft in the fall to the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge near Crystal River, Fla. They migrate back north on their own in the spring.

The flock now numbers just under 60 birds, with 22 newly hatched young ones being raised for release this coming fall.

The only other migrating flock of whooping cranes has about 200 birds. They fly from Canada to winter on the Texas Gulf Coast.

The whooping crane, the tallest bird in North America, was near extinction in 1941, with only about 20 left.

Operation Migration: http://www.operationmigration.org/

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