[OKC] Rare whooping cranes on annual migration through Oklahoma

[Miles, Karen]

Rare whooping cranes on annual migration through Oklahoma
            One of the rarest birds in North America, the whooping crane, is expected to migrate through Oklahoma over the few weeks. The entire Central Flyway migrating population will pass through central and western Oklahoma between now and the second week of November, according to Mark Howery, wildlife diversity biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. 
            The 2010 nesting season was a good one for the cranes.  A record number of nests (74) were found by the Canadian Wildlife Service during their summer monitoring flights, and at least 46 chicks were successfully reared.  The current population numbers between 285 and 300 birds, which is nearly a 10 percent increase over last winter's population.
            "Although it's still small, this population size is remarkable when you consider that there were no more than 15 whooping cranes left in the early 1940s," Howery said.
            Twice a year, whooping cranes face a long and potentially hazardous migration. In the fall, they travel from their nesting grounds in the remote bogs and marshes of northern Alberta, Canada, to their wintering grounds along the Texas coast at Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge. 
            "If you see a whooping crane, please let us know," Howery said. "Reports help us better understand the migration patterns of these birds and the types of habitats that they use." 
            You can report sightings to the Wildlife Department's Wildlife Diversity Program at (405) 522-3087 or (405) 424-2728. We are especially interested in information such as the date, location, habitat, number of birds seen, and what they were doing (i.e. - flying, feeding, loafing). That information will be shared with a national monitoring program coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 
            Howery said that Oklahoma's sportsmen account for between one-half and one-third of the whooping crane sightings each fall because they are often in areas with good habitat conditions and they are good at distinguishing this endangered species from more common birds. 
            A few distinguishing characteristics of the whooping crane are its white body and neck, black wing tips, red forehead, and height - at nearly five feet, it's the tallest bird in North America. Also, the neck extends out straight from the body when the crane is in flight rather than in an "S" pattern like the neck of a heron, egret or pelican. 
            Sandhill cranes have a similar body shape, but in contrast, are gray overall with dark gray wing feathers that do not have black tips. White pelicans often are confused with whooping cranes because they are similar in color. However, the pelican is stockier, usually travels in large flocks and its legs are barely visible when in flight. 
            Two other similar species are the snow goose and great egret. But snow geese are much smaller and egrets lack the black wingtips of the whooping crane. 
            Whooping cranes may be seen during the day foraging in small groups of two to eight birds in open, marshy habitats, wet grasslands, agricultural fields and river bottoms. At night, they often gather at communal roosts on mudflats and often roost alongside sandhill cranes. 
            Perhaps the most likely place in Oklahoma to see a whooping crane is at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Alfalfa County, which has been designated as critical whooping crane habitat. Another area where these cranes have been found multiple times is the Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area in Tillman County.
            For more information about wildlife in Oklahoma, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
 
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