i found this press release several days ago in my mail box.
perhaps you all might find this story as interesting as i did?

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For Immediate Release: Sept. 28, 1988
Contact: Tom Stehn 512-286-3559

Hans Stuart 505-248-6911

FALL WHOOPING CRANE MIGRATION BEGINS SOON;
NUMBERS APPROACH RECORD HIGH LEVELS

One of nature's most spectacular and closely watched events, the
migration of the endangered whooping crane, will unfold across
America's heartland during the next several weeks. Almost 200
whooping cranes will trek across the Great Plains in October,
migrating from Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada's Northwest
Territories to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas
Gulf Coast.

The story of the whooper's 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.

In the Rocky Mountains, three of four whoopers began their migration
south from Yellowstone National Park this week to the Rio Grande Valley
of central New Mexico, and are currently in southeastern Idaho.

Two of the cranes are the only remaining survivors of a foster parent
experiment where whooping crane eggs were placed in sandhill nests,
with the adult sandhill cranes teaching the whoopers to migrate. The
other two were raised in captivity by researcher Kent Clegg last year
and taught a migration route between his ranch in southeastern Idaho
and the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

"This experiment marked the first time whooping cranes had been taught
to follow an ultralight aircraft," said Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane
Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "The
experiment was a success because it showed that the birds could be
taught to follow an ultralight and that they could quickly learn to
survive with wild sandhill cranes. The two birds that survived the
winter migrated back north on their own, proving that they didn't
have to be led back north."

Whooping cranes migrate during the day, making regular stops to feed
and rest away from human activity. They travel as singles, pairs,
family groups, or flocks of 4 to 5, sometimes joining with sandhill
cranes for part of the migration. The most common flight grouping is
a V-formation at an altitude of 1,800 to 4,500 feet above the ground.
Their energy-efficient flight results from sequences of spiraling
upward in thermal updrafts followed by long, declining glides. They
may travel up to 440 miles in 9 to 10 hours under ideal conditions
with a tail wind. Average speed of travel is 250 miles in 7 to 8
hours.

Wildlife officials ask anyone seeing a whooping crane this fall to
report the time, place, and other details of the sighting to local
wildlife officials. Adult whooping cranes are white with black
wingtips and a red forehead. In flight, the bird's long neck is held
straight forward, and its long black legs extend beyond the tail.
The adult's wingspan may be more than 7 feet, and when standing, some
males are as tall as 5 feet. Juveniles have white and rusty brown
body feathers and black wingtips.

Several birds may be misidentified as whooping cranes. Sandhill
cranes are primarily gray (but sometimes appear whitish in bright
sunlight) with dark gray wing feathers. Sandhills are noticeable
smaller than whooping cranes when they are seen standing together.
Snow geese are white with black wing tips but are much smaller than
whooping cranes, with short legs that do not extend beyond their
tail when flying. Snow geese fly with rapid wing beats and typically
occur in large flocks. White pelicans are large white birds with
black on the wings, but do not have the long trailing legs in flight.
When seen at ground level, pelicans are usually swimming in water,
whereas whooping cranes walk either in shallow marshes or
agricultural fields.

The whooping crane is fully protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The public is cautioned not to shoot or disturb these birds, as they
could be frightened into wires or other obstacles. "Let's all do our
part to assist these birds as they recover from the brink of extinction"
said Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service.

Captive populations of whooping cranes include 98 adults and 35 chicks
at three breeding centers, the Patuxent Wildllife Research Center in
Maryland, the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin, and the
Calgary Zoo in Canada. Whoopers are on display at the San Antonio zoo.

Recovery efforts for the crane are coordinated by a Whooping Crane
Recovery Team, consisting of 10 members appointed by directors of the
Canadian Wildlife Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. At
the team's last meeting in Calgary, the team recommended that future
recovery efforts focus on building the non-migratory flock in Florida
and establishing a migratory flock of whooping cranes east and
completely separate from the Aransas-Wood Buffalo flock. Suggested
locations included marsh habitat in central Wisconsin and a wintering
area at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge on the southwestern
coast of Florida.

An assessment of the best summering areas in Wisconsin is under way,
with a recommendation on how best to proceed expected next year. No
additional releases of whooping cranes in the Rocky Mountains are
planned at this time, according to Stehn. However, if certain habitat
criteria are met and mortality factors (e.g., powerlines and avian
tuberculosis) identified by the Recovery Team addressed, and if State
wildlife agencies support further reintroductions, then the Fish and
Wildlife Service may consider adding to the Rocky Mountain population
sometime in the future.

--FWS--

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