As the seasons change, so do the patterns and behaviors of our captive flock. Things have been busy this fall within the Whooping Crane enclosure at ICF. We recently hosted Ph.D. student Megan Fitzpatrick, who spent a week here in Baraboo watching our Whooping Cranes, Omega and Seurat, and studying their behavior in a wetland environment.
Author: Sara
Whooping Cranes Depart on Ultralight-guided Flight to Florida
Six young Whooping Cranes began their ultralight-led migration September 28th from the White River Marsh State Wildlife Area in Green Lake County, Wis. This is the 12th group of birds to take part in a project led by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP), an international coalition of public and private groups that is reintroducing this highly imperiled species in eastern North America, part of its historic range.
Dam-Dependent Zambezi Basin Unprepared for Climate Change
An in-depth study warns that new and proposed dams on Southern Africa’s largest river are ill-prepared to withstand the shocks of a changing climate. The result could be uneconomic dams that under-perform in the face of more extreme drought, and more dangerous dams that have not been designed to handle increasingly damaging floods.
Collaboration between US and Russian Scientists Protects Critical Breeding Habitat for Cranes
At the North American Crane Workshop in 2008, ICF had the pleasure to host our long-term colleague, Inga Bysykatova from the Institute of Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone (IBPC) in Yakutia, Russia. Inga had been studying Sandhill Cranes that migrated from Texas, across Alaska, to breed in the tundra in far eastern Russia.
Ace and Haiku Visit Wausau, WI
Each year the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin hosts Birds in Art, an international exhibition of the world’s finest contemporary avian art. This year, ICF’s Red-crowned Cranes, Ace and Haiku, will be a part of the exhibit.
Raising Kid Colt – A Story of a Young Sandhill Crane
A perfect balance of entertainment and education, Raising Kid Colt – A Story of a Young Sandhill Crane, invites you into the exciting world of a wild Sandhill Crane couple and their parenthood adventures. The incredible footage and documentation of these cranes was captured by amateur videographer, Nina Faust, who happily shares her land in Homer, Alaska with a Sandhill Crane family.
President Putin Takes Wing in the “Flight of Hope” Project
On Wednesday, 5 September 2012, Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, participated in the “Flight of Hope” Project on the reintroduction of the endangered Siberian Crane in West Asia. The flight has drawn much needed worldwide attention to the conservation of this species.
Whooping Cranes Transferred to Horicon NWR
Six Whooping Crane chicks arrived last week at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge in Dodge County, Wis. The cranes are part of the Direct Autumn Release project conducted by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, an international coalition of public and private organizations that is reintroducing this highly imperiled species in eastern North America, part of its historic range.
How Do ICF's Cranes Stay Cool in the Summer?
Those of us who work directly with the cranes at ICF often are asked how the birds deal with the cold of Wisconsin winters. This year we have had more questions on how the cranes deal with the abnormally high temperatures Wisconsin endured this summer.
Whooping Crane Tracking Partnership
In early August, ICF veterinarian Dr. Barry Hartup participated in his third annual research trip to western Canada to band wild Whooping Crane chicks on their remote summering area at Wood Buffalo National Park.