Festival of the Cranes

Join us at the 35th annual Festival of the Cranes at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio, New Mexico, Dec. 11-15. There are still a few spots open for a seminar lead by Anne Lacy, Director of Eastern Flyway Programs – North America, and Liz Smith, Senior Research Associate, on Saturday. Dec. 14:

Understanding Whooping Cranes: Using Behavior Techniques to Address Conservation Needs

Once you see your first crane (or cranes!), watching their behavior raises many questions. These might range from how they interact with one another and with other species, to why and when they are territorial, to how they respond to changes in their environment. Cranes are ideal subjects for behavior studies because of their large size and social nature within a bonded pair, family group, and subadult cohorts. While scientific studies often customize the various categories, one can begin with the basic five: foraging, alert, social, comfort, and locomotion.

In this workshop, International Crane Foundation staff will start with an introduction about the behavior terms, crane morphology, and life history stages; then progress into guiding smaller groups in interpreting crane behavior using interactive videos of a family of cranes. You will emerge from this experience ready to make your own observations, and understand when a crane is performing behaviors essential to their well-being, and when they are confronted with disturbance that could lead to detrimental changes in their condition.

Photo: Sandhill Cranes in flight in New Mexico by Ciming Mei