On the northern foothills of Nyandarua Mountains (also known as Aberdare Ranges) lies a small, high-altitude and one of Kenya’s highly threatened wetlands, Lake Ol’ Bolossat. The lake has a variety of habitats ranging from montane riparian grasslands, short and tall vegetation marshlands, and open water that attract a variety of avifauna, making it one of the richest aquatic ecosystems in the country in terms of waterfowl species diversity.
July 23, 2024 – Baraboo, Wis. – For just a few weeks each year, more than half a million Sandhill Cranes and a handful of endangered Whooping Cranes descend upon a short stretch of Nebraska’s Platte River in one of nature’s great migrations. Now, visitors to the Cranes of the World at the International Crane Foundation’s global headquarters can experience the sights and sounds of these birds on the Platte River up close through our newly renovated Migration Center.
CONTACT: Ryan Michalesko, Communications & Advocacy Specialist, 608-356-9462 ext. 113
Below is the most recent update for the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes. During June, chicks have been getting bigger! A huge thank you to the staff of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Departments of Natural Resources of flyway states, the International Crane Foundation, and all the volunteers who help us keep track of the cranes throughout the year.
Do you remember Whooping Crane 16-23’s (a.k.a. Animal’s) big adventure earlier this spring? This young crane was reported by local birders in a residential neighborhood of Wilmette, a suburb of Chicago, in late April. She had gotten off course during her first northern migration, and we were concerned about her safety in this busy area.
Since the partnership to return Whooping Cranes to the eastern U.S. was formed in 2001, the number of Whooping Cranes in the Eastern Flyway has grown to around 75 individuals but has yet to reach the milestone of a self-sustaining population. In 2010, researchers at the International Crane Foundation began assessing how release sites were chosen for the species to determine if other areas were better suited to their needs.
Below is the most recent update for the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes. During May, breeding pairs in the population have been nesting and hatching chicks!
This spring, our Curator of Birds, Kim Boardman, and Director of Conservation Medicine, Dr. Diana Boon, traveled to Vietnam and Thailand to join Dr. Tran Triet, our Southeast Asia Program Director.
Over many years of conservation and reintroduction efforts, we have brought back Whooping Cranes from the brink of extinction. In 2001, as part of the international Whooping Crane recovery plan, the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) was reintroduced to wetlands in Wisconsin, where they would eventually breed and raise their chicks before migrating south every winter.
