Aransas Whooper Census Update

December 14th, 2009

Since my last census flight on 12/10/09, I have received confirmed reports of 6 more whooping cranes in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population, including two more chicks. So the estimated flock size of 238 has now been increased to 244 (223 adults + 21 chicks). The 21 chicks accounted for indicate very good survival from the 22 that fledged in Canada.

The following are the 6 cranes added since my flight:

2+1 on a part of the refuge I did not fly over were reported by the refuge fire crew 2 days in a row, including the afternoon I was flying.

2 + 0 flown directly over but not seen on the Lamar Peninsula – they were reported by a refuge volunteer walking his dog that saw my plane go over them. They were in uplands so I can see how I missed them.

0+1 confirmed 12/14/09 in northern OK about 30 miles east of Salt Plains NWR. The juvenile was by itself with no sandhill’s around.

My next flight may not be until the first week in January. I hope and expect the flock total to go up a few more to at least reach the 247 present last spring.
– Tom Stehn

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Aransas Census Flight Report 12-10-09

December 11th, 2009

The third aerial census of the 2009-10 whooping crane season was conducted December 10, 2009 in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas with USFWS observer Tom Stehn. Sighted on the flight were 211 adults and 19 juveniles = 230 total. This was an increase of 20 cranes since the previous flight conducted December 2nd. With 230 at Aransas and 8 known to still be in migration, currently 238 whooping cranes can be accounted for. I am expecting up to 22 juveniles based on August fledging surveys done on the nesting grounds by CWS. With that number of juvenile produced, the flock may experience a break-even year with a flock total around 247 expected.

December 10th – Recap of whooping cranes (230) found at Aransas on the aerial:
[TABLE=2]
*Since 6 family groups were present on Matagorda Island on the December 2nd flight, it is possible that one family group was overlooked on today’s flight. However, it is also possible a Matagorda Island family group from N. Power Lake had moved over to N. Shoalwater Bay where there was an additional family on today’s flight.

Migration Update: Cold fronts that reached Aransas on December 4th and 9th helped 20 additional cranes complete their 2,400-mile long migration. Additional cranes are known to still be in migration. Four were present at Quivira NWR on December 7th even though the marshes were about 90% frozen. Four were recently sighted west of Mad Island Preserve in Matagorda County Texas about 40 miles northeast of Aransas. Two cranes that have been staying east of Tivoli about 15 miles north of Aransas were located on today’s flight in the Hynes Bay Unit of the Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Crane Identities: We are not sure if the Lobstick pair has returned this fall. However, 2 cranes that may have been the Lobsticks were sighted on the Lobstick territory on December 9 and 10. If present, the Lobstick male is 31 years old.

Habitat Use: Tides measured at the refuge boat ramp were high (2.7 feet). Salinities currently at 8 parts per thousand in San Antonio Bay have dropped noticeably in November and December so that the cranes are drinking directly from the marsh and have stopped making flights to fresh water dugouts. An extremely heavy rain event on November 20th with some coastal areas getting up to 16 inches has filled refuge dugouts and swales and flooded portions of the uplands on San Jose Island and Welder Flats. Conditions are very wet. Since that rain event, some blue crabs seem to have moved into the marshes, and some cranes have recently been observed catching blue crabs 2-3 inches in size. However, 65 cranes on today’s flight were sighted on uplands. These cranes were mostly foraging on patches of bare ground, some flooded and some dry. This behavior is indicative of a less than optimal food situation for the cranes. Although some wolfberry flowers are still present in the marshes, few berries are present and have stopped making up a significant part of the crane diet. An additional 5 cranes on today’s flight were on a shell road in the uplands. No cranes were at game feeders or in open bay habitat, and there are currently no prescribed burns in the crane area. The largest group size observed was 8 birds seen on the uplands on San Jose accompanied by sandhill cranes. More black mangrove was noted on Ayes and Roddy islands.

Flight Conditions: Visibility was good for most of the flight, but darker overcast at times made for somewhat challenging viewing conditions. Due to limited flight hours, the aircraft was usually kept at 140 knots making it a lively task to find all the cranes. Total flight time was 4.6 hours and we felt a very good count was achieved despite some crane movements that had to be sorted out as cranes moved to and from the uplands.

– Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

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Aransas Flight Report 12-02-09

December 3rd, 2009

The second aerial census of the 2009-10 whooping crane season was conducted 02 December 2009 in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas with USFWS observer Tom Stehn. Visibility was very good for most of the flight, but mid-day winds gusting to 25 from the northwest made for a bumpy ride and made the made the task of finding cranes more difficult. Sighted were 191 adults and 17 juveniles = 208 total. This was an increase of 117 cranes since the last flight conducted November 12th. I am expecting up to 22 juveniles based on August fledging surveys done on the nesting grounds by CWS. With that number of juvenile produced, the flock may experience a break-even year with a flock total around 247 expected.

November 12th – Recap of cranes (208) found at Aransas on the aerial:

[TABLE=3]

Migration Update: Cold fronts that reached Aransas on November 16, 20, 24, and 30 helped the cranes complete their 2,400-mile long migration that had begun 2 months ago for some birds.
Additional cranes are known still in migration in KS, OK, and TX, although numbers are much lower than the big wave of cranes that moved through OK and KS in mid-November. Three other whooping cranes are presently near the coast. On December 1st, one whooping crane was confirmed in a flock of sandhills near Collegeport, about 50 miles northeast of Aransas. Two cranes have been staying north of Tivoli about 15 miles north of Aransas. The addition of these 3 cranes brings the estimated total on the coast to 211.

Crane Identities: The Mustang Lake pair of cranes visible from the refuge observation tower arrived approximately November 24th.

Habitat Use: Tides measured at the refuge boat ramp were high (2.5 feet). The marshes on San Jose Island were notably flooded with large expanses of open water. Salinities dropped noticeably in November so that the cranes are drinking directly from the marsh and have stopped making flights to fresh water dugouts. Salinities on 12/02 were measured at 15 parts per thousand (ppt) at the refuge boast ramp and at 5 ppt in the adjacent marsh. The refuge received 7.8 inches of rain in November as El Nino ended the drought. The largest rain received was 4.35 inches on November 20th. Other areas including Rockport and Lamar got between 12 and 16 inches of rain during that same storm event.

The cranes have responded to the flooded conditions with 33 cranes seen on uplands during today’s flight. I’ve seen this before when cranes utilized freshly flooded uplands with Aransas having received additional rain December 1st. Two cranes were near an upland crane feeder on the Lamar Peninsula. No cranes were in open bay habitat, and there are currently no prescribed burns in the crane area. The largest group size observed was 7 birds seen on in salt marsh on the south end of Matagorda Island. Numerous photographs were taken to document the spread of black mangrove into the crane area.
– Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

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Aransas Project seeks proper management of Guadalupe River Basin

November 22nd, 2009

By: NORMA MARTINEZ, Managing Editor Rockport Pilot
Published: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 12:22 AM CST

Representatives from The Aransas Project (AP) were on hand at last week’s Chamber of Commerce luncheon to explain why the organization exists and to encourage others to join the nonprofit organization.

The Aransas Project founders are focused on supporting a Texas water management policy for the Guadalupe River Basin (GRB) and its bays which takes into consideration the entire system in a reasonable, sustainable, and environmentally sound matter.

The AP is an alliance of organizations, communities, families and citizens who seek legislated change in the water management of the GRB. AP members believe environmental flow standards for the GRB are essential to support the bays and estuaries, particularly during times of drought. Currently with no environmental flows standards in place, there is no freshwater committed to protect the bays and estuaries. As a result, AP members believe the management practices of the state of Texas are partly or wholly responsible for the deaths of the 8.5 percent of the whooping crane flock in the winter of 2008-09.

The Aransas area includes a number of estuaries and bays like San Antonio, Mesquite, Carlos, St. Charles and Aransas, as well as the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The latter is the winter habitat of the federally endangered whooping crane. The record breaking death toll of the whooping crane indicates not enough freshwater is reaching the bays and estuaries.

This area is also dependent on tourism and commercial and recreational fishing, all reliant on the health of the bays. The habitats and ecosystems of the area bays and estuaries are dependent on freshwater inflows of the GRB. Aransas Bay begins where the river ends. The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority’s jurisdiction ends at San Antonio Bay, but the way it manages the GRB impacts Aransas.

The Texas Legislature recenty directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to focus on environmental flows and their importance to the health of bays and estuaries. AP founders state while it is obvious attention should be paid to San Antonio Bay, it may not be as obvious decisions made throughout the GRB impact the ANWR as well as Aransas Bay.

A recently completed study using state water models show the impact of reduced freshwater inflows from the Guadalupe. They show the current water diversion have a dramatic effect on the Aransas area. In years of drought, the salinity levels of the bays and estuaries increase and thus adversely impact species such as the blue crab and brown shrimp. They must travel to find freshwater for sustainability, and if none is to be found, they can not survive.

Area fisherman describe this year as the worst the region has seen for the blue crab and brown shrimp and link that impact to the drought. They also note future diversions will dramatically increase the salinity level and widen the number of species to be impacted.

In order to reduce that increased salinity, increased freshwater inflows from the Guadalupe are necessary. AP members also point to another critical indicator of the need for freshwater inflows – whooping cranes. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects such species as well as “the ecosystem upon which they depend.” Therefore, protecting whoopers is about more than just preserving an endangered species.

In 1941, the whooping crane population numbered only 16 birds. Since then, conservation efforts restoreds the world’s only naturally migrating flock to include more than 250 birds. They breed in Canada and winter at the ANWR. Its continued survival is at risk due to the loss of its primary food source, blue crabs. The diminished number of blue crabs has been linked directly to increased salinity levels around the ANWR.

As aforementioned, the winter of 2008-09 was the worst in recent history for whooping cranes wintering at the refuge. The flock experienced the death of 23 birds, which included 16 juveniles. That represents a 42 percent loss in the total number of juveniles. The second worst year was the winter of 1990-91, when 11 birds out of 146 (7.5 percent) of the flock died.

Scientific data behind the deaths shows the reduction in freshwater inflows from the GRB has directly impacted the number of blue crabs and subsequently impacted the whooping crane population.

Using state water models to run different scenarios, salinity studies projected by the AP consulting scientists show proposed future diversions of water from the Guadalupe will dramatically increase the salinity levels in the bays and estuaries along the Texas coast.

Not only will this impact the whooping crane, but it will also have a devastating effect on the fishing, recreational and tourism economy.

The AP founders also believe the bays and estuaries dependent on the Guadalupe River System are at risk. In 2002, American Rivers named the Guadalupe as one of America’s most endangered rivers, citing a significant amount of water diversion and the lack of any commitment to maintain sufficient river flow as main threats. It was noted the increasing demand for water resources has forced the GBRA to focus its planning efforts on municipal and industrial needs rather than environmental needs of the bays and estuaries of the Texas coast. As a result, the coast is not a priority in Texas water planning.

AP founders emphasize the approach for managing the water resources of the GRB must change or there is a risk of devastating economic and environmental damage to the Texas Coast.

They emphasize better planning processes are needed to ensure future water permits are not excessive and instream flows to the bays are sufficient. They state the GBRA is trying to “grab all the water it can” primarily to sell to upper basin industrial and municipal users. The water, however, is needed downstream to protect the bays and estuaries with freshwater inflows which are needed to maintain the habitat of the whooping crane, as well as that of crabs and fish. The GBRA has pointed this responsibility to the TCEQ so it is up to that agency to maintain beneficial inflows protecting the bays and estuaries.

Therefore AP members will file a notice of intent to sue the TCEQ for violation of section 9 of the Federal Endangered Species Act. Through the litigation, TCEQ’s system of water management and rights will be held accountable for the harm to whooping cranes. The desired outcome is it will result in legislative changes in the water management of the GRB, including higher environmental flow standards for the bays and estuaries.

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Fish and Wildlife Service Completes First 2009 Fall Whooper Census at Aransas

November 13th, 2009

Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge completed the first 2009 fall whooping crane census recently. Tom reports, “The first aerial census of the 2009-10 whooping crane season was conducted 12 November, 2009 in a Cessna 210 piloted by Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions of Castroville, Texas with USFWS observer Tom Stehn.

Weather conditions were ideal during the 4-hour flight with sunshine and light east winds. Sighted were 87 adults and 4 juveniles = 91 total. Based on August fledging surveys done on the nesting grounds by CWS, I am expecting up to 22 juveniles. With that number of juvenile produced, the flock may experience a break-even year with a flock total around 247 expected.”

November 12th – Recap of cranes (91) found at Aransas on the aerial:
[TABLE=4]

Migration Update: The first whooping crane arrival at Aransas was reported the morning of October 17th by refuge staff going over to Matagorda Island that saw a pair. This sighting was just one day after the average first whooping crane arrival date of October 16th. A cold front that reached Aransas early on 10/16 brought great migration conditions through 10/17 that aided the arrival of the first migrants. The next strong cold front at Aransas on the afternoon of 10/26 brought multiple reports of sandhill cranes moving through Texas and I had my first sighting of 125 sandhills in the farm fields north of the refuge on November 27th. A cold front October 30th brought favorable migration conditions lasting through November 5th. The next front on November 9th brought favorable migration conditions through November 12th.

Minimum # of Cranes
[TABLE=5]

From this and weather records, it appears that a low number of whooping cranes reached Aransas in the second half of October and the first week in November, but quite a few cranes arrived between November 7-12. These later than average arrivals were simply due to birds not moving down the flyway. The migration appears to be about a week later this year than average. Last year, we flew on November 14th and tallied 239 cranes, quite
a difference from the 91 counted on today’s flight. Numerous whooping cranes have been reported November 2-11 in Kansas and Oklahoma, including 39 at Quivira NWR in central Kansas on November 10. Quivira at one point had 36 cranes together, a record flock size for whooping cranes in migration. A flock of 32 was seen the following day by Salt Plains NWR in Oklahoma. The next strong pacific cold front is forecast to reach Aransas on November 16th, which I think will allow a large number of additional whooping cranes to reach Aransas.

Habitat Use: Tides were an estimated 1 foot above what I consider to be high water levels for the crane area. The high water levels were a result of Hurricane Ida that crossed the Gulf and reached Alabama as a tropical storm on November 10th. Ida raised tides 2.5 feet along the central Texas beaches. The cranes responded to the high water by being mostly in vegetated marsh, with 19 cranes on uplands next to the marsh. The distribution seen on today’s flight looked like the cranes were mostly responding to wolfberries that seems to have had a good crop this year.

Not a single commercial blue crab trap was seen in the crane area, including in the shallow bays edges next to the crane marshes. This is unusual and indicative of the poor harvest that has been ongoing all summer caused by the drought and insufficient inflows reaching the crane area.

Marsh salinities are approximately 24 ppt and continue above the threshold when whooping cranes must seek out fresh water to drink. Two cranes were observed on today’s flight at a fresh water dugout. Two cranes were observed at a private game feeder. The largest group size observed was 5 birds seen on a high salt prairie at Welder Flats.

– Tom Stehn, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

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2008 – 2009 WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION HIGHLIGHTS

November 4th, 2009

Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator,U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has prepared a lengthy, detailed report concerning the 2008 – 2009 whooping crane population. The following summary of the report provides much new information. To read the entire report, you may download it by clicking here. The download is a PDF file.

The Aransas-Wood Buffalo population (AWBP) of whooping cranes reached a record population of 270 at Aransas in December, 2008. The number would have been substantially higher but for the loss of 34 birds that left Aransas in the spring, 2008 and failed to return in the fall. Faced with food shortages from an “exceptional” drought that hammered Texas, record high mortality during the 2008-09 winter of 23 cranes (8.5% of the flock) left the AWBP at 247 in the spring, 2009. Total flock mortality for the 12 months following April, 2008 equaled 57 birds (21.4% of the flock). The refuge provided supplemental feed during the 2008-09 winter to provide some cranes with additional calories. Two whooping cranes failed to migrate north, but survived the hot and dry 2009 Aransas summer.

A below-average 2009 production year in Canada with 22 fledged chicks from 62 nests was half the production of the previous summer and is expected to result in a break-even year for the AWBP. Threats to the flock including land and water development in Texas, the spread of black mangrove on the wintering grounds, and wind farm construction in the migration corridor all remained unabated in 2009.

The Cooperative Whooping Crane Tracking Project documented 79 confirmed sightings of whooping cranes in the U.S. Central Flyway during fall, 2008 and 38 sightings in spring, 2009.

The captive flocks had a very good production season in 2009. Twenty-nine chicks were reintroduced into the eastern migratory population, bringing that flock to 106 total birds. Three chicks of high genetic value were held back for the captive flocks.

Production in the wild from reintroduced flocks in 2009 was disappointing. In Florida because of the continuing drought, only 4 of 11 pairs nested and fledged 1 chick. In Wisconsin, all 12 nesting pairs abandoned their nests. Five or 6 pairs re-nested hatching 2 chicks, but neither chick survived. The major hurdle of nest abandonment in Wisconsin must be overcome for that reintroduction to have a chance of success. Although efforts to clear this hurdle should continue, the Recovery Team recommended starting reintroductions in different areas, both looking for other release sites in Wisconsin for the migratory whooping cranes, and starting a nonmigratory flock in Louisiana.

In 2009, total production could not quite keep up with mortality, with the total population of wild and captive birds dropping from 538 to 534 during a12-month period. The drop was primarily due to the high mortality experienced by the AWBP.

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Newsletter – Fall 2009

October 5th, 2009

WCCA Newsletter – Fall 2009

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Here They Come

September 29th, 2009

The first migrating whooping crane was sighted in North Dakota last week (Sept 24). It departed the Wood Buffalo nesting grounds in Canada recently. The crane is now on its 2,400 mile journey to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. We hope that all the whoopers have a safe migration because of the unusually high mortality in the flock this past year. And hopefully the recent rains in Texas have had a beneficial impact on whooping crane winter habitat.

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Fledging Whoopers Decline While Habitat Improves

August 31st, 2009

Brian Johns, Wildlife Biologist, Canadian Wildlife Service reports that: “Kathy St. Laurent and I completed surveys for fledgling whooping cranes and found 22 family groups, each with a single young. Habitat conditions were excellent with water levels higher than I have ever seen them at this time of year. In order to achieve these high water levels a much higher than average amount of rain fell during June (113.6mm or 2.5 times normal) and July (86mm or 1.5 times normal). Although the rain was welcome it came at a time when the young were still vulnerable to cool wet conditions and may have contributed to the lower than average survival of chicks to fledging age (0.35 chicks/nest vs 0.47). The high water levels will however, ensure that spring 2010 conditions are favorable. Given the number of young produced this year and the number of adults and subadults that were lost last winter, the population will decline in 2009.”

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Death Rate Spikes Among Migrating Whooping Cranes

August 26th, 2009

8/25/2009, 6:21 p.m. CDT
MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER
The Associated Press
(AP) – KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The world’s only naturally migrating whooping cranes, and the species’ best chance for survival, died at about twice their normal rate last year and will likely see an overall drop in their numbers, a worrying sign for the once near-extinct bird that has been making a comeback. The whooping crane-the tallest bird in North America at 5 1/2 feet (1 1/2 meters) tall-numbered just 15 in 1941 but now numbers 539 and is considered a success story by conservationists.

There are three North American flocks but only one that migrates without human help, traveling every autumn from northern Canada to the Gulf Coast in Texas. Normally, about 10 percent of the flock dies off each year, but last year about 21 percent died off. Including new births, this year’s flock is expected to drop by about 20 birds from last year’s 270 when counted after returning to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge this fall, said Tom Stehn, who oversees efforts to help the whooping crane for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

That would mark the first population decline for the flock since 2002. “We’re trying to figure out what’s killing all these whooping cranes,”Stehn said. That flock typically grows by about six birds each year, but it dropped 19 birds between April 2008 to April 2009, as 57 of the flock’s 266 birds died and were replaced by just 38 surviving hatchlings.

Hatchlings aren’t counted in the total population until they have made it to Aransas, outside Corpus Christi, Texas. This year only 52 birds hatched to the flock-a six-year low-and only 22 of those survived, Stehn said. “It’s disappointing,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out this year.” The flock’s population tends to dip about once each decade, but last year’s spring decline was so sharp and unexpected it was “alarming,”
Stehn said.

Because the flock that migrates 2,400 miles (3,860 kilometers) from Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada’s boreal forest to Aransas is the only self-sustaining flock, it is the species’ best chance for
survival, he said.

Whooping crane chicks from a flock in central Wisconsin are guided to Florida by ultralight aircraft. A third flock in central Florida that was heavily managed does not migrate and has not been reproducing. “The species remains so very endangered, and the threats are rising,” Stehn said.

It’s difficult to know exactly how the birds die in part because they’re not individually tracked and their 200-mile (320-kilometer) wide migration corridor is so large.

One likely cause for the population decline could be changes in habitat, Stehn said. A drought in Texas severely affected the whooping crane’s foods of blue crabs and berries. Corn feeders were set up to supplement the cranes’ diets, but only about half of them used the feeders. And wetlands and prairie have been making way for cornfields along parts of the flock’s flyway, which runs from northern Canada through Montana and the Dakotas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Kansas. Birds are also threatened by disease, including infectious bursal disease, which was found in cranes in Florida in 2002 and again in one bird in the Aransas flock last year.
(c) 2009 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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