Journey North Whooping Cranes

Meet the New 2005 Whooping Crane Chicks!
Hatch-year 2005 of the Eastern Flock

DAR 27-05: "Jumblies"

Date Hatched at ICF

2005

Gender

Female

Date Released in Wisconsin

October 25, 2005

Permanent Band Colors
Left Leg:
G/W radio USFWS bands

Right Leg: PTT
R/W

Read about the naming system, release site in Wisconsin, over-wintering site in Florida and leg-band codes.

Personality and History: Scroll Down for Most Current

Migration Training: She was hatched at ICF and named "Jumblies." She was transferred to the Necedah NWR at 1 month of age. Marianne Wellington is a chick-rearing specialist who wore a costume and raised the 4 DAR chicks there. They fledged (learned to fly) when they were around 70 days old. Unlike their cousins for the ultralight-led migration, the DAR chicks roamed freely on the refuge. Marianne and other costumed parents checked on them many times each day. At night until they're released the chicks are safe in a big pen with a pond and a net over the top. Weight: 7.1 kg on Oct. 22.

DAR Chick #27-05 (along with #33-05) was released for good on the refuge near adult whooping cranes on Oct. 25, 2005. She has been hanging out with other sandhill cranes and whooping cranes on the refuge and nearby areas.


Releasing DAR #527 on a pond at Necedah NWR 10/25/05	Costume and DAR 27-05 in crate, ready for release 10/25/05	Photos ICF, Marianne Wellington

History
Fall 2005--First Migration South as a Direct Release Bird:The four DAR birds began migration Nov. 24 from Necedah NWR when an Arctic air mass with 20 to 40 mile per hour winds moved into Wisconsin. They left at 10:33AM with +50 sandhill cranes. Taking advantage of a strong tailwind, these birds soon were far ahead of the tracking team, who were snarled in a traffic jam on the WI-IL border. The three DAR females each carry a PTT transmitter, and #27-05 was detected northeast of Louisville, KY. That means she traveled a whopping 455 miles on the first day of her migration! She was not with the other DAR chicks, whose signals were not detected. After circling Louisville for a day in a small airplane, tracker Sara Zimorski found her at an arboretum south of town, right next to a public walking path. Sara knew that a place so near human activity was unsafe for #27-05. She notified her supervisor, Dr. Richard Urbanek. He was providing ground support for Sara when she was tracking from the airplane. Dr. Urbanek and a helper, wearing the familiar white costumes, got near to #27-05 on Nov. 28 with a cardboard box and an ear of corn. She had been raised by biologists wearing these same suits, so #27-05 cautiously came near. They carefully pushed her into the box. The captured #27-05 was then driven 28 miles eastward. They released her among sandhill cranes in a remote waterfowl refuge that was closed to the public. She left on Nov. 29, with a 20 mph west wind. She was migrating alone. Without guidance from other cranes, she proceeded slowly southward while being blown eastward by the wind. She landed to roost about 5 PM in Laurel County, Kentucky. She resumed migration the next day (Nov. 30), flying southward alone. She landed about 1 PM in Bledsoe County, Tennessee--one ridge and valley west of Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. Then she likely heard or saw sandhill cranes (they're loud), and flew the short distance over Walden Ridge to land about 4 PM among more than 100 sandhills in a wetland near Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. Hooray! She made it from north-central Kentucky to the big crane gathering area at Hiwassee without the guidance of other cranes except for the final short incoming flight. She remained to roost with more than 300 sandhill cranes, and is still there, along with DAR 28-05.

Spring 2006: Began migration from Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Tennessee on February 26! She was with DAR female #28-05. PTT readings showed they roosted that night in Kentucky. They were in northwestern Indiana by February 28. Then the two separated. Chick #27-05 moved to another Indiana wildlife area with a flock of migrating sandhills until March 30, when PTT readings showed she resumed migration. she made it to Green Lake County and Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin on that date. She completed migration to Necedah NWR on April 27. She spent the summer with a large sandhill crane flocks in Winnebago County and Marathon County, WI.

Fall 2006: Began migration Nov. 19 and made it to Jasper-Pulaski SFWA in Indiana, by 20 November. As of Dec. 27, remained with thousands of staging or wintering sandhillson Hiwassee wildlife Refuge in Meigs County, Tennessee.

Spring 2007: Began migration from Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Tennessee after February 12. According to PTT readings, DAR 27-05 roosted in Pike County, Indiana, on the night of February 21. On March 18 she was reported with sandhill cranes in
Jasper-Pulaski FWA, Indiana — good crane habitat on the migration route. A signal (exact location undetermined) was detected in Columbia County, Wisconsin, during an aerial survey on March 29.

Fall 2007: Arrived on Jasper-Pulaski FWA in Indiana on or by November 22. Arrived on Hiwassee WR in Tennessee on December 3 and was still there the end of December.

Spring 2008: Female DAR 27-05 began spring migration during sometime between February 28 and March 3. She was reported with migrating sandhills in Jackson County, Indiana, until she resumed migration on March 16 or 17. No further reports since then, but an unconfirmed sighting in Fond du Lac County, WI on April 17 may have been this bird.

Fall 2008: Reported with large numbers of Sandhill cranes in Wisconsin in mid October. She was confirmed on her winter area at Hiwassee WR in Tennessee on November 23 and last confirmed there on February 5.

Spring 2009: She was reported on migration— in Hardin County, Kentucky on February 22 in large flocks of migrating sandhills. She was reported with sandhill cranes in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, on March 24. An unconfirmed report of a whooping crane Shawano County on March 26 may have been of this bird. She was in Alger County on Michigan's Upper Peninsula on April 18, and she was next observed on Necedah NWR on June 9 with #412.

Fall 2009: The wayward DAR 27-05 was observed on Necedah NWR, still with 412, in early October.

Last updated: 10/6/09

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