Whoopers Happening

Whoopers Happening_Remembering the Class of 2006

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:36:00 GMT

This year, the largest flock ever of 20 young Whooping cranes was led to Florida by Operation Migration. Joe admits his hair is a bit grayer and it was the longest migration (by a day I think) so far; but just 3 years ago, 18 birds had arrived at Chassahowitzka. Their fate was quite different, as nature brought the 2nd worst storms to Central Florida in recorded history, killing 20 people in Lake County that same morning. Many homes were damaged by tornadoes, but it was the heavy rains and storm swells that took the Class of 2006 at their Chass pen site.

Beverly Paulan shares her thoughts about the birds recorded just days before this all happened. Joe Duff talks about the loss of these birds and one family who mourned their loss turned their sorrow into a sizable contribution to help the next generation of young Whoopers. Also, a short highlight with many of those who worked with those chicks that were lost early that morning, February 2nd, 2007. For a list of who said what with their comment, click here.

Whoopers Happening will have 'highlights' and some of the interviews done with those who created Whooping crane history and made the Eastern Introduced Flock possible in the months ahead.

photo: Richard Van Heuvelen leads most of the Class of 2006 as they fly over the Dunnellon Airport on December 19, 2006. Mark Chenoweth photo

A few photos of the Class of 2006, taken by USGS biologist Robert Doyle, can be seen here.

Whoopers Happening_56 All Flown Home!

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:24:00 GMT

The second half of the Class of 2009 have now been safely lead to their winter home at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge near Crystal River, FL. They completed the last, shorter leg of this trip this morning, and now the endless details of packing, storing trikes, materials and getting things together to head back north, where in June this will all begin again at Necedah NWR in Wisconsin!

They say practice makes perfect, and since Joe declares that they are the experts on leading bird migration (with little competition, save possibly one 'retired' guy named Kent Clegg out west!) they have this all down to both a science and procedure.

Now, it's up to those who make such decisions to do what they can to encourage and support propagation and successful fledging of chicks this year at Necedah. That means, if the other members of the WCEP team could become as good at what they do as Operation Migration has in leading the birds south each year, we should have many chicks out there and this flock will become self-sustaining! There has to be an answer, and with so much experience and expertise about these cranes and birding on the WCEP team, there must be a solution... but it really needs to happen this year!

So, to the other organizations who comprise the WCEP team... let's get it together and make 2010 THE year that perhaps 5 or 6 new chicks fledge and make it to migration this fall! This is the goal and has been all along... self-sustainability. They know what the issues are, and surely there are solutions that they can turn to. Black flies, climate, food supply... whatever the problems may have been, let's make this year the year it all turns around and proves this huge effort has been truly worthwhile!

Photos: Richard van Heuvelen leads the 2nd half of the Class of 2009 Whooping crane chicks over Dunnelon Airport above a waiting crowd January 19th 2010. The birds are now safely in their winter pen site and will return to Wisconsin on their own this spring.

Whoopers Happening_55 Hello Whoopers, Farewell Mama Crane!

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:39:00 GMT

This podcast comes almost on the eve of the Dunnellon flyover, so depending on the weather, the other half of the Class of 2009 is about to be introduced to their wintering site at Chassahowitzka NWR. By the time you hear this, they may be there. Again, many hours and individual efforts went into this migration for these 20 birds, and this brings the total Whooping crane count in the Eastern Introduced Flock to near 100 (with the 9 DAR chicks).

Beverly Paulan who has left Operation Migration talks about her experiences, and since she gave us so many moments here, I would like to present just a few of those. We wish Beverly all the best!

Check back very soon... the Dunnellon Flyover is perhaps only hours away, and we plan to be there!

Beverly Paulan with ultralight pilot and 'Dad Crane', Brooke Pennypacker. Taken January, 2007. Mark Chenoweth photo

Commitment...

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:15:00 GMT

It's going on 5 years now that I have done Whoopers Happening; (formerly Whooper Happenings... but what's an 's' between craniacs!) the next podcast begins the 5th year. I had fully planned to see the Class of 2010 through and even the Class of 2011 if there is one, hopefully, but resources... time, financial and more... have lead me to realize that I might be better doing something else, and I have offered to work doing podcasts for an endangered species organization. They are a non-profit, and like Whoopers Happening, there is no money involved or being generated.

I have enjoyed working with the WCEP team, and while I highlighted primarily what Operation Migration does in their work, this was not intended to be the limit to my focus. However, it became apparent that some groups are easier to work with than others, and some people just are not willing to talk with you or do not do it well. So, all things taken into consideration, I have decided that before the Class of 2010 is hatched I will likely cease reports and the site will go off-line.

It's hard to feel that you are making any sort of contribution to such work when you have the devotion and efforts of people like Brooke Pennypacker and Bev Paulan to define and illustrate what this is all about. I have personally witnessed what they do, and the physical as well as emotional workout all team members have each season is something only individuals with a real motivation and sincere attitude for helping these birds could endure. The OM management could hire almost anyone to work with the birds, but the jobs these people do cannot be actually written into a definition that someone could use and follow. The physical aspects alone are much more than many of you likely realize... lifting, pulling, walking, being uncomfortable in the costume in extreme heat or extreme cold, driving extended hours during migration and going through patience like Wall Street went through government bail-out funds last year. But the emotional side is even more trying, taxing both mental and heartfelt of most every team member working with these birds.

There have been special moments, we who have followed this work for some time, can identify with. But none of us were there with Bev Paulan and Marianne Wellington-Doyle when they visited the Class of 2006 in their pen the afternoon of February 2nd, 2007 after the devastating storms which hit Central Florida! Only experienced and professional people... after collecting their thoughts and allowing their emotions to flow, could continue during such unexpected emotional trauma.

Other highlights make such low points somewhat diminished, but the low points come back, as losing anything you value with so many hours and much devotion invested always breaks the heart.

It has been my pleasure and hopefully a small contribution to bring the voices and thoughts of a few of these special people to you these past 4 years. Not every podcast has been notable, and maybe only a few were even memorable. In the next few months I will offer excerpts from many of the episodes of Whoopers Happening, with the people who made things work and kept this project close to all of us. These are not people you find in just any vocation, but fortunately their dedication and hard work has helped bring the Whooping cranes to a much more comfortable population in North America, and extinction further from the reality it was not all that many years ago.

I will miss working with many of those I have talked with, but I won't be far, and hopefully they will participate with me if I can feature the Whooping crane as part of a message within that organization. There are many species that are deserving of conservation, and some even closer to complete loss than our Whooping cranes. All any of us want to do is help in some way... even a small way, to bring a reality check to others and motivate and educate, bringing awareness to what can be done to save these creatures.

Our planet is dying, and has been for years. Somehow we have accelerated that process, and today many birds besides the Whooping cranes are endangered. Unless we do something about the habitat we keep forcing them to give up and the wetlands and oceans we are developing and polluting... we face a stark and lonely world, which will not even tolerate us in the end.

So, in the weeks ahead, I hope you will enjoy some reminders of past individuals and what they have done to make this work successful and give us over 100 birds we actually have in the Eastern Introduced Flock today. If you have a comment or question about anything you hear, do send an e-mail to whoopershappening@earthlink.net .

Thanks for listening... and for caring!

Mark

Whoopers Happening_54 Momma Crane Leaving Her Flock

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:03:05 GMT

The reward for information about the shooting of female #217 has been raised again... with what an anonymous donor has added, it is now at $10,000, and if anyone has knowledge of her shooting near Cayuga, IN right after Thanksgiving, please call 1-800-847-4367. You do not have to give your name to be eligible for the reward which would lead to a conviction of whomever shot this valuable, rare bird.

I talked a little with Joe and Brooke, but the real news is from Beverly Paulan, who is leaving the OM team in mid January. Beverly will be flying for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. She is a skilled pilot, and this will make great use of her experience and what she has wanted to do for some time. She says she will miss the team and working with the Whooping crane chicks, but she won't be far away! Listen to what she told me, which may be news to most listeners.

Whoopers Happening and of course the entire OM team, and those who work with them... all of the WCEP, wish everyone a blessed, happy holiday and most prosperous New Year. The latter we can especially use.

The Answer Was... What Is A Whooping Crane?

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:53:00 GMT

Tonight on Jeopardy, the final Jeopardy category was 'North American Birds'. The question Alex asked his contestants, who had scored well, was: This bird is known for its size (5 feet tall) its call (carries 2 miles) and its rarity; in 1941 there were only 21 in the wild.

No one got the answer correct. They all answered 'What is a condor?' or 'What is a California Condor?'

Even people who are well educated and knowledgeable are not aware of the Whooping cranes and it is up to those of us who care to educate and inform those around us. The story may fall on many deaf ears, but the ones who listen and then become craniacs or conservation activists are what we hope for. Never assume that everyone knows or is as interested as we are. Even caring just a little is better than being in the dark about any endangered species. If they don't know, they cannot help in saving the birds!

Whoopers Happening_53 Almost Halfway...

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:07:00 GMT

The Operation Migration team is approaching the halfway mark, and hopefully can get there... well, not to push it, but maybe even this week? Poor weather... cold, rainy and windy conditions have grounded them for days, though two consecutive fly days with a stop skipped each day seemed wonderful. But a few more like that would be more in the spirit of the holiday! They haven't had the birds in Florida for the holidays since 2006, so this year may be no different. Mid to late January has been the arrival for the last few years, but they will be taking 10 birds to St. Marks NWR, and the other 10 to Chassahowitzka NWR... spitting the flock as they did last year. This insures another disaster as happened in early 2007 wont take all the birds as it did then, but other safety measures are now in place as well to safeguard the birds.

This podcast has several repeat chats with pilots from earlier this year, including Don and Paula Lounsbury, who lost their Cessna 182 on December 5th when their engine cut out, likely due to icing conditions in the fuel tank ports on the wings. Landing in a rough field with no power caused their front wheel to collapse, and the aircraft flipped end over, landing upside down. Neither experienced any injury, but the flip caused severe damage to their Cessna. For now and likely through the remaining migration, the team may have to do without top cover support.

We'll check in with the refuges to see if any of the birds from past years have arrived or been spotted yet, and also birds have arrived in greater numbers at Aransas.

Brian Johns retired in October with the Canada Wildlife Services, but he puts the losses from last winter at Aransas in perspective.

Finally, do you know how many Whooping cranes there are now? We'll tell you... give or take a few!

Photo: Top cover pilots Paula and Don Lounsbury. Mark Chenoweth photo.

Whoopers Happening_52 'Fly Away Home'?

whooperhappenings@earthlink.net (Mark Chenoweth) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:47:00 GMT

Back on November 20th, the birds were released to fly and get some exercise, after being confined to their pen for days due to rain and poor weather. But only 4 birds returned, while the other 16 kept going, actually heading south on their own! This was a first in the 9 years Operation Migration has led Whooping crane chicks from Wisconsin to Florida.
Was it instinctive or just coincidence? Both Joe and Beverly explain what actually happened and why.