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Ontario Rare Bird Alert

[Ontbirds]Whooping Cranes on the Bruce

Keith Sharp

Mon, Apr 18, 2005 12:07 PM

The big story around Owen Sound this week was the report of three Whooping Cranes that apparently had gotten lost on their travels south and had been spotted earlier that week by a couple in Port Elgin.
Much speculation where they could be with a number of birders out at Isaac Lake (north of Wiarton) on Sunday, only to find the resident Sandhill Cranes. Apparently there is an Alvar area near Port Elgin where the lost birds might be hanging out as they try to figure a way to cross Lake Huron.
Keith Sharp
Toronto
keith@accessmag.com

The big story around Owen Sound this week was the report of three Whooping Cranes that apparently had gotten lost on their travels south and had been spotted earlier that week by a couple in Port Elgin. Much speculation where they could be with a number of birders out at Isaac Lake (north of Wiarton) on Sunday, only to find the resident Sandhill Cranes. Apparently there is an Alvar area near Port Elgin where the lost birds might be hanging out as they try to figure a way to cross Lake Huron. Keith Sharp Toronto keith@accessmag.com

Allen Chartier

Mon, Apr 18, 2005 2:23 PM

Birders,

Bob Russell, who is with the US Fish & Wildlife Service in Minnesota, asked
me to post the following to the Michigan chat groups, but this is obviously
of interest to ONTBIRDS subscribers as well...

Allen Chartier
amazilia1@comcast.net
1442 West River Park Drive
Inkster, MI 48141
Website: http://www.amazilia.net
Michigan HummerNet: http://www.amazilia.net/MIHummerNet/index.htm

Allen: would you mind posting this to the Michigan birdnet. Thought folks
might be interested in the Michigan birds and we could use help in spotting
some of these birds as some of their radio collars are unreliable. Thanks!
Bob Russell, Twin Cities, MN

Whooping Crane update: at least 2 birds of the Eastern experimental
population (total 45 birds) are probably somewhere in the western or
northwestern Lower Peninsula; three others that summered in Michigan last
year and wintered in the Carolinas, moved north only to find their way
blocked by Lake Erie (cranes prefer not to fly over large water bodies).
These birds were seen near Cleveland, Ohio, then were watched in awe by hawk
watchers in extreme western New York heading eastward, and were last
reported in Ontario over the weekend near the Bruce Peninsula. Apparently
the birds made the turn near Niagara and oriented back towards Michigan,
only to run into another big lake, Lake Huron. Since these introduced birds
seem to have a northern latitude past which they seem reluctant to fly
(basically the latitude of NC Wisconsin where they were raised), one
scenario envisions these birds backtracking down to the Port Huron--Lake St.
Clair region and getting around the lake there rather than island hopping
over to Manitoulin Island and over to Michigan over the top of Lake Huron.
Any observations would be most welcome and may be sent to
Robert_Russell@fws.gov and I will forward them to the project biologist
Richard Urbanek who is in the field. As these birds are very susceptible to
human disturbance and great effort is being made to keep them wild, please
do not approach closely and e-mail me through back channels. Hopefully in a
few years such sightings will be more routine and everyone will be able to
watch these magnificant birds throughout the Midwest.

Bob Russell,
USFish and Wildlife Service,
Twin Cities
Robert_Russell@fws.gov

Birders, Bob Russell, who is with the US Fish & Wildlife Service in Minnesota, asked me to post the following to the Michigan chat groups, but this is obviously of interest to ONTBIRDS subscribers as well... Allen Chartier amazilia1@comcast.net 1442 West River Park Drive Inkster, MI 48141 Website: http://www.amazilia.net Michigan HummerNet: http://www.amazilia.net/MIHummerNet/index.htm Allen: would you mind posting this to the Michigan birdnet. Thought folks might be interested in the Michigan birds and we could use help in spotting some of these birds as some of their radio collars are unreliable. Thanks! Bob Russell, Twin Cities, MN Whooping Crane update: at least 2 birds of the Eastern experimental population (total 45 birds) are probably somewhere in the western or northwestern Lower Peninsula; three others that summered in Michigan last year and wintered in the Carolinas, moved north only to find their way blocked by Lake Erie (cranes prefer not to fly over large water bodies). These birds were seen near Cleveland, Ohio, then were watched in awe by hawk watchers in extreme western New York heading eastward, and were last reported in Ontario over the weekend near the Bruce Peninsula. Apparently the birds made the turn near Niagara and oriented back towards Michigan, only to run into another big lake, Lake Huron. Since these introduced birds seem to have a northern latitude past which they seem reluctant to fly (basically the latitude of NC Wisconsin where they were raised), one scenario envisions these birds backtracking down to the Port Huron--Lake St. Clair region and getting around the lake there rather than island hopping over to Manitoulin Island and over to Michigan over the top of Lake Huron. Any observations would be most welcome and may be sent to Robert_Russell@fws.gov and I will forward them to the project biologist Richard Urbanek who is in the field. As these birds are very susceptible to human disturbance and great effort is being made to keep them wild, please do not approach closely and e-mail me through back channels. Hopefully in a few years such sightings will be more routine and everyone will be able to watch these magnificant birds throughout the Midwest. Bob Russell, USFish and Wildlife Service, Twin Cities Robert_Russell@fws.gov