Fall 1990 Whooping Crane Report

The following is a synopsis of the report from the U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service with regard to Whooping Crane sightings from this fall. The report consists of confirmed, probable, and unconfirmed sightings during the season (these terms are defined in NBR 56:79). The USFWS states that under best conditions 155 cranes, including at least 13 fledged young, should have made the trip to Aransas this fall. As of December 19, 1990, nine of these birds had not arrived. The most spectacular confirmed sighting of the fall was a record group of 13 birds seen together in Saskatchewan on October 12. Twelve separate confirmed sightings were also reported in areas around Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas, the important wetlands area which has been much beleaguered by drought as of late. Perhaps most encouraging is that the fall season produced a record 78 confirmed sightings in the United States and Canada during fall migration