Whooping Cranes Sited at Quivira NWR

A reliable report of 6 adult Whooping Cranes on February 8 between 9:30 and 10:00 am, about 4 miles west of Big Salt Marsh in Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford County. They were near the corner of NE 160th Street and NE 60th Avenue. This is about 2 miles west of the Stafford/Ellinwood blacktop. The birds were with a large flock of Sandhill Cranes and possibly roosted overnight at Quivira.

            It is uncertain whether these birds are still present in the area as of mid-afternoon, but there has been regular use of Big Salt Marsh by Sandhill Cranes over the past week. Some cranes are undoubtedly feeding in the vicinity and returning nightly to roost at Quivira.

            There is only one previous February record of Whooping Cranes in the Quivira area.  These birds were sited on February 19, about ten years ago. In 2012 numerous Whooping Cranes were observed in the Quivira area though out January. It was hard to tell if these birds were stragglers and never made the entire migration south to Aransas NWR in Texas or they were early migrants headed north.

            If you are interested in birding information at Quivira NWR, go to their website at:http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Quivira/.