Bai He Returns to Yakutia, Russia

Earlier this week we received news that Bai He had arrived in Yakutia, Russia! The new location placed the young Siberian Crane to the northeast of Yakutsk, the capital of Yakutia, approximately 1,400 miles northeast of his last known location at Momoge National Nature Reserve in northeastern China.

Just yesterday we received a new coordinate that places him approximately 400 miles to the north (less than 100 miles from the East Siberian Sea - that is far north!). His current location is near where he was captured and banded in northern Yakutia (where his parents nested) in August 2008. Click on the image below to view a larger version on the map.

We have followed Bai He for nine months as he has journeyed nearly 6,000 miles between his summering and wintering areas. We hope to continue receiving signals from his satellite transmitter over the next few months, so we can follow his movements during his first summer away from his parents. We thank you for joining us on this exciting journey!

Spring Migration Update: Jilin Province

Our last update on Bai He, the banded Siberian Crane that we are tracking north this spring, placed the young crane in Liaoning Province in northeastern China. Just yesterday we were excited to receive a location coordinate from Jilin Province, over 200 miles to the north (click here to view the migration map)! The location is within the Momoge National Nature Reserve, another important "rest stop" for Siberian Cranes along their East Asia flyway. Last spring, over 2,000 Siberian Cranes were observed at the reserve, and Bai He stopped in this area for several days last fall as he migrated south. Next stop - Russia!

Siberian Cranes at Momoge National Nature Reserve
in spring 2008. Photos by Ren Qing.

Russian Nature Reserves Celebrate 10 Year Anniversary

Last fall, Masha Vladimirtseva, Three White Cranes educator and researcher, sent us two updates from northeastern Russia as the Siberian Cranes migrated through this area (see our posting on Crane Days in Southern Yakutia and earlier postings from October 2008). A few weeks ago Masha passed on the news that two of the reserves that protect wetlands along the Siberian Crane flyway in southern Yakutia, Chabda and Kuoluma-Chappanda Republic Resource Reserves, are celebrating their ten year anniversaries in early May 2009.

As Bai He, our banded Siberian Crane, continues his northern migration, he may be migrating through Chabda and Kuoluma-Chappanda Reserves with other Siberian Cranes. Our last location from Bai He was received on April 8, 2009 in northeastern China. We received two poor quality signals from his transmitter last week, but we are optimistic that we will receive further location coordinates as he continues to move north.

To learn more about the Chabda and Kuoluma Chappanda Reserves, read Masha and her colleague's story on the UNEP/GEF Siberian Crane Wetland Project website.

Maya River, Chabda Republic Resource Reserve

Huanzidong Reservoir, Liaoning Province

Earlier this week we received some exciting news - a Chinese photographer saw Bai He on March 27th at Huanzidong Reservior in Liaoning Province, China! A week earlier (March 20) we received a location coordinate placing Bai Hai near the reservoir, so it was great news to receive confirmation of the young crane's location. Our most recent location, received April 2, shows that Bai He has remained in this area, which is an important rest stop for Siberian Cranes during their long migrations. Last fall, Bai He also stopped for several days near the reservoir (see our postings from November 2008 for more information on Huanzidong Reservoir and Bai He's fall migration).


In the above image, Bai He (left) is landing near the edge of a wetland with a second Siberian Crane. This is the first known picture of Bai He since he was banded in Yakutia, Russia in August 2008. In the below image, you can see the antenna for Bai He's transmitter on his left leg (the transmitter is attached to a plastic band with the number 00 engraved on the side) and a small metal band on his right leg.


We thank Zhu Ying for permission to post his beautiful image and Wang Ximin for sharing this news.

Siberian Crane Spring Migration Update

This week we received new location data from the Siberian Crane, Bai He, that we are tracking in eastern China. We last received data from Bai He's transmitter on March 5 from the wintering grounds in the Poyang Lake Basin. On March 17 we received new data placing Bai He in eastern China in Hebei Province, approximately 1300 km (808 miles) from the previous location! We believe that Bai He began migration sometime between the 3rd and 17th (due to signal interference in eastern China, we are uncertain when Bai He left the wintering area). We are hopeful that we will continue to receive periodic signals from Bai He's transmitter, so that we can continue to follow his northern migration.

Meanwhile, in late February Neya, the Siberian Crane that was released this winter in northern Iran, moved approximately 240 km (149 miles) northwest from her wintering site. Unfortunately, we have not received any new location data from her transmitter since March 1, 2009.

Click on the image to the right to view an updated map of the spring migration.

Spring is in the Air

As we wait for the last snow to melt in the north, and the buds to open on trees and shrubs further south in the United States, we are also preparing for the northern spring migrations of wildlife throughout the world. Birds in the south are preparing for their northern flights and are gaining extra fat to fuel their spring migrations, including cranes in North America, Europe and Asia.

Last fall, we tracked two young Siberian Cranes as they completed their first migration from Yakutia, Russia to their wintering area in the Poyang Lake Basin in China. We tracked both cranes over 3,000 miles as they journeyed south (see the migration map below) and have monitored their movements through the winter months. We've stopped receiving location data from one of the cranes (No. 59948), but we are still receiving periodic signals from the second crane, Bai He (formerly No. 59947).

We hope we can track Bai He as he begins his northern migration in a few weeks, to learn where young Siberian Cranes along the East Asia flyway spend their first summer away from their parents (researchers believe these cranes may spend their first summer in a different location from breeding adults).

We are also excited to be tracking a new Siberian Crane along the species' western flyway this spring. The crane, Neya, was raised in captivity at Oka Crane Breeding Center in western Russia and released on the western population's wintering grounds in northern Iran in December 2008. Neya has paired with a male Siberian Crane that returned to the wintering grounds in fall 2008 (see image below - Neya is on the left). We are hopeful that the two cranes will migrate together, so that we can learn where the cranes summer. The male Siberian Crane is the only confirmed remaining wild crane in the western population, so this migration is very special. There are unconfirmed reports of other Siberian Cranes along the western flyway, but we are not certain where they spend the summer.

We hope that you will join us in the coming weeks as we track the Siberian Crane spring migrations in Asia!

Fall Migration Ends

In the last few weeks we received new location data from our banded Siberian Cranes confirming that both birds have arrived on their wintering area in the Poyang Lake Basin (Jiangxi Province, China)! On November 25, we received a location for No. 59947 from the wintering area, and on December 6 we received a location for No. 59948 from a nearby area in the Poyang Lake Basin (see below image).

We will continue to update our online migration map during the winter, and we hope that you can join us in the spring as we follow the banded cranes on their return migration north to Russia. Researchers studying the banded cranes are excited to see what habitats the cranes use during the winter (do they use areas with high water or low water, etc.?), and they are especially interested to learn where the banded chicks return in the spring (do they return to the breeding areas in northeastern Russia or spend the summer in a different area?).

We also wanted to share with you some great images from the fall migration on birdnet.cn, a blog for birders to share information and news about birds in China.

Click on the following link to view images from Huanzidong Reservoir, Liaoning Province http://www.birdnet.cn/bbs/thread-34527-1-1.html (check out our blog posting from mid November on Huanzidong Reservoir for more information on this site).

A single Siberian Crane was also sighted in Zhejiang Province in eastern China on November 28, 2008. Click here, http://www.birdnet.cn/bbs/thread-36092-1-1.html, to view several up-close images of this beautiful bird.

A Week in the Life of a Crane

As we wait to receive new location data from our two banded Siberian Cranes, we thought it would be fun to share with you a few more details about where the Siberian Cranes stopped to rest in Liaoning Province earlier this month.

Our first crane, No. 59947, spent at least 12 days (October 31 - November 11) near a large, shallow water reservoir (Wolong Lake). The reservoir is on the west side of Kanping City (the local county seat) in central Liaoning Province. In the past, the water in the reservoir was between 1.5-3.5 m deep; but, in 2003, the reservoir completely dried out and there was no more water. The local goverment started storing water back in the reservoir in late 2005, and the reservoir was set up as a provincial nature reserve when it was restored (a provincial reserve is similar to a state park in the United States). Most of the reservoir was covered by aquatic plants in very shallow water, especially at the southern end. In spring 2008, 800 Siberian Cranes were observed at the reservoir during annual waterbird surveys. Red-crowned Cranes and Swan Geese have also been observed at the reservoir.

The image above shows the locations of No. 59947 as it moved around the reservoir in early November (click on the image to view a larger version of the map).

At the same time, between October 30 - November 2, No. 59948 moved to southeastern Inner Mongolia, about 60 km southeast of Tongliao City. This location is in the southern part of the Keerqin Desert. There are many sand dunes and also many small lakes and ponds in the desert . The location of the banded crane is by one of those shallow lakes (click on the picture below to view a larger version of the map).

On November 6 No. 59948 moved south and stopped along the Yellow Sea coast in Liaoning Province. This location is right on the salt marsh (pictures below) near the mouth of the Daling River. Click on the image below to view a larger version of the map.

We thank Dr. Su Lying and Jim Harris for submitting this information and images.

Huanzidong Reservoir, Liaoning Province

This week, we received an exciting update on the Siberian Crane fall migration in eastern China from Mr. Zhou Haixiang, who recently visited Huanzidong Reservoir in Liaoning Province. Huanzidong Reservoir is located northwest of Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning. Our last location for No. 59947 from November 10th places this crane near the reservoir. Meanwhile, No. 59948 arrived on the northern shore of the Bo Hai Sea on November 5th. The Bo Hai Sea is an important "rest stop" for hundreds of thousands of migratory waterbirds in eastern China. To learn more about this area, check out our fact sheet and PowerPoint presentation on Tianjin, the third largest city in China on the western shores of Bo Hai.

"The Siberian Crane flock size at the migration stopover site in Huanzidong Reservoir in central Liaoning Province, China, gradually increased from over 20 birds in early October, up to 430 birds on November 5. On November 6, most of the cranes left the area to continue their southern migration (photos 1-3 below). Over a hundred Siberian Cranes remain at the site (photo 4 below). About 10% of the remaining cranes are chicks from this year (maybe one of our banded chicks was in this flock!). Mr. Zhou said that normally Siberian Cranes leave Huanzidong in late October, and by early November all of the cranes are gone. This fall the cranes are leaving later than in other years.

Besides Siberian Cranes, on November 5, 44 Hooded Cranes were observed at the site. These cranes left for the south the same day (photo 5 below). Flocks of Oriental White Storks have been arriving at the site in small groups of 20-50 birds, and left in October for the south."

We thank Dr. Su Liying for sending us this report and Mr. Zhou Haixiang for allowing us to post his beautiful images.

Student Camps in Northeast China

The two banded Siberian Cranes that we are tracking this fall are currently located in Northeast China near several wetland nature reserves that are involved in our Three White Cranes project. This area is an important migration "rest stop" for Siberian Cranes, which may gather in large flocks of over over one thousand birds to rest and feed before continuing their migration. The image below was taken by Russian researcher, Sergei Sleptsov, in October 2007 at Momoge Nature Reserve in northwestern Jilin Province. Perhaps our two banded cranes have stopped to rest in this same area as they journey south this fall!

Since 2000, the International Crane Foundation has partnered with nature reserves in Russia and China to host international environmental camps at the wetland reserves used by the migrating cranes. Summer camps are a strong tradition in both countries, and through this project we are able to combine this tradition with learning about the environment and cranes. Through these camps, teachers and students from the United States, Russia and China learn about wetlands and cranes, along with their shared responsibility in protecting these valuable resources.

This summer, four American teachers from Milwaukee and Racine WI, along with educators from the Amur Region in southeastern Russia, traveled to Northeast China to participate in two student camps at the Xianghai and Keerqin Nature Reserves. Nearly 50 Chinese students and 21 teachers and reserve staff participated in the Xianghai camp, which included training for the local teachers prior to the student activities and focused on the themes of water, wetlands, forests and waterbirds. Following the Xianghai camp, the Russian and American teachers traveled to neighboring Keerqin Nature Reserve to help lead a second camp for 20 local students.

Following are several images from the teacher training and student camp held in July 2008 at the Xianghai reserve (photos by Zhang Juan). To learn more about the Xianghai camp activities, read our previous post Crane Art Six Meters Long...Brings Students Together.

Crane Days in Southern Yakutia

By Masha Vladimirtseva

This fall is very special because of two young Siberian Cranes who have their special task to carry PTTs (satellite transmitters for tracking the birds) and show their migration routes to the world.

Three people from our Institute went to southern Yakutia to watch and count Siberian Cranes along the flyway and transit stops in middle to late September. But I also had another goal – the education work in local schools and participation in Crane Days of the local schools. On September 25, we went to the school in Petropavlosk, and on September 26, we visited a school in Ust-Maya. More than 100 students were involved in the Crane Day activities.

There were several very fascinating shows in both schools performed by the students (below), and in Ust-Maya a group of older people from the settlement participated in the celebration. I gave my presentation on our Three White Cranes, Two Flyways, One World project. The students especially liked the Siberian Crane calls that I had taped at the International Crane Foundation – the cranes call very loudly!



In Ust-Maya we also discussed with teachers the summer camp held at the Chabda Resource Reserve in 2008. Students from the Ust-Maya school had a great experience to spend time on the nesting territory of the Hooded Crane and transit territory of the Siberian Crane. The students could watch Hooded Cranes flying over the Chabda Reserve building and hear the cranes’ calls. They liked the wooden models of Siberian Cranes made by ornithologist Vasily Okoneshnikov to attract real cranes to the feeding grounds during their migration.

On September 28-30, using bear trails in the tightly grown forest, we visited two bird observation points. The observation areas were built by inspector Peter Tokumov, who monitors the Siberian Crane migration every fall and spring. The first was a very high (15 m) wooden ladder with a small viewing deck, built on a hill. The second was a small blind for hiding from the wind made from stones and built on another hill. Both observation points were built about 4 km from each other, on either side of the Siberian Crane flyway.

On October 1, we conducted a Crane Day celebration in the Okhotski Perevoz school. The settlement is on both banks of the Aldan River and to reach the school we had to be transported to the right bank. This school includes just 25 students. We presented a “Crane Day” banner to the school. We showed them the Crane Day presentation and many crane pictures and videos, and talked with them. All of the students see migrating cranes every fall and spring. All of the children were rewarded with pins, stickers and posters. The young artists who presented their pictures for the website were rewarded with books and and other prizes.

That night, we saw our first flock of seven Siberian Cranes, with two young. On October 2 we saw two flocks of nine and 19 Siberian Cranes. We saw many more cranes the next day. While returning to the school, we met three local men who also counted cranes. They wrote digits (counting results) carved with a knife on fire wood. In the school, we showed our just taken photos to the children. Some of them had seen these birds, also. We continued to count Siberian Cranes flying over Okhotski Perevoz and counted 798 individuals. Some people could see these cranes far from the settlement.

Fall Migration Field Update

Masha Vladimirtseva emailed us yesterday with news from the field about the Siberian Crane fall migration. Masha and members of the Tomponski Inspection of Nature Protection counted 798 migrating Siberian Cranes (nearly 20% of the eastern population!) between October 1 - 6 in Tomponski Ulus in southern Yakutia. This is close to the recent locations of the two banded chicks that we are following this fall (view the migration map at www.scwp.info/imaps.html).

During the survey the researchers stayed with Rosa and Alexey Zelepukhin, local residents who watch the migration every year and give their reports to Masha's Institute in Yakutsk. Their survey location was 1 km to the west of Okhotski Perevoz, on the left bank of the Aldan River.

On October, 3, the group visited the head of Okhotski Perevoz's Administration, Vasili Federov. While discussing the Three White Cranes project with Masha and her colleagues, he received a telephone call and learned from a local woman that Siberian Cranes were flying over the Administration building. They jumped out of the building and counted 11 flocks of 8 to 80 cranes, including chicks. During just 10 minutes they saw 481 Siberian Cranes.

School Far in the Taiga

This story is about a school in a small village in the taiga of Yakutia, Russia. There is neither internet nor telephone or fax, and we connect to the school through Rosa Zelepukhina, a forester and shy old woman, who has worked hard all her life, and who comes to our Institute from time to time. She organizes Crane Celebrations in several schools in her region, Tomponski Ulus, in southeastern Yakutia. She encourages children to participate in environmental actions. Several local children were very late with their art preparation for the Republic Art Competition, “Siberian Crane - the Bird of Happiness.” At that time Rosa had just returned from our Institute with special prizes from the Organizing Committee for the Competition participants. She had no additional prizes for these students. She organized the local Exposition of these arts and still rewarded them with prizes she prepared herself. Introduction by Masha Vladimirtseva, Yakutsk, Russia

This is Rosa's story:

There is a small village, Okhotsky Perevoz (Hunter’s Transit) in southeastern Yakutia along the eastern Siberian Crane flyway. It was founded in 1936 as transit point on the Aldan River, a eastern tributary of the Lena River. In the past, shipments to the Okhotsky Sea were transported through this village by horses. Once it was a densely populated village, but then other roads were developed and the village lost its former status. At the present, 106 people live there, and only 19 students study in the school built for as many as 150 pupils. There are Yakutian, Russian, Belarus and Ukraine students.

In former times on the left bank of the Aldan River there was a Hydro-Meteorological Station, with 32 working staff, with a scientific research boat named Synoptic. And now there are just five staff. Many staff became teachers in Okhotsky Perevoz’s school. Director Elena Bashtovaya and the teachers do their best to make children feel close to the interior world in this remote land. Some topic parties are held every week here. We have a special summer camp. We have summer field trips, berry and mushroom gathering. Every spring and fall children ages six and older help adults count migrating Siberian Cranes and fill out the counting forms. Every year we celebrate Crane Day. Our students participated in the Republic Competition “Siberian Crane - the Bird of Happiness,” and two girls, Ira and Christina, won first prizes.

A very beautiful environment embraces this small village. But life here is not easy. And it is a great wonder that our people do not just survive in such hard conditions, but also develop the souls of our children.

Click here to read more stories about students in Yakutia, China and the United States participating in the Three White Cranes project.

Spring Migration Part 2

Our last posting in early April on the Siberian Crane spring migration followed the migrating cranes to Liaoning Province in eastern China (see Spring Migration). By the end of April, over 1,000 Siberian Cranes were observed at Momoge Nature Reserve in Jilin Province. The wetlands in Momoge and surrounding reserves in Northeast China provide safe places for the cranes to rest and feed as they continue their migration north. Next stop - Siberia!

Siberian Cranes at Momoge Nature Reserve.
Photos by Ms. Ren Qing.

Spring Migration

Like our Whooping and Sandhill Cranes in the eastern United States, the Siberian Cranes along the east Asia flyway have started their spring migration north. Since March 27 more than 1,000 Siberian Cranes have been observed in central Liaoning Province (Liaoning Province is located northeast of Tianjin, one of our Three White Cranes project sites along the Bohai Sea in eastern China). On March 31, a banded Siberian Crane was observed in a flock of over 800 cranes in this area. The bird was banded as a chick in Yakutia, Russia in August 2005. The Siberian Cranes will migrate over 3,000 miles from their wintering grounds in the Poyang Lake Basin to their breeding and summering grounds in northeastern Russia.

Siberian Cranes in Liaoning Province. Photos by Zhou Haixiang