[Taxacom] Whooping cranes (new records set)

[Ken Kinman]

Dear All,
     The original wild whooping crane flock at Aransas in Texas has set a 
new record of 224 whoopers, and this includes a new record of 42 chicks.  
The old record was 220 last year (at least for the 20th and 21 Centuries).  
This new record includes one whooping crane family whose health was feared 
in jeopardy because they apparently landed in oil-polluted water in Canada 
or during migration to their Nebraska stopover.  Yet they completed the 
migration to Texas and appear to be acting normally (so far, so good).

     The ultralight-led flock of juvenviles from Wisconsin to Florida are 
presently in Tennessee without any losses, and the "official" world 
population should well exceed 500 by the end of December.  One would think 
that a non-migrating species like the black-footed ferret would be easier to 
protect and reintroduce, but the widespread human hatred of their preferred 
food source (prairie dogs) seems to far outweigh that advantage.  Endangered 
birds definitely have an advantage over endangered carnivorous mammals (even 
ferrets).
    ---Ken Kinman

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