Hello OBOLizers:
ODFW and Friends of Ladd Marsh attached Satellite Radios to 3 greater sandhill
cranes last year in an effort to learn where the cranes that nest on Ladd Marsh
go for the winter as well as other information about their use of Ladd Marsh
Wildlife Area and summer areas for non-breeding subadults. We marked 2 adults
in late March, 2015 and one pre-fledging hatch-year bird on July 1, 2015. We
have over 1500 unique data points on the adults and 1100 for the colt. All
three birds wintered in the Sacramento Valley in California; 2 were in close
proximity to each other while the third crane went to an area about 25 miles
from them. That bird moved again in mid-December traveling another 100 miles
south. This past weekend, one of the marked cranes (the 2015 hatch-year bird)
moved about 125 miles NNE apparently beginning its move north toward Ladd
Marsh. It will be traveling with its parents and should show up on their
territory with them later this week or next week. It will stay with them until
they get serious about breeding and nesting; then they will invite it to go
elsewhere. At that point we will get to learn where the non-breeding young
birds spend the summer.
Happy Spring!
M. Cathy Nowak
Certified Wildlife Biologist(r)
Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area
59116 Pierce Rd
La Grande, OR 97850
541-963-4954
