Whooping crane chicks hatch at White Oak in conservation milestone

Grasshopper and Hemlock don't know it, but the whooping crane parents of two chicks recently hatched at White Oak Conservation in Nassau County are ambassadors for their critically endangered species.

All spindly legs and downy fluff, the chicks — still to be named — represent a milestone for the Northeast Florida nonprofit conservation organization, which is respected internationally for its work to save to save endangered species and habitats.

The chicks signify the first time White Oak has successfully bred whooping cranes. The family of four ultimately will be released into the wild through a partnership with the International Crane Foundation.

Grasshopper, the dad, and Hemlock, the mom, are feeding and patiently rearing the chicks, which are careful not to stray too far away as they begin to explore the world around them. 

“Our goal is to create an international model for the humane and effective re-population of endangered species,” said philanthropist Mark Walter. He and his wife, Kimbra, own the wildlife refuge. White Oak encompasses about 17,000 acres of hardwood hammocks, pine forest and tidal wetland on the banks of the St. Marys River at Yulee, roughly 30 miles north of Jacksonville.

“We are optimistic that, working with the other groups involved, we can successfully add the whooping crane to this mission,” Walter said.

White Oak is home to about 32 imperiled species as part of conservation breeding programs intended to save some of the world's most iconic species from extinction such as whooping cranes, rhinoceros, okapi and cheetahs.

The crane family has a special habitat covering more than an acre featuring two ponds, a variety of natural food and protection from predators, according to Steve Shurter, executive director and chief executive officer of White Oak.

Because White Oak maintains a "hands off policy" to keep wildlife from becoming accustomed to humans, there is virtually no human interaction with the whooping crane family. White Oak uses an extensive network of remote cameras to monitor the cranes and other wildlife in its care.

Each parent takes a chick for the day to minimize competition for food, then both chicks return to their mother at night for warmth. Hemlock and Grasshopper feed the hungry chicks larvae, tadpoles, grasshoppers, dragonflies and other insects. The chicks are thriving — increasing their body weight by 10 percent to 15 percent a day, Shurter said.

Hemlock and Grasshopper and their chicks are are part of the Eastern Migratory Population, one of two experimental release programs that seek to protect the existence of the endangered wetland bird.

The species has been brought back from the brink of extinction as the result of decades of wildlife research and captive husbandry.

However, only about 700 to 800 whooping cranes remain in North America because of hunting, power line collisions, habitat reduction and encroachment, according to wildlife researchers.

Grasshopper and Hemlock were introduced for breeding at White Oak in October 2016. The chicks are their first offspring. When they're ready, the family of four will be released together — probably at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Wisconsin. That refuge is Grasshopper's original home, Shurter said.

Both of the adult cranes were raised by the International Crane Foundation, which works worldwide to conserve cranes and their ecosystems, watersheds and flyways.

Shurter said the hope is that the entire family will migrate in the fall with other cranes at the refuge.

“Whooping cranes are a flagship species in wetlands. A thriving whooping crane population means healthy wetlands," Shurter said. He described the International Crane Foundation as "very forward-thinking" and a great partner to White Oak.

The program is managed and monitored collaboratively by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership whose members include the International Crane Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Operation Migration, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and White Oak.

Rich Beilfuss, president and chief executive officer of the International Crane Foundation, said the White Oak crane family is a success for the species.

“The fact that 16-11 [Grasshopper] and Hemlock were paired so successfully in captivity and have now hatched two chicks is evidence of the care and dedication White Oak has given these special birds,” Beilfuss said.

For more information about White Oak, https://www.whiteoakwildlife.org or the International Crane Foundation, https://www.savingcranes.org.

Teresa Stepzinski: (904) 359-4075