Then eight of them did something that no other group had done there before.
They didn’t go down to the regular places to over-winter along the Texas Gulf Coast like the six adults and two young ones had every year.
Instead, all eight stayed at Salt Plains for the whole winter.
Not even an arctic front came through in January and sent them further down the gulf.
This particular group was still present on Jan. 3rd, which was the latest date that the Refuge had ever recorded Whooper’s presence.
At that point, Wildlife Biologist Glen Hensley began to wonder if the birds were just running behind schedule with their trip to Texas or if they intended to spend the winter in Oklahoma.
They never continued to Texas that winter
A few weeks later, that decision faced its first real test.
In late January, an Arctic blast moved across Oklahoma.
Temperatures plummeted to single-digit temperatures, with approximately 8″ of snow covering the area.
Biologists monitoring the flock believed that perhaps the cold weather conditions would ultimately force the cranes to continue southward to the warm waters of Texas.
Hensley believed that it would likely be sometime in the spring when he saw them again.
Once the weather warmed up enough so that travel became possible, Hensley went out to check on his charges and discovered that all eight of them were still present at Salt Plains.
The eight cranes were standing on the snow-covered ground and eating scrap corn out of one of their preferred fields.
The cold should have sent them south
Eventually, the eight cranes ended up leaving in early March after having spent the entire winter at Salt Plains.
Their prolonged stay resulted in a first recorded occurrence of a group of Whoopers spending a winter at Salt Plains.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service described the birds as the first group of Whooping Cranes documented spending an entire winter at Salt Plains.
Their decision also represents a larger trend among wildlife biologists.
Although whooping cranes remain endangered, their population has grown considerably since the species reached its historic low point.
More and more cranes have been choosing to spend their winters farther inland from the Texas Gulf Coast than in years past.
Some individual birds have chosen to remain on the Texas Gulf Coast throughout the summer months.
Today, there are more than 550 Whooping Cranes.
Why the cranes could stay there
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service designated Salt Plains as critical habitat for Whooping Cranes in 1978.
Its salt flats and shoreline offer open areas for the cranes to feed and roost with unobstructed visibility across the landscape.
Whooping cranes tend to avoid brush and other features that can provide hiding cover for predators.
The Refuge managers also actively work to remove non-native invasive salt cedar as well as apply prescribed fire to create a suitable environment for the cranes.
The next migration could provide the answer
When these eight “pioneers” chose to stay for the entire winter at Salt Plains, biologists obtained much more than a unique observation; they also documented the first recorded instance of whooping cranes spending an entire winter at Salt Plains.
Historically, most adult Whooping Cranes migrate to specific established wintering locations each year.
The next migration will represent an important test.
Once the eight “trailblazers” migrated north to their breeding grounds in mid-March, wildlife biologists are waiting to determine if they will return to Salt Plains next year.
If they do return, then last winter’s extended stay there could be representative of a developing new habit rather than a singular divergence from tradition.
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