Reintroduction
Reintroduction>Russia>Kunovat River Basin, Belozersky Wildlife Refuge, Astrakhan
Nature Reserve
The entire range of the Western and Central Populations of Siberian Cranes is overlapped by the range of the abundant Eurasian Crane. During the past decade, teams of American, Indian, Japanese and Russian researchers have studied the ecology and migrations of Eurasian Cranes with the hope of using the abundant species to help in the conservation of the rare one.
In North America an experiment to establish a new population of the rare Whooping Cranes was undertaken in Idaho by substituting Whooping Crane eggs into the nests of the abundant Sandhill Cranes. Over a 12-year period, 77 Whooping Cranes were reared and migrated south with their foster parents. Unfortunately, no pairing occurred between Whooping Cranes. It appeared that the Whooping Cranes were sexually imprinted on Sandhill Cranes. However, the Whooping Cranes learned the migration route of the Sandhill Cranes and they learned to feed like Sandhills in upland habitats.
Researchers in Russia reasoned that if Siberian Cranes could be reared by wild Eurasian Cranes, then the Siberian Cranes might learn to migrate to safer areas and to feed in uplands and not almost exclusively in wetlands like wild Siberian Cranes. Acknowledging the risk of problems involved with sexual imprinting, it was hoped that these new Siberian Cranes might become "guide birds" to lead south juvenile Siberian Cranes that have been reared in captivity and imprinted on their own species.
Captive-produced eggs of Siberian Cranes were substituted into the nests of Eurasian Cranes on the basin of the Kunovat River where Siberian Cranes nest. The goal was to establish a flock of Siberian Cranes that returns to the traditional breeding grounds of the Siberian Cranes, but migrates to the wintering area of the Eurasian Cranes. During 1991-2003, 28 eggs were placed in Eurasian Crane nests on the Siberian Crane breeding grounds. Most of these eggs were hatched and chicks fledged by Eurasian Crane foster parents. During autumn migration in 2000, one of these juvenile Siberian Cranes was observed with its Eurasian Crane foster parents at Lake Tengiz, Kazakhstan. Another juvenile Siberian Crane carried a satellite radio transmitter, and migrated across Asia to the lowlands of the Amu-Darya River along the border with Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. It is not known if this crane spent the winter in that area. However, these data confirm that at least two of the cross-fostered Siberian Cranes successfully migrated over a portion of the migration route with the Eurasian Cranes. Russian researchers are now hoping to place captive-produced eggs of Siberian Cranes into the nests of Eurasian Cranes in the same area used by the KNP cranes near Novosibirsk.
Many thousands of Eurasian Cranes spend the winter in northwest and central India and migrate northwest across Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, another much smaller group winters in northeast India in Assam and are believed to migrate northeast into China and perhaps on to Russia. Indian researchers hope to place satellite radios on these cranes to determine their migration route. If these cranes are determined to benefit from a safe migration corridor and if they breed in an appropriate area in Russia, there is interest in Russia of substituting Siberian Crane eggs into the nests of these cranes.
Concerns that Siberian Cranes reared by Eurasian Cranes might be sexually imprinted on Eurasian Cranes prompted researchers to develop alternate techniques for rearing captive cranes. Chicks have been raised by crane-costumed humans and captive Siberian Crane role models were placed in adjacent enclosures. This technique produced cranes that were afraid of non-costumed humans and were imprinted on their own species. When release near wild Eurasian Cranes, they showed similar feeding and roosting behavior to wild cranes, and than initiated migration with the wild cranes.
Costume-reared and parent-reared juveniles have been transferred from captive breeding centers to the breeding grounds of the wild Siberian Cranes and staging areas of Eurasian Cranes. Some of these birds were released in late summer with wild Siberian Cranes on the Kunovat Basin. They joined the wild cranes and migrated with them. Others were released with wild Eurasian Cranes at the Belozersky Refuge (Zakaznik) in the Armizon. District in the south of Tyumen Region which lies along the migration route of the Siberian Cranes. They joined the wild Eurasians in roosting and feeding areas, and eventually migrated with them.
During 1994 - 2002 49 young Siberian Cranes were released and 36 joined wild Eurasian Cranes to initiate fall migration. Heretofore there are no enough evidence what part of Eurasian Cranes follow toIndia and what part to Iran and Afghanistan border. At the Astrakhan Nature Reserve – four Siberian Cranes were released and three started migration with wild Siberian Cranes. Unfortunately, there have been very few recorded observations of these released Siberian Cranes
Kunovat River Basin
Plans for reintroduction in June of 2003 in Kunovat River Basin were as follows:
- Release three one-year-old Siberian Cranes reared by parents and in isolation at Oka Crane Breeding Center (OCBC) into the nesting site of wild Siberian Cranes.
- Replace two eggs from a wild Siberian Crane nest at Burovaya Island with two Siberian Crane eggs from OCBC with a goal to diversify genetics of the wild Siberian Crane populations. One egg was supposed to be brought to OCBC to check the genetic viability of this pair, the second - to place in a wild Eurasian Crane nest.
The reintroduction work was sponsored by the Sterkh Foundation.
On 4 June three employees of Oka Biosphere Nature Reserve (Yu. Markin, V. Borisov and Yu. Zatsepin) arrived in Salekhard, having delivered there three one-year-old Siberian Cranes and two Siberian Crane eggs placed in a special transport container. Two of Siberian Cranes (males Tsna and Moksha) were reared at OCBC by their parents. Yenisey, a female, was reared in isolation. In 2002 she participated in an experimental project on leading Siberian Cranes along the flyway behind a hang-glider. At that time, however, Yenisey was not ready to be released into the wild and was returned to OCBC where she was kept in visual and sound isolation until June 2003.
On 5 June the Sterkh Foundation hired a helicopter MI-8 but the take-off was delayed due to poor weather conditions.
On 6 June the expedition team including Yu. Markin, V. Borisov, Yu. Zatsepin and A. Yermakov was transported by helicopter to the Burovaya stationary camp located in Kunovat Nature Reserve, near the nesting site of the Siberian Crane “last hope pair.”
The same day, as there was no Siberian Crane nest, two eggs of Siberian Crane from OCBC were placed into a newly found Eurasian Crane nest. Eurasian Crane eggs were taken and delivered by V. Borisov to the Russian Falcon Centre in Moscow for incubation and use in the project in the future.
In the camp, the crates with birds were unloaded and moved from the helicopter by 100 m to the small old outdoor pens where the cranes were kept in previous years. As the helicopter took off, the downwash from the rotating blades broke the rack to which the crates were attached and knocked over the crate sides. As a result one of the cranes, Moksha, has left and was not seen again on this day. Two other cranes (Yenisey and Tsna) were put in the constructed outdoor pens in a bog.
In the morning of 7 June Moksha was seen feeding in an open bog near the camp, then close to outdoor pens where the other two cranes were kept. Attempts to catch the bird were not successful - he allowed us to approach as close as by 10 m, then flew in the direction of the wild Siberian Crane pair nesting territory.
On 8 June 2003, Tsna and Yenisey were released from the outdoor pens, after being marked with color plastic rings (Table 1). Tsna flew away to Moipar Lake right after the release; Yenisey remained near the outdoor pens. Late at night on 10 June all three released birds were seen feeding; they kept separately from each other but within mutual visibility: Yenisey stayed near the outdoor pens, Tsna on Moipar Lake, Moksha - near Perekhodny Lakes. On 11 June, at 2 a.m. Tsna was found sleeping in 2 m from a sleeping adult Eurasian Crane on a bog near Perekhodny Lakes. By 13 June, only Yenisey stayed near the pens.
For more information:
Yuri Markin, Yuri Zatsepin
Oka Biosphere State Nature Reserve
Alexander Ermakov
Sterkh Foundation, Yamalo-Nenetsky Automomic Region
From 8 August until 18 August 2003 work was continued on reintroduction of young Siberian Cranes, which were reared in Oka Crane Breeding Center (OCBC), Russia. The work was carried out by the OCBC staff (T. Kashentseva, K. Postelnykh, V. Borisov, T. Zhuchkova, E. Antonyuk, S. Bobkova), Y. Markin, Y. Zatsepin, (Oka Biosphere State Nature Reserve), A. Sorokin, A. Shilina (All-Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection of the MNR), A.Ermakov (Sterkh Foundation), Y. Shestakov, V. Konev, Y. Shiyanov, V. Gudkov, V. Nikiforov (Kunovat Refuge), E. Yatsuk (a student of Kharkiv University). The work was supported by Sterkh Foundation.
We would like to remind readers, that in June of 2003, three one-year-old birds were released at breeding grounds of Siberian Cranes and two eggs were put into a nest of Eurasian Cranes. One of the goals of the August expedition was to check the results of the reintroduction in June. On August 11, the territory where the Siberian Crane eggs were placed into the nest of a pair of Eurasian Crane, was surveyed from a helicopter. Their territory is situated on the lakes called Krivyje. The pair with a single chick of Siberian Crane was spotted in 400 meters from the nest, at an open marsh covered with cedars. When the helicopter was landing, the chick after his parents and then swam across a channel. The chick was caught, measured and marked with a standard metal ring on the left leg and a three-color plastic ring (yellow, black, green) on the right leg. After that the chick was carried out of the turbulence zone of the helicopter and released. He ran in the direction where his foster parents had disappeared.
On the same day, a helicopter was used to search for three one-year-old chicks, which were released near Burivaja camp on 7-8 June 2003. The territory of Kunovat River was thoroughly surveyed from the Huljugan River to Ruvagtort Lakes but none of released Siberian Crane chicks was found. During the whole period when the expedition worked in the region of Burovaja camp, attempts were made to locate a radio transmitter attached to the ring on one of the cranes but they were unsuccessful. Moreover, a ground search was conducted for those Siberian Cranes and all attempts to hear their cries were in vain. There were no remains (bones and feathers) found which could prove that the birds were killed by predators or died of some natural causes. It makes us speculate that all three Siberian Cranes could have either shifted to another location or have begun the autumn migration to the south. Single birds and couples without chicks usually start migrating from this region in the beginning of August.
The second stage of reintroduction of Siberian Crane in 2003 included the release of six chicks born in 2003 to the basin of the Kunovat River. The chicks were reared in OCBC. One of them was raised by parents and others were raised by isolated rearing. All the chicks were in good health condition. They were safely brought to the town of Salekhard by plane, and then after two days of quarantine in the facilities of Sterkh Foundation they were taken to Burovaya camp by helicopter.
The release of the birds took place on 12 August. Before the release, they were all banded with standard and color plastic rings. At first the birds were placed in a pen, and when the banding was over one of the walls of the pen was lifted. It frightened the birds and they did not come close to that side of the pen for half an hour. Only when people came close to the opposite wall, all of the birds left the pen and walked 50 meters away. The oldest chick by the name of Kama was the first to fly. He flew to the Moipar Lake easily and confidently, then made a circle over the forest and landed at the same marsh about 10 meters from the others. After that, two other chicks also took off and made a circle.
The next two days the chicks tried to stay in the pen or close to it. If the people, who had a dog with them, came close to the chicks, the cranes let them approach to about 50 meters and then flew to Moipar Lake or to the marsh. On the forth day after release the chicks performed the first group flight which was not provoked by man. They flew at the height of 30 meters by the side of the marsh, where in the past there were nests of wild cranes. On 16 August the chicks were once again frightened by the dog. They let it come as close as 3 meters and then flew to the lake. the chicks were not seen anywhere near the camp on August 17 or the 18th, when the expedition left. Perhaps, they stayed at the lake.
After the release chicks stayed in a flock, foraged and flew together. Sometimes a bird or two went away from the others, but when they were in danger, they all flew away together and always kept each other in sight. Since the first day of their release, they fed on dragonflies and tipulides, which were abundant in sedge and horsetail because of warm weather. They also actively foraged on blueberries, which grew very well that year at tussocks along the Moipar Lake shore. Sometimes they went to the forest and fed on lingberries, which also abundant. However, during the first three days the chicks were given mixed fodder.
Another attempt was made to find the pair of wild Siberian cranes by observation from the air and ground, but it was unsuccessful. However, during the observation from the air, a pair of Eurasian Cranes was discovered with two chicks which were 50-60 days old. It was remarkable that this pair had not been registered here during the survey in June.
For more information:
Yuri Markin
Oka Biosphere State Nature Reserve
Alexander Ermakov
Sterkh Foundation, Yamalo-Nenetsky Automomic Region
On 4 June 2002, four eggs from the Oka Crane Breeding Center (OCBC) were transferred to the basin of Kunovat River - Siberian Crane breeding territory, for cross-fostering by wild Eurasian Crane. The wild Siberian Crane pair wintered in India had nest at it’s breeding place.
Only one Eurasian Crane nest was found. Two Siberian Crane eggs form OCBC were placed in it. The remaining two eggs and two Eurasian Crane eggs were brought to OCBC. The two Siberian Crane eggs hatched on the way back to OCBC.
On 15 August 2002 the helicopter flew a few key people over the territory of the pair of Siberian Cranes that winters in India. Although this pair was observed on the nest in June 2002, no chick could be found. The cross-foster Eurasian Crane pair was not observed.
In late June 2001 four Siberian Crane eggs from the Oka Crane Breeding Center (OCBC) were placed in two wild Eurasian Crane nests. These nests were located not far from the breeding territory of the Siberian Crane pair.
Two costume-reared juvenile Siberian Cranes from OCBC were released with the wild Siberian Crane pair which did not have a chick this year. There were no aggression between the wild adults and young birds. The juveniles were colour-banded but not marked with PTTs.
For more information:
Yuri Markin
Oka Biosphere State Nature Reserve
In June 2000, a Siberian Crane egg from OkaCraneBreedingCenterwas put into the nest of a wild Eurasian Crane pair. The pair with the Siberian Crane chick was found near their breeding place on 6 August 2000. The chick was caught from a helicopter and marked with plastic colour and standard metal rings.
In October a record of a Eurasian Crane pair with Siberian Crane chick was received by Anatoli Kovshar, Kazakhstan non-government expert of GEF Siberian Crane Wetlands Project, from Alexandr Pivovarov, Director of Kurgaldzhino Nature Reserve, Kazakhstan. The birds were recorded on 30 September 2000 by N.Khadyrkeev, Chief of State Control of Nature Conservation Department of Ministry of Nature Resources of Kazakhstan, and A.Kuzmin, Kazakhstan TV, who took some photos ). Later A.Pivovarov visited the site and received information from local people, that they had seen these birds on 2, 5-7 October. After that the pair with the chick flew south-west on 7 October.
Taking into account that the Eurasian Crane pair with the Siberian Crane chick was recorded in Kazakhstan on the Eurasian Cranes flyway from Kunovat River Basin (according to PTT data) there is a high probability that the observed pair with the young Siberian Crane is the same pair of Eurasian Cranes.
For more information:
Yuri Markin, Yuri Zatsepin
Oka Biosphere State Nature Reserve
Belozersky Wildlife Refuge
On 18 August, 10 young Siberian Cranes, raised at OCBC were delivered in crates first to Tyumen, and then to the base camp on the territory of the Belozersky Wildlife Refuge (Zakaznik) (Armizon District, Tyumen Region). There the cranes were marked with white plastic and standard aluminum rings.
The next day the crates with cranes were transported first by truck and then by motor boats to Omelino Island in Beloye Lake, which is located in a forested steppe, where annual releases of Siberian Cranes into the wild have been conducted since 1995. There the cranes were put inside a round metal mesh pen with a netting on top, which was prepared in advance and placed in 100 meters from the water.
On 20 August, the door of the pen was left open, so that the cranes could walk out, and some food was left outside and inside the pen.
On 22 August, we tried to catch one of the one-year-old birds in order to place a radio-transmitter on it. However, when we approached, the cranes flew up, circled the island and landed as a group. Later, when some of the cranes entered the pen, we managed to catch four of the birds and one-year-old named Aldan. Aldan was marked with a radio-transmitter, which was attached to a green ring with number 10. The transmitter was placed on the bird’s left leg below the standard ring. But the very next day Aldan managed to tear off the antenna and the transmitter became inoperable.
From the moment of release the cranes were trying to keep together in one group, mostly close to the pen, but sometimes wandering to some shallow wetland to feed on mollusks. After 24 August, when the pen was removed, they still kept close to the spot of their release. After 27 August, we quit putting out grain for the cranes and they started moving about the whole island during the day, returning to the site of release for the night.
On 31 August, the young Siberian Cranes were disturbed and left the island altogether. From this time on the Siberian Cranes kept in two groups – one of six, another of four birds. The six-bird group consisted of two one-year-old birds and four chicks, and the group of four – of one one-year-old bird named Voronezh, and three chicks. Interestingly, the birds stayed in the same groups as when being raised at OCBC.
During the entire time of our observations the group of six birds was feeding in the harvested wheat field joined by a family of Eurasian Cranes with one chick. The group of four kept to a narrow strip of the harvested wheat field between a paved road and Yakushino Lake. When disturbed, they would fly towards the lake, then returned to their field. After 12 September, Voronezh separated from the group and and stayed at the lake alone. For the night, the Siberian Cranes flew together with the Eurasian Cranes to the Omelino Island. On 14 and 15 September, only Voronezh could still be seen while the other birds were nowhere to be found. On 16 September, we stopped our observations but were getting information from the local residents. According to their accounts, the Siberian Cranes were last seen on 27 September.
Simultaneously with the monitoring of the released Siberian Cranes a daily count of Eurasian Cranes had been conducted at the site of their pre-migratory concentration. On the day of the release, up to 600 birds were accounted for; the largest number of birds – up to 1,400 – was registered in the end of the first decade of September, after which the numbers began to decrease. Due to the warm weather that fall the cranes stayed around the fields until early October.
For more information:
Yuri Markin
Oka Biosphere State Nature Reserve
See "Flight of Hope" Project web page
Seven isolation-reared Siberian Cranes at Oka Crane Breeding Center were released to the island in the middle of the Bolsheozersky Refuge (Zakaznik), Armizon Region, Tyumen Region on 8 August 2001. The island is a roosting place of Eurasian Cranes that congregate there in autumn. At the time of the release there were nearly one hundred Eurasian Cranes, by the end of August there were nearly six hundred. Young Siberian Cranes were in good condition after transportation. During the next three weeks after release they were kept together with Eurasian Cranes, feeding on the crop fields and flying over the release site. On 28 August the Eurasian Cranes, together with six young Siberian Cranes, left the staging area. One Siberian Crane didn’t fly out. It was returned to OCBC.
For more information:
Anastasia Shilina
All Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection
Astrakhan Nature Reserve
Releases of Siberian Cranes at Astrakhan State Nature Reserve were conducted between 11-20 October 2004. Staff involved in the release and the follow-up monitoring of the Siberian Cranes were employees of Astrakhan Reserve (G.M. Rusanov and A.A. Kashin) and Oka Reserve (Y.M. Markin, Y.S. Zatsepin and V.G. Borisov). This work was financially supported by the Cracid & Crane Breeding and Conservation Center and personally Mr. Geer Scheres.
On 11-12 October, four Siberian Cranes males raised at OCBC were transported in specially made crates by two vehicles to the Obzhorovo Site of the Astrakhan Nature Reserve. The Reserve is situated in Volga River Delta where the river branches out into many small rivers and brooks before it runs into the Caspian Sea. This is a usual stop-over place of the wild Siberian Cranes during their fall migration, and sometimes also during the spring migration. Large open shallow wetlands have been overgrown here with tall and dense reed thickets (up to 3 meters tall), that created channels and springs among the shores with narrow strips of willow trees. Transportation between these sites is possible only by boat. Among the reed thickets and where the water is deeper, open spaces called “kultuks” are formed that serve as resting places to many birds. Due to the density of the reed growth it is difficult to approach these spots either by boat or on foot. As a result, when Siberian Cranes stay in “kultuks” or inside the reed thickets, it is practically impossible to spot them from the dry land.
On 13 October, upon our arrival to the base camp, we conducted a health check of all our cranes, including weighing and marking. All the birds were found in good condition. The cranes were placed in a temporary pen, which was put up for them on a small sandy knoll. To provide cranes with drinking water, several holes were dug in the ground, which immediately were filled with underground water; then food was placed in the pen (crane pellets and pieces of fresh fish). After the cranes were released into the pen, they began cleaning themselves up, eating and drinking. There was no aggression toward each other since at OCBC before the trip the cranes were kept separately in pens next to one another.
On 14 October, one of the chicks, the strongest and the calmest male called Gzhat, was marked with a satellite transmitter (PTT) #19988. After this all the cranes were released: – the mesh on one side of the pen was lifted, the cranes came out and, having walked for a short while, they flew toward the left channel of the Kutum River.
During a period of constant observations from 14-19 October, the birds kept in the area of release together as a group; sometimes one of them would walk away alone, but would eventually reunite with the group.
On 19 October, after the Oka Nature Reserve staff headed home, the staff of Astrakhan Nature Reserve continued the monitoring, regularly coming out to the place of the release and watching the Siberian Cranes movements.
According to the visual observations from 9-25 January and the data from the satellite transmitter placed on Siberian Crane Gzhat, the cranes remained in the release area at Astrakhan Nature Reserve. The observers had documented disappearance of one of the chicks born in 2004. The weather in December and January was warm enough, the Volga River delta did not freeze, but became so shallow that an attempt to locate the Siberian Cranes failed – it was impossible to approach the release site by boat because of numerous dry spots.
On 17 January, an aerial search was conducted, and the birds were located not far from the release site. All three birds remained in one group in a small bay, almost straight across from the place of release. The bay is hidden from sight in all directions, so the cranes could not be seen from the river or from the “kultuk”. The bay runs through a narrow channel into a thicket of reeds, from where the PTT signals were coming. The bay is only partially dry and it is well protected from wind and therefore is very attractive to the birds. Even when the airplane was making circles over the bay the cranes remained in place.
There is a large number of wintering waterbirds in the delta. During the aerial survey over 700,000 birds were counted, including 140,000 swans.
On 26 January the weather changed suddenly, it became significantly colder with the temperature dropping to –15oC, the rivers froze, with only a few spots of open water left.
The PTT signals from 26 January reveal the fact that the Siberian Cranes had departed from the territory of the Astrakhan Reserve. These signals came from Dagestan, a well-known part of the flyway. When the temperature drops so suddenly, the wintering waterbirds fly from the Volga delta south-west along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Evidently the Siberian Cranes took off together with them.
Unfortunately, the signal from 26 January was the last one to be received from this satellite transmitter. We have no further data on the released birds.
Two Siberian Cranes reared in Oka Crane Breeding Center were released in the Obzhorovo site of the Astrakhan Nature Reserve on 10 October. Birds were released to the place where wild Siberian Cranes were usually observed during their autumn migration. At the time of release three wild Siberian Cranes, who were recorded here from 4 to 8 October, left this territory. They took off release place after the first cold night on 8 October.
Two juvenile Siberian Cranes were reared by different methods. One was parent-reared (white plastic ring on right leg), the other was isolation-reared (red plastic ring on left leg).
Birds were seen last time on 12 November. On 18 November Siberian Cranes were not observed.
For more information:
Yuri Markin
Oka Bioshere State Nature Reserve
Anatoly Kashin
Astrakhan State Nature Reserve
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© 2004 by SCFC