;» 1 1 tl change in numbers of birds recorded on the 

 two types of routes. Results obtained in 1963 

 suggest that random routes provide a more accu- 

 rate picture of woodcock abundance. 



A great need in woodcock management is knowl- 

 edge of mortality rates and the extent to which 

 one age or sex is more likely to be shot than 

 another. An effective banding program would 

 supply this information. Using improved trap- 

 ping methods, personnel at Moosehorn National 

 Wildlife Refuge in Maine banded over 500 wood- 

 cocks in the summer of 1903. 



Sandhill cranes in Mexico. — A sandhill crane 

 survey initiated by the Denver Center in Mexico 

 in 1962 was continued in January 1963. The 1962 

 survey was conducted in the States of Chihuahua, 

 Durango, Sinaloa, and Sonora, and expanded in 

 1963 to include the States of Coahuila, Guana- 

 juato, Puebla, and Tamaulipas. 



The Bustillos and Babicora valleys in the State 

 of Chihuahua are by far the most important sand- 

 hill crane wintering grounds in Mexico. In 1963 

 a total of 31,850 cranes were recorded here, as com- 

 pared with 20,125 in 1962. In addition to small, 



scattered flocks found in other regions of Chi- 

 huahua and Durango, the only other cranes ob- 

 served were in the Carmen Marshes of Puebla. 

 These wet lands are potentially an excellent winter- 

 ing area for the birds but at the time of the sur- 

 vey showed signs of a prolonged drought. 



Search for misxhu/ ir hooping cranes. — The dis- 

 appearance of four whooping cranes from the 

 Aransas Refuge and adjacent barrier islands dur- 

 ing the winter of 1962-63 prompted an intensive 

 aerial search that extended from Galveston to 

 Mexico. Nearly 100 hours of flying time were de- 

 voted to the search over a 4-week period in Febru- 

 ary and March, 1963, and all possible habitat, both 

 coastal and inland, was covered on four occasions 

 without success. Repeated flights over the usual 

 wintering grounds failed to provide any clues re- 

 garding the fate of the missing whoopers. 



In addition to the four birds that disappeared 

 from the wintering grounds, six failed to return 

 from the breeding grounds in the fall of 1962. 

 This, coupled with the fact that no young were 

 produced, made the year 1962 one of the most 

 disastrous on record for the wild population of 

 whooping cranes. 



The Bureau is committed to protection of rare and threatened species of mammals, birds, and other American wildlife. 

 Special efforts are being given to preservation of the whooping crane. (Photo by Luther C. Goldman) 



