70 whooping cranes reach refuge in TX

AUSTWELL, Texas (AP) - At least 70 endangered whooping cranes have flown from Canada to a refuge in Texas.

Tom Stehn with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services said the ground survey was done at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Sten on Thursday also said that last week's cold snap apparently led more whooping cranes to head south.

The Victoria Advocate reports six of 10 birds fitted with radio transmitters, for tracking, have arrived in Texas.

Stehn said there were 263 birds in the flock when they migrated north last spring. Biologists expect 285 to 290 cranes this fall in Texas.

The flock summers in Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Stehn said there was plenty of water this year at the breeding grounds, meaning improved conditions for survival.