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Photo Journal  

Notes: My apologies to all those suffering Field Journal withdrawal - It was not my intent to force everyone to stop getting their daily crane-fix in a cold turkey fashion. On the day of the final migration leg we had a previously planned event scheduled at the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park. Of course two months ago we thought we would have to fly back for the event because the migration would have been completed much earlier... Little did we know that the two events would occur simultaneously! After the flyover at the Crystal River Mall I had barely enough time to run into my hotel room to post a quick update stating that the cranes had finally been delivered to their winter pen before running out the door and over the small bridge, which led from the hotel to the adjacent Wildlife Park. After this event the team went out to enjoy a final Stone crab claw feast before falling into bed, and the next morning by 6:30 I was on the road and headed home.

During the week leading up to the final flight, the team kept busy working with Chassahowitzka NWR staff to complete a "While You Were Out" renovation to the winter pen. The winter monitoring team had expressed concerns over the potential for the older white birds to possibly harass the '04 juvenile cranes if, like last year, some of the older cranes decided to also spend the winter at the pensite. We had two options: The first was to "park" the juvenile cranes in one of the OM travel enclosures somewhere on the mainland for an undetermined period of time to allow the white birds a chance to check in at the pen, and upon finding no activity, or food present, they would hopefully move on. The second option was to construct a new top-netted pen adjacent the 4-acre open-topped enclosure. IF some of the white birds did check in and began asserting authority over the younger cranes then the food, and the youngsters could be temporarily moved inside the top-netted area, and out of harms way.

"Parking" the cranes for an unknown length of time could have posed health risks, and potentially caused displaced aggression between the young birds. It also would have meant that at least two pilots would be needed to eventually lead the birds the remaining distance out to the winter pen, once the almost three dozen older cranes had eventually passed through. The pros and cons were discussed at length by the WCEP Project Direction Team and the decision was made to build a new top-netted pen section next to the existing enclosure.

Not an easy task when you consider that all materials, power tools, and people must be delivered by airboats, and that you must perform the work in temperatures of more than 85F, while wearing hip-waders and stopping to get pulled out of the famous-for-eating-boots black muck, in which of course, I was the first to fall into. Kudos goes out to the following folks for the pensite makeover, which was completed in only 2 1/2 days. Chass-Staff: Joyce Kleen, Ted Palfy, John Kasbohm, Stan Garner, and refuge manager Jim Kraus. Migration Team: Vicki Trabold, Don Smith, Richard van Heuvelen, Brooke Pennypacker, Laurie Kramer, Joe Duff, Heather Ray, Gerry Ulrikson, Gerald Murphy, Mark Nipper & Charlie Shafer (Patuxent). ICF Staff: Lara Fondow & Sara Zimorski.

With the new addition complete all that was left to do was to continue waiting for cooler weather, which finally arrived on day 64. At 7:50am, Richard van Heuvelen moved in for the final air pick-up, however, after sitting for a week in Gilchrist county the young birds were out of practice and only six birds fell into place with his small aircraft. Brooke Pennypacker and Joe Duff wrangled the remaining seven birds for roughly 20-minutes before all of them gathered on Brooke's wingtip.

Richard appeared first over the Crystal River Mall with his six young Whooping cranes, much to the delight of the 1500 observers who had turned out to welcome the cranes to Florida. 16-minutes later, Brooke and Joe came into view with the remaining seven birds.

At 9:23 and 9:39 respectively the two groups were coaxed into landing at their winter home, located in the salt marshes of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Crystal County, FL by Sara Zimorski and Charlie Shafer. The cranes had covered the final 78-miles in 1 hour and 49 minutes, which brought the total flight time logged during the 2004 ultralight-guided southward migration to 33 hours & 7 minutes. Total distance flown was 1204.4 statute miles.

The final health check and banding took place on Monday and Tuesday and the three youngest females in the cohort received Platform Terminal Transmitters (PTT's), which will help the monitoring team track their future movements through satellite telemetry, in addition to the radio telemetry devices worn by all of the 2004 Whooping cranes. 

We received word late yesterday that the last three white birds to depart from Wisconsin; 211, 212 & 217 arrived at the winter pen location late yesterday. These three have to win the prize for the speediest journey ever after making the 1200-mile trek in only 4 1/2 days! These three latest arrivals brings the total of white birds to six out of thirty-four that have returned to the winter pen site this year. A few weeks ago cranes 214, 105 & 204 each checked in and moved on after finding nobody home and no food service available.

Notes: 2004 Southward Migration - COMPLETED on Day 64 at 9:39 am. (more later)

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate the likelihood of our arrival at the Chassahowitzka NWR winter pen at a high 8. This would include a flyover at the Crystal River Shopping Mall, located on Hwy 19 in Crystal River. The flight time to the mall is unknown and will vary depending on the wind speed aloft, however, the pilots and cranes will have a tailwind this morning. Take-off from Gilchrist County, should be between 7:30 and 8am and with 65-miles to cover before reaching Crystal River, the flyby could occur anytime between 9 and 10am. Partner booths and speakers will be available prior to the arrival of the cranes - Hope to see you there! 

Please remember that we are at the mercy of Mother Nature and the weather could change at any moment - we appreciate your patience.

Whooping Crane #406
May 4 - December 11, 2004

PM: Yesterday afternoon Whooping crane #406 appeared sluggish and just generally not herself. Mark Nipper made contact with WCEP veterinarian Marilyn Spalding at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville. Dr. Spalding instructed the team to give the young crane fluid therapy via subcutaneous injections, which seemed to perk her up a bit, however, this morning when Vicki and Mark arrived at the crane enclosure they found the young female bird, #406 in a hock-sitting position. She appeared lethargic and in need of immediate medical attention so she was carefully hooded to reduce any anxiety and placed inside an air-conditioned van for transport to the Gainesville Health Lab.

During the 40-minute drive and subsequent examination she was having difficulty breathing. A quick blood sample revealed an extremely high white blood cell count and a fecal swab indicated both parasitic and bacterial infections. Whooping crane #406 was euthanized to prevent any further stress, or possible paralysis due to capture myopathy.

Our sincere appreciation goes out to Dr. Marilyn Spalding and her colleagues of the emergency health team at the College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville for rushing to the facility this morning and pulling out all the stops to try and save this special crane. 

AM: Though it was noticeably cooler this morning it was also too breezy to fly with the cranes. The winds however, are shifting around toward the northwest, which will help give us a push tomorrow morning. Let's all cross our "primaries" and hope for a gentle breeze for the final flight, which will include a flyover at the Crystal River Mall on Hwy 19, at the north end of the town of Crystal River. 

Notes: People are fascinated by weather - For some, their livelihood depends on it, such as the many farmers who work the land, or those in the fishing industry. Construction workers, boaters, motorists, athletes, and pilots; especially ultralight pilots, are all at the mercy of what Mother Nature dishes out. Despite our fascination there's not a darn thing we can do to control it - we just have to deal with it, or wait out the current conditions because the other thing we know for sure is that eventually, it will change.

This is exactly what we've been doing since arriving in Gilchrist County, FL last Sunday - waiting for the weather to cooperate. Today winds are the strongest yet at 15mph from the southwest on the surface, but the exclamation mark will be the rain and isolated thunderstorms, which are expected to move through the area by mid-morning.

Hopefully, this is a final "ha ha" that Ma Nature will throw our way but the winds may last into Saturday afternoon, before calming on Sunday morning. Stay tuned...

Notes: Florida is still experiencing warmer than normal temperatures for this time of year, which is creating early morning fog. Once the fog burns off, the winds are too strong to allow us to guide the Class of 2004 the remaining distance to the Chassahowitzka pen site. Rains are expected tomorrow, which of course means we'll be waiting until Saturday.

The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, including Operation Migration would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board for their action Wednesday to unanimously reinstate the whooping crane coordinator position. This position is critical to maintain the recovery momentum of the new migratory population of Whooping cranes in Wisconsin and eastern North America. Coordination of management activities are essential to support the expanding population of Whooping cranes and to continue to provide education and outreach to the public. We expect that the active recovery effort will take at least another 10 years to achieve the project-related goals.

A HUGE Thank you must also go out to our supporters for voicing your concerns over the potential loss of this critical position. I've said it many times before but I'll gladly say it again - Operation Migration has the BEST supporters and friends!!!

Notes: P.M. - Just did a check of the weather forecast for the next couple of days and it doesn't look great. IFR conditions (fog & low cloud ceilings) tomorrow morning. Once this burns off the winds will be gusting from the south. Friday looks close to the same but with rain thrown in.

A.M. - A southwesterly flow of warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico continues to dominate much of the sunshine state - and the migration team. We'll be standing down again today.

Notes: SSE breezes at 10mph aloft, combined with fog in the Gilchrist Co., area will keep the migration team and cranes from completing the southward journey today. Tomorrow's weather forecast still looks possible... 

Now the plan: Approximately 80-miles separate us from reaching our target destination at the Chassahowitzka NWR. Weather conditions in the sunshine state are predicted to be quite humid for the remainder of the week. Since the young cranes sometimes have difficulty breathing in wet, humid air, we will be breaking the remaining distance into two flights.

Tomorrow morning, if the weather holds, we will guide them to an interim stopover in Citrus County, which would place us to within 20-miles of the cranes' final destination in the salt marsh of the Wildlife Refuge. This final leg would be the one, which the public is encouraged to come out to witness at the Crystal River Shopping Mall located in Hwy 19 at the north end of town. The earliest possible date this may take place would be this Thursday, IF we can get them to the interim stopover tomorrow. Thank you for your continued patience and support for these cranes.

Notes: For better weather... Winds out of the SSW @ 7mph prevented our arrival this morning. At this point, the first possible day that we may get a window of opportunity looks to be Wednesday.

Having one of the Partnership's most conspicuous participants do what can only be interpreted as a withdrawal of support, not only wastes an opportunity, but also, creates a problem. What kind of signal does this send to the eight other WCEP Founding Members. 

The Board is meeting this Tuesday to make a decision regarding the elimination of the guardianship position for the Whooping cranes. If you feel it is important that this position stay intact to ensure the well-being of Wisconsin's Whooping crane population we ask that you please make contact with the following Board Members and voice your concerns, on behalf of the Wisconsin's Whooping Cranes.

Notes: Sorry for the delay - having difficulties acquiring, and maintaining a dial-up connection... The migration team was able to fly for the third day in a row today; bringing the entourage of Whooping cranes and people to our twentieth stopover of this year's southward journey, and Gilchrist County, FL.

We're now within 70-80 miles of completing the latest mission. Weather tomorrow is expected to turn against us, so we will be standing down and attending to final details at the arrival site at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge near Homosassa, FL.

At this point the earliest date that the public flyover could take place would be Tuesday, however, please check back often as we'll update as soon as we get a detailed weather report. 

The Crystal River Shopping Mall is located on US Hwy #19 at the north end of the town of Crystal River. The public is invited to join us at the grassy area located at the northwest entrance to the mall.

Notes: In the past two flights the migration team has been able to cover approximately 20% of the entire 1200-mile journey from Wisconsin to Florida. This mornings flight was again flawless for all fourteen cranes, as Richard took his turn guiding them out from the remote field where they spent last night.

Twelve ended up sticking to him as if attached by Velcro, while two others chose to follow Brooke's trike for the 1 hour and 54 minute journey, which lead them to north Florida. They touched down for the first time ever on Florida soil at 10:08 am. Only 140-miles to go!

Photo Journal  

Notes: There's an expression I've heard many times, which sums up nicely what we TRY to do and that is "you should may hay while the sun is shining." 

Today we made some hay! Much like last year when we had a record setting 200-mile day, the planes and cranes, again whizzed by much of Georgia, covering almost 160-miles, and logging 2 hours and 58 minutes of flight time. Joe did an air pick-up with all fourteen cranes. Soon after launching, one frustrated bird, #417 dropped out and was picked up by Richard. They arrived in Terrell County, Georgia in the same formation. 

Conditions were ideal - a smooth northwesterly push helped the flyers achieve flying speeds, of at times, 60mph, while on the ground below, I managed to achieve a ticket for my driving speed in Coweta Co., very near to the first of three stopovers that we passed by.

One of the most important roles in this reintroduction is carried out by the many generous, and considerate migration hosts that we have had to good fortune to make contact with over the years. Between Wisconsin and Florida there are 38 potential stopovers - Two are wildlife refuges, and the remainder are owned by private landowners who, in the name of crane conservation, remain nameless. 

Lets think about this - these folks know roughly that we'll be passing through each fall. They don't know exactly when, or even IF we'll show up. If we do show up; they don't know when we'll leave. We arrive en masse, park as many as four large motorhomes and trailers in their driveways, or their yards; borrow their electricity, water, and more often than not, we are fed like royalty - And then we have the nerve to tell them they cannot use the section of the property that the cranes are penned in, and oh, by the way, we're very sorry but you cannot see the cranes... I'm sure at times, they must wonder if we even have cranes with us, until the day we eventually leave and they are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them in flight with the aircraft!

This morning we passed over three such stops. These folks have been waiting patiently for the cranes to arrive, only to be told that finally the winds are in our favor and we'll be bypassing them... We're sorry ;-(

At many of our departures we have family members and friends of the hosts out to see if the birds really do exist, and often we rate the "tear factor" on a scale of 1 to 10: that is how many are overcome by the beauty of these ancient creatures that have put their trust in us and shed tears of joy. This morning, however, the tear factor was not produced by the small gathering of supporters and friends in Haralson County, Ga, but rather, by the migration team, as unfortunately, it was time to bid farewell to our dear friend and colleague, Tatiana Zhuchkova.

Tanya joined us in June when she arrived at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center from her home near Moscow, Russia. For the past 6 months she selflessly dedicated many hours, each and every day to the wellbeing of these fourteen young Whooping cranes. Unfortunately, her travel visa expired before she could witness the end result of many hours of hard work. She will return to Russia with hands-on experience, and I'm sure many, many (many) stories of her time in America. It was a great experience having her with us and to see things that we didn't even realize that we tend to take for granted, through her eyes. We miss you already Tanya - safe travels and please stay in touch... You'll be in our hearts when we cross the finish line in Florida! 

If you have time, why not send Tatiana a farewell message to let her how important her contribution, and time away from her family was to the Class of 2004?

Photo Journal  

Notes: After dealing with the worst frost they've ever had to contend with before, Richard van Heuvelen, Joe Duff and Brooke Pennypacker (in his patched-together trike), lifted off from the same grassy pasture they touched down onto six days ago.

Brooke gave the okay to Vicky Trabold, and Charlie Shafer to release the birds, while he moved in low from the north to pick them up. I had a brief moment of confusion when soon after hearing his instructions, a large flock of birds flew across the field between he and the cranes. Of course I was expecting to see a flurry of large white wings crest the small hill that hid the enclosure from our view. Instead, a large flock of Canada geese took center stage. It was timed to perfection, however, because as soon as the geese exited stage right; Brooke again reappeared from stage left with all fourteen stark white cranes working to catch his left wingtip.

As they passed over us, Joan Garland and I could hear their wing beats - they too seemed just as anxious to climb out of the bowl and continue moving south, and in very little time they caught up to Brooke. In fact they stayed with his repaired trike, not caring at all that the mast is ever-so-slightly warped for the entire 62-mile flight into Haralson County, Georgia. 

With a bit of luck we should be south of Atlanta tomorrow and headed for the homestretch!

We're on Day 54 of the 2004 southward migration - Last year, we arrived at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge on day 54... Better get a move on!

Notes: The weather system that has been holding us hostage in a large bowl-like valley is slowing moving out of the area. Winds are expected to diminish this afternoon, which, hopefully will allow us to crawl out tomorrow. Last night, however, Mother Nature decided to take yet another, and hopefully her final, kick at us.

Upon waking this morning, inside a cold and swaying-in-the-buffeting-breeze house trailer, Brooke, Joe and volunteer Gerald Murphy, quickly determined that the furnace had quit working through the night. It was 38 degrees outside and not much warmer inside. The movement of the trailer was a quick indication that we would not be migrating today.

Concerned for the aircraft, which are currently outside, and exposed to the elements, Joe and Brooke ventured down to the field where they had tied them down, as firmly as possible, snuggled in front of a line of trees that they thought would provide protection from the winds.  As soon as the trikes came into view it was quite evident this was not the case.

While Joe and Richard's aircraft were still firmly in place, Brooke's tiny plane was hanging - suspended by its large wing, from several low limbs of an overhead tree. All three wheels were off the ground, and it looked as if someone had come in for a landing -- nose first, and had ended up in the trees. Gasoline was trickling from the engine onto the wing, and as Joe and Brooke worked to untangle the trike and set it down as gently as possible, the thin branches whipped at Brooke's face; blending blood with the fuel that now stains the wing.

The damaged wing has since been removed and rinsed. It appears as if the keel, or main tube, which runs lengthwise from the front to back of the wing is bent, and the leading edge may also have sustained damage but without removing the covering, it is difficult to tell. In addition, the yellow faring has been smashed above the nose of the aircraft, and the mast, or kingpost that runs from behind the pilots seat and up to the wing also needs to be replaced.

While the pilots were pondering their options, Sandy and Jerry Ulrikson managed to locate a service man that would make trailer calls and the furnace is once again working. I've been on the phone with several contacts trying to locate the necessary parts to repair Brooke's ailing aircraft - Thank you to everyone who not only answered our call for assistance beginning at 7am but who came through with the information necessary to repair the furnace in the Nomad, and also to begin the search for the aircraft parts.

We do carry a spare wing in the large equipment trailer (or Toy Box) that accompanies us, so this can be switched over fairly quickly but our main problem is the mast. If we cannot locate one, they'll have to try to repair the one we have because the weather over the next two, and possibly even three days look promising. 

With a bit of luck, and a reprieve from Mother Nature, we might just make it to the finish line at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Florida next week -- even if one of the small aircraft has to hobble across it.

Ed note: Click to read, and watch some recent Whooper News out of the Twin Cities, courtesy of KARE 11 and reporter Mark Daly.

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

"Stragglers" can continue to arrive into December, with peak counts for the winter usually not made until mid-December.

"This is the highest number of endangered whooping cranes wintering in Texas in the last 100 years," said Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "We beat last year's record by 19. The next highest record was 194 whoopers in the fall of 2003."

The increase in numbers is due to very good nest production last summer. The Canadian Wildlife Service reported a total of 54 nesting pairs that fledged 40 chicks on their nesting grounds in Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park. Adult Whooping cranes breed, and nest in Canada before they and their young migrate southward to Texas for the winter months. 

Two other male cranes would have boosted the numbers but were shot while migrating through Kansas on November 6th. One died within the week, while the surviving crane is recuperating from shotgun wounds at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland. Both had received extensive treatment at Kansas State University from Dr. James W. Carpenter, head of zoological medicine at Kansas State, and former Veterinarian at the Patuxent facility. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks volunteered to fly the bird to Patuxent. 

Biologists do not expect the surviving crane to be released into the wild but are hopeful it could become part of the captive-breeding program.

"He could end up making an important genetic contribution through the whooping crane breeding program," said Carpenter. "The bird has resumed eating some natural foods, but has an elevated white blood cell count and is still recovering."

"The loss of one endangered bird should remind all hunters to be very sure of their targets" said Stehn. "Whooping cranes are similar to Sandhill cranes and could be mistaken for one by inexperienced hunters. Sandhill crane season lasts into December in parts of Texas so I encourage hunters to take extra care."

The current total North American population of wild and captive Whooping cranes is 468. Although the whooping crane population remains endangered, the comeback of the species sets a standard for conservation efforts in North America. The population reached an all-time low of only 15 birds in 1941, before efforts were taken to protect the species and its habitat. The population has been growing at four percent annually and reached 100 birds in 1987.

"We were hoping for 200 whooping cranes in the year 2000, but the population went into a decline for a couple years before rebounding back to 194 cranes last winter," said Stehn. "Getting a record high count the day before Thanksgiving is certainly something to be thankful for."

Ed note: Congratulations to everyone at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, and to the members of the Whooping Crane Recovery Team!

Notes: Our current location has us plunked in the middle of a big bowl; We're on the bottom, much like the only leftover Cheerio, when all the milk has been drained. The wind comes rolling over the edges of our bowl, seemingly blowing from all directions, while on the table outside the bowl, conditions are calm. 

The most frustrating thing? Once we're out of this bowl, there are no more bothersome ridges to worry about. The finish line is in sight; it should be a downhill slide into Crystal River, FL - IF we could just climb outa here... HR

Combining modern technology of ultralight aircraft with the primal instinct to migrate creates a noble calling, and if it weren’t for the fear of failure, and all that could result, we might even learn to like it. 

Hop scotching across the heartland of America is enjoyable and if not for the tight quarters, constant stress, and long hours, it could be pleasant.  

Spending day after day as guests of generous landowners would be relaxing, if not for the fear of wearing out our welcome, or the worry that comes when we must pen birds in a strange territory. 

A weather-induced break in lovely countryside would be agreeable, if it were not taxing our dwindling budget of $1000 per day. 

Flying an ultralight aircraft over the mountains in close formation with majestic and trusting cranes could be awe-inspiring, if not for the nausea that accompanies every take-off. If we could just relax long enough to put our full weight in the seat, leading birds might be fun. 

For some, observing the weather is an enjoyable leisure activity, but when the wind is always in your face, and it means another day away from home, it diminishes the experience. 

Migration can be fun – really!!! JD

Notes: Here we are, still in Walker County, GA. Winds this morning were blowing out of the SSE at 26mph (light and variable my b*tt).  

Notes: ... but at the wrong speed. Winds this morning are out of the NNW, however, they are blowing at an unsteady 18-25mph. We'd just be inviting trouble if we were to attempt to gather our 14 gangly young Whooping cranes and expect them to form up on the ultralights in the too windy conditions. We'll stand down today with hopes that tomorrows weather will arrive as is being forecasted - with winds "light and variable." We could sure use 'em...

Notes:... courtesy of south-southeast winds at 18mph. We'll be standing down today to catch our breath, as will crane #412 after his marathon flight over TN and GA yesterday.

Photo Journal

Notes: Remember back, oh, a couple of weeks ago (though it seems like months) when we finally reached Kentucky? One rebel crane, number 402, had decided that while it couldn't manage to follow the aircraft another 5-miles into Oldham County, it could still fly for more than 7 hours (all over Kentucky, and southeast Indiana in fact).

Well, this morning, after waiting till almost 10 a.m. for the fog to dissipate, Richard, Joe and Brooke criss-crossed over the pen area with our 14 trusting crane-lets for almost 30-minutes, before finally convincing them it was high time to leave the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. About 10-miles out from the refuge, top-cover pilots Bill Lishman and Mike Lyons reported that one of Richard's group of seven was in fact, dropping back.

They estimated the bird was flying at an altitude of roughly 300 ft, which meant that even though Brooke and Joe were further back than Richard, they would have to loose more than 1000 precious feet of altitude if they attempted to retrieve the bird. With Interstate 75 approaching in the distance they decided to let Mark and Tatiana track #412 from below, while Bill and Mike continued to watch it from their vantage point high above.

Richard continued on with his remaining six flyers, followed by Joe with five, and once again Brooke brought up the rear with two (why does Brooke always seem to be in the last position?)... The ridges run north and south, much like fingers on a hand. The pilots were forced to stay between the fingers, as they made their way south into Georgia. Mark, meanwhile, was still trying to get a signal on the apparently tired crane, as Bill directed him by road, as best he could from 3500 ft.

If anyone had asked me yesterday morning where our next stop was, I would have replied "Gordon County, GA." However, a phone call received at noon yesterday from our Gordon Co. hosts, informed us that the river adjacent the field that held the pen had crested earlier in the day, due to all the rain that fell earlier this week. In fact, the pen was sinking, and if we didn't come and retrieve it ASAP, we may not be able to get it at all for a few days, until the water subsided.

Joe, Brooke, and Walt Sturgeon made the two hour drive and upon arriving had to wear hip-waders to disassemble the structure. They fumbled up to their knees in water for the next hour or so to tear down the pen, which had been waiting for the past week to accept out birds. With no suitable alternate site in the immediate area, they chose to reassemble the enclosure at our interim stopover in Walker County; almost 20-miles to the north of our planned destination. This area too had been drenched and setting up the pen in the dark while slipping around in cow poop meant that the trio didn't return to camp until well after 9 p.m. last night.

It's a good thing they did get it ready, however, because 14-hours later, at 11:31 a.m. Richard van Heuvelen arrived over the site with six of his original seven Whooping cranes. I pulled into the location, just after Richard had landed, and I waited out of sight until he led the willing birds inside the enclosure.

I watched, as Joe came into view from the north with his five birds; at first appearing as a horizontal white stripe, against the bright blue sky. Within a couple more minutes I could make out the tiny white specks that trailed his wingtips, and which grew larger with each passing minute. Soon they too, appeared over the field, and Joe began spiraling downward with the birds, intent on landing near to Richard's trike. As I watched them in the viewfinder of the camera, I noticed, what at first, appeared to be a Sandhill crane, circling just above our white birds, and which seemed reluctant to land. Apparently, Joe had noticed it also, and gave chase - I asked him over the radio if it was a Sandhill? Intent on chasing it away, he was a second or two late in pushing the Push To Talk switch on his control bar, so that all I heard was "...den eagle!" A Golden eagle???

The Golden eagle is a natural predator of Whooping cranes, and have been known to take them down, while in flight. I watched our spiraling cranes descend, as Joe went after the intent eagle in an attempt to chase it, or at least frighten it out of the area, however, this particular bird was either in search of breakfast, or very curious about the large stark white birds, and their buzzing aircraft guardian, because he didn't give up too easily. After about two-minutes of dog fighting maneuvers, however, he finally fled the area, just as Brooke appeared in sight with his two cranes.

Mike & Bill were still trying to track the runaway crane, who was definitely still heading in the right direction, however, keeping an eye on a little white speck far below is not easy, and they soon lost sight of him entirely. Mark and Tatiana in the tracking van had a weak signal on him, and were driving back and forth across I75 to attempt to get a stronger signal. 

While Brooke and Richard gathered the remaining birds into the pen, Joe took off, this time heading back to the area where the two top-cover pilots had last had a visual on him. He had only one hour of fuel left in his tank but hoped that if he could locate the errant bird, he may be able to gather it on his wing and guide it to the pensite, but time ran out and he was forced to retreat shortly before 1pm.

As I write this, it's now just after 5pm, and Mark and Tatiana have followed the bird south, as far as Adairsville, GA, only to lose the signal, and determine that it had doubled back. Richard and Patuxent's Charlie Shafer are now out in another vehicle equipped with tracking equipment, and they too, are attempting to locate the bird. I've just spoken with Charlie, who informed me that the bird is STILL airborne and appears to be heading back to the Hiwassee Refuge! A quick call to Refuge Manager, Wally Akins confirmed that he too has a receiver and will head out and listen for the signal and alert Charlie and myself if he detects any beeps. 

It's been another l-o-n-g day, and it's not over yet....

Notes: Heavy rains over the past two days not only flooded the road that leads in and out of our camp, but also waterlogged phone lines, and cut off our connection to the internet and email yesterday.

Rains have subsided, only to be replaced by winds from the right direction, but at 10-20mph. Snow this morning in some of the higher elevation areas of Tennessee; thankfully not in our neighborhood. Winds expected to continue into most of tomorrow. 

Many thanks to everyone that has come forward to respond to the TN matching funds challenge, including the Ecology Class at Rhea County High School. For those not familiar, an anonymous donor has agreed to match any/all funds donated while we are in Tennessee, to a maximum of $5000.00. Each day we are down due to weather means an increase to our operating budget of $1000.00. It's now been one week since we arrived at this location...

Happy birthday to OM Field Operations Supervisor, Mark Nipper and Happy U.S. Thanksgiving to our American friends and supporters. 

Notes: A large and slow moving low pressure system is dumping rain on an area stretching from Texas in the southwest to southeast Kentucky, including the entire State of Tennessee.

We're currently grounded at stop #15 on Day 45 since leaving the Necedah NWR in Juneau Co., WI - Last year's ultralight-guided Whooping crane migration lasted 54-days, and required a total of twenty stopovers, including the remote winter pen, located in the salt marshes of the Chassahowitzka NWR in Crystal County, FL. If we could only get a 20-day stretch of suitable migration weather, we'd be home a lot sooner.

I suppose we can take consolation in knowing that the eastern population of wild cranes that are in the vicinity are, like us, also grounded by the rainy conditions.

Notes: Poor visibility and low cloud ceilings will keep us firmly planted for the day, and the forecast for the next two days doesn't look good either (thanks for the jinx Linda).

While we've been grounded for the past 4-days, we've had time to go out and observe the seven Whooping cranes who, like us, cannot move forward because of the poor migration conditions. The almost 6-month old juvenile crane #418 who did not log a suitable amount of flight hours with the aircraft this summer and early fall due to a problem with his primary feathers is here, as are cranes; 107, 306, 102, 105, 205 & 204. We've been fortunate to witness all seven white birds, or the fruits of our past labors. Click to see a video clip of some, including 418 with his recently acquired white primary feathers clearly visible toward the end of the clip. (Please bear in mind that I'm currently limited to a 26 kb dialup connection so the quality is suited for dialup. Once I get to a faster connection, I'll upgrade the clip to a higher quality)

During the past week, past ultralight migration graduates 101, 202, 102, 208, 211, 212 & 217 remained at or near the Necedah NWR in central Wisconsin. 

The #106 male remained in Clark County, WI with hundreds of staging Sandhill cranes until yesterday when he was not at his normal roost site, which could indicate he has initiated his southward migration.

Cranes 203, 215 & 216 remained in Monroe County, WI for the week, while cranes 209, 213 & 218 divided their time between Monroe County, and the West Training Site at the Necedah Refuge, until the three latter birds began their southward journey on Nov. 21^st. The first three Monroe County birds were not at their normal roost location for the evening check, so they too probably began moving south.

Migration was stalled during much of last week due to poor weather, and many of the migrating cranes made only local movements. Yearling cranes 303, 312 & 316 remained on the Necedah Wildlife Refuge until initiating their southward migration on Nov. 20^th  when they traveled to Jefferson County, Wisconsin. These are the three birds, who, after finding themselves on the east side of Lake Michigan, managed to circumnavigate the large body of water and return to their fledging area in late July. 

As of Nov. 18^th, yearling #302 remained in alone in a wetland and cornfields near Iroquois County, Illinois. He arrived at this location in late October and the landowner is convinced the bird is enamored with the Canada goose decoys that are sharing his wetland.

The one-year-old male, #317 remained in Colleton County, South Carolina, throughout the week, while former flockmates, 304 & 311 were found in Glynn County, Georgia.

The two-year-old female crane #214 was located on the morning of Nov. 16^th, just outside the release pen on the Chassahowitzka NWR. She had not been tracked since Nov. 9^th and may have already been at the Chassahowitzka NWR for several days. She remained in the pensite area throughout the week.

No. 307 was found on Ossabaw Island WMA, Chatham County, Georgia, on Nov. 14-15^th. By Nov. 17^th, he had moved to Beaufort County, South Carolina.

Crane 310 & 313 were last checked by the ICF tracking team on Nov. 15th, when they remained in Nelson County, Kentucky.

Nos. 301, 309, 318 & 305 had apparently, roosted on a mudflat on the Cape Romain NWR in Charleston County, SC on the nights of Nov. 12/13th, where, unfortunately, a predator, probably a bobcat, killed the male yearling, #305. Perhaps spooked by witnessing the predation of their flockmate, the three surviving yearling cranes moved northward, the next day, to the South Island, Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center in Georgetown County, South Carolina. (The same location where, ironically, Operation Migration pilots used to lead Canada geese and Sandhill cranes to prior to the eastern Whooping crane project) 

Notes: If it weren't for the notorious blanket of fog that covered the Hiwassee refuge this morning, we may have been able to leave Tennessee and enter Georgia. The pilots sat waiting at the airport, while the pen crew waited in the field adjacent that which held the enclosure, while Sandy Ulrikson, Geoff Dixon (OM's new Director of Development) and myself were positioned at the public observation gazebo.

Joe and I made several phone calls back and forth to and from the airport to keep each other apprised of any changes in the fog. IF it would have burnt off soon after sunrise, we had a very small window of opportunity which would have allowed us to head south and arrive at our first Georgia stopover before another small but fast-moving rain system moved in.

Unfortunately, the fog stayed in the area until 9am - at the same time, a quick call to flight services informed us that the window had already closed - it had begun raining south of Chattanooga.

Notes: We're standing down today under full Instrument Flight Rules, which are parked over the southeast TN and north GA area.

Notes: They rested... Today's inclement weather has put a screeching halt to our migration streak of 6-days.

Our weather goddess Paula Lounsbury reports that to the south of us winds at 1000 ft. are 20 mph and directly out of the south. And just to add insult to injury, a low pressure system is moving into the area today, bringing with it rain showers, and cloud ceilings of 3500 ft. Normally, we could still fly with ceilings at this level, however today's flight would have taken us into north Georgia where there are still some high ridges to cross and the pilots would rather not cross them in the clouds.

We'll stand down today and perhaps head out to see if we can locate some of the seven ultralight migration crane graduates that are still in the area...

Photo Journal

Notes: Ha! The Appalachian obstacle was no match for this migration team! 

Shortly before 8:00 this morning Joe, Brooke and Richard flew north from our hosts hangar to the field that held the crane pen, which was 10-miles away. It's probably the first time in a long time they've had the "N" on the compass as a heading...

Once over the field, Brooke and Richard hovered a bit to the south, while Joe gave the crane handlers the OK to release the young Whooping cranes. At 8:10 a.m. all fourteen birds bolted into the air behind his small aircraft and quickly fell into formation.

For only about the second time in the past 40-days, winds were calm, which affords the cranes an easier time when trying to acquire the sweet-spot above either side of the 19-meter aircraft wing. Once in the sought after position the first few birds in each line, often have nothing more to do than set their large wings in the open position and ride the wave of air, much like a surfer would in water.

A small crowd of craniacs had gathered at the public observation gazebo located on the refuge to welcome this newest class of ultra-cranes, as seven previous migration graduates foraged out of sight, on the other side of Chickamauga Lake.

We heard the drone of the Cessna 182 top-cover plane first, as Don and Paula Lounsbury flew ahead of the cranes to check on the notorious fog that often blankets the area. Paula reported back to Joe who still had thirteen of the cranes that there was light, hazy fog still over the island that the enclosure was located on.

Next, Richard van Heuvelen appeared with one lone bird; number 419 had dropped back from Joe's formation soon after crossing Walden's Ridge, and was retrieved by Richard. Soon after, Joe appeared through the haze with his large group, trailing off his left wingtip and finally, Brooke arrived over the area; still ready to round up any birds that might have needed his assistance.

To allow Mark and Tatiana additional time to drive out to the pen site the pilots circled with their charges over the gazebo area before asking Brooke to land adjacent the enclosure so that the birds would have a visual target to aim for during their final approach. 

Total flight time logged this morning was 1 hour and 15 minutes, but perhaps of more importance, is the beast has been slayed.

Pics soon!

Notes: Two weeks ago, when Illinois had us firmly in its' grasp, I think we all had doubts that we'd ever reach this point, so at 7:50 a.m. (CST) this morning when I crossed the State line that defines Kentucky from Tennessee, I let out a loud whoopeeeeee! It didn't matter that no one except me heard it - it felt great! 

For me, the excitement began building yesterday morning on the way to Adair County, KY, when the scenery became noticeably more captivating, and the roads, though challenging, are much more interesting and fun to navigate. Once everyone eventually arrived at our last Kentucky stopover yesterday, it became apparent that the entire team was in high spirits.

The adventure this morning continued when at 6:53 Brooke gave Vicki and Robert their cue to release the cranes. Brooke approached the pensite from the south and as he flew just to the right side of the group; ten birds joined up with him. The enclosure at this site is situated in a beautiful valley and the aircraft must circle before beginning a long climb, which will eventually lead them out. Brooke made a tight turn with his group of ten and doubled back over the pen in an attempt to gather the remaining four birds.

As he passed over their heads they too joined the airborne flock to begin heading first east then south to exit the valley. At roughly 6-miles out, eight of the cranes broke from Brooke's trike, and Joe Duff successfully intercepted them before they had a chance to return to the valley they had just left.

1 hour and 50 minutes after take-off Joe landed first with his group of eight; ollowed by Richard who had spent the entire flight sight-seeing, and finally, Brooke arrived with his six dedicated flyers. 

In past years, we've always run into trouble soon after departing from Cumberland County, and on our way to the Hiwassee State Wildlife Refuge in Meigs County, TN because the landing site was located at the base of Walden's Ridge (aka "the beast"). This year, we are using a new stopover in Cumberland County, which is situated 15-miles to the north of the beast. This will give the pilots 15-miles in which to climb with the young Whooping cranes to the altitude needed to cross the Appalachian obstacle.

With any luck and a bit of good weather we should arrive at the Hiwassee Refuge tomorrow morning... Don't forget that while we're in the "Volunteer State" every dollar donated will be matched dollar-for-dollar by an anonymous Tennessee resident! We've not yet reached our budget for this year so if you could spare a few dollars to help us continue our work, and increase the new eastern population of migratory Whooping cranes, every donation will be doubled! 

Photo Journal

Notes: Intermittent and light rains delayed our start this morning but with cloud ceilings still rather high at 5-6000 feet keeping our enemy Mr. Wind at bay we were able to advance to our last scheduled migration stopover in Adair County, KY.

Richard van Heuvelen was the lead pilot this morning and at 8:24 he gave Robert and Vicki the all clear to release the cranes. The timing was perfect and as he approached the pen site from the north to execute another air pickup it was as if the birds all sensed what was about to occur so they positioned themselves ready to launch at just the right moment.

As soon as all were airborne behind his aircraft, he banked wide; sweeping to the east and began climbing out of the remote field that held the enclosure for only one night. Joe and Brooke hung back a bit so as not to give the birds any visual distractions.

Roughly 10-miles out from our destination, two of the crane-kids appeared to drop back and lower than the rest of the flock, which still trailed Richard's trike. After giving them a couple of minutes to decide if they could catch up, Joe moved in to lend assistance to the tired pair by positioning his wing in front of them so they could take advantage of the air vortices as they rolled off the trailing edge of the large wing. This allows the birds to set their large wingspans, and surf the wake, much like they would fly if using thermal activity.

1 hour and 33 minutes after taking-off the pilots and cranes touched down in Adair County, KY. With any luck we'll be able to head into Tennessee tomorrow, which leads me to my next bit of news.

One person who firmly believes in our work, and cares a great deal about Whooping cranes has issued a challenge to his fellow Tennesseans. This very generous individual will match each and every dollar donated to our cause while we traverse the volunteer State up to a maximum of $5,000.00. Envelopes must bear a Tennessee return address and be postmarked beginning tomorrow to qualify, or if you would like to phone in your pledge call 800-675-2618 and provide a TN address so that Chris can issue a tax-deductible receipt.

Every dollar counts as two; a $25 donation totals $50; $100 means $200 will actually be contributed - you get the idea! So c'mon Tennessee - There are currently SEVEN former Whooper-students enjoying your State on their un-aided southward journey! Isn't that proof that this method works? Won't you help us to bring more cranes your way???

Photo Journal

Notes: At 8:06 a.m. Joe Duff swooped down low in front of the crane enclosure just as all fourteen birds burst out of the travel pen. Flashes of white appeared in the spaces between the small pine trees that shrouded the pen from our view, until the birds gained enough altitude to clear them. 

They formed a long, wide line to the left of the small yellow trike but as Joe made a wide sweeping turn to the west, some took advantage of the break and swept across to form up on the other wing and even out the number of flyers on each side.

Brooke Pennypacker and Richard van Heuvelen stayed farther west and north so as not to distract the young cranes, yet close enough so that if needed they could quickly get into place and pick up any that may have decided to turn back toward their enclosure.

Despite frosty conditions this morning the weather was ideal for ultralight-guided migration - little, if any wind and cool and dry so that the cranes wouldn't tire too quickly. When tracking below in our vehicles we monitor the aircraft radios so that we know if any of the birds are tiring, or just generally how things are going. A quiet day is a good day but this morning the silence was maddening as this was the first of the thirteen migration legs thus far that we've heard nothing. At first, you wonder if you're out of range but a quick "Richard, do you copy?" alleviated this possibility when he responded "yep, loud and clear." 

Another 30-minutes of quiet goes by and I'm beginning to wonder if things are going so well that the pilots are napping.... "Joe? How are things..?" followed by a quick "fine" tells me that at least one of the three pilots is awake. Knowing that rarely is Joe at a loss for words, I ask "who has the cranes?".... "I do"...." You still have all of them???" Finally Brooke wakes up and in typical Brooke fashion responds "Heather, he only has 14 with him.." "Thanks Brooke, now I remember why I prefer the quiet radios."

1 hour and 20 minutes later, Richard was finally called upon to do something in the way of work, so he landed first to provide a visual target for the cranes, while Joe circled downward; safely delivering all of the cranes (14 of them) to Washington County, Kentucky. 

Notes: Apologies for the late posting but we've only called it a day about 30-minutes ago at 7pm. Highlights involved one runaway crane (#402) which was eventually retrieved after flying aimlessly for 8 hours and 22 minutes and a minor fender bender - no charges laid. Crane and people doing well... Tired but well. 

Tomorrow's another day....

Photo Journal

Notes: This mornings lift-off from the Muscatatuck NWR in Jennings County, Indiana was the best one of the ten thus far. All 14 crane-kids seemed as anxious as we were to get moving as they lined up behind Richard's trike. The crowd that braved the cool autumn air was treated to a beautiful sight as the early morning sun illuminated the already bright white cranes.

Shortly after disappearing from our view, all except four birds broke from Richard so Brooke moved in to pick them up. 

We had planned to head into Oldham county, Kentucky this morning and some of us had hopes that the slight tailwind may even allow us to skip a stop and make it to Washington county, however, 18-minutes into the flight, conditions deteriorated. Winds increased and had swung around to the east-southeast, creating an evil headwind. With slightly more than 25 miles to go, the headwind wouldn't have been that bad, however, it wasn't even a steady headwind, but rather, almost a wind sheer, which occurs at the point where winds coming out of different directions meet each other.

The pilots were having a difficult time controlling the large, heavy wings of their aircraft so to avoid any mishaps they decided to find the best possible field below and land with the birds.

The pen crew arrived shortly afterward and the cranes are now safely on the ground. The crew is scattered, with one RV staying at the pensite, and the others at a nearby campground. We didn't make it very far but at least we're 21-miles further south. Kentucky will have to wait till tomorrow to see the Class of '04.

Notes: The same low pressure system, which yesterday produced record rainfalls is lingering south of us over our destination. Cloud ceilings of only 300-ft. would make today's planned flight impossible. The system is expected to clear out this morning, however, by the time it does, the north winds should be blowing at 20-25 mph. 

Notes: Light rain showers began falling early this morning; dashing any hopes of entering Kentucky today, and just to add insult to injury, thunderstorms are expected to arrive later in the day.

While we have been grounded since arriving at the Muscatatuck NWR on Monday with our 14 young Whooping cranes, excitement has been mounting for members of the WCEP Tracking Team from the International Crane Foundation and their Windway Capital Corp. volunteer pilots. 

As of late yesterday, the 17 older and experienced wild ultra-cranes from past project years, as well as #418, that have already begun their southward journeys, are located in various areas, mostly, all further south than us.

The 6-month old juvenile, #418 who had most of his primary, or flight feathers removed in late August due to improper growth has had quite an adventure after departing from the Necedah NWR in central Wisconsin in the company of yearling #307. On their first day out, the two managed to make it to central Indiana, however, as roost time approached, 418 landed, while 307 continued flying, almost 60-miles further. The next day the radio signal of 418 was detected in flight and as the airborne tracking team observed him amid a flock of Sandhill cranes, they also noticed another Whooping crane in the flock!

Unable to detect any other radio signals, they concluded that his travel mate was the only crane among the thirty-five wild birds that is currently un-trackable because of a dead  battery in her transmitter - the elusive female #107 from the very first ultralight-guided migration!  However, again, as roost time neared, 418 landed along the Cumberland River in Tennessee, while 107 continued slightly further downstream. Both stayed at their selected locations on Nov. 9th due to unfavorable migration conditions.

Yesterday at 9:45 a.m. 418 lifted off with approximately 40 Sandhill cranes and arrived in early afternoon at the Hiwassee State Wildlife Refuge in Meigs County, TN (where I wish we were!). Later in the day he was spotted foraging within 1/4 mile from females 107 AND 201. He shouldn't have any difficulties locating others of his kind as including him there are currently SEVEN beautiful glowing white Whooping cranes staging at this crane-friendly refuge in southeast Tennessee, including cranes 105 and his mate 204, 205, 306.

Elsewhere, #307 roosted last evening just shy of the southeast coast of Georgia in McIntosh County; #317 roosted in Orangeburg County, South Carolina and #'s 304 & 311, who are traveling together, arrived late yesterday in Washington County, Georgia. 

The four yearling Whooping cranes (301, 305, 309 & 318), which summered in Michigan, departed the State on November 7th, and apparently, while heading southeast, actually flew over the southwest tip of our home Province of Ontario! During a scheduled raptor count on the same day, observer Chuck Sharbaugh, and official counter Bob Hall-Brooks watched with awe and delight when at 1:23 p.m. the rare birds passed overhead. 

The following is an excerpt from the days raptor report at Ontario's Holiday Beach Migration Observatory: "The sighting of the century today was a flight of four Whooping Cranes (yes Whooping, not Sandhill) seen at 1:23 p.m. flying from east to west in formation. These magnificent white birds with their red crowns will be etched in this observers memory, made more certain by the two Sandhill Cranes that followed in the next hour." 

As Canadian's, it's particularly exciting for us to hear this news as support from our own country has, unfortunately, not exactly been pouring in with the same level of enthusiasm as that of our neighbors in the United States. With the exception of WWF Canada and Environment Canada's Endangered Species Recovery Fund, and fewer than a hundred private citizens, our work is supported mostly by U.S. based foundations and individuals. 

Much like the Whooping crane itself, the Operation Migration team considers North America our home, which is why we are registered as a non-profit organization in both countries -- The Whooping crane has become an icon for endangered species in North America, and only international cooperation will eventually safeguard the species from its' demise. 

Notes:...on the ground - Flight Services has issued a turbulence advisory for today. Currently, winds on the surface are out of the SSE at 10mph, while aloft they are at 25mph out of the SSW so we will not be moving forward today. Heavy rains are expected to enter south Indiana later this evening and continue through tomorrow with 1-2" expected to accumulate.

Notes: Despite a forecasted northerly breeze, which we had hoped would give us a little assistance in reaching Kentucky this morning, once the three trikes were airborne, pilots encountered a 12 mph headwind. We'll be standing down for today and check a bit later on to see what tomorrow's weather is SUPPOSED to bring our way.

Photo Journal

Notes: For the third time in only four days we were able to advance southward this morning; leaving our Morgan County, IN stopover at 8:00 a.m. and arriving at the Muscatatuck NWR at 9:15 a.m. Total flight time was 1 hour & 15-minutes but since it took Mark and Tatiana 10-minutes to call the birds down (first-ever airdrop) we're calling it a total time of 1 hour & 25-minutes.

Joe executed the air pickup in Morgan Co., and all but #402 launched with him. Richard moved in to pick up this slacker while Brooke carried on after Joe in the chase position. At about 17-miles out, crane #419 began to drop back from the long line of nine cranes off Joe's left wingtip so Brooke moved in to lend her his wing. This is the third time that all 14 young cranes have made the entire flight; giving the ground crew another break.

At this point the weather tomorrow morning looks great and we hope to leave Indiana behind (nothing personal) and head into Kentucky. For those that are interested in catching the departure action, we will again be working with the Muscatatuck Refuge Staff to host a public observation opportunity.

The main gate of the refuge is located east of Interstate 65 (Exit 50A) on Hwy 50. Gates will open at 7:15 a.m. and visitors should continue 4-miles down the main road of the refuge until they see staff members, who will be instructing everyone on where to park. Please note that the event is at the mercy of Mother Nature, and the disposition of these juvenile Whooping cranes. Thank you for your patience and understanding if there are any delays and please dress warmly as temperatures are expected to dip overnight.

Thanks to a large cold push coming out of Canada, 18 of the previous years cranes departed their summer areas, with all but three leaving yesterday, including this year's little misfit, #418! This young male decided to travel yesterday with yearling #307 and the two landed to roost in west-central Indiana. Unfortunately, crane 307 flew about 60-miles further than 418 so we'll have to wait to see what happens with the youngster, but hopefully he's well on his way and will continue southward. The other exciting news is that the four yearlings that ended up in Michigan this summer also initiated their first southward migration without the aircraft guide they had last fall. Cranes 301, 305, 309 & 318 moved south into Ohio late yesterday and appear to be retracing their spring path.

The big male, #105 and his mate #204 arrived late yesterday at the Jasper Pulaski State Fish and Wildlife Area north of Medaryville, IN. Too bad they weren't there 5-days ago when most of us visited the area to see the 12,000+ Sandhill cranes. 

205 & 306 departed the Necedah NWR yesterday and arrived shortly after 5:00 p.m. in Iroquois County, IL; the same county that #302 has been occupying since Oct. 26th. Two other yearlings had departed Necedah NWR on Nov. 5th and landed to roost approximately 17-miles from our stopover in Kankakee County.

Slightly to the north in Kankakee County, IL., yearlings 310 & 313 arrived at approximately the same time, while #214 was spotted migrating with four Sandhill cranes northwest of Lafayette, IN.

Elsewhere, #317 was seen migrating solo, and while he wasn't tracked to his roost site, it is suspected he landed in Vermillion County, Illinois. Another solo bird that was detected in flight was the female #201, which had also chosen Michigan as a summer habitat.

This leaves 17 of the thirty-five eastern Whooping cranes still occupying their summer habitats. With more cold weather expected to arrive today and tomorrow, it could get pretty busy over the skies of the Midwest and the eastern half of the United States. 

18 experienced cranes already heading south; 14 enroute with their three aircraft leaders, and another 17, which, if they haven't already left, should any day now... Who would've thought only 4 short years ago that we'd be reporting on the activities of FIFTY Whooping cranes in eastern North America???? Which brings me to my next question: If you've enjoyed following our in the field daily journal entries and believe that our work should continue - Won't you consider helping out? Operation Migration Inc. is a Canadian Registered Charity, as well as a U.S. 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, which relies on public financial support to carry out our work.

You can donate online, or by calling Chris Danilko at 800-675-2618, who is busy holding down the fort at our headquarters in Ontario. For more contact options please click here, and THANK YOU for your support of our efforts to safeguard the Whooping crane.

Photo Journal

Notes: The first-ever air pick-up of this year's migration took place at 7:24 am. After meeting last night to lay out the plans it was very well choreographed and worked like a charm.

Vicky Trabold, Mark Nipper and Robert Doyle suited up and ventured out to the van. Tatiana drove them as close to the pen as she could safely approach, and then waited for them to return. Brooke was airborne and when he gave the pen team the signal over their ear pieces both gates were thrown open, allowing the anxious cranes to exit.

As soon as they leave the confines of their enclosure they often jump about and fly short distances, and just as they were beginning to settle down Brooke zoomed in, approaching from the north and picked up 12 birds. At the same time, Joe and Richard were waiting; still on the front lawn of our hosts home, for my cue to let them know how many Brooke had successfully launched with. I radioed that two were still on the ground outside the pen, and within a minute they were airborne and moving in to pick these two up. 

As they approached the field all but one of Brooke's birds veered off toward Joe, so he picked these up instead, and let Richard go in and get the remaining two that hadn't yet gotten off the ground. 

Eleven cranes formed up on Joe's craft; 8 on the left wingtip and 3 off the right. Shortly after Richard succeeded in getting his two better-late-than-never birds up, 1 broke and joined Brooke, giving him a total of two birds. Richard brought up the rear of the flight order with a single bird.

They remained in this formation for the entire 55.5-mile distance to Morgan County, IN, arriving 1 hour and 18 minutes after leaving our Boone County stopover. 

This is our eighth stop and only the second time that the ground crew hasn't had to pick up any dropouts. With any luck the weather tomorrow will hold allowing us to move south to the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge.

Notes: During the past 4 years I've joked often that Indiana should be renamed Windiana as once we do eventually arrive here, the winds inevitably turn against us. This morning the moniker lived up to our expectations with winds out of the southwest at 10-15 mph, which is of course a headwind that would delay our progress. Tomorrow AND Monday both look favourable, however, so we might just be able to advance.

Photo Journal

Notes: At 6:22 this morning, Richard landed and taxied down to the crane enclosure. Waiting to release the birds this morning was Patuxent's Robert Doyle and Walter Sturgeon from the Whooping Crane Conservation Association. Within seconds, Richard's trike crested the small hill that hid the pen from our view and a flurry of flapping wings trailed behind.

As he veered to the west several cranes turned back to the east, intent on returning to the pen that has been home since Sunday. Joe moved in to intercept this small group, while Brooke was approaching to try to pick up the few stragglers that hadn't gotten a clean exit from the enclosure when the double doors were opened.

For several minutes aircraft and cranes were everywhere - one pilot would succeed in getting the crane-kids on course and one or two reluctant ones would turn back, only to be picked up by another pilot who was nearly on course with his few cranes. At one point, Joe radioed to the pen team to get the swamp monsters out in case any others turned back again. They were no more than 3 minutes away when Don & Paula advised they were ready to take-off. Joe's frustrated tone came through loud and clear over the aircraft radio next: "seven %#$@#!'s are on their way back, Heather drive your truck down to the pen so they don't land." 

I jumped in my truck, glad to get out of the cold. Don and Paula came barreling down the runway in their Cessna toward me, and after waiting a couple of seconds for them to clear out, I barreled in the opposite direction in my bright yellow Ford Escape, toward the crane enclosure. Sometimes tough-love is required to convince birds that have not flown in a few days that it is a good day to fly. It was a race to see who could reach the pen first; me, in my truck, or the seven cranes that appeared over the tree line on the far side of the travel pen. I began honking my horn in the hopes I could convince them that landing was not something they should be doing. They agreed and began climbing again, while I continued toward the pen. 

As the cranes cleared the tree line for the second (or fourth) time, I cleared the small hill, which had until now blocked my view of the crane pen. The scene before me unfolded as if it was happening in slow motion. Walt, disguised as the swamp monster, didn't realize I was approaching in my vehicle and was probably pretty satisfied with himself for convincing the cranes to continue with the aircraft. The green blob that had been waving its' arms, turned around ever so slowly, so that all I could see this frayed-at-the-edges hole, which was barely large enough to allow me to see the ever-enlarging eyes of Walt, that managed to grow even wider as he thought he was about to get run over. I pulled up beside him and began laughing - I couldn't help it.

We were convinced the birds wouldn't be back so I left and began heading on course myself toward Benton County, IN. I wasn't 10-miles away when I heard Brooke announce the three of his birds; none that were in the first group that we had just scared back into the air had again turned back. I knew that Walt and Robert could deal with these so I kept on my way.

Once at a decent altitude a tailwind helped to push the trikes along so the pilots made the decision to skip our Benton County stopover where the second travel pen was already set up and waiting. I had just called Mark F. to let him know we were on our way... so I hit redial and gave him the disappointing news that we would not be stopping at his property, and instead would be forging ahead to our Boone County, IN stopover.

Each morning, prior to departure, Mark Nipper and Tatiana Zhuchkova set out in the tracking van, on loan from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, in case any of the birds drop out during a migration leg - this would allow them to have a bit of a head start in case they needed to retrieve any. Mark and Tatiana would instead have to head to the Benton Co., site to dismantle the pen quickly and move it down to the next site. Just as they arrived at Mark F's home, Brooke announced that he had a bird go down, so Mark Nipper would be needed to track that bird (417). Mark left Tatiana with Mark F. and the two of them dismantled the pen while Mark went out to search for the dropout. As if all this wasn't enough excitement, Brooke then announced he had yet another crane that seemed intent on landing. 

What transpired over the next hour would take far too long to try to explain... But Mark F. not only helped Tatiana tear down the pen but then hooked it to his truck, and drove Tatiana to meet up with Mark Nipper so that she could help him look for the still-missing second crane (416). Next he continued to our Boone County site and with Richard drove into the secluded field and then helped to reassemble the pen he had just dismantled and hauled for 60-miles! We owe you big time Mark F. - MANY thanks for your assistance this morning and welcome to the ground support team!

In all, nine cranes made the 2-hour flight - 3 didn't make it any distance - and two others flew about 65-miles of the 92-mile distance.

Notes: For the fourth day since arriving here on Halloween day we'll be standing down. Drizzle and fog are dampening our progress today.

Notes: Occasionally, it strikes me as odd that while we're anxious to advance to each of the next stopover locations along the migration route--as soon as we do arrive; we can't wait to leave. Others would tend to think that using ultralight-aircraft to guide young Whooping cranes on their maiden autumn migration would seem even more peculiar, but considering this the fourth expedition--it seems (almost) normal to us.

When you take into consideration the three migration missions completed between 2001 and 2003; it takes an average of 50-days to reach our final destination at west-central Florida's Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.  Yet, here we are, still in Illinois on day 25 of this year's journey, and more than 900-miles lay ahead of us.  At slightly fewer than 250-miles traveled thus far, we've progressed a disappointing average of 10-miles for each day since departing central Wisconsin's Necedah National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 10th.

Today's weather was forecasted to be in our favour with winds out of the ENE at 7mph, yet when Joe, Brooke and Richard were airborne and on course toward Benton County, IN at 6:30 a.m. they encountered yet another cruel headwind. A southeast wind at 15mph, reduced the travel speed of the trikes to only 14mph, and turned their planned trip of about  40-miles into a 3+ hour trip.

We received a call yesterday morning from a local farmer who reported that he had a large white bird visiting his wetland, which is located only 10-miles as-the-crane-flies southeast of our current location. The bird had apparently arrived on Friday, Oct. 29th and was still there yesterday morning. We suspected the white bird was yearling #302, which had apparently separated from its pal #317 earlier last week in Jefferson County, WI. 302 was observed thermalling high into the sky over the Jefferson Co. site, apparently calling 317 to join him, however, the younger male crane ignored the travel invitation and remained on the ground. 

An aerial survey carried out in southern Wisconsin on Oct. 31st did not turn up #302, so while we were excited to hear he had appeared, we're frustrated to learn he has progressed further and faster than we have. 

Notes: North winds this morning are in our favour, however, the remnants of yesterday's heavy rains have yet to move out, so as Americans head to their polling stations to cast their votes, we'll be staying put. Tomorrow's weather looks positive, and we hope will allow us to move into Indiana.

Notes: East winds at 11 mph combined with rain are preventing us from moving into Indiana today.

Happy Halloween!

Notes: The winds finally shifted in our favor, allowing us to advance to our last scheduled stopover in Illinois after standing down since last Sunday. Eleven cranes made this mornings 1 hr. & 10 min. flight. Cranes 402, 412 & 419 did not.

Photo Journal

Notes: Severe storms accompanied by damaging winds passed thru much of Illinois last night so after making sure the crane enclosure and aircraft were secure, we were left with little to do except watch the amazing light show while we shared Tatiana's birthday cake.

Winds out of the southwest at 20-30 mph, and gusting up to 40 mph are continuing for most of today, however, they are expected to shift to the west tomorrow morning. Provided they aren't too strong, we may just be able to move. 

Notes: It's day 20 of the 2004 southward migration--officially, we're progressing slower than all previous ultralight-guided journeys thus far. Let's hope we can make up for miles lost once we get south of Lake Michigan.

Overnight rain has left lingering humidity in the air, which would make breathing difficult for the cranes. WSW winds at 10mph would create a dangerous crosswind, and visibility is currently less than 1-mile.

The handlers released the birds for a short time yesterday morning to allow them some much needed exercise. Today the entire team will visit the Shedd Aquarium for some of our own much needed exercise and brain stimulation. Today is Tatiana Zhuchkova's birthday and since she cannot be with her own Russian family and friends, we hope to help her celebrate the occasion in nearby Chicago.

Notes: An ESE breeze @ 11 mph is keeping us firmly grounded - again.

Notes: ENE winds at 9mph will keep us grounded for yet another day at our current location.

Notes: Our top-cover pilots arrived yesterday at our Kankakee County location after trying since last Wednesday to leave Ontario, Canada. It's nice to know we've not been the only ones grounded by poor weather and it was great to finally hear Paula Lounsbury's voice at 5:30 this morning providing a weather report.

From her vantage 58 miles to the southeast conditions were calm, however here it was a different story. Just to be sure Brooke was airborne as soon as they were able to mount the wing on his trike. He took off into the east wind, getting airborne it what appeared to be less than 30ft of taxiing distance. Once at 400 ft. altitude he reported a ground speed of 20 mph. At 500ft. his speed had dropped to 19 mph. His final report came from 700ft. where he was plodding along at only 16 mph. This would have meant a flight duration of well over 3 hours and as each aircraft holds only enough fuel for approximately 3 hours of flight... well, we're not going anywhere today.

A Message for other ultralight pilots:
In years past, ultralights were considered questionable aircraft; piloted either by the brave or foolish. Since then, time standards, and designs have improved and they are now no more risky than anything else that flies. Some still refer to them as lawn darts but this label is no longer fair. Ultralight aircraft have circumnavigated the world; flown on every continent; and provide sheer joy to pilots without the means to afford certified conventional aircraft. 

Recently the U.S. has entered a brave new world of regulations and soon it will no longer be legal to assemble a kit in your backyard and take to the skies with no experience. The  industry applauds and promotes this endeavour and looks forward to a bright and safer future, but like any sport, there are those who ruin it for the rest. 

On the most recent completed leg of our journey the birds were reluctant to leave. Richard managed to convince a few to follow him and he headed for the destination. It took Brooke and I another hour to encourage the rest to accompany us and eventually, we were on our way with Richard 30 miles ahead of me, and Brooke 15 miles behind. 

Each of us had our own group of birds and were left alone to deal with whatever happened. Twenty miles from the destination I watched a pair of ultralights cross my path a mile in front of me and I kept a look out until they disappeared to the west. A few minutes later my birds broke formation and sped ahead of me. They began to fly in the danger zone above the wing where the flying-wires pose a risk of entrapment. 

I slowly climbed, hoping not to hit one, and powered ahead to regain the lead when I noticed the cause of the problem. Flying in illegal formation, only 100-feet behind me, and without radio contact, was an ultralight aircraft piloted one of the spoilers of the sport. Probably intent on a great picture or just being a jerk, he hung there for a moment before peeling off to the right, leaving me to gather the flock and calm their fears. I was not able to identify the aircraft but if you are the pilot of a black and green CGS Hawk, flying over Lee and DeKalb counties in Illinois last Sunday morning, I would like to have a discussion with you, me and the director of the FAA. 

For this migration our aircraft are registered, and our pilots are licensed. We pay strict attention to safety, in order to protect our team and our cranes. Our birds are imprinted on our three identical aircraft, and regard them as parents. Any other intruder, poses a threat and will frighten our flock.  - Joe Duff

Notes: Acting as a surrogate parent and leading young whooping cranes on their first migration can hardly be called normal, particularly when it includes dressing in a costume and flying an ultralight aircraft. Despite the uniqueness of this calling once you do it for as long as we have, there are parts of it we can refer to as typical. This year is the exception. 

For one reason or another, egg production at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center was lower that expected. There were also some unusual health issues that limited the number of chicks available this year and three other birds were held back to bolster the breeding potential of the captive flock. The net result is that we now have 14 birds that are following us south, and one that we had to leave behind. 

Back in August chick #418 began dropping primary feathers. In Whooping cranes these are the long, black wingtip feathers that distinguish them from other cranes, while in flight, and make flight possible. Veterinarian, Barry Hartup of the International Crane Foundation pulled a few more that had not developed properly and the bird was left with only three flight feathers. In its clumsy attempts to fly it looked like it was extending only its index and pinky fingers in a mocking gesture of defiance. 

Unable to keep up with the rest of the flock, 418 was left out of training for a few weeks. Over the next couple of months the feathers grew back with one appearing completely white or amelanistic. Unfortunately, the lack of training meant its muscles were also under-developed, along with its attitude. We tried training it separately; running with it up and down the runway but progressively, it lost interest in the aircraft and the handlers. Reluctantly, we decided it was no longer suitable for migration with the rest of the birds and the Recovery Team adopted plan B.

For several seasons now we have been hoping that the production of eggs at the propagation centers would increase sufficiently to provide enough chicks for the ultralight study with a few left over to attempt a supplemental release. This would entail rearing birds at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to acclimate them to the wetlands, and eventually releasing them, one by one, with the more experienced Whooping cranes prior to their fall migration. 

Although Whooping cranes are not colonial birds like Sandhill cranes and do not migrate in large numbers, before they reach breeding age they will often form small bachelor cohorts of 2 and 3 individuals. With luck, a chick raised in the company of other whooping cranes may be anxious enough for the company of conspecifics that it will persist long enough to be accepted into a cohesive group. 

Unfortunately egg production has never been high enough to have surplus chicks in order to try this technique but at the last meeting we all agreed that if one of our birds were not suitable for the ultralight migration, a pilot supplemental study would be attempted. 

Over the years we have amassed a number of procedures to deal with chicks with personality quirks and usually we can correct behaviours that make them reluctant to follow the aircraft. Occasionally, one slips through the cracks and will not respond to any of the tricks up our costume sleeves. It is then up to the Recovery Team to find another use for these birds and in the past they have functioned as adult sexual imprint models for the next generation of chicks. These models are penned next to the young birds at the U.S.G.S. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center to ensure the chicks identify with the correct species. Their advantage is that they are not afraid of the aircraft and their composure helps to calm chicks when they are first introduced to the engine noise. 

After investing time and money to train a bird our first priority is to keep them in the flock and bolster the number of birds released. If its only shortcoming is inattentiveness to the aircraft, it becomes a perfect candidate for supplemental release. Dr. Hartup examined #418 after we departed and declared it healthy and fit with the missing primaries regenerated to almost full length. Richard Urbanek of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Lara Fondow of the International Crane Foundation assumed responsibility for the bird and have been releasing it daily for exercise. Lara noted that it flew normally although not for any great distance and was seen flying with two wild Whooping cranes. Next week they will begin releasing the bird during the day and returning to the safety of the pen at night. It may naturally associate with other cranes in the area but if not, Richard plans to attempt a release with other white birds a few miles away in the next week or so. If the plan works as hoped, and the current weather patterns persist it could make it to Florida before we do.

Notes: At 7:50 a.m. central time I was about halfway to the Northfield Shopping mall in Bourbonnais, IL near our destination, and where we had hoped to put on a show for anyone that turned out at the mall when my cell phone rang. Joe informed me that although conditions on the ground appeared ideal, the conditions aloft were much different.

A 19mph headwind was encountered once the pilots were on course for Kankakee County, IL. This would have resulted in a flight time of 2 hours and 47 minutes. Much too long for these young cranes.  

Photo Journal

Notes: Brooke Pennypacker launched with the cranes at 7:14 this morning. For the next 30 minutes the zig-zagged north, south, east and west over our heads. Finally, Richard van Heuvelen managed to convince five birds to follow him and he disappeared into the direction of the brightening sky.

For the next 20 minutes we watched as Brooke and Joe fought to keep the remaining birds with them. First Brooke had seven and Joe had two. Then some of Brooke's broke and veered to join Joe giving him a total of four. Next another one of Brookes broke off, landing about 10 miles south of our departure site.

Dan and Tatiana used the Astro van, on loan from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to track the drop out, while Mark Nipper and Vicky Trabold used another vehicle to track a second obstinate crane.

By the time Joe and Brooke finally managed to get their cranes in a row, Richard had already landed at our LaSalle County site with his original five. I heard Brooke as he recapped for Richard that he was still 31-miles out and had only two birds. Next, Joe said he had four birds and was 25-miles from target and had four with him. Wait a minute! 5 + 2 + 4 = 11. Oops, we're missing 3 cranes, not 2!

I radioed Brooke who was the only pilot that could still hear me and asked him to find out from Richard and Joe which birds they had. Eventually, he responded that Richard had numbers 403, 6, 12, 16 & 17. Joe couldn't tell who he had because he hadn't landed yet. Brooke had cranes 408 & 5.  Finally Joe landed and confirmed he had numbers 401, 2, 7 & 15. 

As suspected, we were missing 419 & 420, the two youngest birds in the flock, and the consistent trouble maker #414.  I tried calling Mark and Dan with no success so next I tried Sandy Ulrikson and passed on to her which was the third crane that was M.I.A so that she could pass on the message to either Dan or Mark.

All the cranes are now at our LaSalle County site; eleven made the flight - three were trucked in crates.

IF tomorrow's weather cooperates, we'll be flying over the Northfield Shopping Mall like we did last fall. Anyone interested in viewing the cranes and planes should head to the northeast parking lot of the Northfield Mall, which is located just north of Interstate 57 exit 315, and east of Hwy 50. West of Cardinal Dr. in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Time? My best guesstimate would be 8 am (ish?) Please note that if the weather does not materialize as we anticipate then we will not be able to make the flight. For last minute updates please call 904-232-2580 xt. 124 for a recorded message. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Notes: Much needed rain is falling in Illinois today preventing the team from progressing southward but Sunday and Monday both look favourable for resuming the migration. 

The 35 older and experienced Whooping cranes from previous ultralight-guided migrations are still occupying their summer areas with the exception of two yearlings. Cranes 302 & 317 moved to southwest Jefferson Co., Wisconsin, approximately 95-miles south of the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge earlier this week. 

Crane Trackers Lara Fondow and Julia Watson with The International Crane Foundation, along with Richard Urbanek from the United States Fish & Wildlife Service will be monitoring the movements of the older cranes over the next few weeks. Please be sure to check www.savingcranes.org for regular tracking updates.

Notes: SSE winds today at 15-20 mph are keeping the migration team grounded.

Photo Journal

Notes: While we had hoped to make it to Ogle County, IL this morning, and interim stop was selected due to increasing headwinds during the flight. All 14 lined up with Richard in the lead trike with seven off each wingtip for most of the flight giving Brooke and Joe some pretty visuals and time to catch up on some reading. 

Approximately 50 minutes into the flight headwinds increased, slowing down their ground speed to 26 mph and making it impossible for us to reach our intended destination in Ogle County. Instead they aimed for a new site in Winnebago County. 

3-miles from the new target, one crane, #402 dropped off Richard's wing and began descending. Brooke put his book down and gave chase but couldn't get him to form up on his wing. Both the bird and Brooke landed in a harvested cornfield for a short time to allow the bird a chance to catch its breathe. Luckily the field wasn't visible from any roads and the residents of the farmhouse appeared not to be home. 

They took off and arrived at the interim site 9 minutes later than other thirteen cranes and two aircraft had. The birds are currently sequestered in a shallow pond while we wait for the ground crew to arrive and set up the travel enclosure.

Total flight time: 1 hour/11 minutes for Richard, Joe and thirteen cranes, and 1 hour/20 minutes for Brooke and #402.

Happy Birthday Linz!!!

Photo Journal

Notes: just not the type we like to set. Never before has the ultralight migration team spent 7-days at a location waiting for a break in the weather. If it hasn't been windy, it's been foggy. If not foggy then rainy... each and every day for the past week. I don't recall seeing the sun since we arrived on October 13th. The trees have all shed their leaves and our migration host's hatch-year chickens, seven of which are roosters have each improved their cocka-doodle-doo'ing so much that they now sound like adults.

We thought this morning would be the day when Green County would finally release us from its' grasp, however, this was not to be. Winds were calm. Temperature 46F. Unfortunately, yesterday's rain showers, coupled with the calm winds resulted in a humidity level of 86%. Moist, humid air has a negative effect on the cranes breathing and soon into this morning's attempted departure the birds were breathing through open beaks.

Richard launched with nine cranes, while Brooke moved in to pick up the remaining five. Two of Richard's birds broke for home so Joe moved in to pick them up. All five of Brooke's passengers turned back, making him turn and retreat in an attempt to gather them up again. Next, Joe's two turned back, and Richard's broke again from him. 

I suppose the good news is that the cranes had 16 minutes of flight time with the aircraft this morning. The bad news is that we're still in Green County, Wisconsin. 

Notes: For the 6th day we are being held up in Green County, Wisconsin. Light rain and winds out of the east-northeast at 10-15 mph are the culprit. Tomorrow looks promising with winds forecasted at only 3 mph and out of the northeast at 7am. Maybe if you all cross your fingers for us we might be able to move southward and into Illinois...

Notes: Richard van Heuvelen went up shortly after 7am to check the conditions aloft. As we watched his small craft bob and weave its way to a suitable altitude it became apparent to us that today would be yet another no-go day. Winds out of the east at 10-15 mph were making for a bumpy ground speed of only 20 mph. Our next leg is 51 miles, which in today's conditions would require a flight of almost 3 hours.

The cranes have been cooped up since we arrived on Wednesday, Oct. 13th so the team was anxious to let them out for some exercise. Mark Nipper and Vicky Trabold released them from their enclosure shortly before 8am, while the rest of the team was hidden from view,  nervously hoping that in the windy conditions they wouldn't decide to just keep on flying.

Mark reports that they exited the pen and all fourteen were airborne; no doubt enjoying the opportunity to stretch their wings. They performed one large circuit as a group, with the youngest #420 touching down first. All others soon touched down beside the costumed handlers who then used grapes, aka crane candy to coax them inside their enclosure before anyone decided to take-off again.

Notes: After the frost burned off this morning all three pilots went up to test the conditions. Once at 1000ft. things were fairly smooth, however, getting the young cranes to climb to that altitude takes time. This would have meant more than 5 minutes of getting tossed about in bumpy air as they tried to form up on the wing of any of the three aircraft, and would've put them and the pilots in jeopardy. I hear patience is a virtue... We need some - NOW!

Notes: Northwest winds at 25 mph are keeping the migration team firmly on the ground for another day. 

Notes: After staying at this location only one day last fall, I thought perhaps the curse that had always seemed to plague us in Green County, Wisconsin had vanished. It seems, however, it had just taken a break as here we are again, waiting for the weather to give us a break.

We had hoped we might have a small window this morning from which to sneak out of Wisconsin and enter Illinois but when all three pilots were airborne shortly after 7am, light rains began falling and the winds increased: making for a cold, wet typical autumn day.

The weekend weather forecast does not look very promising either... The Green County curse has us firmly in its grasp - for now.

Notes: Light rains and north winds at 10-15 mph prevented a take-off today. 

Photo Journal

Notes: We thought this morning would be a repeat of yesterday when at 7am we watched a layer of fog descend around us but a call to our Green County migration hosts raised the level of optimism when they informed us conditions were ideal at their location. Over the next 45 minutes or so we began to be able to make out the trees on top of the ridge to the south of our Sauk County location and the pilots began suiting up.

At 7:59 (central) the cranes were released from their travel enclosure. Seven formed up on Joe's trike; six took positions behind Brooke's aircraft and a lone straggler fell into place with Richard.

The cranes seemed a bit more determined this morning. Perhaps they've already come to the realization that they are heading somewhere away from their summer home at the Necedah Wildlife Refuge. Or it could be because they are now in unfamiliar territory they will be more attentive and dedicated to their aircraft guides. Whatever the reason, we are thankful, and for the first time since leaving the refuge four days ago, no crates were required as all fourteen members of the Class of '04 made the 46-mile trek - twice the distance they have flown thus far in any of the first two sections of the southward journey.

The airborne entourage arrived at our Green County location much the same way they had departed Sauk County; Joe flew in with his original seven; Brooke with five and Richard had picked up Brooke's sixth bird, arriving with two.

Notes: At 5am this morning conditions seemed ideal. An hour later, a thick blanket of fog had descended over the area putting a halt to the southward migration. So for today, our team of twelve will explore the Baraboo hills and take in the beautiful fall foliage surrounding us.

Photo Journal

Notes: After dealing with the first frost of the journey, our three trike pilots were airborne this morning at 7:48 am central.  at 7:50 Brooke gave Mark Nipper the cue to release the cranes and at 7:51 he took off from the harvested soybean field that held the travel enclosure with only five birds following behind. It seems there was a bit of a jumble when all fourteen birds tried to exit the double doors at the same time and some got stuck inside.

Joe moved in and did a low pass over the pen and as he appeared from the break in the trees he had the remaining nine cranes trying to catch up. As he held his control bar in, slowing down the aircraft and trying to keep it from stalling, the birds quickly caught up and were falling into formation behind him. 

Richard stayed far enough behind them so as not to distract the birds but close enough to allow him to pick up any strays, while temporary top-cover pilot, Bill Stoekman circled above in his Cessna 172.

Shortly after disappearing from view, Brooke and Joe each had two birds turn back, and just as quickly, Richard moved in to pick them up, however, one of Joe's cranes decided to stay with him and pumped his wings hard to gain back the distance he had lost.

Richard jockeyed around with his three birds for about 20 minutes before giving up entirely on one, #402, and continued on to Sauk County with his remaining two flyers. 402 landed about a mile from our departure site and Mark gathered him up and transported him by crate for the second time.

Joe was in the lead, followed by Brooke, about 3 minutes behind him, and then eventually Richard by about another 15 minutes, and as they neared the destination they encountered a light fog bank as it lifted out of a valley in the Baraboo hills. Joe and Brooke managed to coax their birds under the fog but one of Richard birds, #407 dropped out; coming to land on the north shore of the Baraboo River, approximately 2 miles short of its' goal.

Tatiana Zhuchkova and Dan Sprague tracked the dropout bird and drove it the remaining 2 miles to rejoin the rest of the flock. Both of these dropouts were cranes that made yesterday's leg in a box as well.

Photo Journal

Notes: At 8:48 am (Eastern) Richard van Heuvelen lifted off from the East Site at the Necedah NWR in central Wisconsin with fourteen 5 to 6 month old Whooping cranes following close behind. Fellow pilots Brooke Pennypacker and Joe Duff circled at a higher altitude; ready to fly the chase positions and it wasn't long before they were called into action.

As Richard took off into the north, away from the fog bank that cloaked the area immediately south of the pen site, half of his flock broke away, turning back toward home. Brooke moved in to intercept, while Joe moved closer to Richard to pick up the five birds that chose to follow the group of reluctant-to-leave cranes. For the next 20 minutes the pilots changed leads several times in response to the birds' ever-changing plans. 

A large crowd had gathered at the designated viewing location in more than fifty vehicles. Folks were anxious to see the cranes one last time and to quietly wish them a safe journey as we guide them to their new winter home at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf coast of the sunshine state. While the pilots had planned to lead the birds directly over the public observation area, the birds did not cooperate; instead passing a bit further west than we had hoped for.

When they did finally manage to pass by, Richard led the way with only two of the original fourteen he had taken off with. Joe had six off his wingtips. Brooke had decided to land at the pen site and attempt a new take-off. Ultimately he got only two of the seven cranes to follow him and before reaching the observation area, one turned back - again - this time eventually coming to land on the training strip adjacent the West Training Area.

43 minutes later, and 24.8 miles to the south, Richard landed with his two birds; Joe with four, and about 15-minutes later Brooke arrived with a single crane, #417.

The first day out is usually the most harried and this day was no exception. Seven made the flight, including numbers: 403, 405, 406, 412, 415, 416 & 417. The remaining half, numbers: 401, 402, 407, 408, 414, 419 & 420 will make the trip - inside crates. We'll see if they prefer to make the next leg by air... or not.

Notes: In keeping with the tradition of not departing on our targeted departure date, pilots Joe Duff, Brooke Pennypacker and Richard van Heuvelen made the decision to stand down this morning shortly after taking-off when they found the conditions aloft too unstable.

The first day of the southward journey is typically the most trying because the young cranes are reluctant to leave the familiarity of the only habitat they know. The task of leading them away from their summer home would be a bit easier with stable winds, which would allow them to form up and stay on the wing of the aircraft without getting jostled about. 

Tomorrow's weather forecast looks promising so we'll just try again...

Notes: The latest weather forecast for tomorrow morning looks promising. If it materializes as predicted, we will actually leave the cranes' summer home on the anticipated target date for the first time in the 5-year history of this reintroduction.

Fourteen of the 15 birds this year are doing great. The fifteenth member of the flock, #418 has officially been removed from the ultralight group and will possibly be released with a small group of experienced Whooping cranes from past years in the hopes that he will form an attachment and follow them south to Florida. This is a method referred to as one-by-one release and will be used in the near future to help increase the total eastern population. He will be monitored closely by Dr. Richard Urbanek, USFWS and ICF's Lara Fondow once he is released.

If you or someone you know has plans to come out tomorrow morning to observe and celebrate our departure please be aware that the public viewing area has changed. Normally the OM pilots would take off from the East Site and head the cranes north and over east Rynearson Pond before veering east or west and leaving the area. Tomorrow the plan is to guide them a very short distance over Rynearson Pond and then immediately turn them toward the east and into unfamiliar territory. The hope is that by guiding them over an area they have not spent a great deal of time exploring they will be more apt to follow the aircraft. Time will tell whether or not the plan will work but in the meantime refuge manager Larry Wargowsky has approved an alternate viewing location. From Hwy 21 enter the refuge on 9th Ave. When you reach the end of 9th, turn right onto Grand Dike Rd. Follow to a very distinct "S" bend in the road and you'll see the parked vehicles. The pilots will do everything in their power to lead the young cranes over, or as close to this spot as possible. Hope to see you there!

Notes: Things have been exciting with Brooke Pennypacker as the lone pilot for the past week or so. The recently combined larger group has at times been unruly so we decided to implement a few safeguards to the training regime. First we added a spotter who would be stationed out on the refuge to monitor the flights.  Then, Brooke decided to train 419 and 420 alone to ensure they received a good workout with the wing and also so that we wouldn't lose them somewhere in the vast marsh should they become discouraged and drop out.  

These additional safeguards means that we have been conducting three separate training sessions each morning.  First we let the older twelve birds out, then the little girls as a pair, and lastly #418 is let out to join 419 and 420 in high-speed taxi training. 

Before can even begin training we must determine whether or not the weather will allow us to. The nights are getting chilly in central Wisconsin now and its that time of year when dew points become very important. If the dew point and the temperature are within a few degrees of each other, we are guaranteed fog. Over the past week we've had two mornings with fog delays; the worst being Sept. 29th when we couldn't begin training until 9am. 

The area where our camp is situated does not provide a good vantage point of the wetland and often the pilots will pull out of the camp to head over to the aircraft hangar, only to run into a wall of fog out on the road. Not wanting to lose precious minutes of training time we implemented a field spotter-system. I will just say that this is so much fun to do - You go out to the middle of the Necedah NWR, which basically is already located in the middle of nowhere, and watch for the sun to rise (through the fog). 

As the spotter this week I've had the opportunity to observe all the wildlife waking up and have had a great time watching the increasing numbers of migratory ducks, grebes, geese, etc. and of course the eagles zooming all over during their first flights of the day.  I sit out there with newest Dune book; waiting for the fog to burn off, and a couple of times actually dozing off only to be rudely awakened by "Mark...Mark, come in... MARK! Are you on the radio?!" "Ummm (yawn) yeah Brooke I'm here... I was just going to call and let you know the fog has lifted."  

Shortly after, waking me Brooke arrived at the East Site and managed to get the twelve oldest cranes up for about 30 minutes, and the little girls up for good flight.  #418, however, is not doing so good.  This youngster still cannot fly as well as the others but more importantly, has declined severely in behavior.  Grounded for the past several weeks after losing most of his primary feathers, he now displays very little if any, interest in either the costumes or the trike.  We have been having a heck of a time getting him to follow us at all let alone fly.

CLICK To View 2004 Summer Field Journal