[birdky] Grounded again today
- From: "Watson, Danny (FW)" <Danny.Watson@xxxxxx>
- To: <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Warnecke, Jeff (KSP)" <Jeff.Warnecke@xxxxxx>, "Warnecke, Stacy (KSP)" <stacy.warnecke@xxxxxx>, "Ralph Gould" <picnic42@xxxxxxx>, "Cooper, Mary Carol (FW)" <MaryCarol.Cooper@xxxxxx>, "Don Pelly" <don@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "James Gray " <James_Gray@xxxxxxx>, "Vorisek, Shawchyi (FW)" <Shawchyi.Vorisek@xxxxxx>, "Brunjes, John (FW)" <john.brunjes@xxxxxx>, "Pritchert, Rocky (FW)" <Rocky.Pritchert@xxxxxx>, "Carr, Sunni (FW)" <Sunni.Carr@xxxxxx>, "Burford, Laura (FW)" <Laura.Burford@xxxxxx>, "Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EPPC OOS KNPC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx>, "Littleton, Rebecca 'Becky' (FW)" <Rebecca.Littleton@xxxxxx>, "Tichenor, Carey (PARKS)" <Carey.Tichenor@xxxxxx>, "Sprandel, Gary (FW)" <Gary.Sprandel@xxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:46:53 -0500
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Date:
November 28, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 47
Location:
Main Office
Bev reported clear skies and calm conditions on the surface this morning so the
pilots headed for their trikes which are stored about 5 miles away from the
pensite.
They tried - but once aloft they again faced a plus 15mph headwind and had to
declare it a no-go. The entire team will now be convening this morning to
re-formulate the plan for the search for 733.
We are still being deluged with calls reporting possible sightings.
Unfortunately, the majority are ones that occurred some sometime ago.
At this point, with the tracking team having traversed much of Indiana and
Kentucky several times - both in the air and on the ground, only current
sightings are of help. In order to have even a remote chance of tracking 733,
sightings have to be 'fresh', that is, less than a couple of hours old.
Date:
November 28, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Canada's Whooping Crane Recovery Plan
Location:
Main Office
Brian Johns, Wildlife Biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service, and
co-chair of the International Whooping Crane Recovery team advised that the
Recovery Strategy for the Whooping Crane in Canada
<http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/plans/rs_whooping_crane_final_1007_e.pdf>
has been finalized.
"It was a long time in the making," said Brian," and I want to thank all those
who have contributed to the Canadian Recovery Strategy and the International
Recovery Plan. Your contributions towards Whooping crane recovery are greatly
appreciated."
A link to the document can also be found on OM's Site Map under 'Important
Documents'.
Date:
November 27, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Last Departure Flyover Viewing Opportunity in KY is coming up
Location:
Main Office
Take advantage of a great wildlife viewing opportunity as we make our way from
Washington County to Russell County, Kentucky and the on to Tennessee. The
USFWS staff at the Wolf Creek Dam National Fish Hatchery and Kentucky Fish and
Wildlife Resources will host the Departure Flyover Viewing at the Hatchery as
we depart Russell County.
Meet in the hatchery parking lot at 6:30AM the morning of the flight, but be
sure to check the local weather forecast as our ability to fly on any given
morning is entirely dictated by weather conditions.
The Lake Cumberland Trail is part of the Watchable Wildlife and Birding Trails
Across Eastern and Western Kentucky. Take advantage of these attractions while
you are in the area:
- Check out the new education wing at the Hatchery and meet their education
staff, tour the hatchery where USFWS raises rainbow trout and brown trout for
release in the waters of Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia. The hatchery produces
over 1,000,000 trout annually.
- Stay overnight at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park and Lure Lodge and enjoy
the scenic beauty of Lake Cumberland. Interpretive programs are offered year
round by the park's naturalist.
- Planning on staying longer? Make your way to Dale Hollow Lake State Resort
Park. Enjoy 15 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, horseback riding, and
mountain biking. Overnight accommodations are available at Mary Ray Oaken Lodge.
Click here for more details about the Lake Cumberland Trail.
<http://www.trailsrus.com/wildlife/lctrail.html>
Date:
November 27, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Joe Duff
Subject:
Almost Too Much Help
Location:
Washington Cty, KY
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Washington Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
555.5 miles
We have special tracking antennas designed by an aviation company fitted to the
struts of our top cover aircraft. The air time and piloting skills are all
donated by Jack Wrighter who volunteers his aircraft and time to help us get
our birds south. He estimated the number of hours it would take to accomplish
that task, but that didn't include searching for 733.
So far he has logged and additional 10 hours and he's willing to go again if we
have a sighting worth pursuing. We have checked most of south-eastern Indiana
and a good part of Kentucky. That same area has been searched from the ground
and so far we have not heard even a single beep from 733's transmitter.
WHAS TV
<http://www.whas11.com/news/arnold/stories/112607whas11mjdTopWhoopingCough.40734e9a.html>
from Louisville broadcast the story in hope that their audience would help us
find him. They followed that up with a description of Blue herons, Sandhill
cranes and Whooping cranes. James Bruggers of the Louisville Courier-Journal
<http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Aid=/20071127/NEWS01/711270397/1008/NEWS01>
also did a superb story. It ran as the centerpiece on their local news section
in the newspaper and you can click the link above to read the web version.
We are very grateful because the coverage generated some credible leads, but
either the bird in question was gone by the time we got there, or it wasn't our
bird in the first place. Most people have never seen a Whooping crane so it not
surprising that we had a few odd sightings reported.
One gentleman told us he saw our bird golfing on Sunday. We assume he meant he
was golfing when he saw a bird, but it made us chuckle. People from Kentucky
and Indiana are conservation minded because so many of them have called us with
places for us to check.
Our problem now is following up on all the leads. Operation Migration is a
small organization with three people working in a basement office. We have one
phone line and it has not stopped ringing. Many are calls from well meaning
people who are not normally bird watchers, but this story of a lost bird has
touched something in them and they want to help. We have chased a plastic heron
in a backyard pond and several white plastic bags waving on a distant fence
line, but so far no 733.
We can't keep up with all the calls, and unfortunately won't be able to answer
most of them.
Our bird is young and changing from its immature fawn colour to white.
He has very noticeable black wing tips that only show when he is flying. He has
long legs that hang out the back when he flies and a long neck that he holds
straight out, unlike a heron that folds its neck in flight.
If you see what you think is our bird in flight it won't help us because he
obviously won't be there when we arrive. And, if you just saw something unusual
please hold off calling until you can give us a good description. We are very
grateful for all the support, and are sorry that we can't follow up on every
lead. We are overwhelmed by offers of help and the generosity of all you folks
from Indiana and Kentucky. Thank you all.
Date:
November 27, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 46
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Washington Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
555.5 miles
Weather has the migration team stuck on the ground in Washington County, KY
again today. They will take advantage of their inability to progress to do more
searching for missing bird #733. Bev is flying with top cover this morning to
do a sweep of all the areas where recent sightings have been reported. Also
armed with telemetry equipment, the rest of the team continues to drive the
roads searching from the ground.
733 dropped out of the migration leg flight being flown from Jackson County, IN
to Shelby County, KY on Friday, November 23rd. We have received literally
hundreds of reports of sightings and the team has been/is checking them out.
Should you spot a large, white and cinnamon colored bird (wearing a green leg
band) either flying or on the ground, please call 1-800-675-2618 or
1-905-718-1034 immediately so we can notify trackers right away go to get to
the location.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
Washington County, KY
In Springfield, the seat of Washington County, the Courthouse contains records
dating from the 1790s. The most important of these is the marriage certificate
of President Abraham Lincoln's parents, Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. The
courthouse is the oldest still in use in Kentucky.
Just 4 miles from Springfield is the home built in 1797 by Mordecai Lincoln, an
uncle of the President. It is the only remaining residence to have been owned
and occupied by a member of the President's family that is still standing on
its original site.
At Lincoln Homestead State Park you can go walking on the same paths walked by
a young Abraham Lincoln.
Date:
November 26, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 45
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Washington Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
555.5 miles
Warmer temps in Washington County, KY this morning, but winds out of the SSW
and rain with isolated thunder storms in the forecast mean the migration will
not advance to Russell County, KY today.
Late last night we received a lead on a possible sighting of 733 and the team
was on it to follow up before daylight. Unfortunately it turned out to be a
Great Blue Herron.
With the weather today, nothing will be flying - neither planes or birds - so
the team is again back-tracking on the ground and following up on leads as they
come in.
For spotters - 733's plumage is still mostly cinnamon color with some white and
he is wearing only one green leg band. Please call us immediately with any
potential sightings. 1-800-675-2618 or 1-905-718-1034.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Hugh Grundy, of Springfield, KY
Washington County, KY
Just a few hills over is Lincoln state park and golf course. In the park is the
log cabin (rebuilt) where Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, President Lincoln's
parents, were married in 1806.
Valley Hill Store which closed in 2006 was built by the Grundy family on their
farm in 1886 in anticipation of the first railroad to Washington
County/Springfield.
Date:
November 26, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Searching for 733
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Washington Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
555.5 miles
Thanks to Lori Trout of Louisville, KY for this link to a local newscast video
clip. The video shows the cranes and planes flying and an interview with Joe
about the missing 733. Click here to go to WHAS-TV and newscaster Joe Arnold
<http://www.whas11.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/videoPlayer.php?vidId=195696&catId=49>
.
Date:
November 25, 2007 - Entry 6
Reporter:
Joe Duff
Subject:
Searching for 733
Location:
Washington Cty, KY
Distance
Traveled
48.6 miles
Washington Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
555.5 miles
As you can imagine the last few days have been hectic.
Our volunteer top cover pilots, Dave Mattingly and Jack Wrighter from the
non-profit Touch Our Planet, have been airborne for many hours. Chris and
Richard have tracked in the trikes, and our three ground vehicles have
crisscrossed two states.
Everywhere we drive, we run with antennas attached and receivers tuned. Every
trip, even if only to get gas, is regularly interrupted by detours to check on
suspicious beeps. The WECP Tracking Team has been informed and they have added
733's frequency to the list. They will include him in the scan as they follow
the migration.
Even today, while our top cover pilots were monitoring our flight to Washington
County, they broke away to investigate a promising signal. So far our search
has not been successful.
If we don't find 733, he will be the first bird we have ever lost. Several have
dropped out, but all of them have been retrieved the same day, except 615 last
migration who was found after two days.
We focused most our search in the area where the bird was last seen and we have
back-tracked at least four stops of the route. Now we will look ahead in case
he found some Sandhills and followed them to Hiwassee. If we find him there,
the question becomes, do we bring him back here and make him fly the route
again, or, leave him there until we arrive? That would depend on how long it
takes us to get to Hiawassee. Leaving him in the company of Sandhills might
make it difficult to retrieve him, and retrieving him is our ultimate goal.
We have too much invested in this bird to risk a direct release. If he is
repatriated we know we can get him to the Chassahowitzka pen in Florida. If he
becomes a direct release, we can't be sure where he will winter, and long term
association with Sandhills at this stage in life may cause problems when he
reaches breeding age.
If 733 can't be found and recovered, he will automatically become a direct
release bird, which does not mean he will be a compete loss. But he dropped out
a few times already and there are gaps in his knowledge of the route. His
chances of getting back to Necedah and being a viable member of the population
are better with his flock mates in the Class of 2007, than alone in the wild or
with Sandhills.
We could pen him there if we had staff to monitor him, but leaving him with the
wild Sandhills is likely not the answer.
Date:
November 25, 2007 - Entry 5
Reporter:
Bev Paulan
Subject:
It's all in the perspective
Location:
Washington Cty, KY
Distance
Traveled
48.6 miles
Washington Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
555.5 miles
Having been a pilot for over half my life has given me a unique perspective on
life. A perspective that I have come to find reassuring, and one that has
contributed to who I am as person.
When I took this job, I voluntarily grounded myself to be able to participate
in this worthy project. However, and there is always a 'however', I do miss
spending a good part of my week in the air. Being grounded I have lost that
perspective and I feel lost a times.
When one is flying, one is unconcerned with life below. There is no room for
everyday worries and troubles. One has to concentrate on juggling the
physicality of flying with a very vigilant watch for traffic and monitoring of
systems. The altitude gives life the perspective we all so desperately need,
and that is the sense of smallness of everything.
Viewed from above, one can see the pattern of the landscape -whether the layout
of city blocks or plowed fields. When you can see the pattern and the seeming
insignificance of things, problems seem that way also. Being a pilot has given
me the ability to put life, and the trials and tribulations found therein, into
the proper perspective; the small stuff - and everything is 'small stuff'.
Since starting this job I have lost that perspective. I have felt lost not
being able to see the pattern and size of things. I, in turn, am the one who
seems insignificant, and life seems too big. Luckily today, I regained some of
that perspective. Today was my first day of flying in the top cover plane.
Since we are all very concerned with trying to find 733, I offered to ride in
the backseat and track for that bird while our volunteer pilots flew and
observed the trikes.
When I showed up at the airport this morning I discovered I was to both track
and observe. As we started the plane, the trikes slowly came into sight and we
were afforded the best view of the day as Richard flew right over the field
with 15 chicks trailing behind. Once the trikes, pilots, and their charges were
at a safe distance, Jack glided the plane off the turf runway, and the curtain
rose on one of the best days I have had on this job.
In no time at all we had all the trikes with all chicks in view. As chicks
shifted from one trike to another, and the pilots did their dance trying to
keep all following, I felt I was looking at one of those pictures you have to
stare at just the right way to see the hidden image. It took a few moments and
a few shifts of focus but then the trikes popped clearly into view against the
background and I was ready to roll.
Joe was having the hardest time with his five chicks, and when it was obvious
that Richard with Chris in chase position had their birds under control, we got
back to keeping our eye on Joe. When one of his chicks decided to turn back, he
gave him up for the good of the other four. He radioed me saying, "He's yours
now," and continued on his way.
We dropped back, floated down, and thanks to Jack's excellent flying skills, we
kept the little guy in our sight at all times. It soon became obvious that this
little one was not happy being on his own, and when he realized 'Daddy crane'
was not going to play chase, he quickly turned and tried to catch up.
I alerted Joe and kept a running commentary on where the chick was in relation
to him and the four birds he had on his wing. Joe slowed to his slowest safe
speed, and after about 20 minutes, the chick caught up to him and immediately
found that sweet spot on the wing and seemingly gratefully glided on the
vortex. After we exchanged high five's in the plane we set up to fly wide lazy
circles around Joe to keep an eye on the wayward chick just in case.
As the miles unfolded below us I had the opportunity to really see a flight.
This was a view I had never had of the trikes and chicks; one from above. They
looked so fragile against the increasing rugged terrain and unbelievably
beautiful. Man and nature in tandem working as one.
Just as I thought things couldn't get anymore beautiful, Joe crossed a
reservoir and suddenly one trike became two, and five chicks ten, as their
image was perfectly reflected in the mirror-like surface of the water.
Tears came to my eyes as the realization hit of how incredible this whole
project is, and how lucky I am to be a part of it.
What a gift perspective can be.
Date:
November 25, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Richard van Heuvelen
Subject:
Lead Pilot's update
Location:
Washington Cty, KY
Distance
Traveled
48.6 miles
Washington Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
555.5 miles
When we landed at Shelby County, KY two days ago without 733 our work had just
begun.
While some of the ground crew searched for him, the rest drove down to join up
with the pilots. When they arrived we decided to send some crew to help search,
and others to go set up the pen at the next stop.
After rigging up an antenna on my trike, Chris and I also headed north in our
trikes. Without a receiver and head set I was unable to communicate with
everyone else, so Chris flew along behind me to communicate for me to both
ground crew and any conflicting air traffic, making the flight much safer. Mile
after mile we headed north, circling every few miles hopping to hear the little
beep, beep, beep of 733 's transmitter. Crossing the river we saw Brian in the
tracking van down below so I landed in a field next to him so in order to get a
clearer plan.
After a quick conversation, off we went heading north again with Brian in
pursuit on the ground. A long time later with not even a sound or clue as to
733's whereabouts, I landed in a farm field. Knowing we needed to regroup Chris
landed as well. He informed me that Brian had purchased fuel and he was nearby.
Within minutes Brian was on the scene and we added more fuel to our trikes.
This gave us the opportunity to fly all the way to Muscatatuck Refuge -
thinking perhaps 733 went back to the last familiar stop. But it was not to be.
We circled the refuge a few times and heard nothing. It was time to head back
before we ran out of fuel and day light.
We continued this routine for the flight back, taking a slightly different
course, but to no avail. Still nothing. Finally, with daylight and fuel
running, low self preservation took over and we made a bee-line for camp. After
landing we were informed that our top cover replacements had arrived and had
just finished installing our aircraft tracking antennas. So still shivering
after the cold long flight I grabbed the receiver from my trike and headed off
to join up with Jack Wrighter, our new top cover pilot in his Cessna 172.
We were soon airborne and hoping to cover some ground before it got too dark.
It's much more efficient to track with this type of aircraft because you can
cover a lot of ground much quicker. But still nothing!!! After six and a half
hours of flying various aircraft trying to find one lost bird I gained new
respect for the tracking crew who spend as much as ten hours a day for a month
tracking the adult cranes during fall migration. Cold, tired, and sore, I
crawled into bed at ten o'clock. Tomorrow we would try again.
Saturday, the 24th dawned a cool crisp nice morning. We would fly the cranes
today while Bev would fly with Jack and attempt to find 733. Well - plans
changed. Four trikes took off only to be turned back by unexpected head winds
and four oversells. The pilots sheepishly put their trikes away. Then, Jack,
Bev and I headed off to once again try to find our wayward 733. The rest of the
crew divided up into three groups and attempted to track from the ground, all
heading off for different areas to search.
Today proved just as frustrating as yesterday. We flew all the way back to our
stop in Morgan County, circling every few miles. Nothing, nothing!! Jack
informed us of his low fuel situation so it was time to head back. We took a
different route back, still filled with hope. When we got back to the river we
had time to circle around down the river before flying back to refuel. With
daylight and hope failing once again it was time wrap it up.
After searching for 733 for two days we decided to make an attempt for the next
stop in Washington County KY. Although there was a headwind, it was too fine a
morning not to try. Chris went up to test the winds and came back with a report
of calm stable air and a headwind, but with only 39 miles to our next stop it
was doable with an ETA of 1.5 hours.
We rolled out the other three trikes and we were off. While the three other
pilots continued to test the air I landed at the pen site where the efficient
ground crew was ready. I turned on the vocalizer and at my quick hand signal,
the panels were swung wide and fifteen birds were off and one on the wing. 721
lagged behind in the pen to be escorted out for Joe to pick up.
Making a wide smooth arc we came on course with fifteen birds strung out off my
right wing. After a few minutes of slow climbing the chicks became distracted
and began to turn back, so the process of rounding them up shifted to high
gear. The end result was Joe with five birds, Brooke with one, and myself with
ten. And then the headwind battle began. Chris, free of birds, climbed to find
the faster air, which turned out to be at around 1200 feet AGL. So up we slowly
climbed finding a headwind of 7miles per hour and smooth air.
As we progressed the head wind slowly increased and our ETA of 1.5 hours seemed
not to change. However the miles slowly ticked away and eventually we were
within ten miles of our destination. Pulling the bar in to gain speed and
maintain a slow decent, we began to make headway. The wind seemed to be picking
up however, and we lost ground speed instead of gaining. Having come this far
the birds seemed to understand that they would be better off following the
trike and cooperated extremely well.
After a very long flight for just 39 miles to go we were circling the pen to
land. Chris zoomed in below and landed first to attract the chicks down. Again
they seemed to know what was good for them and they landed before I could. On
my approach, one chick cut in front of me so I had to accelerate and climb out
over him. As all the birds landed I continued to climb out leaving Chris on the
ground with ten birds. Brooke and Joe were coming over the horizon to join him,
so I headed off to find hangar space for the trikes.
With thunder storms and high winds coming in to the area so it was desirable to
have the trikes inside. There was a private strip just five miles away so it
was worth a try as most aviators are happy to have some one land on their
strip. I flew over and landed. And sure enough I was greeted by very friendly
people (names with held for privacy) who were eager to help. In short order we
had hangar space.
With a huge worry off our minds I climbed back into my trike to fly back and
let the other pilots know were they could seek shelter from the storm. By the
smiles on their faces when they landed I could tell they were just as relieved
as I was. Thank you so much to the hangar owners and neighbor who were of so
much help. Off we went to regroup and try to sort out the wayward number 733.
Date:
November 25, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Love to hear from you, but....
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
48.6 miles
Washington Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
555.5 miles
Between folks emailing to inquire about viewing opportunities and whether or
not 733 has been found, my inbox is now groaning with more than 1,600 new
emails.
Please know we are grateful for your care, concern and interest and the last
thing we want to do is offend anyone, but it is a sheer impossibility for me to
answer them all.
All migration flight news and information about departure viewing opportunities
are posted as quickly as is humanly possible. And we will without question
immediately post an entry with any news regarding 733.
Before the evening is out we should have an update from today's lead pilot,
Richard - or from Joe on his behalf if Richard is working on pen set up or is
still out tracking 733.
Date:
November 25, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 44
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
48.6 miles
Washington Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
555.5 miles
After a flight of 2 hours, everyone is safely on the ground in Washington
County, KY.
Richard left with 15 birds and Joe coaxed one recalcitrant bird out of the pen.
Six birds dropped off Richard's wing enroute and Joe and Brooke fought through
trashy air to pick them up. Chris said the birds did well as cranes and planes
fought a 12mph headwind all the way.
At one point, one of the birds flying with Joe turned back, but then turned
again to chase Joe but a long way back. Amazingly it eventually caught up and
rejoined the little group.
Bev is still flying with top cover pilot Jack Wrighter looking for 733's
signal. Another day of searching is underway.
Date:
November 25, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 44
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Shelby Cty, KY - Washington Cty, KY?
Accumulated
Distance
506.9 miles
With her first call this morning, Bev advised it was uncertain whether they
would be able to fly today. Chris was 'test dummy' today and he went aloft to
check things out - wind and rain wise - as there were / are light rain showers
between our Shelby County location and today's destination in Washington County
- and they were forecast to worsen not improve.
A few minutes ago the team made the decision to 'give it a go' and they are in
the air. Richard is in the lead with 15 birds and Joe has the other one. 15 + 1
= 16, so you will have gathered that 733 is still missing. Bev, and top cover
have already left to go back and again try to track 733.
The cranes and planes are fighting a headwind and will undoubtedly run into the
rain as well. When we last heard from Nathan in the field, he was still not
sure if they would be able to successfully fly the migration leg to Washington
or have to turn back. Oh, my shattered nerves!
Date:
November 24, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 43
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Shelby Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
506.9 miles
Taking advantage of a 'lull in the action' to provide some photos sent to us by
supporters who were on hand for the recent departure (and attempted departures)
from Muscatatuck.
Above: Some of the hopeful viewers gathered to see the departure flyover at the
Muscatatuck NWR.
Below: Chris trying to coax his little group up, up, up. Photo by Dan Kaiser.
Above: Fall color at Muscatatuck. It's a beautiful place to visit.
Below: Part of the morning 'rodeo' captured by Deirdre Stanton.
Above: Deirdre Stanton's photo shows Joe? leaving with 8 birds.
Above: Dan Kaiser caught 11 of the birds breaking from the wing to head back to
the pen.
Date:
November 24, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 43
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Shelby Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
506.9 miles
This morning dawned a beautiful, sunny, calm day in Shelby County, and the team
had great hopes of making it a fly day for the second day in a row.
It was not to be however. Chris told us, "Conditions looked absolutely perfect
this morning. A heavy frost was forming but the skies were crystal clear with
no wind. We expected a bit of a headwind aloft, but we hoped that the birds
would be willing to plow ahead in the calm air."
The pilots launched, but unfortunately encountered a much stronger headwind
than expected. At 500 feet they had a 10mph headwind which increased to about
20mph at 1000 feet. With a ground speed of also 20mph, progress would almost be
neutral. Joe calculated that under those conditions the flight to Washington
County would take at least 3 hours with the birds fighting the strong headwind
all the way. As a result, the next leg of the migration will have to wait for
another day.
Each day, once the birds are released from the pen, the ground crew waits until
the pilots radio back that everyone is safely underway and the pen can be taken
down - or, to stand by because birds appear to be returning and they may need
the Swamp Monster.
The plan for today was that as soon as that 'OK' message was received, Bev
would head out back north to again try and track down 733, and the team would
fly without top cover as pilots Dave Mattingly and Jack Wrighter would also
join the search for 733 from the air as soon as their aircraft was de-iced.
Much of the plan remains in place. Dave and Jack are aloft searching for 733's
signal from the air. Brian Clauss is on the ground in the tracking van, and
most of the rest of the team are also in vehicles heading northward to spread
out along our migration path.
With clear skies, they think 733 will likely be aloft by mid-morning making the
signal much stronger and easier to detect. More news as it comes in.
Date:
November 23, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Joe Duff
Subject:
Migration Day 42
Location:
Shelby Cty, KY
Distance
Traveled
51.4 miles
Shelby Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
506.9 miles
We arrived at Muscatatuck last week and the long range forecast told us this
Thursday was going to be good. Then our weather window was postponed until
Friday. We, of course, negotiated with the weather in good faith; we'll be
patient all week if you give us what we need on Friday. But the weather does
not negotiate, at least not fairly. The weather is not even funny. In fact the
weather is #@%^&* (the spell checker highlighted all those expletives and I'm
sure Liz took them out before she posted this, but the weather knows who I'm
talking about.)
When you wait a week for calm air, your expectations begin to build. Maybe it's
just human nature, but we still believe that good things come to those who wait
- - and wait.
After all, we did our part. We got up every morning before sunrise to check the
conditions. If it was blowing anything less than 30 knots, we sent a pilot up
hoping he'd come back with an incredible story about how he's never seen
anything like it. Just a mile away it's dead calm and the sun is shining.
But that never happened. Instead, our pilots came back with a glazed look in
their eyes and you couldn't tell when they took their helmet off because their
faces were as white as their costumes.
If the wind was even stronger than our denial, we drove over to the viewing
area to tell the crowd that we were grounded for another day. We told some
stories and tried to make it up to the people who drove a hundred miles just to
see the birds fly. On down days we polished the planes and put in new GPS
batteries but most of all we just waited - - and our expectation grew.
When Friday finally came it wasn't the golden day we hoped for. Instead the
wind was light but steady and the solid grey cloud cover was moving southwest
at a good clip.
Chris Gullikson was leading this morning, and if you are wondering why I'm
writing the update instead of him, it's because he's still looking for a bird.
That will be your clue that this story is not over.
The field at Muscatatuck is too rough to risk landing our trikes so Chris
swooped low over the pen while Bev, Meagan and Nathan opened the gates. All the
birds came charging out and began to form on his wing. But the wind was rough
down low as it rolled over the trees and caused mechanical turbulences. The
birds broke and congregated into little flocks all moving in different
directions.
Identifying individual birds in flight is impossible. Their leg bands disappear
into the tail feathers so trying to figure out which one is turning them back
is difficult. They would all form on the wing and then one gets the idea to
break away. All the birds in the formation that are behind him, turn as well
and you can see his beak open as he calls his encouragement. "C'mon guys, this
is too cold, let's go home."
After a ten minute battle that must have looked like chaos from the ground,
Richard managed to get a bird to follow him and he headed off. Brooke joined
him with 2 others. They weren't really leaving, just heading on course in the
hopes that if they removed a few birds and a couple of aircraft from the
confusion that things would be better for Chris and I.
Well that didn't work either. Chris and I took turns cutting off the returning
flocks and bringing them back on course only to have them break again. On one
intercept, there seemed to be a lead bird out in front and making a beeline for
the pen. I moved in behind him and took his birds off to the west. We called
the ground crew to hide the swamp monsters so that lone bird would land back at
the pen.
Once again we turned on course thinking we were finally rid of our mutineer.
Most of the remaining birds moved over to Chris and things looked fine - for 30
seconds or so. Then they all headed for the pen, with us in chase. When we
arrived we saw one bird tucked safely in the pen and three costumes waving a
welcome, exactly what we'd asked them to do. This greeting was too much for the
birds to resist and they all began to descend. Confusion reigned as I asked for
the swamp monsters one more time, then changed my mind causing white costumes
to run into camo tarps as they tried to follow my instructions.
I should take this opportunity to apologize to the ground crew. I am sorry for
the confusion. As expected, you did a fantastic job of wardrobe changes and
improvising in this impromptu drama staged in isolation for an audience of
birds.
With the handlers all hiding in the pen trailer, the birds landed in the field.
Chris and I gave them a few minutes to settle down while the crew let the one
bird out of the pen.
Chris again tried an air pick up, and as the birds launched, the handlers
charged out of the trailer in their swamp monster costumes, hoping to
discourage any returnees. This time all the birds followed Chris. By now the
wind had picked up and the air was rough.
To add to our misery, we could hear Richard and Brooke climbing through 2000
feet with a ground speed of 50mph in smooth air. Three birds fell behind Chris,
and when it was safe, I moved in to pick them up. This was all the provocation
the others needed and soon I had 8 birds forming on my wing while the other 6
stayed with Chris.
Chris and I moved apart about a mile to avoid the indecision that comes with
too many choices. After another few minutes, we called the ground crew to let
them know that they could start taking the pen down. We had been fighting the
battle for 54 minutes and we were only a mile or two from the starting point.
Chris must have corralled the best flyers because he began to climb and soon
found some smooth air. The other birds and I weren't so lucky. Every time we
managed to claw out a few feet of altitude, we'd hit a big area of sink and
lose it all. The Vertical Speed Indicator or VSI has a needle that points
horizontally to the zero on the left side of the gauge. If you are climbing,
the needle point up slightly. But every time I managed to take my eyes off the
birds for a quick look at this instrument, the needle was drooping down like
middle age.
We flew the entire leg below a thousand feet and never did get out of the
trashy air. The birds did their best to stay on the wing and I did my best to
keep it steady, but neither of us was too successful. Just before crossing the
Ohio River and entering Kentucky, one of the birds began to drop. We lost most
of our altitude trying to retrieve it, but it descended at the same rate and
stayed below us as we went lower. Closer to the ground the air was even rougher
and we finally had to let the bird go. We radioed the last-seen-at, coordinates
to Brain Clauss in the tracking van. By this time he was on the south side of
the river and had to backtrack to the bridge in Madison. Chris slowed down with
his birds and was able to keep an eye on us from above.
On the south side of the river the terrain gets hillier and that caused more
mechanical turbulences. We were at 300 feet with 19 miles left to go. At five
miles out, two more birds fell behind but we were confident they could make it
if we could.
Richard landed near the pen at our destination, and called the rest of the
birds down. I circled a few times to make sure we had a full count then landed
nearby.
Brian Clauss searched he entire area from Muscatatuck south but couldn't even
get a signal. Bev and Brooke joined him, and Richard and Chris flew back with a
tracking radio in one of the trikes. Everyone searched till after dark before
returning to camp. 733 will have to fend for himself tonight.
Our top cover pilots arrived today and we'll get them tracking that bird in the
morning while the rest of us take advantage of another good day.
Maybe the weather will cooperate tomorrow, but I doubt it. After the names I
called it today, I'll likely get hit by lightning.
Date:
November 23, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 42
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
51.4 miles
Jackson Cty, IN to Shelby Cty, KY
Accumulated
Distance
506.9 miles
Wow! From all indications it was one heck of a ride up there today. Joe said
the flight was rough as all get out, and cold, cold, cold. The pilots are
tired, sore, and frozen. It took 52 minutes of flying before they were even
able to leave the pensite at Muscatatuck, and at one point they had to land
with the birds and take off again. The flight lasted almost an hour and 45
minutes.
733 dropped out around 10 to 15 miles out. A miscue meant our top cover for the
lower half of migration didn't arrive in time to join the team, so the ground
crew doesn't have GPS coordinates of where 733 went down. Brian Clauss is on
the hunt in the tracking van but hasn't been able to pick up 733's signal yet.
Because of the search for 733, it may be very late before Chris is able to get
to his lead pilot's report.
Date:
November 23, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 42
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
Muscatatuck NWR Jackson Cty, IN to ?
Accumulated
Distance
? miles
Chris is lead pilot today and we are finally getting out of Dodge...errr
Windiana
With a temp of 28 degrees, overcast skies and relative calm on the surface, the
team got moving early this morning to, as Bev said, "mount up". She reported
that they had to circle a few times to get the birds up and moving, but she
said they are all off and flying.
Richard radioed that it was choppy through 800 feet, but then the air smoothed
out and he estimated around an hour's flying to the closest stopover site in
Shelby County, KY. Whether they are able to push on to our next stopover site
in Washington County, KY will be dependent on the wind conditions and how the
birds cooperate.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
And one last JACKSON COUNTY Trivia
Seymour is called the "Crossroads of America" because major North/South and
East/West railroads cross in downtown. Singer John Mellencamp was born in
Seymour. Recently, his rendition of "Our Country" has been featured in
commercials for Chevy trucks aired on many TV sporting events.
Date:
November 23, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Upcoming Event
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
<http://www.nbbd.com/fly> <http://www.nbbd.com/fly>
<http://www.nbbd.com/fly> Operation Migration is pleased to announce its
participation in the upcoming 11th annual Space Coast Birding & Wildlife
Festival <http://www.nbbd.com/fly> being presented by the Brevard Nature
Alliance and sponsored by Nikon.
The Festival, billed as, "A celebration of birds and wildlife," will be held
January 23rd to 28th in Titusville, Florida and is expected to attract more
than 3,000 visitors. It's a perfect opportunity for residents of Florida and
adjoining states as well as 'Snowbirds' to broaden their birding and wildlife
horizons and have fun at the same time.
The event will feature a line up of renowned speakers/presenters, and an
exhibit hall with booths hosted by artists, crafters, and organizations
specializing in wildlife, birding, photography, optics and nature-tourism.
Other activities include an art competition, a silent auction, and seminars,
field trips, and workshops are also offered.
The Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival is a 'must see' for birding and
wildlife enthusiasts. Plan to attend - there is something for the whole family.
In addition to two presentations by Joe Duff, (Jan 25 & 26) OM staff and
volunteers will host a booth in the Exhibit Hall, and if suitable arrangements
can be made, we will also have one of our 'working' ultralights on display. To
read about OM's participation click here
<http://www.nbbd.com/fly/seminars/index.html#migration> .
Our thanks go to Mark and Peggy Chenoweth of Kissimmee, FL for their initiative
and help with arrangements for OM's participation, and to sponsors Jim And
Jonnie Swann Corporation, Barbara Hoelscher and Family, and The Brevard Nature
Alliance for making our attendance possible.
Date:
November 22, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Brooke Pennypacker
Subject:
Thanksgiving....
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
Thanksgiving Day. My favorite holiday of the year. Turkey, football games, the
company of family and friends, and far less stress than the giving-getting of
Christmas and the egg hiding and eating all those chocolate bunnies at Easter.
In a way, it's the only holiday that makes any sense universally. If you don't
believe me, just ask a Muslim what he expects to find under his tree on
Christmas morning; or ask a Native American what he's going to do during his
time off on Columbus Day. Same with the Confederate Re-enactor on Lincoln's
Birthday, or an egg at Easter time.
But one thing common to almost all of us in this great country is the
obligation to say 'Thank you,' and a special day on which to say it. A day to
think about what we have and forget about what we don't.
As I sit here in the Hornet listening to the drops of freezing rain tap dance
on the roof signaling yet one more 'No Fly Day', I'm struck by just how much
more there is to be thankful for every year, and how for us on this migration,
every day is, in fact, Thanksgiving Day.
The reality and perhaps the true beauty of our migration is that it is totally
and completely dependant upon the generosity of others. Their kindness and
participation turns hope into reality. Yet the problem with trying to thank
them all - thank you all - is that the simple act of a saying 'Thank you,'
under the weight of all this generosity, seems so frustratingly inadequate that
it carries with it a feeling of paralysis; like attempting to illuminate the
Grand Canyon at night with a flashlight. How does a child thank his mother for
his heart...and for teaching it to beat?
At these times we must trust that some words do possess special power and
majesty, can transcend the seeming futility of their use, and reach out to
successfully express our core emotions and true meaning. The words, 'Thank
you,' like the words, 'I love you,' sit comfortably at the top of this list.
And so, I would personally like to take this opportunity of Thanksgiving Day to
thank just some of the very many who have given so freely to make this project
a success.
Thank you, Jane, for making your Hornet motor home available to us for
migration these many years. And thanks Deke and Rebecca for the use of the
Flair. These vehicles have made our migrations safe and our lives comfortable,
and we are grateful.
Thank you to all our wonderful migration hosts who have, year after year,
opened their homes and their hearts to us. They have become our extended
family. Without their help and support there would be no migration.
Thank you to that little mouse in Florida who daily stands on his podium of
fantasy and directs the Magic Kingdom Orchestra. Thank you for the wings under
which we, pilots and birds, safely traverse the migration skies.
And thank you to a quiet, caring lady living on a West Coast hill side for the
engines which give our wings their push and for the gift of real-time
communication.
Thank you to the MileMakers who take possession of each mile of the migration
and transform it from hope to reality.
Thank you to Nadia and Eve and Abby, who transcended age and adversity to
change tragedy into triumph, raising thousands of dollars for OM and proving to
us all that anyone, regardless of age, can make a difference.
Thank you to all the folks out there who read this webpage and follow our
Whooping crane project, and who come to Necedah and other places morning after
morning in hopes of seeing us fly.
Thank you to our migration volunteers, Don and Paula Lounsbury, Gerald Murphy,
Walt Sturgeon, and many others for their invaluable contributions.
Thank you to our families, the real heroes of this project, who endure our
passions and long absences with strength and understanding, taking on the most
difficult of burdens without the opportunity to directly experience the
successes.
And I'd like to especially thank a 15 year old boy in Virginia named Devin, who
awakens daily to life without the presence of his father but who never
complains, offering instead only acceptance and support.
Thank you to all the school kids and their teachers who have taken our birds
into their hearts and made them their own. It is to them we will soon pass the
torch. Thank you in advance for hopefully righting our environmental wrongs and
forgiving us for leaving you with such a mess to clean up. We didn't mean to do
it. It just turned out that way. Who knew?
And finally, thank you to the birds who have, some will say, thrown good sense
to the winds and given us their trust and more often than not, their
cooperation, so that perhaps some day our children and their children will gaze
skyward and marvel at the sight of Whooping cranes crossing the skies on a
migration toward a better tomorrow.
Thank you little friends, for your gift of hope.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Date:
November 22, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Eastern Migratory Population Update
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
This update was compiled from data provided by Dr. Richard Urbanek (USFWS),
Nicole Frey (ICF), Anna Fasoli, Danielle Desourdis, and Eva Szyszkoski. Thanks
to Sara Zimorski and Cristin Kelley (ICF) for capture assistance.
In the highlights below, * = female; DAR = direct autumn release; NFT =
non-functional transmitter. The estimated maximum size of the Eastern Migratory
Population as of November 17 was 59 Whooping cranes - 31 males and 28 females.
(Includes the released 2007 Direct Autumn Release juveniles.)
Last documented ground locations were:
Wisconsin (45?)
Recorded earlier in Wisconsin but current locations unknown are:
- 201*NFT last observed June 9.
- 205NFT last found Oct 16.
- 209*NFT & 416NFT last observed near Meadow Valley SWA Oct. 20.
- 311 last detected Oct. 3.
- 506 last detected Oct. 10.
- 420* last observed September 26.
- 503 & 507 last detected May 26.
Michigan (2)
- 516 was reported with staging Sandhills in Jackson County through Nov. 14.
- DAR533* remained with Sandhill cranes in Van Buren County and Cass Counties.
Illinois (6)
- DARs 737, 739, 740, 742, 743, 744 Peoria Cty, IL as of Nov. 6.
Indiana (2)
- 524 left Necedah after Oct. 28. Confirmed at Jasper-Pulaski since Nov 7.
- DAR746 retreated northward on Nov. 4 to Gibson County, IN
South Carolina (2)
- 312* & 316NFT reported in Colleton County, SC November 16/18
Florida (2)
- DAR627, DAR628 completed migration Nov. 12 to Pasco Cty, FL where 628
wintered previously.
Transmitter Replacements
On Nov. 11 the transmitters of 313 and 318 were replaced.
Date:
November 22, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 41
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
OM's migration crew will have to find something other than the weather to be
grateful for today unfortunately. Strong winds once again prevented the cranes
and planes from slipping out of Windiana and across the state line into
Kentucky.
Last year, the crew spent Thanksgiving Day in Cumberland County, Tennessee, so
we've got some catching up to do.
Happy Thanksgiving to all our US friends! The Canadian component of OM filled
up with turkey on October 8 - the day Thanksgiving is celebrated north of the
49th parallel. We hope you are able to celebrate with friends and family, and
if you are traveling, that you come home safely.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
JACKSON COUNTY
The land known today as the town of Crothersville first belonged to the Shawnee
Indian Chief, Tecumseh. Settlers moved in about 1848 and began building homes
there when the railroad was constructed from Louisville to Indianapolis. John
Hamacher surveyed the area and named it Haysville. Later, a railroad man named
Crothers proposed to have a new depot built in the town only if they would
honor him by changing the name of the town to Crothersville.
Date:
November 22, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Wood Buffalo-Aransas Population Update
Location:
Main Office
In his latest update, Tom Stehn, Whooping crane Coordinator at the Aransas
National Wildlife Refuge reported a record breaking 241 cranes (206 adults and
35 young) located on his aerial census conducted November 14, 16 and 17. The
aerial survey was conducted in conjunction with aerial waterfowl counts done on
Texas coastal refuges. Jim Bredy piloted the twin-engine Partanavia aircraft
carrying US F&WS observers Patrick Walther and Tom Stehn.
Tom estimates that more than 90% of the flock has completed its migration, with
hopefully 10 to 20 more Whooping cranes still in the flyway.
"Since the last crane flight conducted November 8th, there were no suitable
migration conditions that would have allowed more cranes to reach Aransas until
November 15th when a very strong cold front brought NNE winds 20-30 mph for one
full day," said Stehn. "The additional 30 cranes found during the census are
all believed to have arrived behind the cold front on November 15th."
Tom noted that the Aransas Refuge was surveyed before the front went through,
so additional cranes could be present on the refuge and not have been counted.
The record number of 241 Whooping cranes breaks the previous peak count of 237
cranes present during the winter of 06/07. "Although there could have been
crane movements that resulted in duplication during the 3 days of census
flights, it is also very likely that cranes were overlooked due to the poor
visibility on November 17th. Thus, the estimate of 241 is felt to be reasonable
and probably a few birds lower than actually present," he said.
November 12, volunteer Katherine Cullen conducted a habitat survey which
reported enough blue crabs and wolfberries - the predominant foods being
consumed by the cranes. Her survey also noted numerous frogs, a critter usually
not found in the salt marsh, but present this fall due to the extremely fresh
conditions. "Salinities are quite moderate at 8-10 ppt," said Tom, "so I would
expect the frogs to be a tasty morsel for the cranes."
Stehn commented that, "The 35 chicks currently present are an indicator of good
survival subsequent to mid-August surveys done in Canada's Wood Buffalo
National Park. Of the 13 chicks from pairs where both summer and winter
territories are known, all 13 have made it to Aransas safely. A scavenged
carcass identified as a juvenile Whooping crane was found in Avonlea in
southern Saskatchewan October 16 but the cause of death or if the juvenile had
been with its parents is not known."
Of interest on the waterfowl counts was the sighting of 1,600 Sandhill cranes
and 12,000 geese at the Aransas refuge's Burgentine Lake. Two flamingos, that
have been staying on the Texas and Louisiana coasts the last 3 years, were
sighted south of Corpus Christi. One of the flamingos (a greater) is an escapee
from the Sedgewick County Zoo in Kansas, and the other flamingo (a Caribbean)
is a wild-hatched bird from the Yucatan in Mexico.
Date:
November 21, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
No fighting for a parking spot when you shop for the holidays at OM
Location:
Main Office
This holiday season why not give a gift that will keep on giving - both to the
gift recipient and to Whooping cranes.
Give a gift of Membership in Operation Migration to friends, colleagues, or
that not so easy to buy for someone - like your child's teacher.
Among other member benefits your gift recipient will enjoy having INformation,
OM's semi-annual magazine delivered to their door. With issue they will be
reminded of you and your thoughtfulness. We'll send a gift card to you so that
you can notify the recipient of your gift to them.
An OM Membership makes a perfect holiday gift - particularly for those on your
list whose conservation and environmental awareness, shall we say, could use a
little 'tweaking'. Or, maybe you know some individuals who already care deeply
about OM's and its work with Whooping cranes and know they'd just really enjoy
reading INformation.
A one year Supporting Membership is just $50. Give a second gift Membership for
$40, and a third for only $30. (This special offer is good until December 21st
and is not available through the website. To order, call the office toll free
at 1-800-675-2618. Note - to receive the special pricing all gift memberships
must be taken out in one order.)
Thanks for your support!.
Date:
November 21, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Joe Duff
Subject:
SUCKERED IN, ONE MORE TIME
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
The world was grey and Windiana was living up to its reputation when the team
woke this morning. Day 40 of the '07 migration will be spent on the ground here
at the Muscatatuck NWR.
The biggest liars in the world are fishermen and battery engineers but they are
followed closely by meteorologists. Actually the weathermen don't lie so much
as 'misinform', and it's more a case of misreading than embellishment.
Nonetheless it's disappointing when they are mistaken, and Chris Gullikson
alternates between receiving our gratitude when he's right and our discontent
when he's not.
He's accurate most of the time, but on Sunday morning he missed the mark by
only a few hours. The weather he predicted for sunrise didn't materialize until
late morning and instead we woke to thick fog. The air was so calm that as soon
as it cleared a bit, it coaxed Richard and me up into it. But as soon as we
were airborne we felt the mechanical turbulence and the winds aloft.
We also realized how low the ceiling was and how poor the visibility. We landed
after ten minutes and tucked the aircraft back into the maintenance building.
By mid morning everything had calmed and our host at the next stopover called
to tell us that the smoke from his pile of leaves was going straight up. This
tricked Richard into the air again, but once airborne he found that it was
rough all the way up, and through, 1000 ft.
On Monday and Tuesday mornings we tried again despite the report of headwind.
Richard recorded a ground speed of just 19 miles per hour. Maybe we just don't
trust weathermen or, are all like Missourians who need to be shown.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
JACKSON COUNTY
Jackson County commissioners are seeking federal funds to restore and renovate
its three covered bridges. Bell Ford Bridge, built 1869, collapsed earlier this
year and will require rebuilding. Shieldstown Bridge, built 1876, considered
the most scenic, carried traffic until 1990. Medora Bridge over the White River
is the second longest covered bridge still in existence in the U.S.
Date:
November 20, 2007 - Entry 5
Reporter:
Nathan Hurst
Subject:
Installment #2 of "Interesting things......."
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
We've had a lot of down time, so there are many more "Interesting Things We Do
Besides Fly With Cranes" moments to share with you.
In today's episode, you'll see Brooke examining the brakes on Bluey the
Billboard Truck; Chris finding out just how cold Cabin Lake is; and Richard
pulling out the catfish that nibbled on Chris' toes. In addition to fishing,
Richard got the motorcycle bug and spent several days exploring Brown County,
Indiana.
Meanwhile, Brian entertains us on guitar, and on another sunny day Megan helps
Chris repair a saddle - no, not for riding Whooping Cranes. Chris and his dad
fit and repair horse saddles.
Although we've had fun times in southern Indiana we've also been restless. Our
goal is not forgotten, and virtually every morning we've sent a trike up in the
air to see if it is even remotely feasible to make our move. So far, it hasn't
been, but with luck we'll be on our way soon.
Date:
November 20, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
PayPal update
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
In our November 19 entry we mistakenly missed giving credit to Rich Gotshall of
Franklin, Indiana for the Trivia entry. Sorry Rich, and thanks again for
sending the interesting tidbits along.
Date:
November 20, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
James Popham
Subject:
PayPal update
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
When clicking around our website these days, you may find that there's a little
less color. That's because we've been able to remove the big red messages on
our merchandise, contribution, and mile maker pages warning you about PayPal.
PayPal has resolved their issues, informing us of a bug in their system,
enabling us to circumvent it - this means that once again our supporters can
make their OM donations using our shopping cart feature without incurring
additional charges.
We thank you for your patience in this matter as we awaited a resolution from
PayPal. We will conitinue our vigiliance of the shopping cart feature and
should any problems arise we will let you know.
Date:
November 20, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
James Popham
Subject:
The Georgia Challenge
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
Are you a Bulldog or a Yellow Jacket? Do you chant for the Rambling Wreck, or
a big machine that's Red and Black? A Dawg or a Techie?! In celebration of the
upcoming football game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Georgia Tech Yellow
Jackets, Operation Migration would like to extend a challenge to all the fans
out there!
The Challenge: Which team's supporters can buy the most miles before the end of
Saturday, 24th of November.
The Reward: Gloating rights, and the winning fans will have the results shown
on the field journal for everyone to read.
At the moment Georgia is in the lead with Dale Richter's mile #1003!
Because Georgia is one of the largest states that the migration crew crosses,
we have difficulty fulfilling the milemaker sponsorships. To date, 179 of 331
(more than 50%) of the Georgia miles remain.
While celebrating thanksgiving, and enjoying all the football this year, please
consider showing your support for the team and for OM by participating in the
Georgia challenge.
Please visit the milemaker page
<http://www.operationmigration.org/mile_makers.htm> for more details, or
contact the Operation Migration office by phone at (800) 675-2618 or emailing
<mailto:chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> us.
Date:
November 20, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 39
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
It looks like the OM crew will have another day to enjoy the beauty of
Muscatatuck NWR and Jackson County. They awoke this morning to strong winds, a
low ceiling, and high humidity - not exactly the recipe for a good flight day.
For the fourth day in a row, the planes and cranes will remain at this stopover
in Indiana.
Date:
November 19, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 38
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
Indiana is still holding on to us.
This morning the crew awoke to rain and winds headed in the wrong direction.
This means that the migration crew will once again be grounded in Jackson
County, IN.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
JACKSON COUNTY, IN
The first train robbery in the United States was committed by the Reno Brothers
on Oct. 6, 1866, near Seymour, IN. They hopped the Ohio and Minnesota RR train
as it pulled out of the Seymour depot.
Their take was $15,000 from the first safe pushed out of the moving train. They
never cracked the second safe, which contained $30,000. Eventually they were
captured and jailed. Before they could be tried for this and other crimes, they
were lynched and are buried in Jackson County
Date:
November 18, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
"Old Home Week"
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
It was like 'old home week' this morning at the viewing area on the Muscatatuck
Refuge. We got to meet friends and Craniacs we hadn't seen since last year;
friends and Craniacs we'd previously only 'met' by email and telephone; and,
make some new friends too.
Craniacs Lori and Jon Trout from Louisville, KY were on hand, and they
generously shared some of their photos with us.
Top Left: Walter Sturgeon answers the many questions asked by the waiting
crowd. In the background are two members of OM's Board of Directors (Bob Rudd
from Wisconsin and Jamie Johannsen from Illinois) who were also on hand and
hoping to see a flyover.
Top Right: OM Board of Director Jane Duden (of Journey North fame) talks with
Walker Miller-Breetz, a 4th grader in Lori Trout's class at JFK Montessori
School in Louisville.
Right: Some of the OM crew with Walker decked out in a bird handler costume.
Taken in Morgan County, costumed handlers have let the birds out of the pen for
some exercise.
And as you can see, they took advantage of the opportunity to exercise their
wings too.
The new Sierra motor home.
Date:
November 18, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Megan Kennedy
Subject:
Anatomy of a Pen Set-Up
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
Megan took the photos and wrote the copy go go with each to produce this
Pictorial. Playing the lead roles in this story are Chris Gullikson, Brian
Clauss and Richard van Heuvelen.
1.) We arrive at the future pen-site hauling the travel pen with our tracking
van. The van is usually the only vehicle available when we head out and
generally works well for this purpose. We drive in to the site and position the
trailer before unhooking it.
2.) The next step is to assemble the panels. They are strapped to the sides of
the trailer while it's being towed. We take them down one at a time and arrange
them in a circle using the trailer as the base. Each panel is hooked in two
places to the one next to it and pinned to the ground in order to maintain the
pen shape.
3.) The panels are then tied down to stakes in the ground. This secures the
hooks in adjacent panels and gives the pen greater stability. The pin on each
panel also serves as a holder for the flight netting, which will cover the top
of the pen.
4.) We then spread the netting out in the center of the pen and begin raising
it by first hooking it to the pins we've placed above the panels. Once it is
up, we'll add tension by pulling excess netting to each pin. We also add a nail
to the center of each panel to help hold the extra netting from blowing back
into the pen and to help keep it taut.
5.) We keep the netting just loose enough to accommodate an easy-up tent cover.
The easy-up raises the net above the height of the panels to give the birds
more room to spread their wings and allows us the ability to walk upright in
the pen. It also provides shade and some protection from the elements. We hang
the food inside to help keep it dry and use the legs of the easy-up to hold a
divider between the two feeders. We do this so that one bird is unable take
control over the food and prevent the others from eating. Before we leave we
also hang a plastic model of an adult whooper from the net to keep the birds
company and help maintain proper imprinting.
6.) Once the inside of the pen is complete, we string an electric wire around
the outside. The wire prevents unwelcome visitors inside the pen. It also
offers a nice shock or a quick trip to the ground for those of us who forget
it's there.
7.) After the wire is strung, we electrify it! We carry a battery, grounding
rods and a fencer in each of the travel pens. We leave the electricity on, even
if it will be a few days before the birds arrive, in order to "educate the
local wildlife" that they should stay away.
8.) The pen now looks as it does when the birds arrive. Upon landing, the
pilots will lead the birds to the pen and put out food and water, which is
waiting inside the trailer. Before they leave they will also string another
electric wire around the perimeter of the whole site.
Date:
November 18, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 37
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
When I poked my head out this morning it was considerably milder than it had
been yesterday morning. The tree limbs were dancing though, and there was
ground fog. There was still hope however; the wind usually dies down a bit at
sunrise, while the frost usually worsens a bit. But it did mean waiting a while
before the go / no-go decision would be made.
The wind, as it turns out, was a little much this morning, but the primary
factor in deciding that it would not be a fly day was the fog.
Joe and Richard went up to test the skies, and both flew over the hundred or so
people gathered at the viewing area on the Muscatatuck refuge. Joe radioed down
to say that they had little visibility because of the fog. All eyes were turned
to sky as one by one they made the turn to go back to land, and we could see
the trikes being tossed in the wind.
The team will spend another day enjoying the hospitality of the folks here on
the refuge. We already owe the refuge staff here a huge thank you - especially
Susan, Dan, and Donna. You folks are terrific!!!!
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
JACKSON COUNTY, IN
The population of Jackson County is about 41,000. Nearly half of its citizens
are concentrated in the city of Seymour located on the intersection of two
major railroads in the northeastern part of the county. The website for the
city declares it to be "The place to live your future!" It is described as a
thriving industrial, commercial and residential community with a small town
atmosphere.
The Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge near Seymour was established in 1966
to restore, enhance and protect wetland, forest and grassland habitats for the
benefit of waterfowl, neotropical migratory songbirds and other wildlife.
Little did they know back then that it would become a stopover for the
reintroduced endangered whooping crane! Water levels are controlled so that
water can be moved between various units of the refuge at different times of
the year to provide optimal habitat for critters and vegetation.
Date:
November 17, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 36
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
It's just a notch above freezing this morning in Jackson County, IN and the
winds are almost dead out of the south. Despite this, the team put a up a test
trike to satisfy themselves that it was absolutely a no-go. And it was.
Everyone has stood down for the day.
Tomorrow morning, looks quite promising however, so Craniacs within driving
distance of the Muscatatuck Refuge should have a good chance at seeing a
departure flyover. (see Entry 4 from yesterday for directions)
We actually arrived at Muscatatuck one day earlier this year than last.
Although admittedly, that's not any great feat given the length of last year's
migration. If we are able to fly another migration leg tomorrow, we will be
exactly where we were on November 18, 2006 - in Shelby County, KY.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
JACKSON COUNTY, IN
Six cities and twenty-one counties in the U.S. have been named for Andrew
Jackson. Jackson County in Indiana is one of them. It covers about 520 square
miles in the unglaciated hill region of the south-central area of the state.
With an elevation of from 490 to 940 feet, most of Jackson County is rolling
country with the western and northwestern one-third of the county being rough
and hilly and traversed by northeast to southwest ridges. There are also
scattered ridges and high "knobs" southeast of centrally located Brownstown,
the county seat.
Date:
November 16, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Departure Viewing Opportunity!!
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
60.9 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
Public viewing opportunity at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge
The weather for tomorrow doesn't look too promising for tomorrow morning and
may not allow us to fly to our next stop in Kentucky. BUT, we'll be up and
ready to give it a go if it takes a turn for the better.
If you would like to see the departure flyover from the Muscatatuck Refuge,
here is some information to help you out.
How to get there: The refuge is located on U.S. Highway 50, just three miles
east of the I-65/U.S. 50 interchange at Seymour, Indiana. If arriving from I-65
use the Highway 50A exit that will take you east toward North Vernon. The main
entrance on U.S. Highway 50 is marked with large brown signs. Muscatatuck is
about an hour's drive from Louisville, Kentucky, and Indianapolis, Indiana, and
is approximately 85 miles from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Where to go:
On arrival, continue about 4-miles down the main road until you see signs and
Refuge staff members who will direct you to a parking spot.
Arrival time:
The gates at the refuge will open tomorrow at 6:30am. To view the takeoff, you
should be in place no later than 7am - 7:15 at the latest.
Remember:
Keep in mind all our flights are weather permitting. Unsuitable weather can
delay our departure by a day, or even days, depending on weather conditions. Be
sure and dress warmly!!
If weather prevents the team from flying, the OM Migration Crew will be on hand
at the viewing area to meet, greet, and answer questions. We will also have OM
branded merchandise available for purchase.
Date:
November 16, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Brooke Pennypacker
Subject:
Migration Day 35
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
60.9 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
My turn to lead again. Seems like it was some time last year that I last led -
and was forced by Liz to pay for the privilege by having to write another
UPDATE. It's as if I was back in school and my team had just won the football
game and we're in the end zone "high-fiving" each other and my English teacher,
Miss Gertner comes over, hands me my book bag and says, "Here. Do your homework
NOW!"
And this time, Liz was actually here this morning. As I lined up on final
approach to land after dropping off the birds at the pen, she suddenly appeared
right next to my touch down spot, staring up the glide path at me, her lips
forming that unmistakable word..."Update".
For a moment I considered goosing the throttle and climbing back up and heading
for another place of sanctuary, one that's warm and safe, and where there's a
law against forcing a person to write an Update. But, I knew it was no use.
She'd find me. You see, you can no more hide from Liz than you can hide from
yourself. So, resigned to my fate, I did what I do when I pass a highway speed
trap while driving twice the speed of sound, and I yank my car over to an
abrupt stop before the officer's hand has time to hit the siren, I reached back
into my bag, pulled out pen and paper and began writing, good little scout that
I am. So here we go.
This morning was an 'air pickup' and I don't mean the kind where, while flying
coach, you're visited with that oh so familiar fantasy. The one where you aim
that big, suggestive, incredibly smooth and sophisticated smile at the
beautiful young flight attendant and she responds by immediately freezing in
the aisle, throws back her head and screams, "Coffee, Tea or Me!" No. The one
I'm referring to is when, due to a less than suitable landing and taking off
surface, we swoop in a few feet over the pen yelling at the top of our lungs,
"Who's your Daddy", as the ground crew, with perfect timing, swings open the
pen door, releasing the birds who immediately chase the aircraft into the air
and on to the next stop.
And so it went this morning...minus, of course, the "Who's you Daddy" part. The
birds, after the week's confinement since their last flight, blew out of the
pen and in their quest for sweet freedom and flight, and formed up in a
beautiful line off the wing.
One dropped out and was picked up by Chris as we climbed slowly, carefully,
higher and higher in anticipation of the ridges awaiting us just ahead. As we
climbed, we eyed the GPS hopefully for the forecasted 15 mph tailwind, an
assist which could boost our speed above 50 mph and put yet another day's
destination within reach. But the 2500 foot climb did not contain that 'push',
so we leveled off on course to Muscatatuck, taking a dogleg detour around Camp
Atterbury and any warlike happenings there.
Then, as if on cue from some invisible director, the birds divided, presenting
each wing with its own line. How incredible they are, like Rocketts lined up on
the stage at Radio City Music Hall, their perfectly uniform wing beats striking
the cold air like high stepping dancers in a dance choreographed tens of
millions of years ago.
Yet it is a dance borrowed from their cousins, the Sandhill cranes, for it is
the Sandhills, not the wild Whoopers, that streak across the skies in large
flocks. The Whoopers prefer the intimacy of travel with their family unit, or
alone, or with a small sub-adult group. And so it falls to us, the project
team, to splice natural choreography with that of our own to create the dance
performed now in this high place.
Below, we have said goodbye to the 'flat', at least for now. The thickly
forested ridges offer no welcome to the ultralight or its charges as did the
flat geometries of Illinois and the other Indiana. These places floated below
us like an aircraft carrier on a mill pond, providing us a safe landing
anytime, any place, and easy access to any dropout birds.
And gone is the land of 'Crop Circles', those mysterious designs drawn by the
alien hand in fields of corn and beans. It is not surprising aliens are always
referred to as "Little Green Men". John Deere Green, I presume. One can only
wonder at their mischievous intent as they perpetrate their artistry on the
landscape then retire to their galactic orbits to watch Purdue beat Indiana U
one Saturday afternoon once be a year.
There can not be a dance without missteps and even the most talented of dancers
can fall prey to the boredom of monotonous repetition during a performance,
when one transcends the resonant rhythms and intricately disciplined movements
and reaches for more.
Midway through the flight 709 fell prey to this curse and began tugging at the
batten string flopping at the end of the wing with his beak. Each time, time
after time, he clamped his beak down on the string, then thrust skyward,
pulling it and the wing up. This caused a bump in flight which I had to
immediate correct by pulling down slightly on the wing. This became a game
between us-a game within a dance-he tugged, I corrected, he released the string
but only to fix completely on it until it was again in his beak-and I corrected.
"Why don't you just go out for a pass?", I yelled, growing tired of this little
game, but, like a child playing a computer game, he cared of nothing but his
game, so I countered his moves with moves of my own which aren't in the
ultralight flying manual or in "Crane Flying for Dummies" and he soon tired of
this effort and focused once again on the dance.
Knowing the field near the pen was going to be brutally, possibly
trike-damaging rough, Joe called on the radio and volunteered to speed ahead,
land, and call down the birds as I flew over, thereby possibly saving me a trip
to Wal-Mart for a new trike undercarriage.
Meanwhile Brian sped ahead in the tracking van to assist. All birds dropped
from the sky with grace and delicacy landing next to Joe. All the birds that is
but three. They decided the dance music was still blasting in their ears and
they weren't going to stop till the fat lady stopped singing.
'Round and 'round Chris, Richard and I went trying to coax these little rebels
out of the sky without actually having to land ourselves. Twenty two minutes
later, they got their little leotard covered butts out of the sky, off the
stage, and followed Joe and Brian into the pen, their performance finally over.
The birds, the 16 of them anyway, treated us to a memorable performance today,
one we hope will be repeated again and again for the rest of this migration. It
was no 'girls on one side, boys on the other' school dance today. It was the
real thing and the thing so many had worked to hard and long to achieve. But in
show business as in life, you're only as good as your last performance. The
stage is set, the cast is assembled, the music has started.
Now - who wants to buy a ticket?
Thanks to Mike Briner for this shot of Brooke leading the birds in at the
Muscatatuck NWR.
Date:
November 16, 2007 - Entry2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 35
Location:
Jackson Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
60.9 miles
Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
455.5 miles
While I was/am waiting for today's lead pilot, Brooke, to finish his update and
give it to me to post, I was going to do a little write up about this mornings
departure, looking up from the ground. But - what I have is something better. A
lone Craniac found her way to where I was stationed this morning, and below is
what I later received from her in an email. A few photos I took this morning
are at the bottom of her entry.
"Friday, Nov. 16, 2007. 6:53 am.
In the dark, I'm driving south, hoping to see the Whooping Cranes leave their
Morgan County stopover. It should take me about 40 minutes. Weather is calm and
crisp. The OM Field Journal has predicted today will be a fly day.
7:07am. The sky is getting lighter and pinker. Traffic is light. I'm a little
nervous, hoping I'm not too late. This is my fourth year to attempt to see a
lift-off. Last year we missed it by 10 minutes! Don't want a repeat of that!
Cross my fingers I don't get behind a school bus on these country roads.
|
7:20am. I arrive at the stopover site. Several white vehicles with black OM
logos are there. In the early daylight, I spot 3 costumes crossing the levee at
the end of the pond. I quickly snap a picture, hoping there's enough light to
expose it. This must be a fly day if they're heading for the pen! I park and
wait in my car.
7:25am. I call Mrs. (Trudy) Land's cell phone [teacher at Neil Armstrong
Elementary School where Bev and Brooke recently did a presentation] and leave a
voicemail: "Guess where I am!"
7:30am A trike rises from behind the stand of trees across the pond. Then
another, another, and a fourth ultralight! I jump from my car, peel off my
gloves, and grab my camera. In the car, my cell phone is ringing. It's probably
Mrs. Land returning my call, but I can't answer now!
7:30am. A woman emerges from the nearby cabin with a camera. I call "Good
morning!" and she looks my way in surprise. We stand silently, watching the
trikes slowly circle. I can hear the whoop whoop recording blaring from the
trikes, calling the birds to the sky! Mist rises from the pond. A small bird
chirps as it leaps from reed to reed at water's edge. Overhead, the four trikes
still circle the pond, the cabin, and me! The lead pilot cuts his engine and
dips below the far treeline. The crane pen must be just beyond the
orange-colored trees across the pond!
7:35am. And then from the north, I see a trike with cranes following! He
approaches us. I stop taking pictures long enough to count 15 cranes behind the
lead pilot, a small gap of empty air space, and then 2 more cranes in pursuit!
Seventeen! They all left the pen together!
7:35am. A cell phone rings. The woman on the dock answers briefly. "I've got
it. Thanks!" (I'll be looking for her photos on the website later today!)
7:40am. Southward and eastward against a beautiful sunrise, I watch the cranes
wing their way out of sight, trailed by two more ultralights. Or is it 3 more
trikes? It all happened so quickly, I can't be sure. I try not to blink!
They're gone, and the sky is silent again.
7:41am. I introduce myself to the woman on the dock as "one of the teachers
from Neil Armstrong Elementary." Her face brightens. She is Liz Condie and we
shake cold hands.
Me:"I read you every morning on the web journal."
Liz: "Thanks. Sorry, but I need to go bang that report out right now!"
She heads for her laptop in the cabin. As she walks away her phone rings again
and I hear her tell someone that she can't talk now, but that the cranes are in
the air. She's friendly, and I'd love to wait around to talk with her, but I
know she has a full day ahead. It's time for me to leave. Mission accomplished
(after 4 years!).
7:44am. I snap a few more pictures of the area and head home. In the gravel
lane, I pass an OM pickup truck. The driver stops and says, "They're pretty far
along the way now!" He is happy, and I congratulate him on the success of the
morning. I assume he must be the driver who took the pilots to the hangar
earlier. [Yes - that was Walter in returning from dropping the pilots, and now
on his way to help take down the pen.]
I smile all the way home, eager to upload my photos to send to the school in a
Kodak Gallery Album. For a while I follow Bus #14 as it picks up students. I
wish you students could have been with me to watch the departure! It was
special! It was awesome! It is humanity and nature at their finest! Nina
Langley
Above: Mist rises of the pond. The pen is beyond the stand of trees on the
other side.
Below: As Brooke turns to get on course, a few of the birds lag behind.
Above: Carved bear stands sentinel and keeps me company as I wait for departure
to happen.
Below: About now the tear ducts filled up. After all this time it is still
impossible not to be moved by this sight.
Above: Brooke and the entire Class of 2007 suddenly rise from behind the trees
and head in our direction.
Below: You can just see the two little dots on the left - as they fall farther
behind. All were soon picked up by the chase trikes.
Date:
November 16, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 35
Location:
Morgan Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
?? miles
Morgan County, IN to Muscatatuck NWR, IN
Accumulated
Distance
?? miles
Goodbye Morgan County!!!
After an extended stopover, the team awoke to a cool and very "crisp" morning,
with very still air. The pilots made the 5 mile trek to the ultralights before
light this morning, excited to be flying once again.
At first it seemed that the birds weren't quite so excited. When the lead pilot
- Brooke, we think - made his first pass no one left! However, after a few
passes things were off and run, with all seventeen cranes following the leader!
Stay tuned to the field journal for updates later today including some great
new photos.
Date:
November 15, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Nekoosa 4th graders claim Wisconsin's
largest Origami Crane
Location:
Indiana
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
Now folks - this is something you have to see to believe. These Craniac Kids
are among the most energetic, dedicated, and innovative of any we've
encountered. And we must give three cheers for their wonderful teacher, Heidi
Hartman.
We don't want to tell their story here and steal ALL their thunder, so click
the link to Wisconsin's Largest Origami Crane
<http://www.amsgrade4.com/Giant%20Crane.htm> and let the kids from Nekoosa put
a big smile on your face.
Date:
November 15, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
James Popham
Subject:
Migration Day 34
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
Yet again the weather has prevented the OM planes and cranes from leaving
Morgan County.
With gusty easterly winds, it seems more likely that the team would have ended
up in Cincinnati rather than the Muscatatuck NWR destination.
Tomorrow's weather looks much more promising, so keep your fingers crossed that
after 5 days we will finally be able to depart Morgan Cty.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
MORGAN COUNTY, IN
The Jasper-Pulaski State Fish and Wildlife Area in northwestern Indiana is east
of our migration route but has become a stopover for a few of our now-wild
migrating Whooping Cranes.
Jasper-Pulaski's suitable habitat provides an ideal stopover for many migratory
birds and it's 8,062 acres offer a unique opportunity to observe the largest
gathering of Greater Sandhill Cranes in fall migration in the Mississippi
flyway.
Sandies stage here from late September to mid-December, with numbers in the
thousands peaking about the second week of November. They feed in surrounding
farmland by day then, as evening approaches, they gather for what seems to be
simply "cocktail hour socializing" before they disperse at sundown to spend the
night in the safety of the nearby marshes.
Two observation towers overlook their gathering field offering great photo ops
Date:
November 14, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
The OM Team
Subject:
It's Deja Vu all over again
Location:
Canada/USA
Many Cranics will undoubtedly recall our 2005 "Will We Run Out Of Gas" appeal.
On October 7, 2005 when we put out that letter of appeal, MileMaker had enough
miles sponsored to get us to the Tennessee border - and we were really nervous.
Little did we know that two years and a month later, we'd be in the same boat,
only paddling even harder. Here it is mid November and MileMaker is going to
'run out of gas' one state earlier; just over the Indiana - Kentucky border.
Two more 'fly days' and the cranes and planes will have caught up to the spot
that the total of MileMaker sponsorships cover to date.
You have our deepest gratitude if you have already taken out a MileMaker
sponsorship for 2007. If you haven't as yet sponsored a ¼, or ½ or mile of the
migration PLEASE make today the day. Maybe you know others (individuals or
corporate) you could encourage to help us get the Class of 2007 to Florida.
Whether from an individual, a foundation or corporation, your contribution -
small or large - is crucial to our getting the young Whooping cranes in the
Class of 2007 safely to Florida. Please be as generous as you can and help
chalk up another successful year toward safeguarding the species.
Without doubt, the entire OM team is totally committed to completing the '07
migration. And if need be, as we did in 2005, we will again donate our time in
order to ensure we get the Class of 2007 to Florida.
Won't you call us today (1-800-675-2618) and let us put your name beside one of
the yet to be sponsored 600+ miles?!
Note: We only have one telephone line so if you get shunted to voicemail, leave
a message and we'll get right back to you.
Date:
November 14, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Bev Paulan
Subject:
A Busy Down Day
Location:
Morgan Cty, IN
Another down day yesterday. Well, okay, maybe three down days so far, but who
is really counting. Boring, you think? Au contraire, mon ami. I see it as
anything but.
The last two days have been very exciting, as Brooke and I have had the
privilege of talking to over 400 elementary school children about Operation
Migration and our work with the Whooping Crane. There are quite a few Craniac
Kids here in Morgan County. I think almost more than any other county along our
route. Or so my voice thinks.
Yesterday, we were honored to speak at Neil Armstrong Elementary School in
Mooresville. This is one of the three schools whose names were drawn and won a
visit as a result of their signing up for OM's 'Change4Cranes' program. Mrs.
Trudy Land's 6th graders were very attentive and asked very insightful
questions. They all have picked out a favorite bird and were anxious to hear
the slightest details about how 'their' bird behaved (or misbehaved); if it
ever got boxed up; if it was aggressive or submissive; or if it had shown Joe a
threat posture. (Most all of the chicks have!)
Today, Brooke and I went to Monrovia Elementary school at the invitation of
teacher Robin Shields, and spoke to a combined group of 4th and 5th graders. Mr
Shields has been tracking our migration for the last 5 years and has a great
display of our progress posted in the school hallway. Even though there were
over 300 kids in this group, they were very well behaved and asked us questions
that had us thinking hard, and even sent me to the computer to look up some of
the answers.
The most noticeable thing about doing these education/outreach programs is how
excited the kids and teachers are to have us come. For us, it is not only an
opportunity to educate, but it is remarkably humbling, too.
Both of these schools are in small towns, with a mostly rural population. Yet,
somehow, they have embraced the cranes and pool their pennies together to help
us along the way. They know there is never a chance of seeing the birds take up
residence in their county, but they believe in the project and are so earnest
in their support, that we can't help but be moved.
I know I have said it before, but I'll keep saying how impressed I am by the
'little people' who are truly large in their support. Their pennies add up to
dollars that help keep us going on this migration.
Thanks to both Neil Armstrong and Monrovia Elementary Schools for caring about
the birds enough to invite us into your classrooms. It was a pleasure.
Date:
November 14, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 33
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
Today will be day four on the ground in Morgan County, IN. As pleasant as the
surroundings are, the team is chomping at the bit to get moving!
Although the weatherman is promising Indiana a beautiful day with a chance for
highs in the 60's, the WSW surface winds favor a flight plan to Philadelphia,
while aloft, it looks like we'd be blown to St. Louis, MO - not Florida. Go
figure. (s'plain that Lucy! Where's Chris G. when I need him?)
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
MORGAN COUNTY, IN
Monrovia is the home of Gary Bettenhausen, legendary Indy Racing League driver.
At this early date, we hate to even mention Christmas, but Bobby Helms who once
lived in Martinsville popularized "Jingle Bell Rock".
The Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn is noted for its large collection of
daffodils assembled by Dr. Link's wife.
Date:
November 14, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Falling under the, 'Did you know' category.....
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
Non-Profits Do More Than Good Works
A study by the John Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies
<http://www.jhu.edu/ccss/> found that not-for-profit organizations in the U.S.
and seven other major nations contribute an average of 5% to the gross domestic
product.
Canadian non-profits generated the highest amount at 7.3% followed closely by
the U.S. at 7.2%. Other countries studied included Japan (5.2%), Belgium (5%),
New Zealand (4.9%), Australia (4.7%), France (4.2%), and the Czech Republic
(1.3%).
Date:
November 13, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Chris Gullikson
Subject:
The 'Whether' of the Weather'
Location:
Morgan Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
At 9:00am it was absolutely beautiful here in Morgan County, IN. Sunny skies,
and the pond next to our RV is a perfect mirror reflecting the golden leaves of
the trees surrounding us.
So why are we not migrating? A cold front came through central Indiana early
this morning bringing a needed soaking rain across the state. This cold front
and line of showers is still in the southern part of the state, and a dense,
low cloud deck has been left in its wake just to our south.
Another cold front is forecast to move through tomorrow morning followed by
brisk northwest winds. Although the wind direction will be favorable Thursday
morning, it may be too windy to fly with the birds. Friday however, is looking
great with calm winds and a gentle push aloft from the northwest.
Date:
November 13, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
POTHOLES ON THE ROAD TO US F&WS HABITAT GOALS
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
Excerpt from Birding Community E-Bulletin
About half of the annual distribution of the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund
(made up mainly of "Duck Stamp" revenue) goes to secure wetland and grassland
habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region. This is money well spent. It's not,
'just for ducks'; it's for a broad sweep of wetland and grassland birds that
benefit.
On this very subject, there was a powerful Government Accounting Office (GAO)
report, released in the last days of September, concerning habitat protection
in the Prairie Pothole Region. Its lengthy title was, "Prairie Pothole Region:
At the Current Pace of Acquisitions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Is
Unlikely to Achieve Its Habitat Protection Goals for Migratory Birds."
The full document can be found at http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1093
<http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1093>
or a one-page highlight at http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d071093high.pdf
<http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d071093high.pdf>
As the 40+-page GAO study illustrates, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS)
has purchased outright 700,000 acres and acquired easements on 2.3+ million
acres of wetlands and grasslands in the region since 1959. At this pace, to
reach the desired goal of 12 million acres saved in the Prairie Pothole Region,
it could take the USFWS another 150 years!
Reasonable solutions to help address this crucial acquisition backlog include
investing more of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) from offshore oil
and gas revenue; creating a new Wetlands Loan Act (WLA); and increasing the
"Duck Stamp" price. Unfortunately, there was no discussion in the report on
possible efforts to increase the sales of the Stamp.
You can access an archive of past E-bulletins on the National Wildlife Refuge
Association (NWRA) website at http://www.refugenet.org/birding/birding5.html
<http://www.refugenet.org/birding/birding5.html>
Date:
November 13, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 32
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
Going no where for the third day in a row, and tomorrow isn't shaping up to be
a whole lot better.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
MORGAN COUNTY, IN
UCLA's legendary basketball coach John Wooden, dubbed the "Wizard of Westwood,"
spent his early childhood and high school years in Martinsville. A member of
the Basketball Hall of Fame, he was the first man to be named into the Hall as
both a player and coach.
Date:
November 12, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Win a handcrafted Crane Quilt
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
Down days aside, it's only a matter of time until we celebrate the conclusion
of the '07 migration at our Arrival Event in Dunnellon, Florida. One of the
things planned during the Arrival Event is the drawing for the beautiful,
one-of-a-kind quilt, crafted and donated to OM by Craniac extraordinaire, Nancy
Drew of North Dakota.
Click the link to see a large photo, read about Nancy's gorgeous crane quilt
<http://www.operationmigration.org/quilt.html> and get information on how you
can buy raffle tickets. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift for some
special - if you could could bear to part it that is.
Date:
November 12, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 31
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
Although unavoidable, it sure gets tiresome talking about the weather -
especially when it doesn't favor flying.
Overnight, Morgan County, IN had light rain showers and, in some areas,
isolated thunderstorms. This morning brought a temp of 49F, 82% humidity, and
wrong way winds out of the southwest at 9mph on the surface and stronger aloft
halting the migration for a second day at our Morgan County, IN stopover.
WHERE WERE WE?
On November 12 last year we were also in Morgan County, Indiana. We did a bit
better in 2004 and 2005 when we were one stop further along in Jennings County
- just to the southeast of Morgan County. In 2002 and 2003 we were in
Washington County, KY, three stops further along. The first year, 2001, on
November 12 we were already in Tennessee at a stop we no longer use in Bledscoe
County. (Bledscoe is southeast of Cumberland County where we currently stop,
and northwest of our next Tennessee stopover location at the Hiawassee Refuge
in Meigs County.)
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
MORGAN COUNTY, IN
Gravity Hill is a locally famous land mark in Mooresville, IN. Because of an
optical illusion, cars parked at the bottom of the road appear, quite
convincingly, to roll uphill. Gravity Hill has been featured in many regional
television and newspaper reports.
Date:
November 11, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Craniacs Share Photos
Location:
Main Office
Thanks to Chris and Charlie Linnell for sharing their photos with us.
Above Left: Pilots prepare to launch.
Above Right: Lead pilot Richard van Heuvelen takes off leading the Class of
2007.
Bottom Right: Flapping to get into position off the wing.
Date:
November 11, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
It's almost Thanksgiving and right after that.....
Location:
Main Office
Dare we mention the Holiday Season is approaching? Think whoever it was who
said we should have a holiday called "Thankshallowistmas" had a good sense of
what we all feel at this time of year?
Back by popular demand are our beautiful, embossed Whooping crane holiday cards
<http://www.operationmigration.org/merch.html#embossed> . Available in packages
of 16, (including 17 envelopes), the cards feature an adult crane in flight,
and carry the simple message, "Peace'.
Also available are OM's all new tongue-in-cheek holiday greeting cards
<http://www.operationmigration.org/merch.html#omxmas> . Perfect for the Craniac
in your family or to raise awareness for Whooping cranes and create new
Craniacs. These cards come in packages of 10 and include envelopes.
Hurry, only limited quantities of both available.
Date:
November 11, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 30
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
Contrary winds will keep the Migration crew on the ground today in Morgan
County, IN.
Last year we arrived in Morgan County one day later than we did this year, but
were stuck there for four days. Here's hoping we don't repeat.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
MORGAN COUNTY, IN
A sign at its city limits declares Mooresville to be the "Home of the State
Flag". Designer Paul Hadley lived here and won a contest in 1916 sponsored by
the local DAR to commemorate the centennial of Indiana's entry into the union.
John Dillinger, the famous gangster, spent most of his childhood in Mooresville
and sometimes retreated to this small town to hide from authorities.
Date:
November 11, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
OM
Subject:
Lest We Forget
Location:
US & Canada
Today, along with millions of others, Operation Migration honors Veterans
everywhere.
Originally known internationally as Armistice Day, Veterans Day in the U.S.,
Remembrance Day in Canada, and Poppy Day in other parts of the world, marks the
anniversary of the signing of the armistice which formally ended World War I.
The signing, which took place in a railroad carriage in the Forest of
Compiegene in France, happened at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th
month.
Two minutes before the armistice came into effect, a final Canadian soldier
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lawrence_Price> was killed by a German
sniper. Private George Lawrence Price is traditionally acknowledged as being
the last fatality of WWI.
On November 11, 1919, President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day in
the U.S. with the following words:
"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn
pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with
gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us
and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with
peace and justice in the councils of the nations."
To commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and civilians in
conflicts past and present, we reprint here, what is undoubtedly the most
memorable war poem ever written. The words were penned by Lieutenant Colonel
John McCrae, a Canadian soldier and surgeon attached to the 1st Field Artillery
Brigade, located at the time near Ypres.
IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Date:
November 10, 2007 - Entry 6
Reporter:
Chris Gullikson
Subject:
Migration Day 29
Location:
Morgan Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
55.2 miles
Boone County, IN to Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
Near perfect migrating conditions greeted us this morning on our first
opportunity to fly two consecutive days. The temperature was 26 degrees F and
it was absolutely calm at the surface. A heavy frost was building on the grass
and the covers of our trikes. An area of high pressure nearly overhead was
forecast to slowly drift east, giving us gentle winds aloft from the northeast.
After saying goodbye to our wonderful hosts, we fired up our engines, removed
our wing covers and took off into silky smooth skies as the sun was rising.
Joe taxied down to the pen and gave the signal to release the birds while I
hung back in a chase position to the south. 16 birds quickly rushed out of the
pen and joined Joe in the air while 721 hung back at the pen, as if saying "I
will wait for the next ride."
The pen site was located in a shallow bowl, and Joe flew a 360 degree circle to
give the birds time to climb high enough to clear the trees. Turning on course,
I fell in behind Joe, while Richard went down to pick up 721 who was now
airborne thanks to Megan in the swamp monster outfit.
I don't know if it was the calm skies, the consecutive days, or the piloting,
but the 16 birds on Joe's wing flew very well and continued on course without
incident. At 5 miles out a small gap formed in the line with 8 birds falling
back.
The end bird, 710, did a quick 180 and made a beeline back towards the pen. As
the 7 birds pulled back into formation with Joe, I gave chase after 710,
passing underneath Brooke and Richard. I soon caught up with the wayward bird
and got him turned back on course, 1 mile behind the others.
Paula advised us that we couldn't climb more then 1200 feet above ground level
to stay out of Indianapolis's airspace. With smooth air and a 6mph tailwind, we
didn't see much need to gain altitude, and were content to cruise along at 800
feet AGL. With the birds flying so well we talked about skipping a site and
moving on to Muscatatuck, but the southeasterly heading would have nullified
our tailwind, making the trip too far.
At less than 10 miles out from our destination, 727 fell back off Joe's wing
and Brooke was able to move in and pick her up.
We landed in a lush field of grass surrounded by trees and walked the birds
down to the pen where they eagerly strode in to get a drink of water. After
setting up the perimeter electric fence we took back off and landed at a nearby
airport where one of our friends has generously allowed us use of their hangar.
It looks like we could be down for some time as a stationary front moves in to
set up camp over Indiana, giving us a prolonged rain event.
Date:
November 10, 2007 - Entry 5
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 29
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
55.2 miles
Boone County, IN to Morgan County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
394.6 miles
The eagle...er cranes have landed! Everyone is on the ground in Morgan County,
IN after almost an hour and a half in the air. Joe landed with 14 of the 16
birds that took off with him - so far, the biggest group to have stayed on the
wing for a whole leg.
Richard flew in and picked up 721 who was slow coming out of the pen, and he
was the first to arrive at the new stopover site. A short way out, 710 broke
away from Joe's trike and Chris, flying chase swooped in and managed to get him
off his wing. Mid flight, 727 fell back, and Brooke picked him up and led him
the rest of the way.
Joe's lead pilot report will follow later today.
Date:
November 10, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 29
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
Boone County, IN to ?
Accumulated
Distance
? miles
Boone County, IN this morning had a temp of 33F, 81% humidity, and 3mph NNW
surface winds. At altitude the winds were blowing about 19mph. All this to say
- it was 'a go' today.
16 birds took off with Joe, today's lead pilot, with 721 lagging behind. We're
waiting to hear that they've landed - and also, where.
Note: Thanks to Craniac Marnie Gaede for pointing out that National
Geographic's website is currently running the 2006 segment from 'Wild
Chronicles'. We enjoyed viewing it again, and if you think you might too,
here's a link to it. Video: Rare Cranes Taught to Migrate
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/071106-cranes-video-wc.html>
Date:
November 10, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Check Out Our Hero
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
Boone County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
? miles
<http://www.disneywildlifefund.com> <http://www.disneywildlifefund.com/>
<http://www.disneywildlifefund.com>
Disney Wildlife Conservation Heroes Featured
DWCF has put out a release congratulating and highlighting all its 2007 DWCF
Conservation Heroes. To find the release click on the DWCF logo and then look
for OM's nominee, Walter Sturgeon who was among those named a DWCF Hero.
In their communiqué, DWCF said, "Thank you again for nominating these amazing
people and helping us to recognize them for everything they are doing to save
species and change the world. They, like all of you, truly are one in a
million!"
We couldn't agree more - 'Our' Walt is definitely one in a million!
Date:
November 10, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Wood Buffalo - Aransas Population Update
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
Boone County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
? miles
In its most recent newsletter, Bird Studies Canada
<http://www.bsc-eoc.org/index.jsp?lang=EN> noted that Canada's National News
Program had aired the documentary, 'Bye Bye Birdie'.
Quoting from the newsletter: "Inspired by Audubon's Summer 2007 Common Birds in
Decline report, the new Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) documentary Bye
Bye Birdie offers a Canadian perspective on the state of North America's bird
populations. Canadian BirdLife partners Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada
are featured prominently in the piece, which aired on The National on
Wednesday, October 31.
Reporter Joan Leishman interviewed Ted Cheskey of Nature Canada and Stuart
Mackenzie of Bird Studies Canada. Mackenzie, the Landbird Programs Coordinator
for the Long Point Bird Observatory, spoke about how migration monitoring
across Canada is helping scientists to derive North American bird population
trends, while Cheskey discussed how modern trends in farming, forestry, and
housing are destroying tens of millions of common birds in North America."
You can visit the website for The National to watch the 13-minute documentary
online
<http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/environmentscience/bye_bye_birdies_1.html>
.
Date:
November 10, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Wood Buffalo - Aransas Population Update
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
Boone County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
? miles
On a 5 hour flight with pilot Gary Ritchey of Air Transit Solutions out of San
Antonio, Texas, observers Tom Stehn and Darrin Welchert counted 211 Whooping
cranes as they conducted their aerial census of the Aransas National Wildlife
Refuge and surrounding areas on November 8th.
Tom, USF&WS's Whooping crane Coordinator at Aransas, estimated that
approximately 80% of the flock had completed the migration, with 30-50 whooping
cranes were still in the flyway.
This was Tom's first aerial census of the season. Prior to the flight, reports
from staff, volunteers and landowners up to November 2nd, had recorded 50
cranes present (a minimum number).
"Many additional cranes arrived following a strong cold front that reached the
Texas coast the morning of November 5th," said Stehn. "This large arrival is
right on schedule since the majority of the Whooping cranes always seem to
arrive with an associated front during the period November 4-7."
Tom noted, "30 of the 211 Whoopers present were young birds. An indicator of
good survival subsequent to mid-August surveys done in Wood Buffalo National
Park. Of the 13 chicks from pairs where both summer and winter territories are
known, 12 of the 13 have made it to Aransas safely. The 13th family group is
not at Aransas and presumably still in migration," he said.
On the flight indication of one mortality was found. Present on the Narrow
Peninsula territory at Welder Flats was a single adult with one chick,
indication that an adult had died subsequent to nesting.
Tom reported that they had observed several territorial encounters during the
flight as newly arrived pairs staked out their winter territories. One notably
large group of 9 cranes split up into groups of 2, 3 and 4, with a territorial
pair showing aggression against sub-adults.
In his update, Tom went on to note, "Recent habitat surveys indicated abundant
blue crabs in the marshes, and multiple wolfberry flowers that would soon be
producing fruit. Salinities are quite moderate at 8-10 ppt. On the flight, no
cranes were found on uplands, prescribed burns, or fresh water sources.
One worry about the habitat is the increasing amount of mangrove bushes
proliferating on the northern part of the crane range on Matagorda Island," he
said. "Mangrove is killed by hard winter freezes and its range has for decades
remained south of the Whooping crane range. With ongoing global warming, the
range of the mangrove will likely move north and decrease the value of the salt
marsh for Whooping cranes."
"Cedar Bayou is very close to becoming completely silted in. This bayou between
the Gulf of Mexico and the bays within Whooping crane critical habitat is
important in the life cycle of many marine organisms, including the blue crab.
The bayou apparently was shut or very nearly shut during August, 2007, and
studies are ongoing to assess environmental impacts for a proposed dredging
project to increase flows."
Note: We have also received and posted Tom's semi-annual Summary of Whooping
Crane Recovery Activities Report
<http://www.operationmigration.org/activitiesoct07.html> . This report,
covering the period April - October 2007, can be found on our Site Map under
'Important Documents' or by clicking the link above.
Date:
November 9, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Richard van Heuvelen
Subject:
Migration Day 28
Location:
Boone Cty, IN
Distance
Traveled
89.6 miles
Kankakee County, IL to Boone County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
339.4 miles
We said goodbye to Charlie Shafer who is leaving today to go home. His humorous
good nature and expertise with the birds will be missed. However Brian Clauss
who has another kind of humor, and other skills, will be replacing him, so all
is not lost.
Weather forecasting is, what it is. Getting it right is about as lucky as
hitting a hole in one. This morning was breezier than forecast, but we were
determined to try. Luckily, the air was smoother than expected, and soon we
were off with all the birds off my right wing.
Things were looking good with a slow wide arc to get on course. We began to
climb. With the busy highway below the chicks were soon distracted and so the
round-up air show began. Eventually I emerged out of the melee with eight
birds, Joe with six, and Brooke with three. The air was getting rough down low
so we began the long climb to smoother air and we soon lost sight of each other
in the morning haze.
Just as we gained enough altitude to fly in smooth air, 727 set her wings and
was looking for a place to land. With Chris behind me with no birds he gave
chase to pick her up - but she landed anyway. As Brian moved in on the ground
she took to the air, and flew over the road to land again. So Chris again gave
chase when she became airborne once more. Eventually he landed with her and
Brian soon had her boxed and loaded into the tracking van and was on his way.
Not hearing much from Brooke or Joe I continued on with six birds on the wing.
One, 733, seemed to be afraid of something flying below the wing. He began to
tire as the battle to keep on the wing was slowly being lost. He would fly on
the wing for a bit but then, screaming he would duck under the wing and refuse
to get back on top. After many attempts and many miles we lost altitude and
soon we were being bounced around in the rough air down low.
The other chicks were having a hard time staying with a wing getting tossed
around in the morning sky and soon began to tire. With Don and Paula overhead
to keep an eye on 733 who had dropped down to tree level and was irretrievable,
we continued on. Soon we heard Chris over the radio flying at 4500 feet AGL,
zooming in to help at 80 miles an hour ground speed. Eventually with Don and
Paula's help he located and landed with 733 to keep it company while Don
directed Brian to the scene.
Fighting the rough air, we attempted to climb out of it with twenty three miles
to go. We were almost out of the blender when the valley the pen was in came
into view. While Brooke and Joe landed we began our descent through the blender
again. Fortunately it wasn't as bad as earlier and the landing was relatively
smooth.
An hour later Brian showed up with the two boxed wayward birds. As the rest of
the crew arrived, Brian who hit the ground running, Megan who is always eager
to help, Chris who is more than willing, and I, feft to go set up the pen at
the next site.
Happy trails to Charlie for a much deserved rest.
Date:
November 9, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 28
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
89.6 miles
Kankakee County, IL to Boone County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
339.4 miles
After skipping over one stop this morning, the pilots and birds are on the
ground in Boone County, IN. The flight time was just over 2 hours. Two birds
(may be 733 and 727) dropped out and were picked up by the ground crew, crated
and are being transported in the tracking van.
By reaching Boone County today, the '07 migration has now caught up to where it
was last year on this date. Winds and weather stalled the '06 migration in
Boone County for 8 days last year. Hope we have better luck this season.
Date:
November 9, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 28
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
Kankakee County, IL to Boone County, IN
Accumulated
Distance
? miles
The winds were favorable this morning, but at first there was some debate as to
whether they were too strong for the cranes and planes to cope with. Turns out
the pilots thought they could manage, so off they went, headed for Benton
County, Indiana.
Richard is lead pilot today and Bev reported that all 17 birds took off.
At last word they were over flying the next stop (which would have been in
Benton County, IN,) and are headed for our stopover location in Boone County,
IN.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
BOONE COUNTY, IN
Lebanon (commonly pronounced "Leba-nen") is the county seat of Boone County.
The honor of naming the town fell on Adam French, one of the first
commissioners. Because a cluster of hickory trees reminded him of the Cedars of
Lebanon from the Bible, French shouted to a group of onlookers, "The name of
this town shall be Lebanon."
It was necessary to expand to the points of the compass around Boone County to
find any famous names: Some well known people from the area are NASCAR driver
Jeff Gordon from Pittsboro, south of Boone County. Actor Will Geer, best known
for his role as Grandpa Zeb on the television series "The Waltons", resided in
the town of Frankfort, north of Boone County. Rex Stout, the creator of the
popular detective series "Nero Wolf," was born in Noblesville, east of Boone
County.
Date:
November 8, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Kankakee Departure Viewing Opportunity!
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Kankakee County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
249.8 miles
Great news for Craniacs within driving distance of our Kankakee, IL location.
We've secured a site for viewing the departure. The viewing site is located at:
4150 E. Exline Club Road, Kankakee, IL. We suggest you use MapQuest or
GoogleEarth to come up with driving directions to it from your home location.
Please park your vehicles well off the road.
We ask that you be careful, considerate, and courteous when parking your
vehicles, and respect the surrounding privately owned property. Keep in mind
too, that sound carries in the cool, morning country air.
REMEMBER, you will want to be on site shortly after first light, AND, also
remember, that you could make the trek for naught if conditions are such that
the cranes and planes can't fly tomorrow morning. Should this be the case,
members of OM's flight and ground crew will stop by to meet and chat with those
gathered.
Date:
November 8, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Bev Paulan
Subject:
A Day in the life of a Crane Mama
Location:
Kankakee Cty, IL
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Kankakee County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
249.8 miles
A question I get asked quite frequently is, what do we do on our down days
during migration. This is actually a difficult one to answer as it really
depends on where we are and what the weather is doing. This job is not unlike
my last one in the sense that my days off are usually when and because of bad
weather.
As the designated crane mama out of the crew, I spend a lot more time with the
birds than the others. My mobile domicile is the one parked as close to the
away-pen as possible, to keep watch over the area for potential problems.
Problems, you ask? What could possibly be a problem to the chicks? Some of the
areas we park the pen is quite a ways away from where camp is set up, and in
rather isolated areas. There is always the potential for unintended human
interactions, whether it is a hunter walking across the field, an ATV motoring
by, or even a farmer trying to harvest his crop. I stand at the ready to
intervene as necessary, to ask, plead, cajole, and educate the people about why
they can't continue doing whatever it is they are doing.
Luckily, so far this year we have not had any problems. I hope this continues,
but I can't help but worry just a little bit about the what-if...
Besides trying to keep 'my little chickies' isolated, I worry about them
getting bored. As any mother knows, boredom leads to misbehaving children. So I
make it my job to make sure they don't get bored. This is where the pumpkins
come in.
When we have to stand down for more than a day due to weather, we break out the
pumpkins. Literally. I smash one to pieces and let the chicks have a go at it.
It doesn't take long for 17 bored adolescents to make a couple of medium sized
orange squash disappear. Usually, the only evidence of a pumpkin having been
in the pen, are the seeds. And the dirty water. They love to take the pieces
and drop them in the water buckets to play with them.
Ears of feed corn also are a good distraction, and those also disappear rather
quickly. When we stay somewhere for an extended period of time, I try to mix
things up so they don't get bored with the distractions. Rotten logs and downed
tree branches are also a favorite target. Down in Florida last year, we even
found some rotted cactus pods that seemed to garner lots of attention and
disappeared quite quickly too.
Never a dull moment for me on migration, what with all the worry about my
charges. I don't have time to get bored with trying to plan all the parties for
these 17 feathered teens and making sure they all stay healthy and secure.
It's always a guessing game whether all 17 will be in the pen when I get there
in the morning, (à la 619 last year) or if they have figured out how to dump
all the water buckets, (they have once already) or, if any one chick is getting
picked on by the others (so far not).
If we are down for three days we take them out to fly. Then a whole new set of
worries rears its ugly head. Is it too windy? Will they keep flying? Will
someone land in the trees and get hurt? Will they all go back in the pen easily
or will it be a battle (again, this is where a pumpkin or some grapes come in
handy). Or, will they not fly and then not get any exercise? So many worries -
- no wonder motherhood is so exhausting.
Date:
November 8, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Whooping Crane Recovery Report (Apr-Oct 07)
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Kankakee County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
249.8 miles
Tom Stehn, Chair of the Whooping Crane Recovery Team, and US F&WS Whooping
Crane Coordinator at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, has sent his
semi-annual WHOOPING CRANE RECOVERY ACTIVITY REPORT for the period April -
October 2007. Tom's report will always be accessible via a link on OM's site
map, but to view it now, CLICK HERE
<http://www.operationmigration.org/activitiesoct07.pdf> .
<http://www.operationmigration.org/activitiesoct07.pdf>
Date:
November 8, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 27
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Kankakee County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
249.8 miles
Yesterday we said, "Kankakee County here we come!" This morning we have to tell
you that it is also where we will spend the day today unfortunately. The winds
are dead out of the south.
Chris G. predicted we'd have strong, wrong-way winds this morning and he wasn't
wrong. The good news though is, it is still shaping up to be a GREAT flying day
tomorrow, Friday. Once again we are working on finding a site for a departure
viewing and will post the info to our Field Journal IF we are successful.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
KANKAKEE COUNTY, IL
Mayor Donald Green puts in this plug for his city: "The Kankakee Valley
Symphony Orchestra, Kankakee Valley Theatre, Kankakee County Historical and Art
Museum, Riverview Historic District, Kankakee Community College, concerts in
the park and Lunch on the Square are just some of the things that give our city
its unique energy and style."
Sherb's ice Cream Store opened in Kankakee in 1938 featuring a new dairy
product, "Soft Serve - All You Can Eat For 10 Cents." This was the beginning of
the hugely successful chain of Dairy Queen shops, the first one opening in
Joliet, now widespread in Canada and the USA.
The actor Fred McMurray was born in Kankakee in 1908. He is best remembered for
his film rolls in "Double Indemnity" and "The Caine Mutiny" as well as the
television series "My Three Sons."
Date:
November 7, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Craniacs Share Their Photos
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
59.3 miles
LaSalle County, IL to Kankakee County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
249.8 miles
As promised, here are a few photos taken at this morning's departure. Thanks go
to Susan Popp for sending them to us. Chris Gullikson has also promised to send
us photos for posting.
Thanks also to John Heneghan who sent along this link to a website where he
posted his photos from this morning. Click here to view John's pictures
<http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561354515lqHkXf> .
Date:
November 7, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Chris Gullikson
Subject:
Migration Day 26
Location:
Kankakee Cty, IL
Distance
Traveled
59.3 miles
LaSalle County, IL to Kankakee County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
249.8 miles
My alarm went off at 5am this morning. I reached out into the chilled air and
hit the snooze button. Eight minutes later I reached out again to silence the
disturbance, the cold air chasing me back into my warm sleeping bag.
It seemed like only moments later that the intruder was back. I reached back
out into the cold before realizing that Charlie was fumbling to turn his alarm
off. Ahh... six more minutes of sleep. BEEP-BEEP.. BEEP-BEEP.. BEEP-BEEP..
Richard's watch had come to life in the back, followed by Megan's melodious
phone 2 minutes later. It was definitely time to get up.
I fired up my laptop and logged onto one of my favorite weather sites.
Conditions over 'the flat' looked perfect - light, west north-west winds at the
surface with a 15 knot NW tailwind aloft at 3000 feet.
As Richard put on a pot of coffee, the rest of us tucked away our sleeping bags
and pillows, turning our sleeping quarters back into a couch, a table and a
dashboard. The temperature outside was 25 degrees - I grabbed my long
underwear, wool socks and an extra sweatshirt.
Thanks to our generous hosts, our trikes were once again inside a spacious
hangar, safe from the wind of the previous days. As we donned our cold weather
flying gear and checked over our trikes, the ground crew grabbed their gear too
and began the trek out to the pen.
At 6:15 am, Don and Paula pushed out of the hangar and were soon aloft,
reporting a gentle tailwind at altitude. The four of us soon followed, the sun
a glowing orange ball just rising from 'the flat'.
My turn to lead. The pen was located in a hollow at the east end of a long
grass runway. Flying east and low over the runway I passed by the hangar,
giving a wave to the crowd of people that had braved the freezing temps to
witness our departure.
I landed well short of the pen, not wanting the wake of air created by my wing
to spoil my departure back to the west. Taxiing up to the pen I did a quick 180
and signaled to Bev and Megan who quickly swung open the two pen panels that
span 20 feet in width.
16 birds blasted out of the pen and lined up on my right side as I got
airborne. Richard assumed a chase position, while Joe swooped in to pick up 714
who has habitually been late coming out of the pen.
My plan to make a gentle turn to the left and go on course was spoiled by
happenstance. With all the birds lined up on my right side and some falling
back, I needed to turn towards them if I had any hope of keeping them with me.
The spectators at the hangar must have gotten a good show as I swept low over
the hangar and back to the southeast; 16 birds beginning to form a nice long
line on my right wing.
Two miles out and things were looking great. The birds were settling into a
rhythm and we were slowly climbing into the smooth air. Then, one by one, they
began breaking off to the left, mocking me to follow them. I held my course,
hoping that some would stay with me and help encourage the rest to continue on
a south-easterly course.
The rodeo behind me was relatively brief with Brooke rounding up six, Richard
one, and Joe, six miles back, bringing up the rear with four. I heard Joe call
for the swamp monster but he was able to get his birds rounded back up before
they made it back to the pen.
We all continued our climb, encountering a layer of slightly turbulent air at
1500 feet that smoothed back out above 2000 feet. The tailwind was a bit less
than expected, about 6mph, giving me a groundspeed of 44mph.
We talked amongst ourselves about skipping a site, eager to be farther along
the route, but wondering if the birds could handle the extra hour plus of
flight time. It was eventually decided to stay with our original plan and be
happy with no birds being boxed.
I have had the pleasure (?) of flying with 726 for the last two flights. This
bird loves to be in the lead position and is constantly pulling my strings
(literally). Our fabric wings attain their airfoil shape by aluminum battens
that are inserted into the wing and secured at the trailing edge by strings
under tension. 726 has picked up a habit of tugging on the outer batten string;
an amusing thing to watch the first few times but it becomes a bit annoying
after awhile.
Surfing my right wing, she would continuously grab the knot at the end of the
string and give an upward tug, trying to hold on as long as possible. Each time
she tugs the string, I need to counteract by bringing the wing back down,
otherwise I begin to turn to the left. This went on for the entire flight and I
had visions of her actually succeeding in removing the batten - a scary thought
for me as well as the unfortunate person standing on the ground below me.
For the most part, the flight was rather uninteresting. There was the
occasional jet traffic overhead that the birds kept staring at, and we flew by
an industrial area with huge, billowing smokestacks. Our flight continued over
'the flat', and the fields are featureless with no end in sight. Our descent at
the end of flight was smooth and the birds looked happy in their familiar pen
in their new surroundings.
As I am writing this, we are driving back from setting up the pen in Boone
County, Indiana. Our next scheduled site is actually in Benton County, Indiana
but conditions look well enough for Friday that we may decide to skip a stop.
We can easily hide the birds to set up a pen at the Benton County location if
conditions are not favorable to skip. We will likely be down tomorrow due to
southerly winds.
Note: Check back later this evening for photos from this morning's flight. Liz
Date:
November 7, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 26
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
59.3 miles
LaSalle County, IL to Kankakee County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
249.8 miles
One hour and a half after take-off from LaSalle County, the cranes and planes
were all safely on the ground in Kankakee County, IL.
Today's lead pilot, Chris, had most of the birds with him for a good part of
the way before they started to break off. In the end, Chris and Brooke each led
6, while Joe had 4, and Richard 1. Yea! That means all 17 chicks flew the
entire leg.
Tune in later today for Chris's lead pilot report.
Date:
November 7, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 26
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
LaSalle County, IL to Kankakee County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
? miles
Kankakee County here we come! Bev reported it was a beautiful morning in
LaSalle County, IL, and the team hustled to get ready for a fly day. Chris was
lead pilot, and 16 of the 17 youngsters took off with him. 714 was the laggard
this morning.
A sizable 'flock' of Craniacs gathered very early at the departure viewing spot
in anticipation of seeing a flyover this morning. We hope they got an eyeful.
P.S. Click here if you are looking for Gerald Murphy's biscuit and/or tomato
gravy recipe <http://www.operationmigration.org/recipes.html> .
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
KANKAKEE COUNTY, IL
Kankakee County takes its Native American name from the Kankakee River flowing
through it from east to west for 57 of its 225 miles. From its source in
Indiana, it flows to the junction with the DesPlaines River to form the
Illinois River. Its water is very clean and the fishin' is good! The
Indiana/Illinois state line is the eastern boundary of Kankakee County.
The county seat, the city of Kankakee, population 110,000, is located 75 miles
south of Chicago. Frank Lloyd Wright designed two homes in Kankakee that still
are standing: the Warren Hickok House and B. Harley Bradley Residence.
Date:
November 6, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Nathan Hurst
Subject:
Interesting Things We Do Besides Fly With Cranes
Location:
LaSalle Cty, IL
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
I expect you sometimes wonder what it is we do on days we can't fly. Sometimes
I wonder myself. So yesterday I got out the camera and captured a few of the
things we find to keep us busy while the wind blows.
First I caught Chris applying giant decals to the side of our aircraft trailer.
I even helped him for a while. It's not as easy as it seems. The vinyl has to
be at a moderate temperature. It must be warm enough to stretch a little bit so
we can eliminate the bubbles of air that get trapped underneath - but if it's
too warm, it can stretch out of proportion.
Next I found Joe where he can usually be found - on his computer. Yesterday he
was busy writing a grant. Or, was he surfing YouTube? I can never tell.
Walt Sturgeon has been with us less than 24 hours and already he's found a
project. He and Don Lounsbury are working on a new set of drawers for the
Sierra motorhome.
Stay tuned for more installments of "Interesting Things We Do Besides Fly With
Cranes."
Date:
November 6, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Eastern Migratory Population Update
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
This update was compiled from data provided by Dr. Richard Urbanek (USFWS),
Nicole Frey (ICF), Anna Fasoli, Danielle Desourdis, and Eva Szyszkoski. Thanks
to Windway Aviation and pilot Mike Frakes for tracking assistance and to
Marianne Wellington (ICF) for capture assistance.
In the highlights below, * = female; DAR = direct autumn release; NFT = non
functional transmitter. With the release of the 2007 DAR juveniles, the
estimated size of the Eastern Migratory Population is 59 individuals; 31 males,
28 females.
ON MIGRATION:
- DAR 627 and DAR628 migrated to Jasper-Pulaski FWA, IN on Nov5.
- Nov. 4 an unidentified Whooping crane was reported among thousands of
Sandhills on Jasper-Pulaski FWA, IN.
In the central Wisconsin core reintroduction area were:
- 101, 102*, 105
- 205, 209*NFT and 416NFT, 211 & 217*, 212 & 419*, 213 & 218*, 216
-303* & 317, 307, 310 & 501*, 312* & 316, 313* & 318, 309* & 403 were observed
building another next on East Rynearson Pool on Nov. 2nd. They had previously
built a nest in mid October. (no eggs are expected)
- 401 & 508*, 402, 408 & 519*, 412, 415*NFT.
- 505, 506, 509, 511, 512, 514*NFT
- W601*
- DAR 627 and DAR628NFT with large staging Sandhill crane flock in Adams County.
Outside central Wisconsin core were:
- 107*NFT last reported with staging Sandhills in Dodge County
- DAR527* with Sandhills in Winnebago County
- DAR528* with Sandhills in Marathon County.
Recorded earlier in Wisconsin but current location unknown were:
- 201*NFT last observed June 9. Mate 306 was found predated July 6.
- 311 left his territory September 29 and has not returned. His signal was
detected Oct. 3 but he was not found during an aerial search Oct. 10. His mate,
301* was apparently killed by an eagle Sept. 25.
- 420* last observed foraging with Sandhills in Chippewa County September 26
was not found during last check done on October 14.
- 503 & 507 were last recorded in Wood County May 26.
- 506 left Necedah NWR Oct. 6. Last radio signal was detected Oct. 10 from
undetermined location near Mill Bluff.
- 520* last found with staging Sandhills in Clark County Oct. 9.
- 524NFT last observed on Sprague Pool September 28.
Michigan:
- 516 was reported with staging Sandhills in Jackson County.
- DAR533* remained with Sandhill cranes in Van Buren County and Cass Counties.
Missing (suspected dead): 202* last recorded in Georgia March 26.
Transmitter Replacements:
Between October 24th and November 3rd 101, 211, 217*, 218*, 307, 402, 403, and
511 were fitted with new transmitters.
2007 Direct Autumn Release Recap - data from Dr. Urbanek
DARs 736, 741, 745, and 746* were released on the Necedah refuge October 29.
They flew to the nearby main Sandhill crane roost, which was also occupied by
312* and 316. Early on October 30th 745 was found dead near the release site,
presumably killed by a coyote. 736 joined a group of ~40 Sandhills and 741
foraged alone. 746* attempted to associate with 312* and 316 but was met with
aggression.
By the following morning 736, 741, and 746* had rejoined. They spent most of
the late morning and afternoon in undirected flight, landing briefly in Adams
County before flying back over the refuge, and then heading south. Trackers
lost their signals south of Mauston. 741 died on Oct. 31 when struck by a
landing aircraft at the Dane County Regional Airport.
November 1st, 736 and 746* continued southward roosting that night in western
Indiana, and in Vigo/Vermillion Counties, IN November 2nd. On Nov. 3 they
continued migration and were tracked to Grayson County, KY where they separated.
736 was killed as a result of colliding with a powerline after apparently
roosting at a nearby reservoir. 746* roosted in Daviess County, KY on the 3rd
and then continued retreating northward to eventually roost in a power plant
reservoir in Gibson County, IN. She was not with Sandhills and was still at
that location as of Nov. 5.
The DAR rearing facilities at Site 3 at Necedah were closed October 30th, and
DARs 739* and 743* were passively released there with 102*. In the evening,
DARs 737, 740*, 742*, and 744* were released. 737 and 742* flew to roost on the
north Sandhill roost, and 740* returned to Site 3 and rejoined 739* and 743*
and 102* to roost in the day pen marsh. 744* landed in scrub oak between ERP
and Site 3 and she was retrieved and re-released with the roosting cranes at
Site 3.
These six DAR juveniles remained together during the remainder of the week.
They roosted each night at Site 3 with no. 102* and also moved to ERP, the East
DU Unit, and to a field and pond E of the refuge during the day. They
associated with 211/217*, 309*/403, with Sandhills, or remained alone.
Date:
November 6, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 25
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
The word for the day is 'blustery'. This morning in LaSalle County, Illinois
it's partly cloudy, 2 degrees below freezing, with surface winds at +17mph out
of the WNW and much stronger up top. OM's resident meteorologist, Chris
Gullikson's prediction was correct, (perhaps he's missed his calling?), the
cranes and planes are going nowhere today.
For an interesting 'down day' report from intern Nathan Hurst, including
photos, check the Field Journal later today.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
LA SALLE COUNTY, IL
Ottawa, the county seat, was the site of the first of the Lincoln-Douglas
Debates of 1858. Here Douglas accused Lincoln of forming a secret bipartisan
group of Congressmen to bring about the abolition of slavery. Ottawa was a
major stop on the Underground Railroad for slaves heading to Chicago.
The Boy Scouts of America were incorporated February 10, 1910 by Ottawa
resident, William Dickson Boyce. The Ottawa Scouting Museum features the
history of boy scouting, girl scouting, camp fire and the City of Ottawa.
Date:
November 6, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Responding To Your Many Questions About DAR
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
With the mortality of three of the ten 2007 Direct Autumn Release (DAR) birds,
OM has been deluged with emails asking numerous questions. The simplest
expedient seemed to be to post an entry to our Field Journal.
First, some background. Both the ultralight-led reintroduction and the direct
autumn release program are managed by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership
<http://www.bringbackthecranes.org> . Working with the Patuxent Wildlife
Research Center <http://whoopers.usgs.gov/> , Operation Migration is lead on
the ultralight method, and the International Crane Foundation
<http://www.savingcranes.org/> (ICF) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service
<http://www.fws.gov/> conduct the direct autumn release.
While Operation Migration has no direct involvement in the DAR program, we do
try our best to keep our field journal readers informed on 'all things Whooping
crane' by posting DAR reports, just as we do for the Wood Buffalo
<http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/index_e.cfm> -Aransas
<http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/aransas/research.html> and Florida
Non-Migratory <http://floridaconservation.org> populations.
Each partner within WCEP has agreed to carry out specific roles and shoulder
certain responsibilities. They are:
PROJECT PHASE
PERFORMED BY
WCEP PARTNER(S)
AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
FOR THE BIRDS RESTS WITH
Breeding/Incubation/Hatching/Rearing
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Imprinting/Early Conditioning
Operation Migration and
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Operation Migration
Summer 'Flight School'
Operation Migration and
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Operation Migration
Migration
Operation Migration
and Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Operation Migration
Winter Monitoring at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, International Crane Foundation, and Operation
Migration
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and
International Crane Foundation
Tracking of Previous Years' Birds
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and International Crane Foundation
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
and International Crane Foundation
Direct Autumn Release Program
International Crane Foundation and
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
International Crane Foundation and
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The DAR program was initiated as a method of supplementing the number of birds
that could be released into the wild. It was developed to be used once the
ultralight-led method had established a viable population and additional birds
needed to be periodically added to supplement the flock.
Direct Autumn Release involves releasing juvenile Whooping cranes with older
birds that have learned a migration route by following Operation Migration's
ultralight aircraft. The DAR birds are hatched and reared at ICF, and
eventually are moved to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
<http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/indes.cfm?id=32530> where they are
acclimated to the wetland habitat. It is hoped that these naive young-of-year
birds will associate with experienced Whooping cranes and then learn a route
south by following the older birds when they leave on migration.
Whooping cranes are not naturally social birds. Unlike Sandhill cranes they do
not gather in large numbers, and are territorial and less accepting of
'strangers, particularly once they have pair bonded. This means releasing the
DAR birds with unattached sub-adults or bachelor cohorts in the ultralight-led
population.
The DAR birds are released in and around the Necedah Refuge in the late fall
after the ultralight-led birds have begun their migration. This gives the DAR
juveniles an opportunity to 'mix and mingle' with previous years unattached
birds prior to their migration departure.
It is not always possible to associate the young DAR birds with their more
experienced conspecifics, and as a result, the DAR birds often follow Sandhill
cranes. The Sandhills can teach them to migrate and improve their wild
behavior, but association with their own species is preferable.
This is just the third year for the DAR program and it will take time to
determine if it is a viable method. It took six years before the ultralight-led
reintroduction method produced a pair that successfully fledged a wild-hatched
chick and proved that the concept worked. It will take a few more years of
testing before the DAR method can be properly evaluated.
It is hoped that once the self-sustaining population target is reached, that
the DAR method could be used to supplement the Eastern Migratory Population on
an ongoing basis. This could help offset losses from predation, boost numbers
in low fertility years, and insert genetically valuable birds into the flock to
increase diversity.
Although we do our best to respond to all emails and inquiries, it is difficult
to keep up with the average 300+ emails that hit our inboxes daily. While we
will of course continue to try to keep you informed about all Whooping crane
news, if you have detailed inquiries about the DAR program, or specific
questions about one or more of the DAR birds, they might better be directed to
ICF <http://www.savingcranes.org/> or the US Fish and Wildlife Service
<http://www.fws.gov/> .
We hope this explanation is helpful and answers many of your questions.
Date:
November 5, 2007 - Entry 5
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Sleep In Instead
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
OM's resident meteorologist, Chris Gullickson, is predicting an almost zero
chance that they will fly tomorrow. Winds just aren't shifting around to a
favorable direction for the planes and cranes.
Chris says with some confidence, that anyone who was thinking of taking in the
departure tomorrow can sleep in instead. Maybe Wednesday will be a go.
Date:
November 5, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
LaSalle Departure Viewing Opportunity!
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
Great news for Craniacs within driving distance of our LaSalle County, IL
location. We've secured a site for viewing the departure. The site is located
at: 4548 E. 2351 Road, Leland, IL. We suggest you use MapQuest or GoogleEarth
to come up with driving directions to it from your home location. Please park
your vehicles well off the road.
There is an aircraft hangar on the site, and we ask that you be careful,
considerate, and courteous when parking your vehicles, and respect the
surrounding privately owned property. Keep in mind too, that sound carries in
the cool, morning country air.
REMEMBER, you will want to be on site shortly after first light, AND, also
remember, that you could make the trek for naught if conditions are such that
the cranes and planes can't fly tomorrow morning. Should this be the case,
members of OM's flight and ground crew will stop by to meet and chat with those
gathered.
Date:
November 5, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Wood Buffalo - Aransas Population Update
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator at Aransas, advises that his current
estimate of Whooping cranes in or around the refuge is a minimum of 44 adults +
6 young, for a total of 50 birds that have completed their migration.
Tom said, "If the typical fall arrival pattern holds, I anticipate that an
expected cold front moving through tomorrow should double or triple Whooper
numbers here by the end of this week." He said he hoped to start census flights
soon which would enable him to get a more accurate estimate.
Date:
November 5, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 24
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
It's 48F, only 54% humidity, and mostly overcast skies this morning in LaSalle
County, IL. But. There's that darn 'but' again. Winds are out of the WSW at 11
on the surface and more than 20mph up top. So, unless they want to go sideways-
- -
The OM Migration team and their 17 young charges will spend a second day
grounded in LaSalle.
A check of the aviation weather shows the winds gradually swinging around
throughout the day and over night.
If the forecast holds true, by 6:00AM tomorrow they would have northwest winds
and a potential opportunity to log another migration leg.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
LA SALLE COUNTY, IL
The Kankakee and DesPlaines Rivers join in eastern La Salle County to become
the Illinois River at Ottawa. The east-to-west flow bisects the county and
supports a large volume of barge traffic between Lake Michigan and the Gulf of
Mexico.
In 1848 the Illinois and Michigan Canal was opened to towed barge traffic.
Paralleling the Chicago, Kankakee and Illinois Rivers for 97 miles, it linked
Chicago and the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River. Ending at the city of
LaSalle where it merges with the Illinois River, the towpaths have been
restored to hiking and biking trails.
Date:
November 5, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Mortality
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
This morning Dr. Richard Urbanek reported the mortality of a third 2007 DAR
bird. "Intern Nicole Frey recovered the carcass of DAR736 in Grayson County,
Kentucky early Sunday (Nov 4) afternoon," he said.
Richard noted that, "Earlier in the day, DAR736 had collided with a power
distribution line in a hayfield after apparently roosting at a nearby reservoir
on the previous night. One feather remained adhering to the lower line."
DAR 736, 741, and 746 began migration together from central Wisconsin October
31st. 741 died on that night in Dane County, WI after being struck by a landing
aircraft. 736 and 746 continued migration the following morning. They roosted
at an undetermined location in western Indiana. PTT data for 746 indicated that
they roosted in the Vigo/Vermillion County, IN area November 2nd.
They continued migration November 3rd and were tracked from the ground to the
area where the mortality of 736 later occurred. The birds separated, and 746
roosted in Daviess County, KY where she remained last evening.
Date:
November 4, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Gerald Murphy
Subject:
Location:
LaSalle Cty, IL
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
Well, today I have to say goodbye to my 'other life' as an OM volunteer/truck
driver, cook, and general all-around flunkee.
What a great four weeks it has been, even with all the down time (standard),
and south winds. I did get to see some dear friends again, but my replacement,
Walt Sturgeon, is arriving at Midway airport today. We will pick him up, have
lunch together, and then the crew will drop me off for a later flight. I should
be back in Florida (Milton-just outside of Pensacola) by tonight.
I would like to thank the whole crew for putting up with my biscuits, omelets,
tomato gravy (unknown outside of Walton Co. Florida; recipe available upon
request), and other various dishes that I prepared for the crew.
It was a great treat to see the cranes in person again, and to be present while
they were let out to fly for exercise. One of the great experiences of my life.
So for another year (and life), "Farewell," and I look forward to seeing
everyone at Chass at the end.
Note: It's we who thank you Gerald. It's always a treat having you join the
team. See you in Florida!
Date:
November 4, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 23
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
Disappointing news. It was too windy for a departure this morning. The winds
were blowing out of the SSE, both on the surface and up top. Based on aviation
weather forecasts, it could be Tuesday before the cranes and planes are on the
'right side' of the system giving them favorable winds.
Today the team is going to scout the nearby area for a 'departure viewing
location'. They're looking for some place that that will afford watchers a view
yet be sufficiently distant from the pensite location. The spot also has to
offer parking, so that Craniacs and road traffic are safe.
IF they find a spot, we will post the information/directions here sometime
later today. REMEMBER, you would need to be on site shortly after first light,
AND, also remember, that you could make the trek for naught if conditions are
such that the cranes and planes can't fly.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
LA SALLE COUNTY, IL
Thank you to reader Peter Vander Sar, of Mara, BC and sometimes Rockport, TX,
who sent in this unusual connection between the explorer and the western flock
of Whooping cranes. LaSalle County is the namesake of Robert de la Salle.
In 1684 La Salle's flagship, the Labelle, foundered in the waters of Matagorda
Bay in the Texas Coastal Bend, the wintering site for present-day Whooping
cranes. Not long ago the ship was found, and exhibits relating to it are found
in seven museums in that area including the Texas Maritime Museum in Rockport,
gateway to the Aransas Refuge.
Date:
November 4, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 22 photos
Location:
Main Office
Thanks to Craniac Jamie Johannsen of Rockford, IL, (and a Member of OM's Board
of Directors) we have photos to share with you from yesterday's departure.
Yesterday's lead pilot, Brooke Pennypacker takes off with 16 of the 17 chicks
in the Class of 2007.
In the background of the photo on the left you can see Chris Gillikson's trike
as he hangs back ready to assume the 'chase position'.
Date:
November 3, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Brooke Pennypacker
Subject:
Migration Day 22
Location:
LaSalle Cty, IL
Distance
Traveled
62.8 miles
Winnebago County, IL to LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
My turn to lead - your turn to read. My sympathies, but it's like my father
used to say before my whoopins, "This is going to hurt me a lot more than it
does you!"
If Christopher Columbus had been from Illinois, he never would have put a
single one of his itzy bitzy toes into a boat to go to sea and prove the earth
is round. He would have already known with absolute certainty, as I do after
this morning's flight, that the world, at least the world of Illinois, is FLAT!
And I mean, FLAT. Pancake flat. Pool table flat. Twiggy's chest flat. I mean,
you could drop a handful or marbles anywhere in Illinois and they wouldn't roll
anywhere. You could come back in 10,000 years and there they'd be. That's the
reason not a single school child in Illinois even knows who Christopher
Columbus really is. They think he's the quarterback for Indiana!
Of course, this is not news to me. I was informed of this geological anomaly
many years ago when hitchhiking through the state. A middle aged woman sporting
a bouffant hairdo like Marge Simpson's thought my thumb had a certain
attraction and picked me up. When I asked her how she liked living in Illinois,
she paused for a moment to freshen up her lipstick, cast a furtive glance at
the rearview mirror as if to assure herself her hand had been steady, looked at
me with the solemnity of a priest giving the Last Rites, and answered with
great reverence, "Ya gotta like FLAT."
This morning, we awoke to a perfect flat-escaping morning, and after fond
farewells to our wonderful hosts, we, the ultralights, and the birds, launched
and slowly climbed into the calm, still dim morning, leaving the flat behind if
only for a short time.
One bird, 714, remained in the pen, so as we headed on course, Chris landed and
coaxed our shy little reluctant angel skyward. The rest followed well until
they realized it was 'Showtime,' and the 'Dance of Migration' began.
Some broke off to be picked up by Richard and Joe in the usual rodeo roundup,
leaving eleven in a nice line off my wing. With throttle adjustments, changes
in control bar position, slight turns first one way then the other, and enough
head swivels to make a chiropractor squeal with delight, I BEGGED the birds to
follow.
And, for the second time in three days, we enjoyed a tailwind; that wonderfully
delicious invisible push that added 15mph to our standard anemic airspeed and
subtracted from our time to destination, but more importantly, my wait to use
the bathroom.
The birds seemed to enjoy the flight, some more than others as the Dance
progressed. As always, there were more steps to try out; like the 'Let's Act
Crazy' step as we passed over the highway and they momentarily scattered
slightly. And the 'Let's Drive Brooke Crazy' step as one bird would start
heading for the deck while the others remained in perfect formation.
Like a teacher who must accommodate his most challenging student, the
class...or flight, in this case, is asked to change their steps, their rhythm
interrupted to drop down, sacrificing hard earned altitude just to get that bad
boy back on the wing.
The result of his infraction, if left unchecked, is, that he's left to dance
alone, then tires, then becomes a class dropout. And Charlie hates dropouts!
(kidding) Plus, my principal penalizes me for my Standards of Learning
failures. So, not wanting to trade my incredibly lucrative teaching/migrating
position for one in the soupline, I give my sweat glands the green light.
Then 703 charges ahead in what has become his signature step. He is after all
the oldest, the fastest, and the strongest flier. But as he does so, he never
fails to look back at me with that 'Make My Day' grin on his face; a face that
at such times I feel could benefit from just a little more mud on it!
Then there's 710 who sits like a statue out on that invisible vortex of lift
looking over at me with pure contempt, a thought balloon above his head saying
"Better make this ride a smooth one, baby, cause if you don't, I'm out of here
for the rest of the day and the ground crew won't be buying you drinks any time
soon!" So, I climb a little to keep him happy, remembering the day before
yesterday on our last flight when he made me climb while 727 begged me to
descend. You just can't please ALL the cranes ALL the time.
Meanwhile, little 733 is doing her very best to stay in the lineup. But pecking
orders being what they are, she's relegated to the back of the bus and starts
to tire, forcing me to drop down to maintain her position, and by so doing coax
her on. This satisfies her for 10 to 15 minutes until she drops another 15 feet
and the process repeats itself. Still, her fiery young spirit won't be denied
inclusion, and she hangs on with everything she's got.
Meanwhile another bird does a 180 and Joe picks it up not far behind me. I
heard him on the radio calling in frustration as one of his bird taunted him
with frequent descents towards the deck. I wondered if it's 727. I now have 10
birds.
Richard is now ahead a few miles with 4 birds, and Chris has 1 which he drops
off to Richard so he can come back to lend assistance to our little group. Each
of our four trikes has a different colored leading edge on our wings, and
Chris's florescent green is the easiest to spot in the air. It soon passes and
takes up station behind us.
Perhaps it is the insurance policy Chris has just written by his presence which
allows my eyes to shift downward once again to the Land of Flat; a place of
monotonous geometry, a Pathagorean heaven - a putting green where every shot is
a sinker. But monotony is good because it is familiar, and familiarity is
security, and security means warmth, comfort, a chance at satisfaction, even
peace of mind.
And it is, I think, in honor to the god of these things that these People of
the Flat have erected their silos, their horns of plenty, which reach
spiritually to the sky like the spires of a European cathedral. It is no wonder
so many great pilots have come from this land. The quest for elevation is so
compelling and real that even time spent on a ladder in the middle of a field
can be logged as flight time. And how could it not when a man standing on the
ground must look down to see the horizon.
But there are threats to this condition and they lie below the whisper of our
wings. The land is becoming forested by cell towers which grow up over night
and which lie in wait for the unwary crop duster. And there are wind farms
growing even faster, converting the circuits of propeller blades into light,
and noise and bits and bites, and providing death to the birds that invade
their domain. These structural invaders thrust a finger skyward at the natural
world while standing sentry over waves of corn soon to be converted into
ethanol and miles per hour.
But enough of this. 733 is dropping again and it is clear that it is her spirit
more than her wings that has finally fatigued and prompted her descent. At the
perfect time as not to disrupt the rest of the flight, Chris moves in and works
to pick her up on his wing for the last 8 or so miles to the destination. He
struggles low over the Flat, he and his new charge, as we continue through the
still wonderfully calm air.
Minutes later, as we circle the field for landing and look down at Richard
leading his little flock into the pen, I hear Chris call Charlie to give the
coordinates of 733's landfall. Meanwhile, the Flat, which by its nature is a
friend to all ultralights, offering a runway anywhere anytime, welcomes Chris
down to look after 733 'til Charlie arrives with, you guessed it, the BOX.
The most beautiful emerald green runway rises up to greet our little flight and
we are soon wheels down, birds away, and are busy finding shelter for our
trikes - which is almost instantly provided for us by the kind generosity of
our LaSalle County friends. Soon after that we enjoyed a great breakfast at
the home of another dear friend.
Another step closer to Florida, flying over a great State with great people.
How could it possibly get any better? Now, if I could only find a hardware
store that sells LEVELS!!!
Date:
November 3, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 22
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
62.8 miles
Winnebago County, IL to LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
190.5 miles
In a quick call from the field, (literally from a field) Joe advised that with
the exception of 733, all the birds made the 1 hour and 23 minute flight from
Winnebago to LaSalle.
733 dropped down about 13 miles out and Chris landed with him and waited for
Charlie to arrive on the scene. Between the two of them they crated 733 and he
is traveling to the LaSalle pensite in the tracking van.
Worthy of noting is that 727 flew an entire leg - again, and 710 behaved like a
champ.
Lead pilot Brooke's report will follow later today.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
Thanks to Kathy Miner of Wisconsin for this timely trivia, prompted by the
recent pictures of the Whoopers 'playing' with pumpkins, plain and carved into
jack-o-lanterns. Guess how the crew amused themselves when stuck in Green
County, WI on Halloween. Kathy tells us that this exposure to the fruit is most
appropriate and even may be inspirational to the birds. Chassahowitzka, their
final destination in Florida, means "Place of the Hanging Pumpkins" and was
bestowed on the refuge by the Timucuan band of Seminoles. Their pumpkins,
however, were smaller than the giants we grow today and are rare or may be
extinct.
Date:
November 3, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 22
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
Winnebago County, IL to LaSalle County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
? miles
And they're off! 16 birds blasted out of the pen this morning and took off with
today's lead pilot, Brooke Pennypacker.
The one lagging bird eventually took off too, but from Bev's perspective on the
ground she couldn't see which of the pilots, if any, managed to get it on the
wing.
Don and Paula who are above in the top cover aircraft will have spotted the
loner however and directed one of the trikes to the bird.
Date:
November 3, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Nasty PayPal!! - Grrrr
Location:
Main Office
Thanks to emails from dedicated and generous supporters who were responding to
our "Can You Spare Some Change" appeal in yesterday's Field Journal entry, we
discovered we again had a problem with PayPal.
PayPal is not operating properly. They, not OM, are adding a 'shipping charge'
to donations. Despite our repeated attempts to get them to fix the problem they
have not done this.
We are trying to get them to fix the problem but they are less than responsive
and very difficult to deal with, and, we don't know how long the 'fix' will
take.
Be aware of this if you use PayPal to donate to OM. Also watch carefully if you
use PayPal on other sites as we understand their problem is not unique to our
site. Also, please be aware that if PayPal does refund the charge that they
have wrongly tacked on, that OM will.
OM can most definitely NOT afford to have PayPal putting impediments in the way
of our generous donors. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and ask
for your understanding as we try to get PayPal to resolve things.
Date:
November 2, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Can You Spare Some Change?
Location:
Main Office
We just checked our MileMaker figures and - Holey Scary! Compared to the end
of October last year, 2007's MileMaker sponsorships are down - way down - 157
miles down! In fact, (shudder) we are in an even worse position today than we
were when we launched the "Will We Run Out of Gas" appeal back in 2005.
Many thanks if you are already a MileMaker. If you are not yet a MileMaker
sponsor, there will never be a better time to become one than right NOW!
Here are the numbers.
Flyway State
# Unsponsored Miles
@ $206
Wonderful Wisconsin
0
0
Incredible Illinois
0
0
Indiana
139.0
$28,634
Kentucky
111.0
$22,866
Tennessee
85.0
$17,510
Georgia
227.0
$46,762
Florida
134.5
$27,707
Still needed to get the Class of 2007 to Florida is a heart-stopping total of
$143,479
<http://www.operationmigration.org/mile_makers.htm>
<http://www.operationmigration.org/mile_makers.htm>
<http://www.operationmigration.org/mile_makers.htm>
So folks - if you can spare 'a little change' to help us get the Class of 2007
to Florida, just click on the MileMaker logo that appears here.
Date:
November 2, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Second '07 DAR Mortality
Location:
Main Office
Dr. Richard Urbanek emailed today to advise us of the mortality of DAR741. He
said the death had been reported yesterday morning, and that the bird was
apparently struck by a small jet at Dane County Regional Airport the previous
evening.
"The two other DAR birds who had been in the company of DAR741, (DAR736 and
746) left that area yesterday morning and continued southbound," he said. "The
tracker lost their signals in northwest Indiana late the same afternoon."
Date:
November 2, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 21
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Winnebago County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
127.7 miles
Up one day - down the next. Winnebago County has clear skies this morning, cold
temps (29F), and winds - you guessed it - out of the south. At altitude it's
blowing about 30mph. As a result, the migration team will, of course, spend the
day on the ground.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
WINNEBAGO COUNTY, IL
Winnebago County boasts about its Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center in
Rockford, the oldest continuous community music organization in the United
States. Quality live musical performances by local and world-renowned artists
are featured there.
The legendary rock band 'Cheap Trick' was founded in Rockford. They are now
into their fourth decade of recording and performing to sold-out audiences
throughout the world. Senate Resolution No. 255 designates April 1 of every
year as 'Cheap Trick Day' in the State of Illinois.
Date:
November 1, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Joe Duff
Subject:
Sore Arms
Location:
Winnebago Cty, IL
Distance
Traveled
35.8 miles
Green County, WI - Winnebago County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
127.7 miles
It's a good thing I can write this update on my computer because I'm not sure I
could hold up a pencil.
Yesterday was very windy, and every five minutes one, or the other, of the
pilots would wander behind the barn to check on the airplanes. We moved them
twice before we could finally relax, assured that they weren't going to blow
over. The wind was out of north and rolling over the hills so we had airplanes
in every nook around the property.
We had been waiting a few day for a morning as calm as today. It was cold and
the frost built up heavily on the new wing covers. Frost can form on any
exposed surface in only a few minutes, and the new wing covers allow us to
start the engine and suit up, before we pull them off. There is 34 yards of
fabric and 75 feet of Velcro on each cover. Once we're ready to go we rip the
last of the Velcro apart and let the covers slip to the ground. We taxi out and
take off before the frost can form and spoil the lift on our wings.
Rather than wait for the sun to rise before we risked uncovering the wings we
decided to test the covers and we pulled them off while they were still white
with accumulation. This gives us a head start so we can take advantage of the
calm air first thing in the morning.
The pensite in Green County is on top of a hill, so as soon as the lead pilot
takes off, we're already a 100 feet up. Most of the birds followed but one ran
behind the pen. Brooke moved in low to pick it up while Megan pulled on her
swamp monster costume. The action at the pen was enough to encourage most of
the birds to turn back and it wasn't long before the air above the field was a
swirling collection of wings and confusion. The whole thing looked like slow
motion tornado or a whirl pool with birds and planes all moving in the same
circle but on opposite sides.
Chris Gullikson broke out the top with 4 birds and asked if he should leave.
That would mean 4 less to distract the others so we sent him on his way. Six
birds formed on my wing as I headed down the valley and Richard intercepted
another six.
About a mile south of the pen, the smooth air turned rough as we hit an area of
wind sheer or mechanical turbulence as it rolled over the hills. It was so
rough that we stopped watching for birds and focused our attention on flying. I
was lifted out of the seat twice and thought my shoulders would pull out as I
fought the wing.
There are a very few times on each migration when we're nervous enough to lose
interest in the birds. You add some power so you're not so close to a stall and
stop turning your head from side to side. The aircraft pitches and pulls as you
try to keep it straight and level. You climb or descend in whatever it takes to
free yourself from the air that is trying to kill you. When the right side is
finally up again you sneak a glance and, sure enough, the birds are still
there. They followed you through a manoeuvre that would normally shake them off.
I'm not sure why this always happens but it is a regular occurrence. Just when
you expect them to break, (and there would be nothing you could do about it)
they stick like glue. Maybe they're insecure too - but I somehow doubt that.
After all, it's not like they are going to crash, unless, of course, they're
foolish enough to follow us in.
Maybe they become focused on following the gyrating wing tip and lose sight of
everything else like an obsessive wingman during aerial combat. Or it could be
that they sense it's time to stop fooling around and pay attention. Maybe it's
avian sympathy, and they take pity of us mere humans, completely out of our
element, held aloft by tubes and fabric. Alright, he's in trouble now so let's
not add to his woes.
You are finally out of the maw of the monster that eats ultralights, and the
last thing you want to do is go back in to retrieve the birds, and there they
are, sticking with you when you really needed them. Maybe it one of those
spiritual things like when the dolphins carry a drowning man to shore. You help
us and we'll help you. We can lead you out of here if you can lead us home.
Nah, I'm too pragmatic for that. It's more likely that we were just all going
the same direction.
As we climbed in the cold air, it became slightly smoother but I saw Chris
below us getting tossed in the trashy layer. He was first to leave but last to
arrive.
Richard managed to climb with his six birds. The higher he went, the faster the
ground speed became and he began to pull ahead. Brooke collected two birds and
fought his way up and out of the turmoil while one bird dropped back from Chris
and landed out. He had no choice but to leave it behind so Don and Paula
relayed the coordinates to Charlie Shafer in the tracking van.
Once we were above the turbulent layer the winds that caused the problem now
began to push us along at over 60 miles per hour. We passed through 1000 feet
and finally found the smooth tailwind. As we progressed, the turbulence
increased and came up to pull at us. We climbed higher but decided that the day
was going to get worse if we kept going. The rough air that tossed us around at
lower levels would eventually get us up high too. So we abandoned hopes of
skipping a stop and after 47 minutes began to spiral down.
We crossed into Illinois and the flatter country reduced the turbulence close
to the ground. The descent wasn't quite as bad as we expected and soon all the
birds were on the ground. Only one had turned back and we scanned their leg
bands to see who was missing. Surprisingly 727 made the whole trip along with
710. This is the first time 727 has competed a leg and not been crated. During
the last 2 flights 710 took off and spent the day soaring the thermals while
the chase crew and the top cover pilots spent the day following it.
In fact it was a short flight today. It just seemed like forever.
This pie carries the words, "OM Rocks" but you can bet the crew thinks its our
stopover host that really rock!
OM's four trikes tied down for the night decked out in their new wing covers.
(Thanks again to Terry Kohler and North Sails.)
Date:
November 1, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 20
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
35.8 miles
Green County, WI - Winnebago County, IL
Accumulated
Distance
127.7 miles
This just in from Joe Duff - a successful flight into Illinois this morning!
Sixteen of the cranes, 714 being the exception, made the 35.8 mile flight from
Green County, WI to Winnebago County in Illinois.
Of special note was the success of 710 and 727, who both made the entire flight
without issue. 714 broke away and went down early but was easily found. She is
currently en route to the next stopover, safely crated away in the tracking van.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
WINNEBAGO COUNTY, IL
The county was named for the Native Americans that occupied it. The tribe,
located primarily in Wisconsin, changed its official name in 1994 to the
Ho-Chunk Sovereign Nation (meaning People of the Big Voice). Several casinos in
Wisconsin are operated y the tribe with a new one for Illinois in the planning
stage.
Famous IRL racecar driver Danica Patrick grew up in Roscoe and claims it as her
hometown. She was the fourth woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the
first ever to take the lead in the race.
Date:
November 1, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 20
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
TBA
Green County, WI -
Accumulated
Distance
TBA
Cranes and planes are flying today! At 7:00AM CST it was 34F, humidity was at
66%, and surface winds were next to calm.
For their departure from Green County the pilots have clear skies, and winds
out of the WNW at around 30mph up top - one heck of a tailwind - and which,
with the cooperation of the birds, could present an opportunity to overfly a
stop.
Reporting from the field, Bev said it was another rodeo this morning. From her
vantage point she could one see two of the trikes, both with birds; one with 6,
one with 8. They are having a hard time convincing the birds to go. At that
moment, she said it appeared the pilots were back circling around, likely
trying to keep the birds following the wing instead of breaking off.
From their top cover position, Don and Paula reported that the winds
''upstairs' were great for a terrific flight if the pilots could just get the
birds to follow long enough to get up to altitude.
Date:
October 31, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Class of 2007
Subject:
Happy Halloween!!
Location:
Green County, WI
Above Left: Joe Pumpkin (hey - apparently that's his name)
Above Center: Behold - The Great Pumpkin. Bev in her Halloween (and every other
day) costume.
Above Right: All the 'kids' gather around to check out their treat bag.
Bottom Center: Leave it to 710 to be the first to investigate the treat!
Date:
October 31, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Update re 2007 Direct Autumn Release
Location:
Main Office
Note: * = female
In an email received moments ago, Dr. Richard Urbanek advised that late
afternoon on October 29th DAR birds 736, 741, 745*, and 746 were released near
Sprague Pool on the Necedah refuge. Shortly after, they moved to the nearby
main Sandhill crane roost which was also occupied at the time by 312* and 316.
Richard noted in the same email that DAR745* was found dead near the release
site early yesterday morning, (October 30th) apparently killed by a predator.
"The other 3 released DAR juveniles disassociated, but remained in the Sprague
Pool area through the day yesterday," he said.
DAR 741 was near the carcass when she was found. 745*'s demise occurred in dry
sedge marsh and wounds were visible on her head and neck. "Vegetation at the
kill site was mashed down over an area about 20 yards in diameter and numerous
feathers were scattered throughout" said Richard. He noted that a well-worn
trail traversed the area, and coyote tracks were abundant in sand along a
nearby ditch.
Also yesterday, the rearing facilities at Site 3 were closed and DAR739* and
743* were passively released there with 102*. DAR's 737, 740*, 742*, and 744*
were released near East Rynearson Pool on the refuge around 6:00PM. 737 and
742* flew to roost on the north Sandhill crane roost (also occupied by 213 and
218*). DAR740* returned to Site 3 to rejoin DAR's739*, 743* and 102*, and
roosted in the day pen marsh. DAR744 landed in scrub oak between East Rynearson
Pool and Site 3 and she was retrieved and again released with the roosting
cranes at Site 3.
Date:
October 31, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 19
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
91.9 miles
A remotely done check of the weather in Green County, WI revealed that at
7:00am they had overcast skies, 48F, and a forecast calling for a 10% chance of
rain.
Joe reported that they had a thin layer of cloud cover and that it was cold
with winds blowing around 15 at the surface. Up top it was gusting out of the
southwest at 35mph. They are calling for a front to move through the area by
midday today bringing sunny skies this afternoon.
If the forecast for weather and wind holds, the team is hopeful leaving
Wisconsin behind tomorrow and completing the next leg of the migration - which
would put them in Winnebago County, IL.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
GREEN COUNTY, WI
New Glarus, WI, America's Little Switzerland, offers festivals and special
events featuring the Swiss heritage of the residents - the music, folk arts,
traditional Swiss clothing, dance, food and drink. A German-Swiss dialect is
spoken and Swiss canton shields and emblems of heraldry are proudly displayed.
Brown Swiss cows graze on the hillsides. Willkommen!
The Brodhead Band was organized in 1857 and their famous six-horse bandwagon
was in great demand, going as far away as Freeport, Illinois for the
Lincoln-Douglas debate. Enlisted in the Civil War, the band went with Sherman
to the sea and marched in the Grand Review in Washington at the war's end.
Date:
October 30, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Bev Paulan
Subject:
Change4Cranes School Winner
Location:
Wisconsin
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
91.9 miles
One of the very best things I get to do in this job, and I mean the very best,
is outreach. I love talking to people and playing 'evangelist' trying to
convert the 'unaware' into Craniacs.
During migration, as you know, we have a wee bit of downtime. (This year,
sorely needed thanks to 710.) Luckily for me, downtime equals an opportunity
for outreach. So it was yesterday that Brooke and I got to go to Columbus
Middle School in Columbus, WI and preach to an outstanding group of 85 sixth
grade Craniac Kids.
These students enrolled in OM's Change4Cranes program, and were one of three
schools drawn to receive a visit from OM team members. The class, under the
leadership of teacher Linda Maier, has been learning about Whooping Cranes and
Operation Migration since the start of the school year. And boy, have they ever
learned. The questions they asked kept both of Brooke and I on our toes, and
when we asked them questions, not one went unanswered.
The highlight for me, I think, was when Brooke demonstrated the dreaded 'swamp
monster' and all the kids agreed that he would be scarier without the tarp on!
LOL
After our talk was over, Ms. Maier took us on a tour of her classroom and also
showed us the computer lab, where, on display, were all the posters the
students had made of the Whooping Crane. On each poster they also wrote up
'Crane Facts', which were very informative. Brooke and I marveled at the
creativity and artistic skill that went into each poster.
This visit was also a very humbling experience. The time and energy that these
kids put into their quest for knowledge, and their action on behalf of OM and
the cranes, proves that it doesn't take someone big, rich and important to make
a difference.
Our hats are off to all of the wonderful, fantastic Craniac Kids at Columbus
Middle School - and everywhere. Thank you so much for what you do.
Date:
October 30, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
James Popham
Subject:
Vickie Henderson Print
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
91.9 miles
The elegance of Operation Migration's work is truly conveyed through
photographs and artwork illustrating what we do. Vickie Henderson's limited
edition watercolor print, entitled "Peaceful Morning," is one such example.
Inspired by Joe Duff's photography, her artwork depicts four ultralight-cranes
off the wing with a chase plane in the background.
OM is down to its last copy of this artwork, available through our merchandise
section <http://www.operationmigration.org/merch.html#watercolorprint> .
Printed on acid free, watercolor paper with archival ink, this signed and
numbered print was limited to 150 reproductions.
If you've been eyeing the print, or know of someone who has, act fast as this
is the last time it will be available from Operation Migration.
Date:
October 30, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 18
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
91.9 miles
Having checked the weather and wind forecast before retiring last night, the
team wasn't too hopeful of flying today.
However, when they poked their heads out this morning it was dead calm, and
everyone went charging to check with Chris for the 'wind word'.
Tricked again. While it was deceptively calm on the surface, at 1,500 feet the
winds were blowing at 30 knots out of the SSW. The cranes and planes will spend
the day on the ground in Green County, WI.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
GREEN COUNTY
Monroe, nestled in the green rolling hills of southern Green County, boasts of
being the "Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA". Cheese Days are celebrated in
September and when you've heard its official song, sung to the accompaniment of
accordion and oompah-pah, you can't help but get into the spirit of the place.
Everybody sing!
"Come to Cheese Days in Monroe. That's the place for you to go.
Music, dancing, yodeling too. And a big parade for you.
And we know you will be pleased. When you taste Green County Cheese.
Come to Cheese Days, come to Cheese Days,
Come to Cheese Days in Monroe!"
Date:
October 30, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Disappearing Links
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
91.9 miles
We apologize for the disappearance yesterday of the links that are usually to
the right of the Field Journal. They've been recovered as you can see and all
is back to 'normal'.
Date:
October 29, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
James Popham
Subject:
Boo @ theZoo
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
91.9 miles
Debra Garries, Craniac and docent at the Calgary Zoo, recently participated in
the zoo's Halloween festivities, entitled Boo@theZoo. Can you guess what she
dressed as?!
Sporting all of husband Brent's "I Love" buttons featuring pictures of the
Class of 2007, and adorned with various photographs illustrating both Operation
Migration's and the Calgary Zoo's work with Whooping cranes, Debra's bird
handler costume was definitely NOT up to protocol!
We won't be too upset, though, as she was showing these images along with crane
facts and timelines to the many Craniac Kids-to-be that attended the event.
Thanks Deb - you've helped us share our story and demonstrated the true nature
of a Craniaic.
Pictured at Right: Deb shows off her wonderful costume, buttons and all, that
she wore for the Calgary Zoo's Boo @ The Zoo event held on October 26th.
Date:
October 29, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
James Popham
Subject:
Wood Buffalo-Aransas Population Update
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
91.9 miles
"Double good news on a Monday morning!" writes Tom Stehn, USF&WS Whooping crane
coordinator at the Aransas NWR. "The Lobstick family with twin chicks was
sighted on their refuge territory at 4:30 PM on Sunday, October 28th by tour
boat captain Tommy Moore.
"They are the first known juveniles to arrive at Aransas this fall" said Time,
"and were the only two-chick family sighted in Saskatchewan earlier this fall.
The sighting brings the number of Whooping cranes currently known to be at
Aransas to 21 adults and 2 chicks for a total of 23."
Date:
October 29, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
James Popham
Subject:
Migration Day 17
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
91.9 miles
After a busy day yesterday the team is standing down today. According to Bev in
the field, it's just too windy.
Joe adds to the information saying that the winds in Green county are coming
out of the South at 10-15 knots on the surface and 35 knots at altitude.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
GREEN COUNTY
Green County's ethnic Swiss heritage has made it the cheese-iest in Wisconsin.
Cheese of almost any flavor you can name is made in this area. Cheddar and
Mozzarella make up the bulk of production, but many other flavors come out of
the vats - Limburger, Swiss, Brick, Muenster, Colby, Edam and American are some
of the favorites.
Within Green County was the site of the FIRST Limburger cheese factory in
Wisconsin, and its buildings are designated an historic site. In an ironic
twist, just a few miles from the first factory can be found the LAST Limburger
cheese factory in the United States. Just follow your nose to the Chalet Cheese
Cooperative in Monroe, still producing the odiferous fromage.
Date:
October 28, 2007 - Entry 5
Reporter:
Richard van Huevelen
Subject:
Migration Day 16
Location:
Green County, WI
Distance
Traveled
45.6 miles
Accumulated
Distance
91.9 miles
After three days of fine dining, good company, and visiting with old friends,
we were finally able to leave Sauk County.
The weather was cold, crisp and clear, with a slight breeze from the northwest
aloft. With the wet weather in Sauk County recently, the ground was quite wet
even on top of the ridge. We all got airborne before the ground crew released
the birds for their first air pick-up.
The result was a bit of a circus, with aircraft and birds circling wildly about
the sky. After a few crazy moments, ten birds settled on my wing, and we began
a slow climb to the west to try and clear the remainder of the ridge. One
dropped back so Brooke moved in to pick it up, and Joe and Chris attempted to
round up the seven remaining birds.
As I progressed up the ridge three more dropped back but six remained flying
strong on the wing. Not willing to give up what altitude I had and with nothing
to be gained by circling back into the mess going on behind me, I continued on.
Brooke moved up and intercepted the three birds. Now with four birds on his
wing he continued on and remained kind of quiet for the remainder of the trip.
Brooke and I continued over the ridge on course for Green County with ten birds
between us. The way things were going on this migration we were pleased to be
leaving Sauk County with ten birds.
Chris and Joe persevered, and after thirty minutes Joe coaxed four birds over
the ridge and on to Green County. Chris continued his attempts at convincing
the three remaining birds to fly over the ridge, but it was not to be.
Eventually one chick landed and ground crew were dispatched by Paula and Don
who watched the day unfold from above.
With two birds on the wing Chris headed up the ridge only to have one bird turn
back. He would go back and pick it up and start again for the ridge. Repeat!
Repeat again! With time running out, Chris decided to head off to Green County
with just one bird leaving Don and Paula and the ground crew to deal with the
delinquent bird, which turned out to be 710.
Meanwhile, thirty miles ahead, 703 decided he wanted to lead. Pulling in the
bar, I attempted to catch him but he persisted. The other five not wanting to
be left behind kept up. Eventually the trike and six birds were approaching
fifty miles an hour air speed.
Soon we were circling the pen at the next stopover where a permanent pen had
been built by the land owners. The chicks followed me in and as I was locking
the pen door, Brooke flew in with his four birds. A short while later Joe
dropped off his four and Brooke and I penned them up as well.
As I took off to land on the main runway on the property away from the birds
Chris showed up on the horizon with his lone bird. With only one bird he was
able to pull the bar in to increase speed and make up for lost time. Soon he
too was circling the pen to drop off his bird. But this bird kept flying - not
wanting to land without the trike.
Chris had a low shock on his running gear and it was preferable he land on the
smoother runway below, but he was unable to land while the bird was still
flying. So my trike swooped in, picking up the bird and landing with him by the
pen, where once again Brooke and I put him up in the pen.
With the morning done for flying, Brooke and I took off and flew around a bit
in the morning sun before landing on the main runway below. It was then we
learned that Charlie and Bev were still tracking 710 with Don and Paula flying
above, and that Megan was on her way with a boxed bird (727).
Chris and I headed out to set up a travel pen at our next stop with me writing
this update on the way. While we were setting up the pen we learned that
Charlie and Bev had captured 710 and were on their way to camp with the bird.
I'm sure Charlie or Bev will be glad to tell you that story later.
Date:
October 28, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 16
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
45.6 miles
Accumulated
Distance
91.9 miles
Usually by this time of day we hope to have the main update of the day to post;
that is, the lead pilot's field journal entry.
At last word however, top cover, pilots, and ground crew were once again on the
hunt for 710, who was last spotted soaring on thermals. If today plays out as
did the previous similar scenario, the team may be waiting for the sun to go
down prompting 710 to land.
His 16 classmates are all safely in the travel pen in Green County. We will
continue to post here any further news we
receive.
Thanks to Karla Ritter we have photos from today to share with you.
Top Left: Craniacs stand atop Ferry Bluff waiting and hoping for a glimpse of
cranes and planes enroute from Sauk to Green County.
Top Right: The view from the Bluff is pretty spectacular even without Whooping
cranes in the viewfinder.
Bottom Left: Patience is reward as one of the pilots (suspect it was Brooke)
passes overhead with a few of the Class of '07.
Date:
October 28, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 16
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
Accumulated
Distance
46.3 miles
The weather was cooperating so the pilots and planes took to the air. Because
of the wet conditions in the field where the travel pen is located, the team
tried for an 'air pick-up' this morning.
Richard is lead pilot today, and at last report he had some of the birds in the
air with him. Some had already turned back - and we think some hadn't yet left
the ground. (poor cell reception made it hard to decipher what Bev was saying)
The short story is that 'the rodeo' was underway and the pilots were all
buzzing around trying to round up the birds.
Hopefully they were able to persuade them to stick to the wing and head toward
the next stopover in Green County before the weather/wind window closed. More
news as it comes in.
Date:
October 28, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Photos
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
Accumulated
Distance
46.3 miles
Circumstances caused the photos that yesterday we hoped to post 'later today'
to turn into 'early this morning'.
Top Left and Center: Bev sent us the long-awaited photos of one of the chicks'
'PumpkinFests'.
Top Right: Megan snapped this shot of central Wisconsin's fall colors.
Bottom Left: Bev interacting with 735 was caught on camera by Megan.
Bottom Right: Bev's photo of Brooke hiking back from the pensite with the
setting sun as a backdrop.
Date:
October 27, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 15
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
46.3 miles
Once again the team is standing down. It is drier today as yesterday's hazy
drizzle has cleared out, but there is a low ceiling. Winds are blowing 10- to
15 knots on the surface and 25 to 30 knots out of the south at altitude.
It appears there may be a window of opportunity for a flight tomorrow - Sunday.
Note: Hope to post a few photos here later today.
Date:
October 26, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Wood Buffalo/Aransas population update
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
46.3 miles
"As of this morning, October 26th, NINE Whooping cranes have been spotted on or
around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge," said Tom Stehn, USF&WS Whooping
crane coordinator. Tom reported that as all are white-plumaged they are
presumably adults.
"Low pressure systems are forecast to reach the Texas coast October 27th and
October 30th, so I expect more cranes to be making it to the coast and
completing their migration in the next week," he said.
Date:
October 26, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration day 14
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
46.3 miles
Early this morning the team decided that there will be no flight today.
Despite having favorable winds on the surface with light breezes out of the
northeast, Chris said they had misty skies and the air was heavy with moisture
as opposed to the cold, clear air the birds need.
It was a different story at altitude this morning. Winds were blowing at 10
knots out of the southeast and rain showers were moving in to the flight path
of the cranes and planes.
After the game of hide and seek they had to play with 710 yesterday, the team
might almost be relieved they will get a day to recover. After reading Nathan's
update below, we have no doubt that 710 will be glad for the rest as well.
Date:
October 26, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Nathan Hurst
Subject:
Finding 710
Location:
Sauk County, WI
Distance
Traveled
23.7 miles
Accumulated
Distance
46.3 miles
Sometimes the longest stories are the toughest ones to begin - and yesterday
was a long story. It feels like days have passed since we walked out to the pen
site in South Juneau.
To kick off the migration leg, Bev and I opened the pen while Megan dressed in
the swamp monster costume. After the birds and ultralights had been out of site
for a while, we began to remove the food and water containers from the pen,
only to hear Joe calling over the radio requesting another swamp monster!
The three of us rushed back into the trailer and this time Megan and I went out
dressed as monsters. Once more the birds turned and followed Joe to the
Southeast, but it wasn't long before they returned. Finally, after three rounds
with the swamp monster, they were on their way. Takeoff had taken 40 minutes.
Megan and I began taking down the pen while Bev and Charlie, just over the hill
from us, captured and boxed 727. We were rushing to take the pen down and
attach it to the trailer, as the Hornet would be used to transport the boxed
bird, and we wanted to reduce stress on her by getting to the next site as
quickly as possible.
Then another call came over the radio - we were still missing a bird.
Megan started off with the Hornet and 727 while Bev and I jumped into the
nearest trucks. With a handheld antenna ready to go, we left to chase down the
delinquent bird. It had turned back from Joe within five miles of takeoff but
they hadn't yet determined which bird it was, so Bev and I began with our radio
reciever scanning through frequencies for all the birds.
We hadn't been gone for more than a couple minutes when we picked up a signal.
We flipped back to the frequency, and frantically drove around trying to hear
it again without success. Becoming confused, things were clarified by a call
from Brooke - the missing bird was 710. I looked at the list of frequencies,
and noticed that the signal we had heard wasn't 710's.
Within a second's insight we realized what we'd done: we'd heard the signal
from 727, boxed in the back of Megan's vehicle as she drove away.
So we were back where we began, but with just one signal to search for. For the
next few hours, Bev drove around Sauk and Juneau counties while I held the
antenna out the passneger side window. Soon Charlie was on the job too,
followed by Don and Paula Lounsbury and the ICF interns Anna and Danielle.
It was an interesting dynamic between the different trackers. Don and Paula
were airborne, and so had the best range for their reciever, and the best
opportunity to get a visual confirmation. Charlie, in the tracking van, could
move around faster than Bev and I because he could rotate his antenna all the
way around and get a directional signal quickly. But Bev and I with the
handheld were the only ones who could determine by the signal whether the bird
was flying or on the ground.
We can rotate the tines to vertical or horizontal, and it will pick up the
signal differently based on whether an errant bird is airborne, with leg and
transmitter parallel to the earth, or grounded with leg and trasmitter
perpendicular.
Bev and I were the first to get a signal, far down into Sauk County. We
followed it to a farm where the signal was incredibly strong.
Deciding he must be just behind a little wooded hill, we went to the house and
asked permission to enter the property. Yet by the time we got our costumes on
we were stymied. The signal rapidly faded and we realized he had become
airborne.
An airborne bird is much easier to find, and Don and Paula quickly picked him
up. They were even able to get fairly close, and with repeated visuals followed
him around for a while, leading the ground trackers on the chase.
But after you've found an airborne bird, what do you do? The rest of the
afternoon was spent following 710 from the ground as he ranged across three
counties, presumably looking for his family, the pen site, or just a good place
to land. Don and Paula set down in Necedah so Don could move his motor home,
while Bev handed me and the tracking equipment over to Chris (nicely outfitted
for chasing a crane in his storm-chaser van), and we continued the search.
Hours later we were still following #10 from a distance but couldn't see him.
Rather rapildy, his signal went from strong to weak, and then disappeared
entirely. It was getting late, cooler, and the sun was about to go down, so we
guessed that he might have landed.
This time Charlie was the first to pick up his signal, down within probably a
mile of where Bev and I first heard his beep. Soon Paula, whom we had called in
again when the signal disappeared, had a visual. He was once again on the
ground in a corn field. After aquiring permission from the farmer, we grabbed a
loudspeaker, handheld antenna, a box and our costumes and hightailed it up the
treeline.
We still hadn't made visual contact from the ground, and having left our radio
behind we were no longer aided by Paula in the air. Yet as we reached the top
of a hill Chris somehow managed to spot the crane almost 400 yards away. It was
barely more than a white speck, he said, but when it moved he knew it was our
bird. We were worried it would be futile to try to stalk it through the corn
field (pun intented), so Chris just started waving, hoping he would see us.
What relief we felt when he spotted us flapping our white sleeves and
immediately took off, flying straight to us. He must have been exhausted after
eight-plus hours on the lam, and five hours of constant flight. A bit cowed,
perhaps, he followed us back to the box and was shortly returned to his
bretheren at the new pen site.
Let's hope our friend 710 learned a little lesson today. Maybe he'll think
twice before he turns away from his pilot. Then again, maybe he had the time of
his life flying around up there and he's laughing at us behind our backs for
how silly we looked all day on our wild goose - er, crane - chase. But the
important part is that we're all here safe and sound, birds and crew,
recharging for the next leg.
Thanks to all who helped and who put in long days so that we could keep on the
trail of our vagrant charge.
Date:
October 25, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
710 found
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
46.3 miles
710 eluded the crew for quite a while. Trackers could pick up a strong signal
when he was on the ground, but he kept taking off and thermaling. Don and Paula
flying top cover had him in their sights, and watched him soar in the air
around the area. The team decided to wait him out until the sun dropped and he
came down to land.
Eventually he was located and crated, although we don't have the details. By
this time I think the crew was too tuckered to even talk. Perhaps one of the
team will have time to write an entry about it for posting on Friday.
Date:
October 25, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Chris Gullikson
Subject:
Lead Pilot Update
Location:
Sauk County, WI
Distance
Traveled
23.7 miles
Accumulated
Distance
46.3 miles
More progress today although we had to work for it. We awoke this morning to
incredibly clear, cold, and calm skies. The forecasted winds aloft were out of
the east at 20knots giving us neither a head or tail wind.
With our trikes still back at the Necedah airport, we had an 18 mile flight to
get down to the pen. A hard frost was forming on the ground and we knew that
our wings would quickly succumb to the ice if we delayed our departure once
pushing our aircraft out of the hangar. We donned our cold weather gear, topped
off our fuel tanks and pre-flighted our trikes in the hangar then pushed out
shortly before sunrise and were soon airborne in the crisp air.
At 500 feet we had a 10mph headwind as we flew south southeast towards the
birds. Dropping down to the deck we were able to pick up speed and took in the
beautiful fall colors and steaming lakes and rivers below.
My turn to lead today. The pen is situated at the east end of a box canyon
requiring a departure to the west, then a meandering course south around
various ridges as we slowly climb birds to altitude.
The takeoff from the pen went quite well with only one bird slow to come out. I
had 16 birds loosely form up on my wing as I made my way west, but within a few
minutes they all broke off with half scattering to the right and half going
left.
The details are sketchy but the ensuing rodeo lasted about 45 minutes with
Brooke getting away with six, Richard five and Joe two. 727, 733, and 735
landed out just west of the site in a bean field and I landed with them to see
if they would be willing to take back off. After feeding out a few grapes and
giving them a 10 minute rest, I blasted back off with all 3 birds quickly
getting airborne with me.
We joined back in the rodeo, my birds were reluctant to fly south in the choppy
air created by the mechanical turbulence from the surrounding ridges. 727 gave
up after 10 minutes and landed in a field a mile south of the pen site. 733 and
735 finally settled in and began following well. I was able to slowly climb to
500 feet and get above the rough air. Brooke was a few miles ahead of me and
several hundred feet higher with his 6, Richard was behind me to the right and
quickly catching me with his stronger birds while Joe brought up the rear with
his 2.
Our site in Sauk County this year is located near the top of the Baraboo Hills.
In previous years we have been at the bottom of the ridge which requires a 500
foot climb to cross over the top. The new location should allow an easier
departure but it also means that we need to keep the birds at altitude to land
them on the ridge.
About 5 miles from the site, number 716 began to drop from Richard's trike and
neither of us could afford to give up the altitude to help this bird out. Don
and Paula were able to keep an eye on 716 and radio GPS coordinates to Charlie.
Brooke was also struggling to keep a bird on his wing but he had much more
altitude and the bird was able to glide to the pensite without help from the
trike.
Richard landed at the pensite with his four followed by Brooke with his six. I
did an air drop with my two, then went back north to see if I could help out
with number 716. Paula helped guide me back to the bird who luckily, had picked
a nice hay field to land in.
As I landed I noticed somebody unloading hay from a barn into a wagon. Leaving
my trike with the vocalizer on, I walked the ¼ mile over to the farm to explain
my arrival and beg forgiveness. It is a strange feeling walking up to a total
stranger in a white spacesuit while trespassing on their land, thoughts of
being greeted by a shotgun flashed through my head. The women and kids who
greeted me had smiles on their faces and the first words out of their mouths
set my mind at ease. They knew of the project and offered their assistance in
any way. I explained the situation, handed them a brochure and told them
Charlie would soon be arriving with the tracking van. Thank you folks, for your
help and understanding!!
If you have been keeping track, you may have noticed that we have a missing
bird. We soon realized that we only had 16 birds accounted for - 14 in the pen
and two in boxes. Number 710 had gone AWOL soon after the departure and a
search party was quickly organized. Bev and Nate were back to the north
scanning with their handheld antenna and receiver. Charlie had dropped off
number 716 and he too was on his way back north. Megan soon arrived with number
727 and we called up Don and Paula asking if they could help from the air.
As I am typing, we are just about back to Necedah and we just got word from
Charlie that he is getting a strong signal south of where the bird was last
seen. We have a busy day rest of the ahead of us catching this bird; breaking
down and moving camp; and getting the pen set up and ready at the next stop.
The weather for tomorrow is light northeast winds and a chance of showers. It
should be calm enough to fly, but we will just have to wait and see if rain
will be an issue.
Date:
October 25, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 13
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
23.7 miles
Accumulated
Distance
46.3 miles
Airborne again! Yes, the planes and cranes flew this morning. With Chris in the
lead, all the birds followed with the exception of 726 who was 'picked up' by
one of the other pilots. Once into the flight, in Bev's words, "they kept
turning back, and turning back and turning back."
What counts however is the end result, and as of 10:45am EST, all the birds but
two were safely in the travel pen in Sauk County. Chris is down in a field with
716, and 727 went all the way back to yesterday's pensite in South Juneau
County. Hmmm, developing a habit? With luck, the crew will have them reunited
with their classmates in short order.
Date:
October 24, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Brooke Pennypacker
Subject:
Flying - Not Flying
Location:
Juneau County
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
22.6 miles
"The hardest thing about flying with birds is NOT flying with birds" ...so
began one of my last year's updates. And so yesterday was an EASY day. We flew!
The day began with a visit from the Necedah Tax Assessor informing us that we
had stayed at our first site for so long that in one more day we would be
liable to pay property taxes on the place!. (I'm kidding!) Plus, we had just
enjoyed a night of calm, cold air, with all stars in attendance, each twinkling
and winking down at us as if to say, "We're doing our part. Now you do your's!"
Enough said! Gerald chauffeured us four intrepid pilots to the hanger while
Nate and Megan left to join Bev at the pensite. Charlie jumped into the
tracking van and went off to position himself for the launch. Minutes later,
off we flew into the clear autumn sky and were immediately treated to an
incredible collage of fall color. Impossible to believe there could exist so
many shades of gold. The scene below was in fact so magical it was hard to
focus on the task at hand.
But the birds beckoned, and I was soon sitting in front of the pen, three other
trikes hovering overhead, three costumed faces looking at me with a collective
expression of "What took ya....?" and a pen full of birds jumping around with
excited anticipation.
Then, in less time than it takes for Jack to scream, "Hooray...I'm out of the
box!", the gate opened, the birds blew past the handlers and blasted skyward
towards the place where all the twinkles had been, exalting in their sudden
freedom after 10 pen-bound days as each wing beat pounded down upon the cold
dense invisible substrate, lifting them higher and faster than ever before.
It was then time for the trike to move into the lead and lend discipline to
their unbridled exuberance, and the "Dance of Migration" began. It is a dance
which is in itself a living thing - like a breath, a heart beat, a tear or a
laugh - the first steps of which began the moment the egg shell parted at
Patuxent and the first peep was heard across the universe.
It was followed by the training protocols; being taught to eat and to drink by
the ever vigilant and caring Patuxent and OM staff; the walks behind the
costumed handlers; the daily swims; the circle pen laps; and half-moon pen
straight-aways behind the trike. Then the first Class box ride to Necedah
compliments of Terry Kohler and Windway, followed by our own well choreographed
aerial boot camp of almost daily training flights; health and roost checks; and
our team's attendance to the infinite details which our protocols demand.
But it is also a dance of severe consequence, where a misstep can mean the
difference between success and failure, life and death. Yet it is truly the
Dance of Life, and, in the end, a Dance of Hope.
"Follow me!" the trike called out as the birds formed a ragged, then cleaner
line off the left wing. "Trust me!" it called out again in reinforcement, as we
turned on course towards our next stop. It is now that the pilot's senses are
most alive, his responsibility the heaviest, the challenge the greatest and the
most rewarding. And it is now that the sweat glands come alive, the neck
becomes a swivel for the head, and the trike becomes a mere extension of the
mind. It's just you and the birds and there's not another single thing in the
entire universe, animate or otherwise, as you and the birds make your way
across the morning sky as one.
Unfortunately, not all the birds are of equal prowess. 735, the youngest bird,
drops out soon after take off and lands in a field. And 727 continues his
curious reluctance and drops out four miles into the flight. Three more birds
tire as the flight progresses and are picked up by Joe and Chris as Richard
rides shotgun above and behind the main flock. Below, Charlie provides "bottom
cover," keeping in radio contact and as much as possible, visual contact with
the birds, ever ready to play "catch" and locate and retrieve a dropout should
that occur.
We continue our dance high above a countryside that is just now waking to the
demands of the day. Sometimes the birds all stay just off one wing, then, one
or more will slide over to the other wing gaining more of the vortex and thus
an effort free ride. Then one or two will charge ahead of the trike and
position themselves an arms length in front of the pilot as if to offer the
challenge, "My lead!"
And so, for most of the flight, this juxtapositioning - this dance, continues,
ever fluid, ever changing until the carpet of undulating features, with their
infinite brush strokes of colors gives view to our destination, the pen site.
And down we come. Time to relinquish our place and our time in the 'Above,' the
music growing softer now, our dance over, and trade it for the inevitable
descent to earth, the end of another migration leg, and the security of the pen.
Moments later we are down. We're soon joined by the other three birds dropping
off the wings of Joe and Chris. We lead the birds into the pen, secure it, and
are soon climbing skyward again to return to Necedah and a hanger which will
shelter our fragile wings from the destructive power of the soon to arrive high
winds.
But on the way, we will look for 727 which is eluding Charlie's tracking
efforts by landing, then flying for a while, then landing again. Our four
trikes perform a sweep towards the bird's transmission as Charlie tries to
vector us closer to its location. After many minutes of frustrating search, Joe
calls out excitedly on the radio, "I see him. He's down in a field below me
staring at a deer!"
It is all together fitting and predictable that Joe would spot the bird. It is
after all Joe's ever present intelligence and ceaseless efforts that is the
engine that drives this project and provides the safety net above which we all
perform this high wire act called 'Migration.'
Moments later, it is Charlie-to-the-Rescue, which has become such a common
occurrence over these many years of migration that it has actually become a
single word. (Just check out Webster's if you don't believe me.) Joe talked
Charlie to the bird, and in a wink, 727 was crated and on his way to rejoin his
flock mates.
Meanwhile, back at the start, Bev and Megan located and boxed 735 and she soon
joined the rest of the gang while Nate single handedly took down and loaded up
the pen, which is no mean feat even for an Extreme Frisbee champion like Nate.
Then, trikes in the hanger, birds in the pen, food in our bellies, our crew
divided up to prepare to do it all again tomorrow. It always happens like that
on migration. As soon as one game ends, the next begins. Not much time to
savor, to reflect, to appreciate. But, I stole a moment, and as best I could
jammed it all into a wad of easily swallowed emotion, finishing up with a quick
sigh and a secret prayer. "Hope tomorrow is as Easy as today."
Date:
October 24, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Charlie Shafer
Subject:
A perspective from the ground
Location:
Juneau County
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
22.6 miles
We all awoke yesterday morning to brisk temperatures and calm winds; the
perfect weather for migration. Megan, Nate, Bev, and I met over at the pen site
and talked briefly about how we thought the birds would fly after being
grounded for over a week. We were all hopeful that the cool temperatures would
help the birds fly the distance.
As the pilots approached, I parked the tracking van along the flight path just
southeast of the pen, while Megan, Nate and Bev prepared to release the birds.
I listened on the radio for the familiar, "The birds are off" from the pilots,
and listened closely to how the birds were forming up on the ultralights.
Brooke led off with most of the birds and I followed close behind on the
ground. Richard and Chris both reported early on that they each had a bird drop
out and they supplied me with GPS coordinates.
I was busy following the group of birds on Brooke's wing in case any should
drop out closer to the next stop. Bev and Megan went out in search of the two
dropouts, while Nate stayed behind to start taking down the travel pen.
As soon as the pilots were close to the next stop, I turned around and headed
back north to help Bev and Megan find the two missing birds. After a quick call
to Megan we decided they would look for 735, who landed out close to the pen,
and I would find 727, who was just a little further south.
727's signal was coming in very loud (meaning she was close) near the
coordinates that Chris gave me. Unfortunately, by the time I had put on my
costume and assemble a crate, she had flown off. I headed north again to try to
pick up her signal, but it was fading in and out. Usually, this means that a
bird is flying, but I couldn't see her on the ground or in the air.
As luck would have it, the pilots were headed back north again and they began
an 'air to ground' and 'air to air' search. Joe located 727 in a small mowed
pasture surrounded on all four sides by forest. (No wonder I couldn't see her.)
Apparently she had flown down into this clearing in the woods, but didn't have
the energy to take-off and fly back out.
I was able to drive back to this clearing and box up 727 in a crate, while Joe
kept watch from above. Meanwhile, Bev and Megan had located 735 and boxed her
up also. I met up with them to load 735 into the van so we could drive the
birds down to the next stop.
Megan and I drove south to the next stop, listening to 'Marsh Music' all the
way. If you'll recall, the 'Marsh Music' is what we play to the chicks at
Patuxent when they are in their indoor pens. We also use it on migration when
we transport the birds by vehicle. It helps to block out the road and other
traffic noises and keeps the birds calm.
It also has a calming or sleepy effect on the people in the van. Something
about repetitive cricket chirps, duck quacks, and Barred owl hoots, just puts
you too sleep. We survived the 'monotony of the marsh', got the birds unloaded,
and walked them safely out to the pen at the new stop.
All in all, given the fact that we were grounded for so long, it turned out to
be a great leg of migration.
Date:
October 24, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Wood Buffalo-Aransas Population News
Location:
Main Office
Tom Stehn, Whooping Crane Coordinator for US F&WS at the Aransas refuge advised
that his staff reported seeing the first returning Whooping crane of the season
this morning. The bird was spotted along the Intracoastal Waterway on Ayres
Island.
"A strong Pacific cold front brought northwest winds of 20-30 mph the last two
days, so I was expecting cranes to arrive," said Tom. Many of the Whooping
cranes have departed the fall staging area in Saskatchewan and are currently
migrating across the U.S. Tom told us that recent sightings have been made in
North Dakota, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.
"Multiple Whooping cranes should be arriving at Aransas in about 2 weeks," said
Stehn. "Forty chicks fledged on the nesting grounds in Wood Buffalo National
Wildlife Park this summer, which should result in a population increase. I'm
hoping for a record population of 250+ birds this winter, an increase over the
flock size of 236 in spring, 2007," he added.
Date:
October 24, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
You'd think we were in 'Windiana'
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
22.6 miles
Today is Migration Day #12 and another no fly day. The scorecard now reads
Weather 10 and Cranes 2.
Early this morning the team thought they might have a chance to fly but that
was short-lived. Brooke was 'test dummy' this morning - that is, he got the job
of taking off to check what conditions were like at altitude.
There was just too much wind for the trikes and birds to handle, so the team
had to stand down once again. Richard said he thought tomorrow looked promising
so maybe we'll have more exciting news then.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
JUNEAU COUNTY
The Carr Valley Cheese Company in Mauston won more awards than any other
artisan cheese maker in the world in the 2007 American Cheese Society's
competition.
Date:
October 23, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Second Leg Completed
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
18.6 miles
Accumulated
Distance
22.6 miles
All the chicks but 2 are safely in the travel pen at Stopover #2 in South
Juneau County.
Brooke was lead pilot for today and he had most of the birds on his wing for
most of the way. 735 dropped before she had gone a mile and the ground crew
took off looking for her. Richard flew in and tried to pick her up but she was
unwilling to take to the air so the handlers moved in to crate her.
727 dropped out also, about 10 miles short of Stopover #2. Charlie Shafer took
up the hunt in the tracking van but couldn't find her where she was reported as
last seen and her signal kept fading in and out. The pilots flew circles in the
area with the volume turned up on their vocalizers. Eventually she was spotted
and Charlie was able to get her crated. Both 735 and 727 are now on their way
to be reunited with their classmates in the travel pen.
Chris led 2 birds this morning. Joe had the longest flight and was the last to
arrive. With him was 714, one of the stragglers out of the pen. Brooke had the
rest of the birds - except for the two crated for transport of course.
Brooke will be sending alone his lead pilot report later in the day.
Date:
October 23, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day #11
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
? miles
Accumulated
Distance
? miles
It's Day 11 and finally we are flying!!
The crew work to a dry, cold morning with dead calm air at ground level.
Anxiously, the team members gathered in the morning circle and grins broke out
when it was determined it looked good for a launch.
Everyone scurried to get ready and get in place; the pilots to their aircraft
and the ground crew to the pensite. It was a bit of 'hurry up and wait' though
as they had to hold off until the sky lightened up a little more.
With Brooke in the lead, all 17 birds took off - albeit there were a couple of
stragglers. Bev reported that these two broke away almost immediately and
landed not far off. As Brooke carried on out of sight, Bev and Megan headed
over to locate the two dropouts.
More news as it comes to us.
Date:
October 23, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Eastern Migratory Population Update
Location:
Main Office
This update was compiled from data provided by Richard Urbanek (USFWS), Nicole
Frey (ICF), Anna Fasoli, D. Desourdis, and E. Szyszkoski.
In the highlights below, * = female; DAR = direct autumn release; NFT = non
functional transmitter. Estimated size of the Eastern Migratory Population is
52 individuals; 30 males and 23 females.
In the central Wisconsin core reintroduction area were:
- 101, 102*, 105.
- 205, 209*NFT and 416NFT, 211 & 217*, 212 & 419*, 213 & 218*, 216.
-303* & 317, 311, 307NFT, 310 & 501*, 312* & 316, 313* & 318
- 309* & 403 were observed building a nest platform on October 18 & 19. Dr.
Urbanek noted that "This is most unusual, and something that I've never seen
before." He also made clear that this was just preliminary building, and not to
expect any eggs.
¬- 401 & 508*, 402 & 511, W601* and 511, 408 & 519*, 412, 415*NFT.
- 505, 506, 509, 511, 512, 514*NFT, 520* found with staging Sandhill flock in
Clark County.
- DAR 627 and DAR628NFT with large staging Sandhill crane flock in Adams County.
Outside central Wisconsin core were:
- 107*NFT last reported with a small number of Sandhills in Dodge county
October 10
- DAR527* with large numbers of Sandhills in Winnebago County. DAR528* found
with Sandhills in Clark & Marathon Counties.
Recorded earlier in Wisconsin but current location unknown were:
- 201*NFT last observed June 9. Mate 306 was found predated July 6.
- 420* last observed foraging with Sandhills in Chippewa County September 26,
not found during a check on October 14.
- 503 & 507 were last recorded in Wood County May 26.
- 524NFT last observed on Sprague Pool September 28.
Michigan:
- 516 was reported with staging Sandhills in Jackson County September 17-18.
There were also unconfirmed sightings in Livingston and Washtenaw Counties
during first week of October and again in Jackson County October 8.
- DAR533* was last reported with Sandhills in Van Buren County September 19.
Missing (suspected dead): 202* last recorded in Georgia March 26.
Date:
October 22, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Chris Gillikson
Subject:
Our favorite topic - the weather
Location:
Juneau County, WI
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
Not a whole lot to write about so let's talk about the weather.
In the short range, things look pretty clear. A cold front moved through the
area late last night bringing north winds and very light precipitation in its
wake. High pressure is building to our west bringing favorable conditions for
Tuesday and Wednesday - cold, dry air with a gentle tailwind. If all goes well,
we should be 40 some miles down the road in Sauk County by Wednesday.
In the longer term things get a bit muddled. A closed off upper level low will
develop in the southern plains Tuesday morning bringing moisture northward from
the Gulf of Mexico. However, the various weather models are not agreeing on how
to handle this area of low pressure as the week progresses. One model keeps
this low in the southern plains keeping us dry, while another model lifts the
low north and east, increasing our chances of rain and headwinds.
I will not dwell on our chances of flying past Wednesday. Check back tomorrow
for a (hopefully) much more interesting update from the migration team.
Date:
October 22, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Nathan Hurst
Subject:
Refuge 'under construction'
Location:
Juneau County, WI
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
Though migration has officially begun, unfortunately we're not quite out of the
way of the Necedah NWR staff. We've had to do a trailer shuffle to make space
in camp for Mike Belsky and others to dig up the area where a new refuge
barracks will be built.
NWNR's Mike Belsky clears building site. Photo by Nathan Hurst
Joe and Brooke check out the progress of the bulldozing from in front of Deke
Clark's motorhome. Photo by Gerald Murphy
Imagine a sort of square dance with trailers; each one moving around, switching
partners with it's electrical and water hookups. Megan's lonely trailer ended
up without a partner at all.
But now that we're situated out of the way, the diesel engines run all day
preparing for the prefabricated structure that will be brought in starting
tomorrow. "It's for a good cause," Belsky joked, "it gives me something to do.
People will be using it for generations," he added.
Date:
October 22, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day #10
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
It was (and is) breezy and damp 'in the neighborhood' this morning. Wind and
the occasional light rain shower have stalled the migration for yet another
day. Chris Gullikson predicts that tomorrow will present us with an opportunity
to fly. Here's hoping he's right.
Be sure to check back here later today as Chris has promised to send us a Field
Journal entry to post.
Date:
October 21, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Richard van Heuvelen
Subject:
Flashback
Location:
Juneau County, WI
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
Gun shots in the distance; heavy equipment and chain saws clamoring away;
people scurrying about. Everyone is busy trying to catch up on a long summers
worth of work. With hunting season underway, refuge staff re-building roads,
bunk houses and crane people preparing for fall migration, the refuge is a busy
place these days.
Fall colors are in full bloom as leaves begin to fall and blow away. Yes, it is
beautiful with Indian summer in full swing brought on by stiff winds from the
south. However, this means we don't get to go any where, but we do get to enjoy
the nice fall weather on the refuge.
It has been over a week since we last flew and what a day that was. All four
pilots and seventeen birds in the air at once for the first time this year.
With a slight breeze from the north, Joe led off into the wind and slowly arced
past the observation deck before heading south.
The chicks who are used to circling this area began to scatter. But Joe managed
to get six to follow his trike and, with Chris flying chase, he headed off to
the interim stopover site. Brooke attempted to pick up the remaining birds but
they were too scattered. He managed to get five to follow, and he also headed
off to the first stop. Along the way however one dropped out, but not wanting
to add to the confusion, Brooke continued on without it.
With the six left flying all in different directions, picking them up was
difficult. Eventually three joined up on my wing and we too headed toward the
stopover location. On coming up to the pen area we found Brooke attempting to
drop his chicks without landing - "an air drop". The chicks on my wing left to
join his, so I climbed to get out of the way. Brooke landed after all with the
chicks following him down.
As it turned out, Joe and Chris were off in the woods looking for a bird that
landed in some trees, so Brooke had to land anyway as he needed to put the
chicks in the travel pen.
With three chicks still on the refuge I headed back to see if I could find
them. Communicating with the ground crew over the radio we concluded that they
might have gone back to land at Site 2 so I made there my target. Sure enough
there they were hanging out with two adults on the runway at the pensite.
I landed and taxied up to them. I wasn't sure what to do; they seem more
interested in the adults than the trike. After a few moments I attempted to
lure them to the other end of the runway hoping the adults wouldn't follow.
It seemed to work. The chicks hesitated when we passed their early summer
pensite, but then they followed eagerly to the south end. There I gave them
some treats and waited for Bev to come arrive from Site 1 with a swamp monster
tarp.
The plan was to have Bev scare them up into the air as the trike flew away. But
suddenly they became nervous. They seemed to want to leave so I revved up the
engine and took off with all three chicks close behind.
As we circled to get on course, one chick abruptly broke off, determined not to
follow. Well, figuring that two chicks on the wing were better than three in
the swamp, I continued on thinking we'd deal with him later.
This flight to the first stop was also uneventful. Brooke was still on the
ground at the stopover pensite so he called the two birds down to him and I
turned and flew back to the refuge to deal with the independent one. It had
once again returned to Site 2 and was with Bev on the runway.
Hmm, what to do? We needed to Bev to turn into the swamp monster with out the
chick seeing her do it. As I distracted the chick, Bev snuck off out of sight
to don the swamp monster. The chick spotted the swamp monster before I did, and
off we went.
Coming up on Suk Cerney pool we spotted Brooke over the DU pool picking up the
chick that had previously dropped out on him. With one swoop of the trike the
chick was up in the air and following him. They quickly were off in the
distance as the chick on my wing went all independent on me again, and a small
air show was under way, with me cutting him off from going back to the refuge.
Once we were past the highway he became more cooperative and we soon came up to
Brooke as he was landing with his bird. As I climbed away, my chick dropped
down to land near Brooke and his bird.
We are always in the habit of counting the chicks when the day is done and I
kept coming up with only 16. Apparently one chick had dropped out unnoticed. As
I once again headed back to the refuge, Megan came on the radio announcing that
the errant chick was near Site 1 flying around - first heading for the dam,
then for Site 2.
As I came over the trees near the DU observation deck I spotted it flying back
toward Site 1, so I landed there with it. It seemed glad to see the trike so
Megan and Nate hid in the pen. We gave the chick a short rest while Bev once
again got in position with the swamp monster.
With the wind beginning to pick up it was time to go. The swamp monster had to
barely appear over the hill and we were off, heading south over the trees. The
chick seemed eager to climb after its brief brush with the monster, and I had
an easy time getting it to the travel pensite. Brooke had again landed ahead of
me to attract the chick to the pen.
Finally, after two and a half hours of flying and four trips back and forth
from the refuge, I could relax, and enjoy the fall scene passing below me.
Date:
October 21, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Migration Day 9
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
The OM Team gathered in the morning circle could well have been humming Mr.
Roger's theme song, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." Fits right in
this morning.
With partly sunny skies and a temperature heading toward a high of 65F, it is
shaping up to be a gorgeous fall day in Juneau County. But. Yes, you guessed
it. We still have wrong way winds.
Today is the eighth day of going nowhere, doubling 2006's record four days we
were stuck at this stopover. That's the bad news.
The good news is that from the look of the aviation weather charts, the wind
currents appear to be shifting, and from Monday on, we could have a chance of
several consecutive day's flying.
Be sure and check back later today. Richard has promised to send us an entry to
post.
Date:
October 20, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Joe Duff
Subject:
Today's Photos
Location:
Juneau County,WI
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
Staging Sandhills.
Cranes jumping and enjoying their exercise.
Handler and cranes out for a constitutional.
A little socialization outside the pen.
Handler runs and encourages birds to take off.
How fun is this!?!?
Lowering the landing gear and....
Touch down.
Date:
October 20, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Joe Duff
Subject:
Tricked again
Location:
Juneau County,WI
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
Some days you wake up while it's still dark and you can hear the wind blowing
or that annoying patter of rain on the roof like Chinese water torture. Those
are the days you can roll over and take small consolation in more sleep. But
there are other days that start out calm and your anxiety level goes up as soon
as you open your eyes. The sky is clear, the air cold and you stand in the
middle of the camp staring up at the tree tops wishing them still.
First the pilots gather and slowly the rest of the team joins in, forming on
the first person like a fence post that starts a snow drift. We all stand in a
circle that expands and contracts with the number of participants in what have
become known as crew circles. They are ephemeral formations that develop and
dissolve leaving tell-tale footprints in the dust like a compass rose. We stand
in these circles, sip coffee and kick the ground and listen to the latest
weather report from Chris.
At 6AM the winds were 7 miles an hour directly out of the direction we needed
to go. Winds at 3000 feet were from the west at 35 knots. It wouldn't be long
before the heat from the sun would cause thermals and draw that wind down to
the surface. It was forecast to be windy today but the early calm at sunrise
tricked us again.
It's almost like the weather is having fun with us. It draws you from a warm
bed with a promise of calm air. The tree tops are still until you turn your
head and you can hear them rustle in the breeze. Then you turn back and they
are quiet again.
The forecast has told us that the winds aloft are blowing and we know from
experience that the conditions will be rough. But the weather holds a carrot in
front of our noses and once again, suckers us into believing that maybe we can
go. This morning the circle decided that we weren't going to fall for the lies
and we made the official decision to stand down once again.
We could hear that Sandhills calling from the marsh beyond the tree line so we
drove out to see them. There are maybe a hundred Sandhills here over the summer
but now there must be a couple thousand. They use the refuge as a staging area
before migration and we can see small groups heading south. Their collective
chatter that we could hear for over a mile, seems to add an excitement to the
wetland as if some big event was taking place.
On the horizon, above the line of brilliant fall colours, we can see long
formations of birds in flight, layer upon layer like squiggly lines above the
trees. If they can migrate why can't we? Knowing the answer doesn't make it any
easier.
We decided to let the birds out to get some exercise so Gerald and I headed off
to the hangar to get our costumes. While driving to the first site, we got a
call from Chris. He and Richard have succumbed to the weathers deceptions and
are about to take off to test the conditions for themselves. The surrender of
part of our team is enough to turn the tide so we called Brooke and headed back
to the airport.
We all took off into rough air and hadn't climbed a hundred feet when each of
us began to ask the same question. How many times are we going to fall for
this? The problem is that we know the answer. It's every time.
Beverly, Brooke, Gerald and I let the birds out for some exercise later in the
morning. They jumped and played and seemed to have a great time - - - but they
didn't migrate.
Date:
October 20, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Down Day #7
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
It was dry again today in Juneau County so Joe has suspended his ark building.
The team formed its usual 'morning circle' in front of the trailers in camp,
but the action was limited to kicking the dirt. The leaves were dancing in a
strong southwest wind that was blowing even harder at altitude.
Bev reported that with crystal clear skies overhead, they planned to let the
cranes out of the pen later today so they could jump and fly around a bit.
It appears it could be as late as Monday before the winds swing around to come
out of the north and make a flight possible.
Date:
October 19, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Blustery Winds
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
The rain has let up but we're still grounded. Blustery is the word of the day
with winds gusting out of the WSW. It doesn't appear the current weather/wind
pattern will make any significant shift for at least a couple or more days.
Scorecard: Cranes and Planes 1, Weather 6.
Date:
October 18, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Shades of 2006
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
Bev reported a lull in the rain this morning and that we'd have one heck of a
tail wind - - if we were headed to Canada that is.
Joe is still working on his ark as, in the short term at least, the weatherman
is calling for rain off and on all day. Neither does the long range forecast
hold much good news. Unless something changes, it could a few days yet before
the cranes and planes are able to launch on the next leg of the migration. The
rain could end by Saturday, but it looks like it could be Monday before the
winds are favorable.
This year's migration start is reminiscent of 2006 when, despite an early
departure on October 5, it was October 10 before we were able to move to the
second stopover in South Juneau County.
On this date last year we were at our third stopover location in Salk County
where we were stuck for 7 days. Maybe it will all balance out?
Date:
October 17, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Joe Duff
Subject:
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Location:
Juneau County
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
It has rained so much in central Wisconsin in the last week that we have
decided to change the protocol. Instead of leading the birds south with
ultralight aircraft we are going to build an ark and load them two by two. The
only small conciliations about being stuck in the rain is that we have more
time to get a myriad of little jobs done and we are not living in the old Nomad
trailer with its leaky roof.
All three training sites out on the refuge have been cleaned and winterized and
most of the tools that were spread out over the hangar floor are now neatly
organized in the aircraft trailer.
Our biggest weather problem during the late fall and throughout most of the
migration is moisture. If it's warm, the moisture produces fog - and if it's
cold, we get frost. There is not much we can do about the fog except be patient
(something I'm not terribly good at) but the frost should be a solvable problem
- one would think.
A wing requires a smooth laminar flow of air over the top surface to produce
lift. Frost breaks up that current causing separation. The thicker the layer of
frost, the less lift the wing can generate and the faster we must fly to stay
airborne. It only takes a few crystals before we are too fast to lead birds,
and only a thin layer before the airplane won't fly at all.
We have tried using de-icing glycol but it leaves an oily film on the wing
which is almost as bad as the frost. A few years ago we found some surplus
military parachutes and tried covering the entire aircraft. But the thin
material wasn't waterproof and we ended up with frost on the parachute and the
wing, and sometimes the two were frozen together.
Last year the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund donated enough funding for us
to purchase 4 new wings. These are strut based and don't require a king post
sticking above the wing with all the accompanying flying wires. This lack of an
over-the-wing superstructure allowed us to fly more safely with birds, but it
also means the top surface of the wing is clean. This made it feasible to make
covers that didn't have to be fitted in and around 10 flying wire attachment
points. Feasible but not easy!
Last year during the migration I started to build one cover as a test. I bought
a cheap sewing machine and spread out what seemed like miles of fabric on the
hangar floor. Now, I like sewing about as much as a three-year-old likes
broccoli and, as everyone will tell you, I'm just about as childish about my
dislikes. With no parent there to wash my mouth out with soap, I turned the air
blue and soon I was working completely alone. It took 34 yards of material and
70 feet of Velcro but after a week of frustration we had one set of wing
covers, crooked seams and all. And they worked!!
They fit well enough that you can start the engine and suit up until you are
ready to go. Then you rip open the Velcro along the trailing edge and drop the
wing until the covers slide off the tips. You are ready to go before the frost
has a chance to form on the newly exposed wing surface. The problem is - we
needed 4 sets of covers.
Sue Williams is a crane enthusiast we met on the tower one morning this summer.
She volunteered to take on the job but it is just too much for one person. She
worked long hours alone in the hangar, not because she curses, but because none
of us could sew like she does.
Terry and Mary Kohler from Sheboygan are long time supporters of the
International Crane Foundation and have been involved in crane conservation for
many years. Since the start of this reintroduction they have also been
extremely helpful to Operation Migration. In fact they provided our hangar and
it is their aircraft (Windway Capital) that delivers our three cohorts of birds
from Patuxent every spring.
Terry owns North Sails, the largest producer of sails in the world, and when he
walked into the hangar recently and saw our feeble efforts he must have laughed
to himself. In his generous way he told us to wrap one set up as a pattern for
his sail makers. Within a week we had five sets compete and ready for the
migration!! And unlike my set, there isn't a crooked seam in the entire job.
Thanks to Rob Pennington of North Sails in New Jersey for producing our new
covers, and to Terry and Mary Kohler for once again coming to our aid. Thanks
also to Sue Williams for taking on a job that was far more demanding than we
could tackle ourselves. With their help we will be able to take off much
earlier on those frosty mornings and capitalize on the calmer air. That will
speed the migration.....if the rain ever stops.
Date:
October 17, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Going Nowhere
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
On hearing Joe's voice when I answered the phone this morning I knew it wasn't
going to be good news - because he can't call if he's in the air.
While it is mild today, the air is heavy with humidity and the winds are
straight out of the south. Needless to say this will be no-fly day #4.
Chris Gullikson, OM's amateur meteorologist, came on the line to advise what
the weatherman has in store for tomorrow. The team is located on the northern
edge of a moderate risk area of receiving severe weather. The area some way to
the south of their location can expect high winds, large hail and the
possibility of tornados. Where we are the call is for severe thunderstorms.
As we spoke, the ground crew was out checking on the birds. They are secure and
in a protected spot in a small field. If we have any further news we'll post it
here.
Date:
October 16, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Craniac Kids and Change4Cranes
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
Now that the migration is underway, many Craniac Kids throughout North America,
like their adult counterparts, are following the progress of the Class of 2007
via our Field Journal and on Journey North
<http://www.learner.org/jnorth/crane/index.html> .
The teachers and students enthusiasm for the Whooping crane project has
extended to OM's Change4Cranes program, and as a result, we have thousands of
Craniac Kids participating.
We still have a small quantity of Change4Crane kits left, so, if you, or your
school or class are interested in joining in the fun, please get in touch.
The kits are free and we'll send them out to you within a day of your request.
You can sign up for the Change4Cranes program by visiting the signup page
<http://www.operationmigration.org/c4c.php> , or you can contact
james@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:james@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> for more
information.
Date:
October 16, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
No-Fly Day #3
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
Scorecard: Cranes and Planes 1, Weather 3.
While the winds were relatively calm this morning, visibility was limited due
to mist and fog. Bev reported that everything was 'dripping'. It appears there
might be a window of opportunity for a flight tomorrow, although Chris
Gullikson, our resident meteorologist says, "As time passes it is growing
smaller and smaller."
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
JUNEAU COUNTY
30,000,000 sets of the game "Trivial Pursuit" were manufactured in Elroy by
Northern Plastics from 1983 to 1985.
Date:
October 15, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
No-Fly Day #2
Location:
Main Office
Distance
Traveled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
Scorecard: Cranes and Planes 1, Weather 2.
Rain showers coming and going, wind and skifts of fog kept everyone on the
ground this morning. The weatherman is forecasting much the same for tomorrow,
Tuesday, but although there's a chance of a break in the system on Wednesday it
looks like the winds will be out of the south.
Bev told us the birds are all fine and doing well. On their agenda for today is
some 'enrichment' in the form of pumpkins to play with.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
JUNEAU COUNTY
Juneau County is home to several well-known NASCAR drivers - The Sauters -
Father Jim and sons Jay, Tim and Johnny of Necedah, and Kelly Bires of Mauston.
New Lisbon-raised Marc Andreessen created the "Mosaic" web browser. It was the
first commercial web browser to display both text and images in the same web
page. Later it became the "Netscape Navigator", widely used until eclipsed by
Microsoft's "Internet Explorer."
Date:
October 14, 2007 - Entry 5
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Photos
Location:
Wisconsin
Thanks to Vickie Henderson we have a few photos taken at yesterday's departure
to share.
Top Left and Right: Joe leading 6 toward the spot where they will leave the
refuge and cross Hwy 21.
Bottom: Not sure which pilot this is, but he swooped down to do an 'air pick
up' of one of the birds that dropped out to land a few hundred yards in front
of the watchers gathered to view the departure.
Date:
October 14, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Gerald Murphy
Subject:
My Other Life
Location:
Wisconsin
My 'other' life began Oct. 9th.
I have two lives. One I share with my wife Ann; two sons; four grandchildren;
(recent grandson Hudson-one month old) a number of dear friends and family
members; and a very black cat named Suzie. Once a year I enter this 'other'
life for four great weeks with the crew and current crop of crane chicks of
Operation Migration.
In this other life, the friends (and they are friends) are different, the
environment is different, the focus is different-everything is different. That
is why it is my other life. We live like nomads (heck, we are nomads), we eat
wonderfully (when we get the chance), we work like crazy some of the time and
sometimes are just as bored as can be.
I get up in the morning early, drive the pilots to where ever the ultralights
are, rush back to camp, hook up the travel trailer, drive to he next stopover
site (usually 50 to 75 driving miles away), unhook the trailer, set everything
back up at the new camp, socialize with the hosts-who often have a great late
luncheon laid out for us (we are about to starve as we almost never get to eat
before we leave on fly days), then, think about and get ready for the next day.
What a life. I wouldn't trade either of them for anything!
Note: (Gerald has volunteered his time and talents to OM since 2004 and we
don't want to think what we'd do without him.)
Date:
October 14, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Launching OM Migration Trivia
Location:
Wisconsin
Welcome to the first of many bits of Trivia associated with the areas, places,
events, and people past and present along the migration flyway. Many thanks to
Vi White and Steve Cohen for the time and effort they're putting in to
enlighten and entertain us.
2007 Migration Trivia compliments of Vi White and Steve Cohen
JUNEAU COUNTY
The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, located just 3 miles west of the town of
Necedah, is part of the Great Central Wisconsin Swamp. Its 7,800 square miles
not only encompass the state's largest wetland bog, but also extensive forest
habitat (pine, oak, and aspen) and large tracts of rare oak savanna. Acres of
open wetland impoundments provide cover for endangered, threatened and rare
species, such as the whooping crane, Karner blue butterfly, and Blanding's
turtle.
Whooping cranes from previous years' classes, now wild, share their ideal
habitat at Necedah NWR with myriad other birds - Sandhill cranes, Canada geese
and various ducks and other waterfowl. Beaver, coyote, turkey and whitetail
deer are common, and recently several wolf packs entered the refuge from the
north. Black bears also are sighted on or near the refuge more frequently than
in the past.
150,000 visitors annually take the available walking and driving tours to
marvel at the wildlife. Uncounted hundreds climb the observation tower to watch
the whoopers-in-training fly by on their early flights.
Date:
October 14, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Down Day #1 & Goodbye to Necedah
Location:
Wisconsin
Distance
Travelled
0 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
The second day of the migration is also Down Day #1. The team awoke to a light
drizzle and wrong way winds that gradually picked up as lift off time
approached. Forecasts for Monday and Tuesday aren't very promising, but we'll
just have to take it one day at a time.
Goodbye Necedah!
With this yesterday's departure of cranes and planes we once again say farewell
to the Necedah NWR and all our friends there, and, in the surrounding area.
From Refuge Manager Larry Wargowsky right on down, there are so many people
we'd like to thank, and for so many things, that we can't list them all here -
but they know who they are - and to each an every one goes our sincere
gratitude.
The Refuge staff in particular should feel a sense of accomplishment for their
part in what, due to weather and drought, has not been the easiest flight
training summer. Although their partnering with us is over for this season, no
doubt they will be tracking our progress southward along with tens of thousands
of others.
So we say, 'So long and thanks for everything,' to the good folk at Necedah.
'See you next spring!'
Date:
October 14, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Nathan Hurst
Subject:
Cue circus music... and... migrate
Location:
Wisconsin
We finally did it. It wasn't always pretty, but all 17 birds made it to our
first stopover site yesterday. In the spirit (albeit a little early) of
Halloween, I got to scare the daylights out of the birds as the official Swamp
Monster of Operation Migration.
The Swamp Monster is a camouflage tarp that a handler dons once the pilots have
taken off with the birds. If any decide to try to return to the pen, the Swamp
Monster runs onto the runway flapping the tarp to discourage them from
returning and to encourage them to return to and follow the pilot. As you might
expect, it's pretty exciting.
Sure enough, I was called on within minutes of takeoff, and while the circus
went on to the west, every time a group came towards me, I flapped my arms and
jumped around. Though I may have looked ridiculous to anyone watching, it did
the trick. Every time they got within a few hundred yards, they turned away. I
must have been quite scary, if I do say so myself.
Unfortunately, all of the handlers were at pensite 1, and when several birds
broke off the pack and flew off towards Site 2, there was nobody there to be
Swamp Monster. So the pilots asked Bev to grab the tarp and drive around to
help them on that end. Again, it worked like a charm.
So the circus progressed, and the remaining birds were gradually rounded up,
until one decided to return to Site 1. Richard's voice came over the radio,
becoming more agitated by the second.
"Hey guys," said Richard, "I think we got a bird headed for Site 1. We're gonna
need the Swamp Monster."
"Um, Bev has it," I said.
"Well, do something! Drive the van out there or... something!" His voice had
raised an octave or so.
"Well, Bev has the van too," replied Megan.
Our solution was to support a plastic bag between two fence stakes and wave it
around to simulate a tarp. Not exactly in the protocol, but I won't tell if you
won't. As it turns out, we didn't have to use it. Richard was able to get back
in front of the errant chick and lead it south.
Now that I've witnessed my first leg of migration I have to wonder what the
days ahead have in store. If this was any indication, I have to believe we'll
be busy. We're off! Wish us luck.
Date:
October 13, 2007 - Entry 4
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
712 joins his buddies
Location:
Wisconsin
Distance
Travelled
4 miles
Accumulated
Distance
4 miles
With apparently great homing instinct, 712 had returned to his refuge pensite
where Richard, assisted by the faithful and overworked this morning Swamp
Monster (Bev) convinced him it was time to go. He is now with his 16 classmates
at the first stopover. Great that everyone made it - and not one bird had to be
crated. Way to go Team!!
Date:
October 13, 2007 - Entry 3
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
Oops
Location:
Wisconsin
Apparently pilots are mathematically challenged. (grin) 16 of 17 chicks are in
the pen at Stopover Site #1. 712 is still out there somewhere - the hunt is on.
Date:
October 13, 2007 - Entry 2
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
The 2007 Migration is officially underway!
Location:
Wisconsin
Joe was lead pilot this morning, but before long some birds broke off and he
was down to fewer birds off his wing. Chris 'picked up' 3 birds and Brooke 4.
More of the flight details will come later, but as of the first report
received, 13 of the 17 chicks were safe and sound in the travel pen at our
first stopover site. Yea!!
Richard is back at the refuge at Site 2 with three birds who returned there and
that is where Bev is headed to play Swamp Monster and encourage them to
take-off and with Richard and not return.
Bev said that at last word, 710 was still circling somewhere and the tracking
van was on the hunt. It took at least 30 minutes of convincing to get the birds
to go this morning, so today's field journal entry from the lead pilot (to come
later today) should be very interesting.
Just in: 16 of the 17 birds are now at Stopover #1 and Richard is on his way
leading the last one - 735.
With today's departure we say, "Goodbye Necedah!"
With this morning's departure of cranes and planes we once again say goodbye to
the Necedah NWR and all our friends there and in the surrounding area. From
Refuge Manager Larry Wargowsky right on down, there are so many people we'd
like to thank that we can't list them all here - but they know who they are -
and they have our sincere gratitude.
The Refuge staff in particular should feel a sense of accomplishment for their
part in what, due to weather and drought, has not been the easiest flight
training summer. Although their role is over for this season, no doubt they
will be tracking our progress southward along with tens of thousands of others.
So to the good folks at Necedah we say, "So long and thanks for everything."
See you next spring!
Date:
October 13, 2007 - Entry 1
Reporter:
Liz Condie
Subject:
What's New?
Location:
Wisconsin
Waiting for migration news? Why not take a moment and check out what's new on
OM's merchandise page? New items recently added include key chains, jackets,
bags, and much more. Dare we say it? December is just around the corner, so
remember OM Gear when you start thinking about the gift giving season.
A Gift of Membership makes a perfect and thoughtful holiday gift for friends
and co-workers - particularly those on your list whose endangered species
awareness could use - shall we say - a little boost. Or, maybe you know they
already care and they'd really enjoy some good reading; OM's semi-annual
magazine goes complimentary to all Members, and they are automatically put on
the list to receive EarlyBird e-bulletin during migration. And, we'll send you
a gift card for each of your gift recipients so that you can let them know of
your gift to them.
Thanks for your support!
Past Field Journals:
2007
Winter <http://operationmigration.org/FJ2007_Winter1.html> | Spring 1
<http://operationmigration.org/FJ2007_Spring1.html> | Spring 2
<http://operationmigration.org/FJ2007_Spring2.html> | Summer 1
<http://operationmigration.org/FJ2007_Summer1.html> | Summer 2
<http://operationmigration.org/FJ2007_Summer2.html> | Summer 3
<http://operationmigration.org/FJ2007_Summer3.html> | Fall 1
<http://operationmigration.org/FJ2007_Fall1.html> | Migration 1
<http://www.operationmigration.org/Field_Journal.html>
Click here to view the class of '07
<http://www.operationmigration.org/meet_2007_flock.html>
2006
Winter <http://operationmigration.org/Winter2005-2006Field_Journal.html> |
Spring 1 <http://www.operationmigration.org/FJ2006_Spring2.html> | Spring 2
<http://www.operationmigration.org/FJ2006_Spring2.html> | Summer 1
<http://www.operationmigration.org/FJ2006_Summer1.html> | Summer 2
<http://www.operationmigration.org/FJ2006_Summer2.html> | Summer 3
<http://www.operationmigration.org/FJ2006_Summer3.html> | Fall 1
<http://www.operationmigration.org/FJ2006_Fall1.html> | Migration 1
<http://www.operationmigration.org/FJ2006_Migration1.html> | Migration 2
<http://www.operationmigration.org/FJ2006_Migration2.html> | Migration 3
<http://www.operationmigration.org/FJ2006_Migration3.html>
Click here to view the class of '06
<http://www.operationmigration.org/meet_2006_flock.html>
2005
Winter <http://www.operationmigration.org/Field_Journal_W2004-2005.html> |
Spring <http://www.operationmigration.org/Field_Journal_Spring_2005.html> |
Summer <http://www.operationmigration.org/Field_Journal-Summer2005.html> |
Migration 1 <http://www.operationmigration.org/Field_Journal_Fall2005_1.html>
| Migration 2 <http://www.operationmigration.org/Field_Journal_Fall2005_2.html>
Click here to view the class of '05
<http://www.operationmigration.org/meet_2005_flock.html>
2004
Winter <http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2004_wnt.htm> | Spring
<http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2004_spr.htm> | Summer
<http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2004_sum.htm> | Migration
<http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2004_fal.htm>
Click here to view the class of '04
<http://www.operationmigration.org/meet_2004_flock.html>
2003
Winter <http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2002-3_fal.html> | Spring
<http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2003_spr.html> | Summer
<http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2003_sum.html> | Migration
<http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2003_fal.htm>
Click here to view the class of '03
<http://www.operationmigration.org/meet_2003_flock.html>
2002 <http://www.operationmigration.org/work_2002.html>
Winter <http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2002_wint_spr.html> | Spring
<http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2002_spr.html> | Migration
<http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2002_fal.html>
Click here to view the class of '02
<http://www.operationmigration.org/meet_2002_flock.html>
2001 <http://www.operationmigration.org/work_2001.html>
Winter <http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2001_fal.html> | Spring
<http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2001_spr.html> | Migration
<http://www.operationmigration.org/field_2001_fal1.html>
Click here to view the class of '01
<http://www.operationmigration.org/meet_2001_flock.html>
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<http://www.operationmigration.org/mile_makers.htm>
total Sponsored Miles
As of Nov 26 - 731.75
Sponsors needed for 528.25 miles!
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