[TN-Bird] Nov. 23 Whooper update --- LONG but read to the bottom

Hiwassee Refuge
Meigs Co.,Tn.

Saturday morning fifty plus people were on hand to see the Whoopers leave for 
Georgia.  Other than being a tiny bit cold for us humans, conditions were 
excellent for the cranes to again continue their migration!  There were mixed 
reviews from the crowd.  Many were overjoyed by the prescious seconds we had 
to observe the departing birds.  Others commented "is that it" or "is it 
over".  The team had planned a fly by over the gazebo but the best they could 
do was to fly out to our right, circle about and then fly to the left away 
from us.  All 16 cranes were flapping and flying with just one of the ultra 
lights while the other three were zooming around like large bumble bees.  As 
I was watching the expressions on nearby faces I thought "well it's over; 
wasn't that stupendous" and finally "I hope to see this miracle again with 
the class of 2003 next year."

Folks began to do a little migrating of their own and little by little the 
group diminished to 9 remaining people.  As the 30 minute mark passed I 
thought the cranes had gone for sure and most certainly by now were over the 
skies of North Georgia.  Scrambled eggs, grits, toast, HOT COFFEE and going 
to pee were more prominently on my mind now.

It's time for the Paul Harvey part, you know, "The Rest of The Story."   
First, a little hint!  In baseball terms I could say some of you left at the 
seventh inning stretch and should have remained until the last out was made 
in the bottom of the ninth.  The Score had changed and is now Tennessee 12  
Georgia 4.  In football terms even Larry Munson couldn't help with this score 
by saying gruffly "hunker down one more time you hairy dogs."

At about 55 minutes after the cranes left someone in our group looked up and 
said I hear an ultra light!   As we focused in we could see Whooping cranes 
off the planes wing, then we saw a second ultra light with cranes also off 
it's wing.  The pilots were really working the birds trying to encourage them 
to turn back and once again advance toward Georgia.  They fought a dilligent 
contest but I think the cranes were already of a mind to return to the pen 
they had most of last week to become  accustomed.  I felt so sorry for the 
team and their efforts but was elated with the sights we were seeing first 
hand!  Many times the pilots would regroup the birds only to have one or two 
break off and fly away again.  After 20 or so minutes the cranes won the 
battle.

Just a couple minutes before 9 am Dan Sprague, a grounds crew member and 
pilot, made his first of two stops at the gazebo to talk with us.   The jist 
of the conversations was that the twelve cranes were tired and were going to 
be staying one more day at Hiwassee.  The other group of four birds were 
already on the ground near Rome, Ga.

If you didn't get to see the departure today now you've got tomorrow morning 
to look forward to!  Kick off time is scheduled for 7 to 7:15 am eastern at 
the gazebo on the Hiwassee refuge.

Jimmy Wilkerson
Hixson, TN.







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