Hiwassee Refuge Meigs co., TN. The class of 2004 with 14 slightly immature plumaged Whooping Cranes arrived at Hiwassee Refuge this morning just after 9:15 AM. The first crane we saw was a single bird following one of the ultra lights. In a minute or so another trike appeared with the other 13 birds in tow. Both aircraft circled close over head at the gazebo as the pilots were waiting for the ground crew to arrive and open the holding pen door. I've had the good fortune to be present ever year since Operation Migration brought the Sandhill Cranes through in a test experiment back in 1999 I think it was. This year was just as exceptional as ever. No matter how many times I see this event I still get goose bumps! Departure time is scheduled for around 7:30 AM eastern Friday morning. It wouldn't hurt to be a few minutes early. The fog from the river does play a part at Hiwassee so the departure time could be a bit later. I'm not taking any chances myself. If you haven't heard, the migration team still has not met this years goal for funding. An anonymous donor living in Tennessee has pledged matching funds up to $5,000.00 for any donations made while the cranes are in Tennessee!!! Time is short, won't you help out? Call 1-800-675-2618 and make a tax deductible investment in our children and GRANDchildren's future. Jimmy Wilkerson Hixson, TN. =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ========================================================