The majestic whooping crane
Operation Migration whooping cranes that follow ultralight aircraft finally flew out of Illinois yesterday as perfect migration weather allowed the 20 birds in the class of 2009 to skip the last stop in Illinois and land in Union County Kentucky. Weather looks good for today and they could end up in Tennessee tonight if conditions continue to remain favorable.
If anyone has ever driven through Illinois it can sometimes feel like forever with hundreds and hundreds of miles of endless cornfields. The whooping cranes of Operation Migration can sympathize with the bored driver as they were stuck in our state for almost a month. They crossed the Wisconsin border and flew into Winnebago County, Illinois on November 5.
There are still chances to see the cranes around the area as the Operation Migration bunch are just the latest batch of released cranes. This program has been around since 2001 trying to establish a second colony of nesting cranes in Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin that winter in Chassahowitzka National Refuge in Florida.
The ultralight aircraft is only used once and after that the cranes know the way, and there are close to 90 from previous classes that migrate on their own. In fact, the Illinois bird forum reported that a whooping crane was seen over the west side neighborhood of Humboldt Park here in Chicago with a group of sandhill cranes on Friday. See the great pictures here. There are still some cranes that have not left Wisconsin, so more will be flying over the area in the next couple of weeks, so keep your eyes peeled as they could fly over anywhere.
The good news that the class of 2009 is now making steady progress toward Florida was offset by some sad news in the crane world. The first crane to be hatched in the wild due to the reintroduction of this population occurred in 2006. The mother of that crane was found dead in Indiana of unknown causes on Thursday. The program has had difficulties getting the reintroduced birds to reproduce naturally, so this is quite a blow because this crane has already proven its merit as a reproducer.
With this unfortunate news in mind it is important to note that Operation Migration is a non-profit organization trying to keep the largest North American bird from the brink of extinction. Raising cranes, flying them to Florida in an ultralight, radio banding them, and studying how to get them to reproduce in the wild is not a cheap undertaking, so they need your help in order to keep this majestic species from becoming the next passenger pigeon. They offer many alternatives on their web page for donation including a mile maker where the giver can pay for the cost of a mile, half mile, or quarter mile of the migration. Good luck Operation Migration and Illinois and the Chicago area will see you next year.
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Comments
I've really enjoyed your series on the cranes. Thank you for sharing this fascinating story with us.
See ya next year, Whooping Cranes!
Thanks for the update on the Whooping Crane migration. I might have to plan a trip next fall for when the cranes fly near my neck of the woods.
Loved the video and this story. Thanks for bringing attention to this awesome non-profit and these beautiful birds!
Boy, they sure were behind schedule!
I've been following this program since its inception. Great job, Ted, in making it accessible to those who haven't spent their lives in the world of wildlife rehab/conservation. Hopefully the breeding aspect will fall into line in the next few years.
Anyone who can, should support this project. The knowledge gained here may help other endangered migratory species.
Does the crowd make sounds like 'whoop whoop whoopie!!' when they take off? and who flies the ultralight to help them find their way back in the spring?
This is such a difficult process, saving a species without becoming too involved or keeping them captive. It sounds like these folks have the plan.
Have you seen the movie "Winged Migration"? It's pretty awesome. This also made me think of another movie -- "Fly Away Home" -- which tugged at my heartstrings WAY harder than I expected it to.
AND, this reminded me of traveling through Iowa with our then-10-year-old daughter who asked quite sincerely, "Who eats all this corn?"
On topic even in Comments. I ROCK! ;-)
Good luck to Operation Migration. They did that here with the Atlantic Puffins & Project Puffin, with much success, so I am hoping for the same with these majestic birds.
it must have been a wonderful sight.
Nice update on the migration story..well done.
Cheers..
So sad to learn about the momma crane's passing. It must be a beautiful sight to watch these birds. Thanks for doing this series.
What a great series Ted!
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