November 1, 2005 Migration Day 19 Off They Go! A Fast 49.1 Mile Flight Heavy fog and a low ceiling delayed the crew this morning. But at 9:23 a.m. they took off and 18 birds flew a fast 49.1 miles to the next stopover site in Boone County, Indiana. The trip took just 1 hour and 11 minutes with a 10-12 mph tailwind pushing them along. "We were spread out today," said Joe Duff and gave today’s pilot-to-bird breakdown: Joe arrived with 7 birds Richard arrived with 5 birds Brooke arrived with 5 birds Chris arrived with 1 bird (#505 who has been giving the teams problems "but flew well today," said Joe.) Although #516 was free to fly today, he was evidently not ready. “As we suspected, he circled two or three times and landed back at the pen,” said Joe. The bird is being crated to the Boone County stopover. Therapy for #516 Special attention has been given to #516 to make sure it can fully extend its wing after becoming entangled in supporting wires above Brooke's ultralight on Oct. 18. The team's Dr. Angie Maxted explains more on #516's page. She adds: "For the last 5 legs he has made all or most of the journey in a crate, and we hope that he will soon have the strength and the stamina to keep up with the other birds.  Our obvious goal is to get him back on track as soon as possible, and he continues to look better every day." 516 is released from the pen in Benton County to exercise its wings. Angie and Charlie run along, encouraging the bird to fly, while Chris snapped these photos. Success! Photos: Operation Migration Track the Migration Use our map or make your own with this migration data. (Click map to enlarge.) Keep a Migration Journal • Today's Question: How has the team shown excellent care of the injured #516? When have you been in charge of taking care of something important or valuable? How did you show responsible actions? • Migration Math: How many miles per hour did the cranes fly today? How many other migration days did they fly as quickly? Review all of the migration days in this fall's migration. (For extra credit, compare today's migration speeds in previous years.) Migration Journal Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure presented in cooperation with the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP). Copyright 2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form.