Gusty
Winds Mean No Go (+0
Miles)
October 19, 2007: Migration Day 7
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Still
in camp, with no travel again today.
Photo Jane Duden |
Whoa! I'ts really windy today! Are you feeling impatient by waiting?
The young crane-kids are probably feeling restless too. Every
autumn,
migratory
birds
go through what ornithologists call "migratory restlessness."
Changes in amount of daylight, the sun's changing angle, and
the weather cause them to feed and move around more. As the energy
builds day after day, they take off and migrate — sometimes
great distances. The older cranes that followed the ultralights
in earlier years will know exactly how to use their restless
energy: they will begin migration. But in the same way that wild
Whooping Cranes follow their parents on their first migration,
this year's 17 chicks are looking to their "plane-and-costume
parents" to lead the way. They probably would like a practice
flight, but since they haven't been taught to migrate yet, they
are probably not
the
least bit
disappointed
about the
big delay.
In
the Classroom
-
Today's
Journal Question:
(a) How
many days was the migration stuck at the first stop in the 2006
migration? You can find the answer by clicking on the 2006 story
link on our Fall Migration Archives page. >> Skim
the story titles to get information quickly. Then click to check
story details.
(b-for-bonus) Do you think we humans are
affected by a sort of migratory restlessness? Do you feel
a "change in the air" in fall? If so, how does it affect
your behavior?
Journey
North is pleased to feature this educational adventure presented in
cooperation with the Whooping
Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).
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