Whooping Crane

Yesterday's Glory, Tomorrow's Hope (+0 Miles) November 8, 2007: Migration Day 27 This is yesterday's wonderful flight. How many birds are flying with Chris right after take-off? Where is the chase plane, and why? Photo thanks to Susan Popp, Craniac who was lucky enough to see this departure! Winds are straight out of the south today, and you know what that means. But the good news is that tomorrow is still shaping up to be a GREAT flying day. It might be SO great that they can skip right over the next stopover to continue even farther. The Operation Migration staff is trying to find a site for crane fans to view the Kankakee departure. Watch OM's Field Journal later today for details! The birds and team have come 249.8 miles of their 1250-mile journey. Meanwhile, What kind of mischief could a crane possibly do while flying? See today's Journal Question for that and more!   (Map|Data) In the Classroom Today's Journal Question: (a) Crane 726 has figured out something that's pretty scary for the pilots, and Chris tells about it in the newest entry on #726's life story page. >> (b-for-bonus) This photo shows what they might have seen during the flight. "The birds kept staring at the occasional jet traffic overhead, and we flew by an industrial area with huge, billowing smokestacks. . . Our descent at the end of flight was smooth and the birds looked happy in their familiar pen in their new surroundings," wrote Chris. Imagine you are one of the young cranes on this flight. Write a paragraph that tells what you see and how you feel, when you never saw sights like this when you were being so carefully raised and shielded from any human sight, sound, or activity. What is the purpose of taking such care when raising these very special birds? Migration Math: Work it! Chris reports that yesterday after take-off the pilots and birds all continued to climb after encountering a layer of slightly turbulent air at 1,500 feet that smoothed back out above 2,000 feet. The tailwind was a bit less than expected, about 6mph, giving a groundspeed of 44 mph. At what rate would they have covered ground if there had been no tailwind? "We talked amongst ourselves about skipping a site, eager to be farther along the route," said Chris, "but wondering if the birds could handle the extra hour or more of flight time. We eventually decided to stay with our original plan and be happy with no birds being boxed."   Help the Cranes and Planes Reach Florida! Map Daily News The Chicks The Team Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure presented in cooperation with the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP). Facebook Pinterest Twitter © 1997 – 2024 Journey North. All rights reserved.