Feb.
3, 2009 |
The
Chass 7 were released from the top-netted pen where they had been
housed during the health exams. The birds are doing well, foraging
in tidal creeks outside of the pensite during the day and roosting
in the open-topped pen at night. |
Jan.
28, 2009 |
The
St. Marks 7 were released from their top-netted pen. They have been
foraging in mud flats about 3/4 mile away from the pen site during
the day and roosting in the open-topped pen at night. They are doing
very well in their new surroundings. |
January
27, 2009 |
Health
checks and banding for the 7 at Chassahowitzka NWR. Grapes were
their reward!
Slide show >> |
|
January
25, 2009 |
Health
checks and banding for the 7 at St. Marks NWR. Grape treats helped
calm the ruffled birds. |
Jan.
23, 2009 |
The
second half of the Class of 2008 completes
migration by arriving at the flock's original wintering site,
Chassahowitzka NWR, in the first year of splitting the wintering sites
at two Florida refuges. |
|
Jan
17, 2009 |
Half
of the Class of 2008 completes
migration as they land at St. Marks
NWR in the first year of splitting the wintering sites. |
|
Dec.
31 |
The
migration ended 2008 grounded by weather in Chilton County Alabama.
For the second year in a row, the fall migration goes into a new calendar
year. |
Dec.
29 |
Migration
starts again, a day earlier than expected. |
Dec.
17 |
In
one of Alabama's rainiest autumns in history, the team decided to
break the migration and go home to families for the holidays. |
Nov.
10 |
After
11 days of weather delays in Green County, WI, they flew to Illinois! |
Nov.
5 |
The
carcass of DAR juvenile #35-08
was found on Necedah NWR. She had been killed by a predator before
she even began her first southward migration. |
Oct.
22 |
Crane
#810 (renamed
#10-08) was released on Necedah NWR. He is now a free-flying young
bird who should learn
to migrate by following older Whooping or Sandhill cranes south when
they leave the refuge this fall. He wears identifying legbands,
like all released cranes. |
Oct.
18 |
This
year's DAR juveniles (six in all) were released shortly before roost
time
on October 18. |
Oct.
17 |
Migration
2008 begins! See Video Clip >> |
|
Oct.
16 |
All
14 birds followed the ultralight to an unfamiliar site on the refuge
on a migration-eve test flight and their first overnight in the travel
pen. They did well! |
Oct.
11 |
At
last, weather permitted a training flight for the whole group! |
Oct.
10 |
The
entire group flew together for the first time today. Alas, it was
only 5 minutes of air time before the winds took over and forced a
safe landing. |
Oct.
7 |
In
a first-ever decision, the team removed Crane #810
from the migration roster because his aggression is a risk to the
other birds. |
Oct.
5 |
The costumes let all the chicks out onto the runway together to mix
for the first time. Crane #810
didn't play nice with the others and was fenced away from them. |
Oct.
3 |
The four oldest chicks followed the ultralight to join the 11 younger
chicks at the same site. All birds are together for the first time,
socializing through a fence dividing the pen. |
Sep.
25 |
The chicks of combined Cohorts 2 and 3 flew together for the first
time. |
Sep.
19 |
Cohorts
2 and 3 shared the same pen for the first time. No problems! |
Sep.
15
|
Cohorts
2 and 3 (middle and youngest) are now at the same site. Soon they
will live and train as a group. |
Sep.
11 |
The
target departure date has been set for October 17. The youngest bird
will be 124 days old on that date. (The shortest period between hatch
and departure was in 2007 when the youngest birds was 125 days old,
so this is ambitious.) "Oct. 17 equals the latest date we have
ever left Necedah," says Project Leader Joe Duff. "That
was in 2001 when we only had 8 birds and it took us just 48 days to
reach Florida. Let’s hope for the best." |
Sep.
10 |
The
Class of 2008 is down to 15 chicks after the removal today of #811
due to poor feather formation and other issues. |
Sep.
9 |
Richard
and his birds climbed to 200 feet above ground level (AGL). A military
jet flew overhead and the chicks did not like that, "so we went
back down, with the chicks trying to hide under my wing. After the
jet cleared the area we were fine and flew back to the pensite." |
Sep.
2-3 |
Pre-migration
health checks for
the Class of 2008! |
Aug.
26 |
The
oldest birds (cohort one) flew behind Brooke's ultralight for 17 minutes
on a perfect training day! |
Aug.
24 |
Chick
#824 became the first bird in cohort three to fledge! The others are
flying in ground
effect.
Photo Operation Migration |
|
Aug.
15 |
Cohort
two birds now are all able to fly. |
Aug.
2 |
Cohort
one birds now are all able to fly. |
July
29 |
Cohort
3 chicks (#824, 826, 827, 828, 829, 830) arrive in Wisconsin. As they
bid them farewell from Maryland, trainer Barb said, "Over the
past week Brian and I have worked constantly on this little social
group. Over the last few days we have actually been able to train
all the chicks together and have them all in one pen together at the
pond for the day. We still do not trust them together overnight."
This is the latest date chicks have been shipped to Wisconsin.
(Shipment of these youngest chicks was postponed as the group needed
more time to learn to get along together.) |
July
28 |
Chick
#816 from cohort 2 was put on a plane and sent back to Maryland because
of a wing abnormality noticed soon after his arrival at Necedah. He
will become a captive breeder at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. |
July
9 |
Cohort
2 chicks (#812, 813, 814, 818, 819) arrived in Wisconsin today.
They were flown in a private plane (thanks to Windway Capital Corp.)
from Maryland. Today #811, one of the chicks hurt in an attack by
chick #810 on their second day at Necedah, was moved from cohort
1 to join the friendlier birds in cohort 2.
Photo Operation Migration |
|
June
27 |
Today
aggressive chick #810 attacked three other chicks in the newly arrived
cohort at Necedah. The hurt birds were treated at ICF. When chick
#807 died, its sibling (#809) became even more valuable as the only
living offspring of its captive parents. The chick was now too genetically
important to risk in the wild, so was flown back to Maryland to live
and breed safely in captivity. |
Chick #809
Photo Brian Clauss, PWRC |
June
25 |
Cohort
1, the oldest group (#803, 804, 805, 810, 811),
left Patuxent WRC aboard a private plane and arrived a few hours
later at Wisconsin's Necedah National Wildlife Refuge for "flight
school." |
May
6 |
The
first chick for the 2008 ultralight flock began hatching at Maryland's
Patuxent WRC.
Chicks start Ground
School training with the trike (without its wing) when they are
just a few days old. |