St.
Marks 7 Complete Migration!
(+ 28 Miles)
January 17, 2009: Migration Day 82
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Look!
Over
2,000 people waited very patiently in the chilly
temperatures for St. Marks NWR's first-ever Whooping
cranes to fly overhead. As
they passed over the obediently silent, thrilled crowd at
the flyover celebration, Heather said the birds didn't
flap at all. "They
simply
glided by, riding
the vortices
created by the wing of the aircraft."
Photo
Joe Duff, Operation Migration
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The
St. Marks Seven (805, 812, 813, 826, 828, 829 and 830) are home!
Pilot Richard launched their final flight with the ultralight
on a clear, chilly day. But the birds gave Richard
a tough contest. They showed some independence by trying at least
twice to break away instead of following. They even managed
to get the flight path about 10 miles off course
to the east! But Richard and his 'wingmen' (Joe, Brooke, and Chris)
were expert air shepherds. They got the birds over the heads of
the excited crowd waiting to welcome and offer sanctuary
to some of North America's
most
beautiful
and
most
endangered
birds. Migration complete at 1113 miles. Hooray!
On this Arrival Day:
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Today's
Journal Questions:
(a
) For a few days
the
seven birds at St. Marks will be
in a smaller pen inside their big
pen. Why?
Find out.
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(b-for-bonus It
took the work of dozens and dozens
of hardworking people to make this
joyous day happen. You may be
surprised to know all the effort
behind it. Hundreds of workers
included a work crew from the
prison. The men slogged through
the
dense underbrush
in the heat of the summer to carve
out the half-mile foot
path to the pen
so the winter monitoring staff
can now reach the pen and check
the birds and their food and
water. For what do you, or
would you be willing to, volunteer
your time and efforts? Why do
people volunteer? What would
you say to all the volunteers
who help the Operation Migration
team all along the migration?
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Journey
North is pleased to feature this educational adventure presented in
cooperation with the Whooping
Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).
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