Whooping Crane

Onward! (+55 Miles ) November 18, 2008: Migration Day 33 Chris heads for LaSalle County with 14 birds! Photo Heather Ray Goodbye, Winnebago County! With Chris as lead pilot, today they finally took off for LaSalle County, Illinois. "Knowing we had to climb through turbulence and had a long flight ahead of us, it was best to break the group up a bit. I had 5 birds solidly on my wing, with others still strung out behind me. So I continued south with 5 birds, and let Brooke, Joe, and Richard pick up the rest. I listened on the radio as the other three pilots performed their rodeo around the pen. Richard eventually got away with one and Brooke with three. Joe finally got his five to leave with the help of John disguised as a Swamp Monster and blowing an air horn," reported Chris. The pen, birds, planes, and all the RVs and vehicles made it to stopover six at last. Wonderful work! See Directions to Flyover Viewing Opportunity when they leave LaSalle County! Will it be tomorrow? >> Migration Underway for Other Whoopers Too! Do you wonder what the other members of the new Eastern flock are doing? The season's first to go were 9 adult whoopers that began migration November 15. Another 14 whoopers departed November 17, and five left today. They included male #216 traveling with four of the 2008 DAR (Direct Autumn Release) chicks! Will he continue as their guide and teacher on their first migration? The bio pages for all 74 cranes in the flock are kept updated as news arrives. (Scroll to the bottom for the most recent news; you can access ALL the Eastern flock's hatch years at the bottom of the Class of 2008's page.)   In the Classroom Today's Journal Questions: (a) How many miles of the 1285-mile journey have they now completed? Click on "Data" under the map to calculate how many days the birds were grounded in Winnebago County. What did you notice about the their behavior on take-off both yesterday and today? Why do you think that happened? (Map|Data) (b-for-bonus) Fill in the chart by clicking on "News" on the Navigation Bar at the top of this page: Click on report dates listed to complete the chart with miles gained. What do you notice about the distances traveled with each flight? What is the average number of miles traveled per day so far? What needs to happen for this amount to increase? Date Miles Gained Oct. 17   Oct. 21   Oct. 28   Oct. 29   Nov. 10   Nov. 18   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.