Progress
Again Today! (+ 58 Miles)
December 30, 2008: Migration Day 64
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Yesterday Richard
captured this shot of the birds landing in Walker County,
Alabama. Today they're out of there, and on to Chilton County,
Alabama!
Photo
Richard van Heuvelen, Operation
Migration
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They've
come 755 miles, and today they are flying for the second day in
a row. Chris Gullikson took off with 10 of the 14 crane-kids
while the ground crew was coaxing the last four out of the pen.
Then came rodeo 1: It took a few circles to get all the
birds
up
and underway today. Rodeo 2: Viewers watching 2 miles south of
the pensite several saw the birds break off Chris's plane as Brooke
picked up all but one of the rest.
Richard
chased down that one and got the bird on his wing. Rodeo 3: Right
over the craniacs who came to watch, Richard drop his one bird
off to Chris, who then had 7. Brooke was right
there with the other seven. Now Richard was left free to fly in
the chase position just in case any others broke off or dropped
out
along the way. They reached Chilton
County, Alabama in one hour and 50 minutes of flying. They've gone
813 miles toward the journey's end!
In
the Classroom:
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Today's
Journal Questions:
(a)
How
many stopovers now
remain between here and the staging
area (migration gathering
area) in Jefferson County, FL?
(That is where the team will split
the Class of 2008 into two groups
of seven birds each — the
first split in the project's history.
The pilots will lead seven to their
new wintering grounds on the St.
Marks National Wildlife Refuge
and then return to the Jefferson
County staging area. They will
depart with the other 7 crane-kids
on the next flyable day. This group stops in
Florida's Madison and Gilchrist
Counties before reaching Marion
County and the Arrival Flyover
event at the Dunnellon Airport.
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(b-for-bonus) This
morning Liz reported, "The temp is nice and
cold at 31 F. . ." Why is this a good thing
for the birds during migration? How do you think
the pilots feel about the cold temps? For more,
see: Why
is Cool Air Best? and Brrrrr!
It's COLD Up There.
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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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