Another Take-off & Turn-back (+0 Miles)
October 22, 2010: Migration Day 13


Photo Operation Migration

The pilots took off to calm conditions on the ground but met with strong winds aloft. It was SO windy that their speed was down to 19 miles per hour! That's way too tiring for the birds. They called it an exercise day and landed again. Even with a healed-up wing, crane #2-10 showed little interest in following the trike. Pilot Brooke had hoped to work with #2-10 today, but that didn't work out. Still, it's been a week of great progress for the birds and the team!

Wild Whoopers and Fall Migration
Where are the older birds in the reintroduced Eastern Flock? Tracker Eva reports: "The birds seem to be getting a little restless and a lot of the adults are using fields off the refuge now. There are still a lot of standing corn fields though, so not all the birds have started to leave yet. The family with W1-10 stayed off refuge for nearly two weeks before they just recently returned."

And what's the news about the only remaining natural flock of migratory whoopers? They're on their way from Canada to Texas. The field office in Grand Island, Nebraska has not received any confirmed reports from SD, NE, KS or TX. Several probable reports have come from from ND, and a few unconfirmed reports from ND, NE, MT and TX. On average, the arrival date of cranes at Aransas occurs around 16 Oct., so the migration is progressing roughly a week or so behind.

In the Classroom: Journal or Discussion

  • (a) The birds have shown they can fly longer and better than they could two weeks ago. What things can YOU do better than you could two weeks ago? Why?
  • (b-for-bonus) If you were on the team, what ideas would you have for helping #2-10 make this migration with the Class of 2010? Remember: The team must also think about possibilities if nothing works.

Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure presented in cooperation with the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).