Another Detour Flown
(+5 Miles)
Migration progress, but just a little. The cranes thrilled us by taking off and following the pilots. Hopes rose, but a long and frustrating rodeo dashed them. In the end, five birds gained 5 miles toward the next planned stopover—but it ended when they quit and landed in Alabama's Winston County. Meanwhile, the other four birds flew, turned back, flew again, turned back again—until finally the pilots were able to lead them back to the very pen site they left this morning. What to do? You guessed it: The team crated and trucked those four from Franklin County to join the others at this migration's second unplanned stop in Alabama. All are safe, with a total of 746 miles behind them. They can do it! They just need to get back on the plan — with the right weather. * The team at Operation Migration marked the end of the stand-down period of the 2011-2012 migration and re-started the "migration clock" on January 13, with Migration Day 75.
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