Whooping Crane Countdown to Journey South 2011
Countdown to Migration: September 16, 2011

On September 11th, crane #1-11 caused a lot of work and worry for the team. Put yourself in Caleb's place as you read his story of a gut-wrenching day. Tackle Craniac Quiz #3 and visit flight school with this week's slideshow.

Today's Report Includes:

Image of the Week
Photo: Doug Pellerin
What happened next?

Orientation & Welcome
to New Participants

Chick Chat: Caleb's Story

The cranes are making progress but the week got off to a rocky start for one crane. Intern Caleb reports this week's big story. "While attempting to lead #1-11 through the marsh, I tripped, dropped my phone in a pool, and lost my helmet. On seeing my exposed face, an already swamp-monster-spooked bird took off." You won't want to miss Caleb's gripping story to find out what happened:


Meet Caleb Fairfax

Journal: What Do You Think?  Journey South Journal

Lost in dense thickets of a marsh, Caleb stayed with an injured bird for over four hours. You read his story above. Think about his day and choose one of these questions for this week's journal entry:

  • Why was Caleb worried when his helmet was knocked off as he fell?
  • Why did Caleb text for help instead of phoning?
  • What would YOU have done if you were Caleb?
Meet the Flock: Crane Quiz #3 Print the Quiz 

How do the antics of the chicks give us reasons to laugh as well as to worry? Find out when you click on each photo to find the chick's bio page:

While you're on the bio pages, search for answers to this week's quiz questions:

Slideshow: "Off to Flight School: Finding Their Wings"

Why are the chicks shipped all the way to Wisconsin after they hatch in Maryland? What are two reasons why they must arrive in Wisconsin before they learn to fly?

For answers, view this week's story as a Web slideshow or click on the matching booklet to print, fold, and take home to share.



Teaching Suggestions

Countdown to Migration: Friday Updates Bookmark the Whooping Crane Home Page

Target Departure: October 1! (Subject to change)

Pre-migration: Each Friday before migration, a brief e-mail notice provides the weekly summary,quiz questions, and the next slideshow to prepare you for migration.

During migration: When migration begins in October, new reports, maps, and fun facts are posted DAILY on the web. The Friday e-mails are quick summaries of the reports from that week. Stay with us for year 11 of this exciting conservation story!

Orientation & Welcome to New Participants



Watch morning flight school (about 7 or 7:30 CDT), or watch the crane-kids forage and poke in the mud or splash and flap in their pond. Operation Migration's CraneCam lets us see it all!

We'll be back with more news next Friday: September 23, 2011.
More Whooping Crane Lessons and Teaching Ideas!