Personality and Training:

Quill (68-15) is fondly called ‘Lil Quill. Beloved by all her costumed caretakers, was the last to hatch and is the youngest of the cohort. As a chick, she just wanted to make friends with all the other chicks but was—more often than not—chased away. She loves to stick close to the costumes, however, sometimes she follows TOO close! She’s also loves to dance and run laps around the ponds.

She was banded Oct. 21. On November 3 the DAR colts were not put back in the pen and were allowed to come and go as they pleased. This was their release to freedom and wildness. They soon were flying and hanging out with sandhills and adult whooper, #18-11.

Fall 2015: Crane 68-14*DAR was was spotted in a flock of about 100 Sandhill cranes at/near Horicon marsh in Dodge County, Wisconsin on Nov. 25.  Her other six Direct Autumn Release cohort mates were nearby, but were all with parent-reared female #27-14 (who successfully migrated south to Kentucky last year). DAR #68-15 was tracked in southern Wisconsin with a large group of sandhill cranes in mid December. On January 16, 2016, she was verified near Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Area in Indiana.