Whoop whoop! The Class of 2015 and their aircraft guides took off on the birds' first journey south this morning! They landed in Green Lake County, Wisconsin, with the first five miles behind them. This sensational six could have flown longer, but the team starts them slowly for good reasons: The short distance gets them into unfamiliar territory so they'll pay close attention to their aircraft leaders, and it wasn't so long they got tired or discouraged. Young and trusting, the birds will follow the aircraft because of their instinct to stay with what they think is their family unit and they have have been exposed to these planes and costumes since hatching. Join us Mondays throughout migration for weekly progress summaries.

Operation Migration