Week six finally brought three fly days and 171 miles gained—and quirky stories. November 7, Day 39 of the migration, began by boxing up #2-15 before take-off. The pilots suspected her shenanigans (trying to lead the aircraft) were distracting the rest of the cohort. Maybe it was #2's absence, or her calls and peeps from inside the box, or the 12 long days they had been grounded, or the rough air. Whatever the cause, the other five wouldn't climb or even follow. In the end, Crane #2 was released for a try, and she became the only bird to fly the entire 57 miles to LaSalle County, Illinois! Joe had no luck getting the other five to take off with him, and was surprised to see #1 threat-posturing the aircraft. She and the other four birds completely ignored the trike, so they were boxed and driven to LaSalle County, Illinois. The next day the team tried again. This time #1 was boxed and the rest flew to Livingston County, #2 with Joe and getting his lesson in letting the plane be dominant, and the other four led by Brooke after they turned back and landed from Joe's take-off. That brings us to today: All six were in the air again, adding 59 miles to start the week in Piatt County, IL. Whew, and Whoop!

Meanwhile, the adult Whooping Cranes are starting to move around and stage in preparation for their fall migration, with one pair already seen in Indiana. The DAR colts were released on the night of November 3. It's a good time to see updated bio pages on each bird in the Class of 2015. Join us next Monday for our weekly progress summary, and find daily updates and video cams at Operation Migration.

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