Migration Highlights
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|
| Target
date for departure |
October 8, 2011
|
| Actual
date of departure |
October 9, 2011
|
| Number
of birds on departure date |
10
|
| Number
of birds surviving fall migration |
10 (incl. now-wild #2) |
| Date
migration ends |
February 4, 2012 |
| Total days of fall migration |
119 (see NOTES) |
| Total
miles flown |
707 (Cut short; see NOTES) |
| Days
on Wintering Grounds (Wheeler NWR, not the planned destination in Florida) |
69 (April 12, 2012 departure) i |
| Number
of birds surviving spring migration |
i 10* |
NOTES
- For the first time since ultralight-led migration began in 2001, the migration was cut short and halted when the birds themselves decided in Alabama that they were done migrating. They finished the migration by road, being transported to winter at Alabama's Wheeler NWR—and NOT in Florida as planned. It was 119 days after the young cranes departed Wisconsin.
- *For the first time since ultralight-led migration began, one of the birds (#2-11) got away and joined a wild flock of sandhill cranes. She successfully completed fall migration by following them to Florida.
- This ultralight-led migration became the longest up until then, due to many weather delays as well as a time out for the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) to investigate and grant a waiver for Operation Migration pilots to fly this type of aircraft.
- On average, the first five ultralight-led migrations took 55 days from
start to finish. By comparison, the second five fall journeys averaged
85 days, the equivalent of an extra month. The trend toward ever-longer migrations is continuing.
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