LOST!

Spring 2004: While returning to Wisconsin from Florida on their first journey north, cranes #301, #309 and #318 got off course. The one-year-olds became lost. Where did they go?


Summer 2004 in Michigan
They ended up on the east side of Lake Michigan. Due to the prevailing winds, Lake Michigan acted as a barrier; the birds never successfully reached Wisconsin. Instead, they spent the summer in Michigan.

Winter 2004-05 in South Carolina
In fall of 2004, the three birds left Michigan on migration. Did they go back to Florida, where the ultralights had led them a year earlier?

No.They traveled southeast into Ohio, and next to the Atlantic coast in South Carolina. They followed a migratory route parallel to the route they followed when they followed the ultralight on their first journey south—but 200 miles too far east. They ended up in North Carolina for the winter of 2004-2005.

Spring 2005: Lost Again!
Come spring 2005, they set out on their second journey north. This time they ended up in Canada. What will happen next? They need to get home to the eastern flock's nesting grounds in Wisconsin!

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Back to Spring 2005: Three Cranes Lose Their Way

WHAT NEXT? You'll always find latest news about #301, #309 and #318 in our life story pages for the HY 2003 cranes.


Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure made possible by the
Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).