Whooping Crane

Fly Away Home—and Beyond
Video Summary Created by Heather Ray of Operation Migration
Have you seen the 1996 film Fly Away Home? If so, you already know a bit about the beginnings of Operation Migration.

Click on the image to see some clips from Fly Away Home and other highlights of the experiment that led to the first human-led migration of an endangered species: the 2001 migration to start the new Eastern flock. (The clip shows the Canada geese flying with the ultralight flight in Fly Away Home. You'll also see glimpses of the hatching, training, and first migration of the Hatch Year 2001 Whooping crane chicks.)


Clips from Fly Away Home—and Beyond
(6 minutes)

Fun facts from Heather Ray, who created this video:

  • The music is "10,000 Miles" sung by Mary Chapin-Carpenter.
  • Joe Duff and Bill Lishman were the first ever to fly ultralight aircraft across the width of Lake Ontario. Joe doesn't swim. They wore float suits, just in case — but you'll also notice a "chase boat" below them in one shot.
  • The city over which the geese are flying is supposed to be downtown Toronto; however, this shot was digitally created for the movie. The guys never actually led the geese through Toronto, the largest city in Canada.
  • The shot of the two little girls in bathing suits near the beginning is Anna Paquin (Amy in the film) and Carmen (Bill Lishman's daughter). They were the same age when the filming occurred and they spent a lot of leisure time together.
  • The early aircraft shots are of Bill in the “Easy Riser.” He crashed many times before he figured it out!

 

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