August 1, 2001 Swamp Monster is Born Swamp monster Photo courtesy Heather Ray Operation Migration The birds have minds of their own! A few times the birds following the airborne trike during flight training decided to land in the wetland area adjacent their pen, instead of landing with the aircraft back at the starting point. To stop this before it becomes habit, the "swamp-monster" was born. This meant that either Dan Sprague or Deke Clark, cloaked in a camouflage tarpaulin, would be stationed in the wetland. Once lead pilot Joe is airborne with the birds, the swamp monster watches to see if any of the cranes might have plans to land in the marsh. If so, the swamp-monster then rises noisily up from its hiding place and quickly convinces the young birds to stick to the original flight plan instead! Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure made possible by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership. Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form