October 30, 2003 Day 15 Grounded by Winds No flying today. It's sunny and warm in Boone County, Indiana, with strong winds blowing from the south. A warning was issued for low-level wind sheer, so the cranes and crew are standing down. Meanwhile, at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Tom Stehn took another aerial census yesterday. He now estimates the number of whooping cranes present at 45 adults + 4 young = 49 total. The Lobstick adult pair was reported at Aransas on October 25th, just 8 days after leaving Saskatchewan. This pair has 2 chicks with them, the first set of "twins" to make it to Aransas since 1997. About 75 percent of the the only remaining natural wild flock of whoopers is still migrating. Stay tuned! Top nets for the cranes' travel enclosure, bundled and ready to move. Try This! Journaling Questions Did you figure out the mystery photo (at right) shown in the October 25 report? Did you make a tally mark for another no-fly day on your migration chart? Operation Migration's Heather Ray made a helpful chart with day-by-day comparisons for all three migrations. Look at Heather's chart (thanks, Heather!) and answer these questions: 1. The stopover at Hiwassee NWR in Tennessee marks halfway for the journey south. How many stopover sites remain before this year's cranes reach Hiwassee? 2. If they fly tomorrow and every day after that, what's the earliest date they could reach Hiwassee? Looking at the number of no-fly days between Boone County and Hiwassee in past years, how likely are this year's birds to reach halfway faster than the 2001 and 2002 migrations did? 3. Write a sentence that compares this year's migrations to the past two.   Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure made possible by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP). Copyright 2003-2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form