Countdown
to Migration: September 29, 2006
Chick Chat:
All Chicks Now in One Group
All eighteen birds are not only living in one pen,
but finally training together as migration gets closer. This
week brought the first flight of the combined cohorts, with
pilot Chris leading a long string of birds. “I rolled
up to the pen doors, turned on my loudspeaker to broadcast
the brood call, and gave Marie and Robert the
thumbs
up signal. They swung open the pen doors and the birds stampeded
out onto the runway looking very excited to get underway.” What
happened next? Chris tells about flight school on September
25: Eighteen
Birds Train Together
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Team
members are taking turns for their last home visits before
migration starts. Three members of the First Family
are back on their Wisconsin territory, fattening up for
migration. But the other chick is still missing. Click here to
see a photo of the banded female chick on the latest pages
in the First Family’s
story. What else do we now know about the new flock's first
wild chick?
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Update Your Training Timeline
You
can add “all three cohorts training together” to
your own timeline for the newest members of the Eastern
flock. The chicks "are now are as tall or taller than me
when they lift their beaks up high," says Laurie, one
of their favorite costumed crane handlers. See milestones
and key events (with links to the latest photo
stories):
Laurie stands by a life-size crane adult and chick display.
>>
Photo Wayne Kryduba
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Meet the
Flock: Getting to Know the Cranes
We've updated some of the chick’s stories again after
talking with the pilots and trainers. You'll find this year's photos
and life stories here:
Crane
Quiz #4
While you're on the biography pages, look for some answers. Dig into four
new questions in Crane Quiz #4 as you meet the flock:
This
Week's Booklet to Build Background Knowledge: "Life
at Camp O.M."
What important lessons are the chicks learning in flight
school at Camp O.M.? (O.M. stands for Operation Migration, the folks
who lead the cranes south with pilots and ultralight airplanes.)
Do the chicks get report cards? (Yes!) What is a training session
like?
Find answers in the fourth kids' booklet in our series of six. Each
booklet comes in PDF format ready to print, fold, and enjoy. Each
comes with a Teacher Guide (with lesson links) and also a booklet
slide-show format to view on the Web. Plan on two more booklets to
build background for the upcoming migration.
Reminder:
Join Students MOBIL-ize the Migration: Gas Money for the
Cranes
Students
at Kennedy Montessori School in Louisville, Kentucky are in high
gear. They have an idea to
help fill the gas tanks of the
ultralight planes. How? They wrote letters and folded paper cranes
and mailed them to the leader of ExxonMobil. They chose ExxonMobil
because this corporation has what it takes—gasoline—to
get the crane-kids to Florida. We share photos of these terrific
students
and their work in the hopes that classrooms everywhere will quickly
add their own letters and paper cranes. Can everyone working together
convince EXXON to MOBIL-ize the migration? Kids can speak out for
a cause they believe in. Find
details here to join the campaign.
Countdown
to Migration: Posted
Every Friday
E-mail
Summaries are posted to registered participants on FRIDAYS: Sep 1,
8, 15, 22, 29; Oct 6, 13, 20, 27; Nov. 3, 10, 17. . .or until this
year's newest
Eastern whooper chicks reach their winter home in Florida!
Pre-migration: Each
Friday, a brief e-mail notice gives current newsy tidbits and announces
a downloadable booklet for building background.
During migration: When migration begins (target date
is now October 5), the Friday
e-mails will summarize the DAILY Highlight Updates that were posted
daily on
the
Web during
the week. You'll
want to go to the Web for the latest
maps, facts, photos, and fun)
See
You Next Friday, October 6. Will migration 2006 be underway?
Copyright
2006 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all
questions, comments, and suggestions to our Feedback
Form.
Journey
North is pleased to feature this educational adventure presented
in cooperation with the Whooping
Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).
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