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For those of you interested, here is the link for the migration of this year's (HY) whooping cranes that they are trying to get to follow the ultra-light from Wisconsin to Florida. This is the same folks from Liz's link last year. They are having some difficulty with windy conditions and it appears the birds may not have much wing going power.

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/ ... ights.html

Thanks Birdie....I'd forgotten about them. Here's the link for the live webcam: http://www.operationmigration.org/crane-cam.html

Cool! Sending on to my grandaughter, she loves this stuff. Thanks!

Thanks.

Birdie, I am not familiar with this - why do they have the ultra-light? Is it for a certain path for them to follow or do they not fly south soon enough? It seems so strange that they would follow the plane..I guess it look like their leader. I would love to see that!

Carol Brewsterivy

Good question Carol. These birds were 'lab hatched'. As such they don't have whooping crane parents to teach them. That is why the 'people' are disguised. While young, all birds will normally pattern after their parents - real or other. So they don't have the experience of knowing how to fly to their wintering grounds. In addition, add to that these birds are being 'trained' to go to a different wintering ground. With most all of the whoopers being concentrated in one place it makes them highly susceptible to wipe out. The oil well blow up in the gulf that devastated LA and MS is a prime example. Had that occurred and the food source destroyed for the whooping cranes that winter in TX gulf coast only, (which is 99.9% of the existing birds) they might have been wiped out. As it is they lost 22 birds last year as a result of the drought conditions here in TX which caused a lot of downstream problems. The state of Texas is currently being sued for contributing to the death of those birds. Long story, but the farmers got the water and the birds died.

So all that being said, there are attempts to re-introduce a migrating flock of whooping cranes to both Florida and Louisiana. Florida has some resident flocks of small numbers, but some of them were killed by either a tornado or hurricane within the last two or three years. To train them to fly they use the ultra light because it is small and though you and I know it isn't a crane they will follow it. Training them to fly long distances, 4 or 500 miles a day is the big challenge in addition to the 'nature problem of winds' that they are facing. So all in all a very worthwhile and interesting project. Think of it as the 'peregrine falcon' project for 'whooping crane' survival.

The normal migration of the whooping cranes is from Canada down the mid-west flyway to Port Aransas Wildlife Refuge area for the majority of the birds. They keep a very close eye on those birds and report them by family groups as they migrate. They should be about ready to start as they are normally on their winter territories by Thanksgiving. They don't flock like ducks and geese, they go as family groups only. So that is anywhere from 2 to 4 in a flock. The young 3rd year and sometimes 2nd year birds come a week or so after they adults and HY (hatch year) birds leave. After they arrive they are then surveyed by plane every week as to what family is where and are they all still alive.

The March 2012 Mustang Island GTG could go out to see the Whooping Cranes. They have boats that make the trip out and Capt. Tommy knows all the birds and where they are likely to be. It is just way, way, way cool to see those birds that were near extinction.

I think I saw on the news lately that a couple of teenagers were arrested for shooting a Whooping Crane around here. Why someone would want to shoot them is beyond me. I guess the same reason the idiots shoot road signs.

Martha

Thank you Birdie....fascinating explanation. I guess we just think that flight patterns are natural but I guess there are learned family patterns in all of us. I would love to see something like that...have to google Mustang Island and see where it is...

Acadianmom - I agree that the killing is just horrible. A few years ago some dumb kids shot and killed some of the wild horses on the Outer Banks of NC. They did it for "fun". How cruel can they be.

Carol Brewsterivy

Birdie wrote:
The March 2012 Mustang Island GTG could go out to see the Whooping Cranes. They have boats that make the trip out and Capt. Tommy knows all the birds and where they are likely to be. It is just way, way, way cool to see those birds that were near extinction.

That would be really neat. They do a fly over at the Dunnellon, FL airport on the way to the wintering grounds, but I have never managed to time it right to go see them.

I'm definitely in for that trip in March if it's doable. Would love to do that.

Here's something for the Florida Birders:


Centered at the Prairie Creek Lodge and Paynes Prairie State Park
in Gainesville, Florida
Witness nature's greatest pageantry!
Join us for the inaugural Florida Crane and Nature Festival. 
 
Partnering with the Alachua Conservation Trust, a one day event will celebrate the wintering Northern Harriers, Wood Stork and more than 100 species of birds and other animals that call Alachua County a second home.
 
Enjoy guided birdwatching treks with seasoned leaders.
Visit the region's finest wild places.
Hike wild trails filled with alligators, bison and wild horses. 
Enjoy sumptuous meals!
Wonderful speakers will inspire you.
Guided nature tours and bird-watching walks are part of a day dedicated to a diversity of birds, wildlife lands and scenic vistas offered by the Florida Crane and Nature Festival.
When: January 14, 2012 
Where: Gainesville, Florida
Price: $60
Contact: Lauraine Lynch,
Program Coordinatior, 352-378-8823 ext. 7005
E-mail: llynch@floridatrail.org

Note: these are sand-hill cranes, not whooping cranes, but ya never know what might show up on the prairie.

Oh, Liz, shame on you. I'd love to be there....but it ain't gonna happen this time.

As for the March GTG and a possible trip, it is certainly doable. He, Capt. Tommy, normally runs a morning and afternoon trip depending on what's happening weather-wise and bird-wise. If the organizer's want to do that as a trip it would be fun.

Birdie wrote:Oh, Liz, shame on you. I'd love to be there....but it ain't gonna happen this time.

As for the March GTG and a possible trip, it is certainly doable. He, Capt. Tommy, normally runs a morning and afternoon trip depending on what's happening weather-wise and bird-wise. If the organizer's want to do that as a trip it would be fun.

Do you have his (Capt Tommy') contact info. I can pass it on to Bob and Pete. If they don't want to do it, I do - I have been out on the water there many, many times, but haven't done that trip.

The cranes are finally making some progress! Yea!

how fascinating, thats for all that explanation, now off to view the link