ID3 Q]TYER 2009-11-30T07:07:55-05:00PRIV XMP
USLT l eng O n e o f m y f a v o r i t e a u t u m n r i t u a l s i s t o h e a d o v e r t o t h e O p e r a t i o n M i g r a t i o n w e b s i t e e v e r y m o r n i n g t o s e e w h a t s h a p p e n i n g w i t h t h e y o u n g W h o o p i n g C r a n e s t h a t a r e m a k i n g t h e i r f i r s t m i g r a t i o n , f o l l o w i n g a n U l t r a l i g h t a i r c r a f t f r o m W i s c o n s i n t o F l o r i d a . I n r e c e n t y e a r s , t h e w e a t h e r h a s p r e s e n t e d a l l k i n d s o f d i f f i c u l t i e s , a n d t h i s y e a r i s s a d l y f o l l o w i n g t h e p a t t e r n , b u t t h e t e n a c i t y o f b o t h t h e c r a n e s a n d t h e p e o p l e l e a d i n g t h e m i s i n s p i r i n g , a n d t h e f a c t t h a t o n e p a i r o f o l d e r W h o o p i n g C r a n e s f r o m t h i s f l o c k s u c c e s s f u l l y r a i s e d a c h i c k t o a d u l t h o o d a n d s e v e r a l o t h e r p a i r s h a v e f o r m e d a n d w o u l d h a v e s u c c e e d e d i n n e s t i n g i f n o t f o r e x c e p t i o n a l p r o b l e m s w i t h b l a c k f l i e s m a k e s t h e p r o g n o s i s e x c e l l e n t f o r u l t i m a t e s u c c e s s i n e s t a b l i s h i n g a w i l d , s e l f - s u s t a i n i n g n e w f l o c k o f t h i s c r i t i c a l l y e n d a n g e r e d b i r d .
T h i s r e i n t r o d u c t i o n p r o j e c t d e p e n d s o n a n i n t e r e s t i n g p h e n o m e n o n . C r a n e s , l i k e g e e s e a n d s w a n s , d o n t h a v e a m i g r a t o r y r o u t e p r o g r a m m e d i n t o t h e i r b r a i n s b e f o r e h a t c h i n g ; r a t h e r , t h e y l e a r n t h e i r r o u t e b y f o l l o w i n g t h e i r p a r e n t s d u r i n g t h e i r f i r s t a u t u m n m i g r a t i o n . T h e y r e m a i n w i t h t h e i r p a r e n t s t h r o u g h t h e w i n t e r , t o o , n o t s e p a r a t i n g u n t i l s p r i n g h o r m o n e s s u r g e , m a k i n g t h e p a r e n t s r u s h n o r t h w i t h o u t t h e m . T h e y o u n g W h o o p i n g C r a n e s i n t r o d u c e d b y O p e r a t i o n M i g r a t i o n w e r e h a t c h e d i n c a p t i v i t y , a n d r a i s e d n o t b y h u m a n - l o o k i n g p e o p l e b u t b y t r a i n e r s w e a r i n g c r a n e c o s t u m e s a n d b e a r i n g a n e x c e p t i o n a l l y r e a l i s t i c - l o o k i n g a n d l i f e - s i z e d W h o o p i n g C r a n e h e a d p u p p e t . T h e t r a i n e r h a s a c o n t r o l l e r t o p l a y r e c o r d i n g s o f w i l d W h o o p i n g C r a n e v o c a l i z a t i o n s i n t h e r i g h t c o n t e x t s , t o o . T h e y o u n g c r a n e s a r e i m p r i n t e d o n t h e s e p u p p e t c r a n e s , a n d w h e n t h e y b e g i n t o f l y , f o l l o w a p u p p e t - b e a r i n g c o s t u m e d t r a i n e r w h o i s f l y i n g a n U l t r a l i g h t a i r c r a f t . C o m e m i g r a t i o n , t h e c r a n e s f o l l o w t h e a i r c r a f t a l o n g a c a r e f u l l y p l a n n e d r o u t e .
W i l d , n a t u r a l l y r a i s e d W h o o p i n g C r a n e s m i g r a t e o n l y w h e n w e a t h e r c o n d i t i o n s a r e p e r f e c t , a n d c a n c o v e r h u n d r e d s o f m i l e s i n a s i n g l e d a y b y r i d i n g t h e r m a l a i r c u r r e n t s t o k e e p t h e m v e r y h i g h a l o f t . B e t w e e n t h e r m a l s t h e y g l i d e , m i n i m i z i n g t h e e n e r g y t h e y m u s t e x p e n d . T h i s i s s u c h a n a t u r a l b e h a v i o r t h a t t h e U l t r a l i g h t c r a n e s a d o p t i t a l l b y t h e m s e l v e s w h e n t h e y m a k e t h e i r r e t u r n t r i p t o W i s c o n s i n t h e n e x t s p r i n g , a n d e v e r y m i g r a t i o n a f t e r t h a t . B u t U l t r a l i g h t s c a n t r i d e t h e r m a l s , s o o n t h e i r v e r y f i r s t m i g r a t i o n , t h e y m u s t f l a p t h e w h o l e w a y a t a m u c h l o w e r a l t i t u d e . T h e r o u t e m u s t a v o i d b i g c i t i e s a n d a l s o a r e a s w i t h w o r s e t h a n a v e r a g e w e a t h e r p a t t e r n s . T h e f i r s t f e w s t o p s a r e c l o s e t o o n e a n o t h e r , a s t h e c r a n e s b u i l d u p t h e i r e n d u r a n c e . A r r a n g e m e n t s m u s t b e m a d e w i t h l a n d o w n e r s a n d t h e F A A w e l l a h e a d o f t i m e , s o t h e r e i s v i r t u a l l y n o f l e x i b i l i t y i n w h e r e t h e b i r d s c a n s t o p i f s u d d e n b a d w e a t h e r a p p e a r s . S o c o n d i t i o n s m u s t b e i d e a l f o r t h e b i r d s t o t a k e o f f o n a n y g i v e n m o r n i n g .
T h i s y e a r s m i g r a t i o n w a s s c h e d u l e d t o s t a r t o n O c t o b e r 1 0 t h , b u t p o o r w e a t h e r d e l a y e d t h e c r a n e s t r a i n i n g , a n d t h e b i r d s d i d n t t a k e o f f u n t i l O c t o b e r 1 6 . T h e y v e h a d a l o t o f d e l a y s , s o a s o f N o v e m b e r 2 9 , t h e y v e o n l y m a d e i t t o P i a t t C o u n t y , I l l i n o i s , j u s t u n d e r 2 9 5 m i l e s f r o m t h e i r s t a r t i n g p o i n t a n d s t i l l a l o n g w a y f r o m t h e i r F l o r i d a d e s t i n a t i o n . A g o o d s t r e a k o f w e a t h e r m a y h e l p , b u t f r o m d a y t o d a y w e n e v e r k n o w w h a t w i l l h a p p e n u n t i l i t d o e s . F o r t u n a t e l y , w e c a n o f t e n s e e e x a c t l y w h a t s h a p p e n i n g a s i t h a p p e n s a t t h e o p e r a t i o n m i g r a t i o n . o r g w e b s i t e t h e y h a v e b o t h a f i e l d j o u r n a l w h i c h i s u p d a t e d a t l e a s t o n c e d a i l y A N D a c r a n e c a m , s o w e c a n a c t u a l l y w a t c h , i n t h e c o m f o r t o f o u r o w n h o m e o r o f f i c e , t h a t d a y s t a k e o f f . I t s a d d i c t i n g . O p e r a t i o n M i g r a t i o n s d e d i c a t i o n a n d t h e s u c c e s s e s t h e y v e a l r e a d y h a d m a k e t h i s e n d a n g e r e d s p e c i e s p r o j e c t e x t r e m e l y p r o m i s i n g , a n d w e l l - d e s e r v i n g o f o u r s u p p o r t a n d i n t e r e s t .
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