AFTER January 1, 2009... please go to http://www.whoopingcranes.net/

The weather still grounds the birds and OM team as they pass the halfway mark through Alabama. Florida is very close, and St. Mark's NWR will be the first of the 2 destinations the birds will have this winter. Two groups of 7 chicks, with 2 females each and some sort of logical sort will be used. So far we haven't heard exactly how they will do this, but it will involve behavior and their social interaction.

I talked briefly with one of the rangers at St. Marks, who is making preparations for the flyover, hopefully the end of next week. I caught Joe Duff at home in Ontario, and he will be heading back to join the team very soon. The holidays are always a stressful time, but the weather and downtime which translate into more expense and time away from families is the real menace the past few years. The new route does afford some safety and also weather advantages, which ultralight pilot Brooke Pennypacker discusses.

To get possible arrival mornings for either flyover, go to http://www.operationmigration.org and check the Field Journal. If you would like to become a MileMaker sponsor and help get the birds to Florida (there are many miles and portions of miles desperately needed, whatever you can do!) please go to http://operationmigration.org/MileMaker2008/SelectMile.php

Happy New Year from Whooper Happenings!

With the weather as bad as it has been across the Midwest, it was inevitable that the team would hit the holidays. Most have gone home to be with their families, but a few remain in North Alabama to stay with the birds and care for them. The migration will resume just before New Year’s, with expectations of making Florida by mid-month. Beverly talks about the birds and this year’s migration, and the real reason the change was made to the migration route.

In case you’ve ever wondered what the birds do with all their ground time, Beverly Paulan’s answer may surprise you! I mean, who knew the young chicks could be so talented!?!

I heard one craniac exclaim as they flew out of sight

‘Gosh, it’s been windy… but they’ll make Florida allright!’

Merry Christmas from WH!

The OM team and their entourage have now arrived at their second stop into Illinois, and will next be at the first new stop on the revised migration route. I talked with OM’s Liz Condie about how the team is doing with so many grounded days. Weather has just not been in their favor many mornings, wind and rain the main issues.

I spoke with Marty Folk about the Whooping cranes that remain as part of the non-migrating flock on the Kissimmee Prairie. The team has decided that no more birds will be released, and none have since 2004. A total of 289 chicks were released between 1993 and 2004! Drought and predation have been the main reasons their numbers have dwindled to only 31 that now remain.

While the OM team was happy to leave Wisconsin, some were not as glad to see them go! They are a part of the daily routine much of the year at Necedah NWR, and refuge manager Larry Wargowsky talks about the birds' training behind the ultralights there, and how visitation at Necedah has grown to where a new visitor center will break ground next year to handle the increased traffic.

If you have a question, write to us at whooperhappenings@earthlink.net  .

Thanks for listening to WH 36!

Chris Gullikson heads for LaSalle County, IL with 5 members of the Class of 2008 on his wing the morning of November 18, 2008. OM Photo by Heather Ray

The Operation Migration team is almost into Illinois at this time, as wind and rain have made for many no-fly days. The highly aggressive bird who 'took out' 3 other flock members this summer... #810, has been released on his own and is doing well with other older Whoopers. He should soon be heading south with his peers or Sandhills, and will likely be in Florida long before the OM team with his flockmates!

We talked with OM's Heather Ray for the first time. Heather goes back to the Sandhill migrations before the costume protocol was even used around the birds. She has been gone almost 3 years, but is on the migration with the team now, and working with the birds.

Also, lead pilot Joe Duff discusses how the birds might be divided when they get to Florida, as half the flock will winter at St. Mark's NWR just south of Tallahassee this year, and the other half at Chassahowitzka, where they have been the last 7 years.

Listen to win a Whooper Happenings t-shirt! No one e-mailed a correct answer to our migration question.. It's an easy one, but we'll take just the first correct answer.

Thanks for listening, and join us again in November.

Our e-mail is whooperhappenings@earthlink.net  .

Early morning flight training at Necedah, NWR, WI. Photo - Mark Chenoweth

AND...

Here's an addition that you must see! If you love these birds, watch the short video that OM's Heather Ray shot on 11/1. Only someone in costume could ever do that, and few are allowed so close to the birds! It's a really cool video... no talking or dialogue, but I bet you will love it, too! Post a comment and thank her for the video after... an 'excellent' rating at the top would also be great! The birds were at their last stop over in Southern Wisconsin.

The Class of '08 Out For Some Exercise...

As the start of migration approaches, things haven't gone as the team would like! Weather issues have led to many down days, and the flight training, so important to get these birds to fly as a flock, has been intermittent. The flock is now down to just 14 birds, since the aggression of #810 forced them to have this bird sent out as a sort of DAR release. This bird injured 3 other birds, ultimately leading to the death of #807, and 809 being sent back to Patuxent for his genetic value, and #811 now a display bird at the Milwaukee Zoo.

Beverly Paulan, Operation Migration's Field Supervisor, talks about 810, and a few others, one of which she calls ‘her favorite’! Beverly loves all the chicks… and the dismissal of #810 was a bittersweet decision for the WCEP team. But his aggression of the other chicks, and the fear of more harmful interaction during migration, forced their hand.

The International Crane Foundation’s Marianne Wellington talks about how her 6 chicks are doing. (This was just before #810 was sent to be released by her team.)

Our winner of the drawing for the new book, ‘Cranes, A Natural History of a Bird in Crisis’ by Janice Hughes was Mary Wollitz-Dooley of Plainfield, Indiana. That beautiful book is on the way to her.

Last but not least… here's a chance to win a Whooper Happenings t-shirt. Just listen for the details.

Thanks for listening to WH #34. Write to us or reply with your answer to whooperhappenings@earthlink.net .

Top photo - Whooper chicks in flight school training at Necedah, WI. Photo - Mark Chenoweth

Bottom photo - Costumed handler with chick #811. Photo - Operation Migration

WIN a copy of Dr. Hughes new book, 'CRANES'It's almost that time of year again... migration is just around the corner! The Operation Migration team has October 17th as the date they want to hit the skies with the 15 chicks they've been training all summer. Joe Duff and Beverly Paulan will talk a little about the new migration route and why the changes were made. More on the new route in the next podcast.

Dr. Janice Hughes is an ornithologist and author from Ontario, and she just published her new book... Cranes: A Natural History of a Bird in Crisis. There is an entire chapter about Operation Migration, and her comprehensive history of cranes, especially Whooping cranes, will hold your interest! Many beautiful photographs, from sources like Operation Migration and the International Crane Foundation, are throughout the book. This book discusses the history and plight of cranes, but in particular Dr. Hughes emphasizes how endangered the Whooping cranes are, with Red Crowned and Siberian cranes not far behind.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK, LISTEN FOR DETAILS AT THE END OF THIS PODCAST.

Comments or questions are always welcome; just send them to whooperhappenings@earthlink.net .

With the flyover at the Dunnellon, FL airport the morning of January 27th, and the final flight of the chicks to their winter home at Chassahowitzka NWR the following morning, their journey is complete! In just a few months they will get the urge to migrate north, and with luck, weather and timing on their side, we hope all 17 make it back to Necedah! It is always with mixed emotions that each pilot brings in his birds at Chass (they don't land with the birds) and as they pull up and away, even after years of doing this, each has a lump in their throat, knowing the fate of each bird, many they know all too well, now truly rests with nature! As one pilot told me a few years ago, "once you have done all you can do, the birds are free, on their own, and that is what we all want."

We'll chat with Beverly and Brooke in an upcoming podcast; they are caring for the chicks out at Chass, and will soon be back at Patuxent to hatch and raise another batch of baby Whooping cranes, soon to be the Class of 2008!

If you know the one common thing each flyover has the past 3 years at the Dunnellon Airport (other than that's where they were... not the answer I am seeking though!) send me an e-mail with your name, address and preferred t-shirt size. The first 2 correct answers will get Whooper Happenings t-shirts with the iWhooper on them. Send your answer to whooperhappenings@earthlink.net .

Thanks to everyone who shared their comments with me at the flyover, and of course to the entire WCEP project team, especially Operation Migration and a few select members of the International Crane Foundation and Patuxent WRC, whose patience and determination are what really got the Class of 2007 to Florida!

Operation Migration Operation Migration