Posted by Laurie Sullivan at 1/19/2008 10:25:00 AM
Many Kindergartners asked me on Friday, “Where are the whooping cranes? Have they made it to Florida yet?” Following is the latest news: Whooping Cranes and Ultralights Just Two Stops from Finish *********************************************************** Friday Summary: January 18, 2008 The cranes and planes gained 221 miles and crossed into Florida! Just two flights to the finish line will complete the longest migration in the project’s 7-year history. As of January 18 (Day 87), they were rained in at Hamilton County Florida. Everything’s ready for the young birds’ arrival, and our daily reports continue. Soon we’ll be celebrating the Class of 2007 completing their journey south! * Current List of All Highlights http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/07/WCEPHighlights.html *********************************************************** Summary of This Week’s Highlights Below are summaries of reports posted the week ending January 18, 2008: Jan. 12, 2008: GO Cranes! (+83 Miles) Yesssss! Day 81 brought the trip total to 960.3 miles gone. All the cranes made a rather difficult flight, but #717 had a story to tell. What was it? Jan. 13, 2008: Fog Ahead. No Go (+0 Miles) A thick blanket of fog covers the ground all the way to the Florida state border, so they won’t cross it today. What IS fog? What do you like/not like about fog? Jan. 14, 2008: Too Windy Again (+0 Miles) Sorry about the weather. But how about this for good news? Thanks to dedicated people, 59 wild Whooping Cranes are now flying free where that species had vanished over a century ago, plus 24 young chicks are making their first journey south. Celebrate by folding paper cranes with photo-directions from 4th graders at “Hartman’s Crane Folding Factory.” Jan. 15, 2008: Overflew 2 Stops to Florida! (+138 Miles) Florida, here they are! Two hours of flying, and some of the birds didn’t even want to land! It was a chilly 32 degrees when they left Georgia, which meant it was mighty cold for the pilots aloft. How did they keep warm? Jan. 16, 2008: Waiting on the Florida Weather (+0 Miles) Just two more flights to go, but no flight today. Let’s think ahead: Why do the chicks go first to a layover pen instead of directly to their winter pen at Chass? Jan. 17, 2008: Rain Halts Flight Plans (+0 Miles) Day 86 brings rain to Hamilton County, Florida. Spend a moment adding up the numbers to answer: How many cranes in the new Eastern flock, and where are they now? Jan. 18, 2008: No Go Again Today (+0 Miles) So close! Today’s rain, fog, and clouds could clear away for a flight tomorrow. What clues do our photos give to help you answer questions about the cranes’ layover pen at Halapta?
