A more than 1,250-mile journey through the skies of Wisconsin to Florida captivate aviary lovers worldwide as humans and aircraft teach whooping cranes to migrate through Operation Migration.
The migration draws international attention each year as more than 7 million people follow the cranes' journey online. This year, local resident Virginia Dunkelbarger is one of the many tracking the migration with the nonprofit group.
"My daughter turned me on to following the migratory whooping cranes. Five years ago, there were five cranes, and now there are 20 and a great many folks help save them. The story is available to those interested online at www.operationmigration.org," Dunkelbarger said. "They started south Nov. 4, and bad weather has been the main story. The cranes are led to their destination by pilots in ultralights (we call them "Breezies" in South Carolina - they call them "trikes" - that are light-weight, and pilots fly open to the elements)."
In the 1940s, whooping cranes were on the verge of extinction due to the destruction of their habitat and over-hunting. Their population reportedly dipped to 15.
Today, the only naturally occurring population of whooping cranes has more than 200 birds and migrates between Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada and the Arnasas National Wildlife Refuge in coastal Texas.
Scientists and conservationists grew concerned for the vulnerability of this population to natural and man-made disasters, so they tried to establish additional flocks. Whooping cranes, like many other avian species, learn to migrate through a process that is passed on from one generation to the next. When the last bird vanishes from an area, the once-traditional route is lost forever.
In 1999, Operation Migration was asked by the Canadian/U.S. Whooping Crane Recovery Team to lead an experiment with the goal of reintroducing whooping cranes in central Wisconsin and teaching them to migrate by leading them with ultralight aircraft to the west coast of Florida.
The whooping cranes are raised and trained from chicks born in captive propagation centers to follow modified ultralight aircraft in order to teach them a migratory route.
"To ensure the impressionable cranes remain wild, project biologists and pilots adhere to a strict no-talking rule and wear big, baggy, white costumes designed to disguise the human form. The costumed handlers and pilots wear a crane puppet on one arm that can dispense food or by example show the young chicks how to forage, as would their real mother," explains Operation Migration at www.operationmigration.org.
At around 45 days of age, the chicks are taken to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin. Over the summer, pilots and field crew condition the chicks to follow the aircraft and its pilot who is accepted as a surrogate parent.
"Using four ultralight aircraft, Operation Migration's pilots along with a ground crew of bird handlers, top cover pilot and spotter and education and outreach staff, cover from zero to 200 miles per day depending on the weather conditions ... The migration passes through seven states, covers 1,250 miles and takes anywhere from 60 to 90 days to complete. Each stopover is pre-selected for its isolation, and the birds are housed overnight in portable pens to protect them from predators," explains the website.
During the winter months, the Whooping Cranes reside in two locations in Florida where they are monitored ensuring their survival. In the early spring, they begin an unassisted return migration to central Wisconsin. Each bird is tracked with a radio-tracking device.
The goal of the program is to safeguard the birds from extinction. The Whooping Cranes, while not routed through South Carolina, can stray into the state as they migrate through Tennessee and Georgia. Historically, the birds migrate through Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
Follow the journey and learn fascinating details online at www.operationmigration.org.
Whooping Crane
* Endangered animal in North America
* 1967 Americans and Canadians began working together in a recovery program to safeguard them from extinction
* tallest North American bird
* Long neck, pointed bill and long thin black legs
* wings measure 2 meters in the air
* take their name from their distinctive whooping call
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