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[shep]

July 22 - see previous page for more pics of today
cam quit before training ended
apparantly the chix are trying to train the pilot- Brooke today

On the runway the WB - white birds interrupted -
and 2 chicks chased the adults!  then challenged each other


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[baziunc]

Tee hee.  I can't help it - I love their escapades.   

But I do know they are going to need to "reel it in" because of the importance of their schedule - to train successfully and have a successful "follow me and my trike" first migration to get to their wintering grounds in time.  I just love everything about the Operation Migration Project! 

[shep]

July 22 Wed video
I had to get this off video - hard to get good snips in real time

O baz yes I enjoy their rebellions!
But I'd never have the patience OM has teaching them -
FOLLOW!

can you count how many bird rebels are where they shudnt be? 
hahaa

[shep]

July 23, 2015   [/b]  Thursday   Shepnotes 
Trike arrives before 6 am  - birds out - eager to fly but not follow
chicks MUST learn - FOLLOW - and they ARENT
#6 headed for pond 2 right away - and stayed there, she wandered also around the back outside of her wetpen,
but she refused to join training - BEHIND trike

The WB (adults) came with the trike but werent too much interruption
#8 chases WB
very hard to tell lite blue from white band
The LAST runway lap, 5 chicks did follow the trike
Brooke had a time coaxing #6 back INside pen

It almost seemed to me the 2 adults think they are guardians of chix.

HeatherRayOM -  they (adults) really are good role models and reinforce to the colts that they are indeed whooping cranes

Keith posts videos
https://youtube.com/user/QhQnmS

July 23 video
https://youtu.be/elem1g2wINY

[baziunc]

Thanks for the updates from this morning, Shep.     They are making progress.      It takes time to learn the desired routines and skills.  Just as happened last year, if one or two colts don't follow their lead along with the others, the OM folks will find an alternate way to handle them successfully.  I'm glad to hear OM likes the adult Whoopers being around the chicks and that the adults are a positive influence on the colts and their imprinting as Whoopers.  Yay!        

[shep]

baz, I intentionally posted what Heather'd said because she is THE authority.
Here is excerpts from FJ

Adult Whooping Cranes Stop by
July 23, 2015 Heather Ray
This morning?s training session was joined by adult cranes 3-14 & 4-12, which have been dubbed the ?Royal couple.'  Several of the crane colts attempted to chase them away numerous times and there was a good amount of displaying going on. While they can be disruptive, this pair has actually been rather respectful and we hope, are being good role models for the young cranes.

Whooping crane #6-15 spent most of her time foraging and exploring the second pond and behind the wetpen.  It seems all of the young colts are now flying in ground effect the entire length of the runway and a couple are getting a decent height for their age, which is how #6-15 ended up near the second pond. It?ll take some time and practice for them to learn how to controls those large wings now that they?ve discovered them.
http://operationmigration.org/InTheField/2015/07/23/two-adult-whooping-cranes-stop-by


They need to keep the Whooper DNA clean.
I wondered what they'd do with WHOOPSIE!

Hybrid Whoophill Captured
July 22, 2015 Heather Ray
The WCEP staff captured hybrid crane chick referred to as a ?Whoophill,? in eastern Wisconsin and will place the chick in captivity. Whoophills are a result of a successful pairing between a Whooping crane and a Sandhill crane.  This young hybrid crane was sent to the Milwaukee County Zoo temporarily.

To increase the chance that the male whooping crane will help build his own species? population, WCEP will attempt to break up the pair. It may involve the male being captured and temporarily placed in captivity near other free-ranging Whooping cranes.  WCEP will place a new radio transmitter on the male to monitor him.
http://operationmigration.org/InTheField/2015/07/22/hybrid-whoophill-captured

http://operationmigration.org/InTheField/2015/07/22/what-are-the-odds
http://operationmigration.org/InTheField

[baziunc]

They need to keep the Whooper DNA clean.
I wondered what they'd do with WHOOPSIE!

Hybrid Whoophill Captured
July 22, 2015 Heather Ray
The WCEP staff captured hybrid crane chick referred to as a ?Whoophill,? in eastern Wisconsin and will place the chick in captivity. Whoophills are a result of a successful pairing between a Whooping crane and a Sandhill crane.  This young hybrid crane was sent to the Milwaukee County Zoo temporarily.

To increase the chance that the male whooping crane will help build his own species? population, WCEP will attempt to break up the pair. It may involve the male being captured and temporarily placed in captivity near other free-ranging Whooping cranes.  WCEP will place a new radio transmitter on the male to monitor him.
http://operationmigration.org/InTheField/2015/07/22/hybrid-whoophill-captured

http://operationmigration.org/InTheField/2015/07/22/what-are-the-odds
http://operationmigration.org/InTheField

I am very sad to read this news!!

This seems like it's interfering with the "natural order" of things.  This is not the first hybrid of this type, nor will it be the last.  Hybrids happen in many populations.  If they are successful, then so be it.  There is nothing "wrong" with the hybrid offspring, and it doesn't need to be "culled" from the population.  The Whoopsie is a natural result of the mixing of the populations of two different, but often intermingled, species.  This happens in many, many, many bird species/populations, and among species of other types of animals, too.  I understand the reasons it is being done, but it just doesn't feel like the right decision to me.   Just my opinion.  Not trying to start an argument.  LOL.  Everyone has an opinion, and that's mine.

[shep]

July 24, 2015   [/b]  Flyday   Shepnotes 
Trike arrives  - birds out -  today they followed.  amazing

WB crouched down after trike left
Heather said it was a crouch threat
http://www.christyyuncker.com/Craneattackdisplays.html

July 24 video
https://youtu.be/21KillXS95o

[baziunc]

Thanks, Shep.  Yay!  They all get an A+ for their trike training this morning! 

[shep]

July 25, 2015     Sataday   Shepnotes 
Both the WB adults and 2 sandhill cranes stand waiting on runway
Trike arrives, pilot Joe  - birds out -  today they flew every which way
To everyone's SHOCK,  Joe flew!  Perhaps the only way he could get, keep all 6 chix attention.
Todays video is a MUST SEE!

Who da boss - or - Duff gets gruff - to get the adults off the runway
A whooper makes a great hood ornament for the trike!

The adults WHOOPED a protest!
The adults seem to take almost a parenting role.  Nice for chicks to have them.

 
Adorable to see all the chicks running out of the pen!
At least 4 are flying, that were on cam, but they are LEADING, not following
The other 2 flew right to pond 2 - NOT what they are sposed to do!


July 25 video - MUST SEE!  FULL SCREEN!
4 of the 6 colts stayed with Joe to the other end of the runway
Joe surprised EVERYONE! by taking off
https://youtu.be/Sztsd2ce0d0


WB crouched down after trike left
July 24  Heather said it was a crouch threat
http://www.christyyuncker.com/Craneattackdisplays.html

[shep]

snips off video
What a SHOCK to ALL!
Pilot Joe Duff took off!  And all 6 chicks followed him -
up up  up  around - and 4 follwed to the other end of runway!
 
 
 


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[baziunc]

WOO HOOO!!  THE BAY-BEEZ ALL FLEW BEHIND JOE TODAY!!  WOO-HOOO!!!   

They did just great!  Exciting!

Thanks, Shep.    The video was fab!  Thanks for your snips, too. 

[omasawyer]

Shep and baz; Every time I open the door to the forum...I learn something NEW and  Exciting and since the only place that I have seen Whooping Cranes has been on TV, I am thrilled (as I am everyday) to read your posts; photos and funny videos.  I have been told for three years that I would learn so much in the forum and now that I am here; I am doing, just that!!! There is just one problem tho; this is where I am most of the day.( especially when our temps are averaging 102 daily)
Thanks Shep for the great lessons and if you don't mind, I will be returning to your classes

[/i]

[baziunc]

Shep and baz; Every time I open the door to the forum...I learn something NEW and  Exciting and since the only place that I have seen Whooping Cranes has been on TV, I am thrilled (as I am everyday) to read your posts; photos and funny videos.  I have been told for three years that I would learn so much in the forum and now that I am here; I am doing, just that!!! There is just one problem tho; this is where I am most of the day.( especially when our temps are averaging 102 daily)
Thanks Shep for the great lessons and if you don't mind, I will be returning to your classes

[/i]

Hi Oma!  Fancy meeting you here!      Glad you found this thread!

Although I get the great highlights on OM from Shep here, I have been following this "story" ever since I saw the movie, "Fly Away Home" - in the mid-to-latter 90's. 

If you haven't already, I urge you to go to the Operation Migration main web page to learn about the history of this project.
It is at http://operationmigration.org/

I have followed the Whooping Crane ultralight-led migrations online for more years than I can count now - maybe almost 15 years now? - at least 10+ years for sure.  Close to that I think... from back when so little of it was available to "see" online - mostly just the logs of the yearly ultralight-led migrations of the colts for their first trip to their wintering grounds, with update reports on the migration progress.  It was always packed with surprises, ups and downs, some sadness, and also elation when they made it... and then when some of those first young Whoopers made their very first return trips back on their own to their "home" areas.  It was astounding and ecstatic news!!  Talk about Happy Dance!     Now of course, with the advances in internet and the "growing up" of web development, along with the growth of this Operation Migration project, we can see all the details all along the way. 

I urge you to explore that Operation Migration (OM) web site!  You will see a row of tabs across the top of that page to get you to different points of interest about the project. 

There is a tab there for the Live Cam, too.  Don't get fooled by any large ads that cover the whole live cam screen - just "x" out of them to get to the live cam stream.     There is also a chat box there which you can read without signing in.  But you will need to sign in if you want to post - you know about that.    Of course, if you go to that cam page, you can scroll down below the live cam video screen to get more info about the cam view there. 
 
There are a couple of ways to get to the Live Cam, and they are a little different look on the pages.

The ustream Live Cam page is at  http://www.ustream.tv/migratingcranes
Or click on the "Live Camera" tab on the OM home page, and you will get a little bit different look and feel, and also a link on that page to the "Flight Cam" which, if you click on that link, will tell you that it is only live during certain events. 

Tool around the site.  You're going to fall in love with it!  At least I did!       You discovered it at just the right time to see some of the most exciting parts of training of these young Whoopers before they start out on their migration - and THAT is a whole different cliffhanger of a story to follow!

Have fun! 

I usually don't start watching Live Cam every year till it gets closer to time for the migration to start.  Thanks to Shep, I can stop by this thread when I am in Forum to get the lowdown on what's happening these days.    After you have clicked on everything there just about that you can, then make sure and bookmark it.

Also bookmark its related "Field Journal" page, where you can scroll through a journal, so to speak, of the daily activities and highlights, with links to videos and photos.  Some of these pages can take a bit of extra time to load, so be patient - it's worth it!

The Field Journal is at http://operationmigration.org/InTheField/?n=field-journal-operationmigration - and you can scroll down to see the current past entries, too.

[shep]

Welcome oma!   
Thank you baz for all that information.
It never hurts to re-post urls on other pages!
I am up before the sun naturally so dont get up 'specially' for the 6 am or so training!