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[shep]

OM photos taken Sept 9
http://operationmigration.org/InTheField/2015/09/10/training-photos

[shep]

REMEMBERING    Septemer 11, 2001

September 11, 2015       FLYday  Shepnotes
6.52   trike touchdown
6.53  birds  takeoff without trike
6.54      trike takesoff - with birds
7.09  landed
15 minutes flying
They flew high and perfectly.  Today we could hear pilot Joe on his aircraft radio!  FUN!
Crane fest there in Wisconsin this weekend, many craniacs are there.


OM 2015-16 migration MAP
They leave Wisconsin Sept. 20th - weather permitting
http://operationmigration.org/operation-migration-map.asp

Timelines
http://operationmigration.org/migration-timelines.asp



*  thanks baz - I goofed!!!


[attachment deleted by admin]

[baziunc]

Thanks, Shep.  I didn't see the OM migration map at the link in your last post... but I know where to find it on the OM site.  Sept. 20th will be here soon!

[omasawyer]

  I loved the photos as they are really looking ready, more and more everyday. The big photo posted by OM should be a poster..  ???shep; will we be able to follow the migration??

  hey baz/color]

Thanks, Shep.  I didn't see the OM migration map at the link in your last post... but I know where to find it on the OM site.  Sept. 20th will be here soon!

[shep]

September 12, 2015       Sataday  Shepnotes
6.55   trike touchdown
6.57  birds lead trike on  takeoff 
 - flying nicely - first all 6 off left wing - then one bird changes to right wing
 - Joe got the colts up to 400 feet today -  48 mph
7.26  landed
6.57 - 7.26  -  Nearly half hour of great flying
They flew high and perfectly.  Today we could hear pilot Joe on his aircraft radio!  FUN!

Crane fest there in Wisconsin this weekend, many craniacs are there.


oma, OM has portable cams for migration.
Not nearly as good as the one that is in Wis.
To some degree we follow migration.

They fly just after sunrise central time.

Whooping Cranes links and cams
http://operationmigration.org/InTheField
http://ustream.tv/migratingcranes
http://operationmigration.org/cranecam.asp
http://operation migration theater cam
http://www.wildearth.tv/cam/operation-migration

FLIGHT CAM on migration
http://operationmigration.org/flightcam.asp

[shep]

September 13, 2015       SONday  Shepnotes
6.59   trike touchdown
7.00 am  trike and birds  takeoff  - and - vanish into the mist
7.29  trike touchdown

Almost half hour, flew high, #2 kept getting ahead of trike - NOT good

OM migration = wunderground weather forecast Sept 20 - clear

Here are the best screen pics I could get today
Crane fest concludes today in Wisconsin.



[attachment deleted by admin]

[baziunc]

Shep, thanks.  They are flying so well!

Oma, hi!  Oma, during migration, there will be "Field Notes" posted every day (as OM does now, too), sometimes with videos and photos, too.  I always check the Field Notes daily during migration.  So many things can happen, and so often they have to change plans on a moment's notice it seems, depending on weather and other things that can come along their way.

And it's always so exhilarating when they finally reach their destination.  I always hold my breath a little that each and every one makes it unharmed.  But there have been some perils in the past.  They are looking so good this year, and I hope that bodes for a 100% successful trike-led migration for them this year.   

[shep]

OM MIGRATION NOTES

OM migration - Targeting Sept 20 Sonday
wunderground weather forecast  - clear

FLIGHT CAM on migration
http://operationmigration.org/flightcam.asp

Timeline
http://operationmigration.org/migration-timelines.asp

Migration map
http://operationmigration.org/operation-migration-map.asp

2014  migration - tough year!!
OM left Oct. 10 for Green Lake, Wisc - 5 miles.  Some Cranes turned and went HOME.
 -  OM crated them all to Stop 2
14  miles to   Marquette, Wisc where they sat .. and sat until
Oct when they finally flew 28  miles to Columbia, Wisc where they sat .. and sat until
Nov  7  when they flew 5 miles to Dane, Wisc


SAVE this info!

[baziunc]

Yes, last year was a tough one.  And not the only tough one either.

Shep, thanks for all the links.

[omasawyer]

Shep, thanks.  They are flying so well!

Oma, hi!  Oma, during migration, there will be "Field Notes" posted every day (as OM does now, too), sometimes with videos and photos, too.  I always check the Field Notes daily during migration.  So many things can happen, and so often they have to change plans on a moment's notice it seems, depending on weather and other things that can come along their way.

And it's always so exhilarating when they finally reach their destination.  I always hold my breath a little that each and every one makes it unharmed.  But there have been some perils in the past.  They are looking so good this year, and I hope that bodes for a 100% successful trike-led migration for them this year.   

shep; thanks for ALL the links, etc. Got it all now

baz; Thanks; I wasn't certain about following but now I know and thanks again

[T40cfr403]

Ran across this news item today - Whooping crane sighted in Kewaunee County - which is in Wisconsin!

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/kewaunee-county/2015/09/12/whooping-crane-sighted-kewaunee-county/71931064/

[baziunc]

Ran across this news item today - Whooping crane sighted in Kewaunee County - which is in Wisconsin!

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/kewaunee-county/2015/09/12/whooping-crane-sighted-kewaunee-county/71931064/

Exciting report of a whooper in that part of Wisconsin!  yay!     However, I found this article to include some negative information, or possible mis-information, that I'm not sure is accurate.  I will try to see if I can verify some of the information in it - such as saying that, "scientists believe that there is not enough remaining habitat for the birds to thrive and reproduce" - quite a statement there!  If that is true, why are organizations going through the time and expense and motions of trying to grow the population and helping it to migrate - if it can't thrive and reproduce, according to scientists... so I'm not sure if that is a true statement or not..  And that article said that locations of sightings of an endangered bird is protected by federal law - I'm not so sure of that either.  I've never heard that it is against federal law to say where an endangered bird was sighted.  I will need to research that statement further.

[shep]

baz - You are wise as always.
There is a REASON a species fades out - its NOT always man.
It was mentioned the other day by a crane person - forgot who - that
man-raised cranes dont have the instincts to avoid predation.
It may have been OM pilot Joe Duff but dont tell anyone cuz Im unsure.

These are beautiful birds and fun to watch but terribly expensive!
The mortality is tragic - from hitting power lines to predation - including by kids.
I truly hate seeing one of the babies I watched on cam found dead.

HARSH FACTS
The survival rate of whoopers is extremely low.
Very sad to see none of your years work continue!

Class of 2006
LIGHTNING  KILLS 15 Whooping Crane chicks in pen
February 07, 2007 - A severe storm, lightning killed 15 of the 16 cranes in their pen.
Only one whooping crane chick survives Fla. storms.
Male #15 broke loose from a top-netted pen when tornadoes struck and killed his 17 flock mates.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2007-02-07/news/0702070338_1_whooping-cranes-migration-flock
http://www.rexfoundation.org/grantee-news/operation-migration-2
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/StormDeaths_Feb07.html

2015 - neither of these links has this story so did did a websearch
#15 later died also.  I think all of another year perished too - separately.
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/crane/spring2008
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/10/wcep_highlights110410.html

Whooping Cranes, events, mortalities
This is my forum.  I post events here, I track migrations too in another thread.
http://cj.myfreeforum.org/about4561.html

Another whooping crane link
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/crane

[T40cfr403]

Ran across this news item today - Whooping crane sighted in Kewaunee County - which is in Wisconsin!

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/kewaunee-county/2015/09/12/whooping-crane-sighted-kewaunee-county/71931064/

Exciting report of a whooper in that part of Wisconsin!  yay!     However, I found this article to include some negative information, or possible mis-information, that I'm not sure is accurate.  I will try to see if I can verify some of the information in it - such as saying that, "scientists believe that there is not enough remaining habitat for the birds to thrive and reproduce" - quite a statement there!  If that is true, why are organizations going through the time and expense and motions of trying to grow the population and helping it to migrate - if it can't thrive and reproduce, according to scientists... so I'm not sure if that is a true statement or not..  And that article said that locations of sightings of an endangered bird is protected by federal law - I'm not so sure of that either.  I've never heard that it is against federal law to say where an endangered bird was sighted.  I will need to research that statement further.

baz - I don't know about their "remaining habitat" but I had to read that sentence about protected locations twice myself. That's not true in the MBTA but maybe the letter and intent of the Endangered Species Act is different.

[shep]

September 14, 2015       Monday  Shepnotes
No fly - wind

CraneFest Week
Sep. 14, 2015 by Jo Bel, Princeton, Wisconsin.
Colleen, Heather, and I got to let the birds our for exercise on the runway!  It?s hard to describe what it?s like when 4 foot tall birds run by you flapping their wings. We watched them fly off toward the north and they disappeared into the fog ? it was absolutely magical! And when they re-appeared and glided to us, landing gear down, they looked so prehistoric.

Thursday night was a welcome supper on the outside patio overlooking the lake.

Friday was the Friday night dinner. Nearly 100 people attended, bid on some auction items, and listen to
naturalist Stan Tekiela on ?Uncommon Facts about Common Birds?.

Saturday training flyover was awesome with 100 people watching.

Saturday pizza and pasta party at Princeton?s VFW hall.

Sunday brought another great flyover with Joe leading the colts over us against a bright blue sky. Some took a boat tour at Horicon Marsh.
Click link - I just pulled excerpts
http://operationmigration.org/InTheField/2015/09/14/cranefest-week-as-much-as-i-can-remember