A flock of 17 whooping cranes landed at a remote Gordon County site Thursday on the way to their wintering grounds in Florida.
The endangered cranes, the tallest bird native to North America, were accompanied by several ultra-light aircraft that are leading them on the annual migration.
Liz Condie, a spokesman for Canada-based Operation Migration, the group that leads the annual whooping crane flight, said the 17 birds are the latest group of whooping cranes to make the 1,250-mile journey from Wisconsin to Florida.
By the time they got to Plainville Thursday morning, the birds and their human partners had logged more than 800 miles since leaving Wisconsin 72 days ago. They have more than 400 miles left to go.
Operation Migration does not release the exact location of the birds to make sure they aren’t harmed by human contact.
Thursday’s flight from Tennessee took almost two hours, said Matt Ahrens, one of the four ultra-light pilots accompanying the whooping cranes.
Pilot Chris Gullickson said the flight was one of the coldest since they left Wisconsin.
“We always wear lots of layers of clothes, an insulated flight suit and ski masks,” Gullickson said. “We carry chemical hand warmers and try and stretch our hands and feet to keep the blood circulating.”
But, he added, it was a good day for flying, with a 10 mph tailwind giving the flock a boost as it headed south.
Since 2001, Operation Migration pilots have been escorting young whoopers south for the winter, hoping to teach the birds the migration route so they can maneuver it on their on.
The migrating flock spent the past four days on the Hiawassee River in Meigs County, Tenn., grounded by fog and high winds. Thursday was a good flying day for the birds and their ultra-light escorts, Condie said.
The whooping cranes will spend the winter at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Gullickson said that if the weather remains good, the flock should arrive in Florida in the next two to three weeks.
“Once we hit Georgia, the birds’ endurance is up and they are used to flying,” he said. “We can do the second half of the trip much faster than the first half.”
The next leg of the journey, a 100-mile flight to Pike County, is the longest one of the whole trip, but if weather conditions aren’t right, the birds and the volunteers will stay in Gordon County. Another option is an alternate site in Coweta County, about 60 miles away.
Gullickson said the property owners who let the birds, the pilots and ground crew make extended stays during the annual migration are vital to the program.
“They open up their homes to us, let us take showers, fix us meals, and because the birds have to be isolated, they can’t use their land while we are here,” he said.
Click here for more information about the cranes and their migration.
