Necedah National Wildlife Refuge

August 28, 2001

by Jennifer Rabuck, Necedah National Wildlife Refuge

Both groups of birds are doing very well. Today was their first exposure to two ultralights. During migration, two planes will be flying with the birds: one will fly lead and "tow" the flock, the other flies "chase" and picks up any birds that begin to lag behind, or start to drift off. Today's event went well. The birds at Site 1 showed interest and watched the other plane briefly, all the while sticking close to the lead plane, both in the air and on the ground. When the second plane landed and taxied to them, they followed a ground handler (a costumed human) over to inspect the new plane. Then, they were easily led back to the original plane. The second plane took off again to circle at a distance. The flock of whooping cranes danced and flapped a bit at its departure, then followed the original pilot into the air. Both groups are flying great. The oldest group flew large loops of about 3 1/2 minutes behind the plane. The younger group flew several shorter, yet successful circuits.

The birds are nearly full grown. Their white plumage is very visible against the surrounding marsh although they still look like they've rolled in a mud puddle! Black wings tips show while they fly and all birds have the grace of adults.

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