Images

Image #1 Whooping Crane

Photo by Cliff Nieuwenhuis taken at the International Crane Foundation Whooping Crane Wetland Exhibit in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

Whooping Cranes are the tallest North American bird standing at 5 feet tall with a 7 to 8 foot wingspan. Males average 16 pounds and females 14 pounds. The Whooping Crane’s name was inspired by its loud, distinctive call, audible up to two miles away.

Image #2 Sandhill Crane

Photo by Dr. George Archibald of an adult Sandhill Crane.

Sandhills are the most numerous of cranes with more than 650,000 birds. There are six subspecies of Sandhill Cranes. The subspecies living in Wisconsin is the greater Sandhill Crane.

Image #3 Sandhill Cranes following "trike"

Photo by Joseph Duff of Operation Migration.

The ultralight aircraft is referred to as a trike because of the tricycle that hangs from the wing. The control method is referred to as “weight shift” similar to a hang glider. They are powered by a 50 horsepower, Rotax, 2-stroke engine. They are two seaters and aviation radios are used for communication while GPS is used for navigation. They are capable of flying from 28 MPH up to 55 MPH and have a range of three hours. Cranes average about 32 MPH. Here the chicks are following the trike and learning to trust it as if it were their mother.

Image #4 Whooping crane chick with puppet

Photo by David Thompson of isolation chick rearing technique.

Isolation reared chicks are released into the wild. Puppets, made to look like the head of an adult Whooping Crane, convince the chicks to eat, be alert, and vocalize. The human wearing the puppet must work in complete silence allowing no indication of being a human.

Image #5 Sandhill cranes with costumed helper

Photo by Carl Sams II .

This costume rearing technique is used to prevent the chicks from becoming imprinted on humans. The cranes that are pictured are Sandhill Crane chicks.

Image #6 Ultralight with sandhill cranes

Photo by Joseph Duff.

The ultralight aircraft is a guide to these Sandhill Crane chicks. Migration is not an inherent trait for birds, it must be taught. At this time, ultralights are the best technique. The fall journey to Florida from Wisconsin uses three of these aircraft, one or two flying lead and one flying in the chase position.