Re: OT-CHAT: is the crane lost again?

Christian, this has definitely been a nightmare migration for the ultralight led baby whoopers, but no, they didn't lose one again. 733 has been behaving himself.
They are stuck in Georgia, waiting for 'normal' weather to return so they can finish the trip to Florida before the northern migration starts. If the weather had cooperated, they "should" have been there by mid November! [The babies have to learn the route so they can find their way back and forth on their own in the future.]
Send donations for crane chow and gas for the trikes (among other expenses)! Plus now they need more parts for one of the trikes that got flipped by the wind and busted a wing yesterday, fortunately on the ground, so nobody hurt. 

<http://www.operationmigration.org/Field_Journal.html>
There are now 5 years' worth of wild adult whooping cranes migrating on their own in the eastern flyway, thanks to this Endangered species reintroduction program. I think around 50 of them now. So you might have seen one of the adults.
An adult whooper is unmistakable - bright, almost irridescent white with black wingtips. Similar shape but bigger than a sandhill crane, some of which can be very light colored. Sandhills usually travel in big flocks, but the whoopers are often solitary or in small groups, sometimes hang out with sandhills.
The cranes fly with their necks straight out; herons with neck folded back. First sandhill crane I ever saw was by itself, up at my pond 30+ yrs ago, & when it flew overhead, like you, I thought that something was "off" for a blue heron. Had no idea what it was.
Go to the link above to the field journal and scroll down to see pix of the babies flying with the trikes.
I got to see them fly in to Hiwassee Refuge and also finally fly out (when it was 14oF!) last week. Goosebumps. Or crane bumps <g> 

<This afternoon on my way home I saw a large stilt legged bird flying
overhead. I'm relatively familiar with the Great Blue Herons in the area, so I think I would recognize them, and this didn't seem right for a heron. But I could be daft. 
  Just thought I'ld check.    christian>
--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.DiscoverET.org/etis>
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