Ultralight Cranes Arrive in Illinois, November 10, 2008

The 14 ultralight-led cranes and crew with Operation Migration finally crossed into Illinois this morning. Since their departure from the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge on October 17, the cranes and crew stopped at four stopover locations in Wisconsin--Juneau County (two stops), and Sauk and Green counties, before arriving in Winnebago County, Illinois this morning. The migration had been delayed for 10 days in Green County due to bad weather.

In the past, the ultralight migration route only had a few stopovers in Illinois. This year, however, the crew from Operation Migration will be following a new route, passing through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia to reach the birds’ wintering habitats at Chassahowitzka and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuges along Florida's Gulf Coast. 

An additional change this year--the ultralight-led cranes will be split into two groups upon arrival in Florida--one group will winter at Chassahowitzka NWR and one group will spend the winter at St. Marks NWR. The decision to split the birds comes after the loss in February 2007 of 17 of the 18 Class of 2006 whooping cranes in a severe storm at Chassahowitzka NWR. The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership hopes the two separate wintering locations will help reduce the risk of another catastrophic loss. 

Update and photo by Joan Garland, Education Outreach Coordinator