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| 1.) We arrive at the future pen-site hauling the travel pen with our tracking van. The van is usually the only vehicle available when we head out and generally works well for this purpose. We drive in to the site and position the trailer before unhooking it. |
2.) The next step is to assemble the panels. They are strapped to the sides of the trailer while it’s being towed. We take them down one at a time and arrange them in a circle using the trailer as the base. Each panel is hooked in two places to the one next to it and pinned to the ground in order to maintain the pen shape. |
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| 3.) The panels are then tied down to stakes in the ground. This secures the hooks in adjacent panels and gives the pen greater stability. The pin on each panel also serves as a holder for the flight netting, which will cover the top of the pen. |
4.) We then spread the netting out in the center of the pen and begin raising it by first hooking it to the pins we’ve placed above the panels. Once it is up, we’ll add tension by pulling excess netting to each pin. We also add a nail to the center of each panel to help hold the extra netting from blowing back into the pen and to help keep it taut. |
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5.) We keep the netting just loose enough to accommodate an easy-up tent cover. The easy-up raises the net above the height of the panels to give the birds more room to spread their wings and allows us the ability to walk upright in the pen. It also provides shade and some protection from the elements. We hang the food inside to help keep it dry and use the legs of the easy-up to hold a divider between the two feeders. We do this so that one bird is unable take control over the food and prevent the others from eating. Before we leave we also hang a plastic model of an adult whooper from the net to keep the birds company and help maintain proper imprinting. |
6.) Once the inside of the pen is complete, we string an electric wire around the outside. The wire prevents unwelcome visitors inside the pen. It also offers a nice shock or a quick trip to the ground for those of us who forget it’s there. |
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| 7.) After the wire is strung, we electrify it! We carry a battery, grounding rods and a fencer in each of the travel pens. We leave the electricity on, even if it will be a few days before the birds arrive, in order to “educate the local wildlife” that they should stay away. |
8.) The pen now looks as it does when the birds arrive. Upon landing, the pilots will lead the birds to the pen and put out food and water, which is waiting inside the trailer. Before they leave they will also string another electric wire around the perimeter of the whole site. |
Craniacs Lori and Jon Trout from Louisville, KY were on hand, and they generously shared some of their photos with us.
