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Migration 2004

Fall Ultralight-Guided Whooping Crane Migration
Wisconsin to Florida

Date: October 13, 2004

Day Four - Green County, WI

Once the fog began to dissipate this morning the pilots began suiting up. The windsock tells them that their is no wind at all, which is why fog formed. If there had been even a slight breeze it would have moved the moist air away.
With only a light haze lingering Joe takes off from our Sauk County, Wisconsin location. To the right, and slightly obscured by the tree in the foreground, four cranes attempt to catch up to him.
This shot gives you an idea of how crowded it would be as only three young Whooping cranes, each with their 7-8 foot wingspans fly overhead.
Brooke Pennypacker with another four cranes leaves just after Joe.
They're starting to form up nicely behind the trike to take advantage of the vortices rolling off the tip of the large delta-shaped wing of Joe's aircraft.
Cranes, and other species of birds spend as much as 90% of their time preening to ensure that each and every feather is clean and in place. This photo clearly shows the five primary or flight feathers on each side, as well as the secondary and tertiary feathers. You can also see the radio antenna, which is attached to a transmitter positioned on this birds right leg.

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