Whooping Cranes

These two along with five others are in a field adjacent to Priceville High School, a couple of miles from Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. They can be identified by their leg bands. The bird in front is 11-15. He is a male, hatched on May 11, 2015 at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, captive raised, transferred to Wisconsin in September, and later migrated south to Florida by following an ultralight aircraft, occasionally being crated and trucked to the next stop when he fell behind or the weather was bad. He successfully returned to Wisconsin in the spring of 2016 with several other cranes. In the fall, however, he did not return to Florida, but instead found his way to Wheeler, where he is wintering. His story is at (https://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/15/BandingCodes_1511.html). The other crane is 65-15, a female, named Leola. She was hatched on June 8, 2015, captive raised ,and moved to Wisconsin in the fall. However, instead of being taught to follow an ultralight for migration, she was released near other cranes and followed them when they migrated. She spent her first winter near Goose Pond in Southern Illinois and returned to Wisconsin the next spring. In the fall, she migrated to Wheeler where she is currently wintering. Her story is at (https://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/15/BandingCodes_65D.html). (IMG_4737)