Personality and Training:

Notes from the captive breeding "hatchery" at Patuxent WRC in Maryland:
Cohort 3 (the youngest birds) has a few meanies and #827 is one of them. He is very aggressive to the puppet and to the other chicks! On July 14 Barb said, "#827 has been included in walking with the GOOD birds in this group (820, 826, 828 and 830) and being socialized with them. But he can be a little butt biter when he gets a chance.

Notes from "flight school in Wisconsin:
Arrived at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge July 29 in cohort 3, the youngest group in the Class of 2008. He enjoys both the wet and dry pens equally. He also tries an occasional “face off” with the “King”, 829. According to pilot Brooke, those face offs end with #827 backing away and slinking off in embarrassed humility. On the Sept. 2 health check he weighed 4.8 kg.

On Sep. 26 the combined cohorts 2 and 3 flew together for the first time. The weather had kept them grounded for five days. Chick 827 dropped out (so did 826) and returned to the pen on his own.

October 16, the day before migration began, the team flew the birds to a different part of the refuge. They had set up the travel pen and wanted the birds to spend the night in their "new" pen to help them get used to it.

Just #827, flying alone with Joe’s plane, was reluctant to land in the unfamiliar travel pen. But he finally did! Now the birds are ready for migration.
Photo Heather Ray, Operation Migration

Oct. 17, Day 1: After a good take-off, #827 dropped out and landed in a marsh. Brooke was circling in search of him when #827 took to the air and followed Brooke all the way to the first stopover. Hooray for #827! (He continued to like to fly by himself with one of the ultralights.)

October: During training it seemed he was much more interested in poking in the mud for bugs and worms instead of following the trikes. He still just loves to poke his long beak into the mud! Whenever the costumes go inside the pen to change the birds' water or feed, they dump any water left in the buckets into their shallow pans that the birds like to step into. Most of the water splashes outside onto the ground and the first one to start poking into the new mud is #827!

November 5, Day 20: Heather took this photo of #827 stretching his wings in the pen at the evening roost check Nov. 5.

Photo Heather Ray, Operation Migration

November 10, Day 25: Normally cranes fly with long legs extended straight out behind them.It was so cold on Day 25 that the birds tucked their legs up into their feathers to keep them warm. Here's #827 with legs tucked, taken by Pilot Chris Gullikson as #827 flew near the wing of Chris's trike. Click on the photo to see the YouTubeVideo clip!
Video Chris Gullikson, Operation Migration

November 21, Day 36: Not only does #827 prefer to fly with his own trike, but it seems that wind turbines freak him out. Brooke had 13 birds with him and flew over the Twin Groves wind farm with no problems at 2,000 feet altitude. Richard had the “prince” #827 with him at 2,500 feet. As soon as the bird saw the wind turbines he did a 180-degree turn. Richard had to turn and collect him to try again.The bird turned back again! He would NOT cross over the wind turbines! Richard ended up having to change course to go around the turbines. In all, he was 22 miles behind the rest of the cranes and planes...but he made it to the next stop just fine!

November 27, Day 42: He did it again. Crane #827 flew well with the other birds until near the end of today's 108-mile flight into Kentucky. Then he peeled off and flew alone with Richard the last 30 minutes of flying. Smart bird!

December 12, Day 57: This time he refused to come out of the pen for the take-off! It took both Heather and Bev in the pen to shoo him out so he'd take off. By then had Joe's plane all to himself. (Was that his plan all along?)

January 13, Day 78: As usual 827 lagged behind when the pen gates were thrown open for today's flight. But pilot Brooke felt lucky at take-off and said, "827 must have felt it also, because after leaving the pen late he made a bee-line for us and joined up." He stayed with Brooke and all the others the entire flight!

January 23, 2009, Day 88: Migration complete for the "Chass 7" of #803, 804, 814, 818, 818, 824 and 827! SEE PHOTOS >>