Photo: Operation Migration	Meet the 2009 Whooping Crane Chicks! Hatch-year 2009 of the Eastern Flock
	Crane # 905
	Date Hatched	May 6 , 2009
	Gender	Female
	Egg Source	Patuxent WRC
	Permanent Leg Bands (Attached after reaching Florida)	Left Leg Right Leg         *Juvenile band: Yellow (*pre-ship health check at PWRC)
	Read about the naming system, hatch place in Maryland, release site in Wisconsin, over-wintering site in Florida, and leg-band codes.

Personality, Early Training
Notes from the captive breeding "hatchery" at Patuxent WRC in Maryland:

On her first trips outdoors with a few of the other chicks, the costumes/trainers saw that 905 cared about nothing but catching and eating worms!

Cohort 1 FLYING Aug. 17 Photo Bev Paulan, Operation Migration

Notes of Flight School in Wisconsin:
She was flown to Wisconsin with Cohort #1 chicks on June 25. When they were finally led into their new pen, #905 cried nonstop. “Where am I? This doesn’t look familiar! Where are the earthworms?” The rest of the chicks mostly ignored her, although they sometimes would halfheartedly join in and peep once or twice. Maybe they were too tired to protest, as they all took a nap — but not #905. She kept crying! The others awoke from their naps, and 905 eventually settled down and slept. By the next morning she was back to normal as if nothing had ever happened.

She paid good attention in training sessions and was flying by July 20. By early August all of cohort one was flying circles over the training areas. By mid-August they were flying larger and longer circuits. What a beautiful sight! Crane #905 is just happy to hang loose and do what's expected of her. She fits right in and doesn't give the team any worries. She is dependable and a good flier and follower of the ultralight.

First Migration South: Chick #905 (and 14 others!) turned back to Necedah NWR when the Class of 2009 left on their first migration on October 16, 2009. Chick 905 and 925 both landed at one of the old pens on Necedah NWR. In a surprise move when the winds calmed in late afternoon, pilots Richard and Chris tried to get these two birds to follow the ultralights to join up with chicks who had landed at a second old pen site on Necedah. The two birds did so well that the pilots kept going—all the way to the migration's first stopover site. Cranes #905 and 925 finished the day with the other five flockmates that made it to stop #1 earlier in the day. Find day-by-day news about the flock's migration and read more about #905 below.
Oct. 27: Today chick 905 was a great follower, flying to Stopover #2 with six flockmates and Richard's ultralight. She's doing much better! This photo was captured from the CraneCam soon after arrival of the seven "leaders." Nov 1: Chick 905 was slow to exit the pen on today's great flight to Stopover #3. As a result, she (and also-slow 901) had Brooke's wing all for themselves.

Back to "Meet the Flock 2009"

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