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Wayward whooping crane's trip salvaged

By BARBARA BEHRENDT
Published December 21, 2006

CRYSTAL RIVER - Turns out that whooping cranes really are birdbrains.

During the ultralight-led migration in North Florida several days ago, the bird known as 615 fell away from the other 17 rare cranes as they were flying near the planned stop in Gilchrist County.

The Operation Migration crew teaching the birds the migration route decided to push ahead to Dunnellon and the flock's temporary winter quarters at the Halpata Tastanaki Preserve.

At the end of that flight, more than 1,000 people watched them fly over the adjacent Dunnellon/Marion County Airport on Tuesday morning.

Crane 615, of course, was missing in action.

But not anymore.

Found Wednesday morning in a swamp just 5 miles south of the first Florida stop in Hamilton County, the bird apparently had been heading north toward Wisconsin.

"See how much he needs us?" quipped Liz Condie, chief operating officer for Operation Migration.

Pilots Don and Paula Lounsbury, who fly above the ultralights to watch the birds during each migration, hunted the signal from 615's tracking device Tuesday, but they had no luck.

They wanted to give it one more shot Wednesday before the crew packed up to head home for the holidays. Tracking north from Gilchrist back toward Hamilton County, they found a signal and wayward 615 in an isolated lake area.

They contacted pilot Richard vanHeuvelen, who was an hour behind them on the ground. The Lounsburys told him the bird appeared to be waiting for help.

VanHeuvelen arrived and spotted the missing bird, and then he slipped into his whooping crane costume. As soon as he turned on the crane vocalizing recording the crew uses to call the birds, 615 "flew over and landed right next to him - like it was about time someone showed up," Condie said.

The bird was crated and delivered to the Halpata Tastanaki Preserve midafternoon so he could be with "all his friends and buddies," she said. "A very trying migration has ended with good news."

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at 564-3621 or behrendt@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 21, 2006, 06:30:19]