5 whooping cranes dropped in at the Don Radke farm east of Gridley and April 6, 2009 and rested for about 7 days before proceeding to Necedah, WI.

1. Whooping Cranes At Gridley, Illinois April 6-12, 2009

4. They roamed his yard

5. and the nearby fields.

6. These five young cranes are part of 14 that were led from Wisconsin to Florida last fall by an ultra light plane.

7. These five young cranes are part of 14 that were led from Wisconsin to Florida last fall by an ultra light plane. They are flying back to Wisconsin for the summer.

8. The whooping crane is white in color. It has a black face and red on the top of its bill.

9. There is black on the tips of its wings.

10. The crane is 5 feet tall.

11. It’s wing span is over 8 feet.

12. It is very hard to tell the male from the female whooping crane.

13. Each bird has a radio monitor

14. Each bird has a radio monitor With an antenna —›

15. Each bird has a radio monitor With an antenna —› ‹— and a tag with an identification number.

16. They dined on Illinois corn

18. and small living organisms in the water.

19. The cranes were always eating

20. and eating

21. and eating!

22. They flap their wings

23. and jump up in the air

24. as a sign of courtship.

25. They will raise themselves completely off the ground in this ritual.

29. They were not afraid of humans.

30. As we looked at them,

31. As we looked at them, They liked to look back at us.

32. We just had to be quiet

33. We just had to be quiet so that we did not scare them.

34. The people from Operation Migration are afraid they will get too friendly with people

35. The people from Operation Migration are afraid they will get too friendly with people and be injured or killed.

36. The cranes went about their business

37. of eating and eating,

38. until they left Gridley at 10:20 A.M. on Easter Sunday for their summer home in Necedah, Wisconsin.

40. Come see us again!