By Jacque Day
Marshall County, Ky. – Eleven endangered whooping cranes have arrived in Western Kentucky on an ultralight-guided migration from Wisconsin to Florida. They landed Tuesday in Union County. Operation Migration's Liz Condie is one of ten people traveling with the cranes. She says Marshall County is their next scheduled stop, perhaps Wednesday, weather permitting.
"Weather, of course, is both our bugaboo and our blessing. When we have great weather, we can fly. When we don't have appropriate weather, we're stuck on the ground waiting for that time to come."
These whooping cranes are among fewer than a hundred in eastern North America. The guided migration is part of an effort by Operation Migration, supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to ensure the survival of the species. They fly early in the morning, and Condie says people can come to pre-established viewing sites to watch the flights.
See the Operation Migration website for more information on their journey. A list of viewing locations is available here.