The WCEP experts predicted the yearling cranes would be seeking open marshes in the vast refuge, staying away from the training grounds the longer they were back for the summer. The training team planned to flush away any of last year's yearling whoopers that show up at the training area. That's what would happen in the wild: the parents would drive the yearlings off when they wandered into a breeding area or a crane pair's established territory.
But yearling Cranes #1 and #2 aren't getting the picture like the others did. Both have aggressive personalities. They aren't easily driven off. Each day, #1 and #2 arrive at the training site just after the ultralight. They have to be chased off. Sometimes Joe chases them with the plane. They've even tried borrowing some fire pumps, similar to super-soakers, to spray the stubborn pair! Then the older birds fly off into the wetland--far enough to watch but not interfere.
The team is actually happy with the birds' behavior. They have settled near their fledging grounds, so it means the project picked a good site. And the birds' wild behavior is proof that their training methods worked. Joe says, "For the handlers and pilots, it is a gift to work in proximity to these rare cranes. Seventeen chicks, still half fawn/half-white follow our every move, while four others in full adult plumage watch from a distance."
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