April 27, 2003 Hey, Baby! First Lessons At the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, young Whooping crane chicks for the new Eastern flock are slowly forming an attachment to the ultralight aircraft. THe little yellow plane is their "stand-in parent." The chicks have heard it's "voice" (engine) since they were in the egg before hatching. The cranes learn to walk behind their caretakers and the ultralight soon after hatching. The little chick in the photo at the right is 7 days old. Hear biologist and trainer Dan Sprague tell how training begins (audio clip, MP3). < Video Clip: "Trike Training" Can't View Video? Macs PCs   The crane chicks are off-limits to public viewing. Why? Photo Jane Duden Photo USGS Patuxent Cranes 301, 304 back in the "chick run" after training. Photo Dan Sprague   Try This! Journaling Questions One of the important rules for raising and training the chicks is this: "To reinforce the 'follow the aircraft' response, efforts will be made to minimize the number of times a chick is led by a walking handler. However, during early conditioning, it may be safer to lead chicks to the aircraft rather than to carry them." Why is it so important that chicks learn to follow the aircraft right from the beginning of their lives? Dan used the word forage in the audio clip "How Training Begins." Look up the word and write the meaning in your journal with other vocabulary words you collect. Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure made possible by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP). This Season Teachers Kids Orientation Registration Search Copyright 1997-2008 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Questions or comments? Contact us.