The common crane is flying towards Spain
(and my Taifun wants to do the same)

On November 26th Henk, when working inside of his home, heard a strange penetrating trumpet like sound coming from outside. After several minutes he wondered why the sound was still out there and stepped outside. A glance at the sky gave him the sight you can enjoy in the photograph above. Hundreds and hudreds of common cranes where flying overhead searching their way South for warmer regions. Usually cranes pass the South of the Netherlands from early November, but this year temperatures have stayed at record breaking heights for weeks and weeks, thus prolonging autumn. The last three days there have been several people in the east of the Netherlands reporting large flocks of cranes passing overhead in west and southward directions. Today (November 29th 2006) there have been several reports of a group of well over 3000 cranes heading Southwest. It was this flock Henk watched during almost half an hour this morning. Click here for a sound piece of passing cranes.

The Common Crane (Grus grus), also known as the Eurasian Crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes.
It is a large, stately bird, 100-130 cm long, with a 180-230 cm wingspan and a weight of 4.5-6 kg. It is grey with a white facial streak and a bunch of black plumes on its tail. Adults have a red crown patch. It has a loud trumpeting call, given in flight and display. It has a dancing display, leaping with wings uplifted.
It breeds in wetlands in northern parts of Europe and Asia. The global population is in the region of 210,000-250,000, with the vast majority nesting in Russia and Scandinavia. In Great Britain the Common Crane became extinct in the 17th century, but a tiny population now breeds again in the Norfolk Broads and is slowly increasing.

Close-up of two cranes in flight.

This evening, when surfing the internet for more info on this remarkable bird Henk discovered the flock had the same flight in mind as he (and his Taifun) are planning to make early next year. At the moment plans are to fly to Spain in March/April 2007 and do a tour around the Iberian peninsula, also visiting the region of Sevilla in the south. It's this very region where most of the Eurpean cranes are flying to winter. But there's a large difference between a Taifun 17E and a common crane. No AVGAS, no ATC, no restericted areas and no customs at the border!
Cranes fly in wedge like formations, unisosceles corners or sloping rows in order to reduce air resistance and protect the contact within the group. During their flight they comunicate by the sounds which become especially frequent at night or during unfavorable visibility. The flight may change direction as a result of wind circumstances and can resemble snake like or wave like shapes. The flight altitudes vary widely depending on wind and visibility, ground reliefs as well as air currents. While the normal height lies between 200 and 1000 ms, heights up to 2500 ms have been reported. The maximum flight altitude is somewhere around 4600 ms.
Cranes usually make flights of 100 km up to 1000 km per day.

Orientation presumably is supported by the earth's magnetic field and sky factors as well as through remarkable scenery signs. These are memorized by first flighters during earlier wintering with their parents. On their flight south cranes make several stops. Some may only take one single day, but stops of several weeks or even two months have also been reported. In the early morning they fly in smaller flocks to feed themselves with corn rests left behind on farmer's fields and leaves, roots, berries (including notably the cranberry, which is probably named after the species), insects, small birds and mammals on surrounding fields. The longer the flight, the smaller the flocks.

More on the migration and counts of Eurpean cranes can be found at the www.grus-grus.eu website (available in French, Spanish, German and English). Check out their "Carla the Crane"-game an educational story and game for kids.
A beautiful -though 4.4 Mb- pdf poster on the crane migration can be downloaded here from the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement website.
 

"I will write peace on your wings"
(The Sadako Sasaki crane story)

On 6th of August 1945 Sadako Sasaki had nearly reached two years of age, when a large bomb exploded about one mile from her home in Hiroshima (Japan). Apparently unhurt she fled with her mother and her older brother to the Oto river. Reaching the river they were soaked by radioactive black rain which kept falling almost all over the day. Until her 12th Sahado seemed to lead a normal and healthy life. She was the best female athlete of her year, when suddenly she was struck by leukemia, some sort of blood cancer in those times also called "the atom bomb disease". Sadako's best friend told her of an old Japanese legend which said that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes would be granted a wish. "Tsuru", Japanese for the common crane, is an ancient Japanese symbol for a long and prosporous life, hope, happiness and contentment. If you succeed in folding 1000 cranes they will preserve you from disease. Sadako said: "I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world". Sadako hoped that the gods would grant her a wish to get well so that she could run again. She started to work on the paper cranes and completed over 1000 before dying on October 25, 1955 at the age of twelve.

Sadako Sasaki, at the age of 12 (about 1955)

Sadako Sasaki memorial in Hiroshima. Paper cranes are sent to Japan from all over the world. Around the monument some structures have been built to protect the paper cranes from the elements.

Since this day the crane has become the international symbol for nuclear disarmament. The point is that she never gave up. She continued to make paper cranes until she died. Inspired by her courage and strength, Sadako's friends and classmates started to develop a national campaign for building a monument in remembrance of Sadako and all other children killed by the atomb bomb. In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled in Hiroshima Peace Park. The children also made a wish which is inscribed at the bottom of the statue and reads: "This is our cry, This is our prayer, Peace in the world". Today, people all over the world fold paper cranes and send them to Sadako's monument in Hiroshima. On top of the granite base symbolising the legendary "Mountain of Paradise, Mt. Horai", there's a young girl holding a golden crane in her stretched arms. Beneath the monument there's room for thousands of colourful paper cranes that are being sent to Hiroshima from all over the world.

Japanese school children dedicate a collection of paper origami cranes they are delivering to the memorial for Sadako Sasaki in Hiroshima Peace Park.

Upper part of the momument.

I must admit, this origami crane is far from perfect.
But hey, not bad for my first origami bird YouTube lesson !

Happy foldings (and landings), webmaster Leo.