The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service said Wednesday that five whooping cranes that migrated to Florida's Gulf Coast for the winter have started their flight home to Wisconsin. <br>
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Wildlife spokesman Charles Underwood said the birds began moving Tuesday from where they spent the winter in the salt marshes of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, near Tampa, Florida. <br>
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Officials said the cranes flew nearly seven hours yesterday and landed in Wilcox County, Georgia, 217 miles from where they started. <br>
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One of the ultralight pilots for the Operation Migration project, Joe Duff, said ``This is by far the biggest adventure they've had and the longest trip they've ever made.'' <br>
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Officials said the cranes are not being led back by ultralight, since they learned the route on their way south just as wild young cranes would learn the route from their parents. <br>
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If all goes as planned, migrating whooping cranes will be restored to eastern North America for the first time in more than 100 years. <br>
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Seven whoopers made the trip south following an ultralight aircraft last year, but two were killed by bobcats earlier this year.
