Cranes' arrival delayed again

Rain was the reason 17 whooping cranes headed to the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge spent a second day grounded in Gilchrist County. The stop is the second to last leg on the annual migration led by pilots from Operation Migration. Led by the pilots in ultralight aircraft, the birds have flown from Wisconsin. This years flight has taken 95 days so far, the longest time since the project to save the rare birds started in 2001.

When the birds make the next leg, they will overfly the Dunnellon/Marion Airport for the flights only scheduled public viewing.

The cranes will resume their flight tomorrow if conditions allow. Those interested in viewing the flyover may get details here.

Ron Thompson, Times staff writer