The true story documentaries (“The Ultra Geese” and “Operation Migration”) included in the bonus materials were fascinating. Wildlife biologists really did teach geese to migrate, and for a good reason too: it was to see if this technique could be applied to help some of our most endangered species of migratory birds. After perfecting their technique with geese, the team of scientists worked with sandhill cranes (a common crane), with the ultimate goal of working with the rare whooping crane, which once ranged over most of North America, but which need to learn their migratory routes from their parents. At the time of the documentary (1995), there were only some 200-odd whooping cranes left in the world, and all belonging to one flock that nested in Wood Buffalo National Park on the border of northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories, and wintered in one location in Texas. This made whooping cranes extremely vulnerable: if anything happened to that one flock, or their one migratory pathway, the species would become extinct. I went to Operation Migration’s website, and found out that since the movie was made (in 1996), a second flock of 40 whooping cranes migrating via a second, more easterly pathway has been established—taught by scientists in these ultra-light fliers. How inspiring!

On a personal note, I was touched to receive a blog award from Alicia of Magic and Mayhem, and will write more about it soon. But right now I’ve got a badly hurt ankle (twist? sprain? arthritis?) that has not gotten better over the past week. It’s bad enough that I have booked a doctor’s appointment at a clinic this afternoon. Jim, my amazing hubby, is helping me out at home today—what a guy! Fingers crossed that I am back to my old self asap, so on that note, off I go to ice and elevate my leg again.