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Jorgen
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Gender: Male
Location: Lund, Sweden
Registered: Apr 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 833

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Posted Saturday, May 19, 2012 @ 06:37 PM  

Hello Fournieteers,
As you might have noticed I’ve made a habit out of reporting spring from a Birdwatching-type of Fournieristic approach. This year I wasn´t able to time my Fournication to coincide with the way Mr and Mrs Crane planned their arrival so I didn’t actually meet them in the air as we have had the pleasure of doing several times. Partly my fault for working I guess but also weather-wise: there hasn’t been any days with apparent perfect conditions for migration; southwesterly tailwinds and strong convective lift, at least that’s the way I have pictured their favoured weather. Scouting for cranes can be a lot of fun though, or as I’ve said before: -There’s no place like cloud base!

One of the scouting flights I made was end of March, when a northwesterly 15 kt wind made me less expectant of seeing any cranes. I checked around and sampled some not very strong but consistent blue thermals (not strong enough to shut off the engine), and of course out of courtesy buzzed my buddy Per’s airstrip. “-I saw you coming around the flagpole!” he laughed at the debriefing.

I landed uneventfully at around five o’clock. As I postflighted XST I could hear the loud trumpeting and a V-formation of cranes passed right over the strip on a northeasterly course.

May the 4's be with you/ Jörgen

[Edit by Jorgen on Saturday, May 19, 2012 @ 07:08 PM]

Jorgen
Captain

Gender: Male
Location: Lund, Sweden
Registered: Apr 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 833

Click here to see the profile for Jorgen Send email to Jorgen Send private message to Jorgen Find more posts by Jorgen Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Saturday, May 19, 2012 @ 06:59 PM  

I'm not really that much of a Birdwatcher, but when you encounter our feathered friends in thermals when soaring I've found myself getting increasingly curious about their ways. I've only flown a small part of the route the crane's fly when I flew XST from the UK to Sweden, but to me it sure was an adventure. Even a seasoned airmen like Bob Grimstead seem to consider flying an XC like that quite an adventure. Imagine doing the same trip on muscle power!

There is some evidence that the crane’s migrational pattern in Sweden might be changing a bit: normally the cranes take off early in the morning from Northern Germany, cross the Danish Islands and the surrounding Sea, make landfall in southern Sweden soon after lunch and continue to lake Hornborga approximately the same latitude as Goteborg but inland, not far from Sweden’s west coast. Here they land in the evening to dance, mate and party until they go to their summer breeding grounds. I would imagine that when they turn final for landing they feel at least as elated as I do when I’ve made it back to the strip without restarting the engine:



As I understand it they have started to gather in Sweden at a more southerly place, the marshes around Kristianstad, only a half hour flight from Lund. This means they might pass south Sweden later in the day, just like on this occasion. It could also be that the northwesterly winds were not that bad: off shore wind often offers good thermal triggering along coastlines, so they might have enjoyed some favourable, energy conserving, blue thermal-boosted gliding along the eastern coasts of the Danish Islands. Nota bene: this is not a peer-assessed, proven theory, it's merely my impression as a Fournietheral thermal-snooper. Anyway, the northwesterly wind prevailed the next day, when I instead enjoyed a late afternoon Coffee with the family at the square in downtown Lund. We were thoroughly impressed when 50+ cranes with a loud sounding of trumpets flew over us in this V-formation 150 ft above town and started curving a thermal just on top of the Lund Cathedral. OK Guys, I get the message- next year I’ll catch you again…

May the 4's be with you/ Jörgen

[Edit by Jorgen on Saturday, May 19, 2012 @ 07:29 PM]

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