SHERIDAN - After a delay of several days, 14 endangered whooping cranes flew from Winnebago County to LaSalle County on Tuesday on their way from Wisconsin to Florida.

The flying caravan of birds and four ultralight aircraft will make it to its next stop in Livingston County on Wednesday if weather permits.

People who hope to see the birds Wednesday morning should be at the junction of East Si Johnson Avenue and East Pleasant Street in Sheridan. Arrive about a half hour before sunrise, and don't be late. The birds normally take off at sunrise when wind speed is usually at its slowest of the day.

The scientists from Operation Migration can give no guarantee on exactly when the whooping crane chicks and ultralight aircraft serving as their surrogate parents will fly. Weather conditions must be absolutely right to ensure the safety of the aircraft and the birds that draft off air currents which the planes create. If they do fly, the path could veer quickly from the planned route.

After the flight is over, Operation Migration won't divulge the exact location where the birds will spend the remainder of the day and night on the ground to prevent human contact.

The cranes were raised at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin. The migration, which began there on Oct. 17, will cover 1,285 miles before reaching Chassahowitzka and St. Mark's national wildlife refuges on Florida's Gulf Coast.

Whooping cranes were on the verge of extinction in the 1940s. About 350 of them live in the wild today. The 14 cranes making the trip will add to 74 birds that Operation Migration raised and taught to migrate since 2001.

Watch for updates at www.pantagraph.com and www.operationmigration.org.