The nine whooping cranes that didn’t complete their migration to Florida are at Wheeler Wildlife Refuge.

Last weekend, the birds were placed in an enclosed pen in an undisclosed location, so visitors can’t view them yet.

Workers with Operation Migration, which helps young whooping cranes learn their migration route, hope to release the cranes into the wild in about a week.

They transported the cranes by van from Winston County on Saturday in individual crates.

“They’ll hopefully get with the sandhill cranes and the other whooping cranes we have here and follow them back to their nesting area in Wisconsin,” refuge ranger Teresa Adams said.

About 11,000 sandhill cranes and seven whooping cranes are spending the winter at the refuge.

The pen, which is constructed largely of mesh netting, is set up in an open field with a good view of the other birds.

Operation Migration head Liz Condie said that in a few days workers will put radio transmitters on the enclosed whooping cranes to allow for tracking the birds.

The cranes then will be given a couple more days to settle down before being released.

At that point, visitors may get glimpses of the new cranes from the observation building as they become acclimated with the other birds in the refuge.

The cranes usually migrate north in late February, but with a milder winter many birds are flying north sooner this year.

Adams said the cold front moving in this week may convince the birds to stay a few more weeks.

The journey for the cranes, and the pilots of the ultralight aircraft that led the birds, began in October in Wisconsin.

The project stalled in Franklin County because of a combination of bad weather, the holidays and a Federal Aviation Administration investigation.

After a month break, the birds were reluctant to continue their journey and only flew a few miles south to Winston.

Condie said it was fortunate Wheeler was nearby to provide a safe haven for the cranes.

“We didn’t know we needed one, but plan B was in order,” she said.