One of the reasons we chose Necedah was the possibility to see Whopping Cranes. We were so excited that they were the first birds we saw from the Observation Tower. They are white, like Great egrets, but with black on the tips of their wings. And they are considerably bigger. We arrived at Necedah the morning after a severe storm with tornado-fast winds. We saw hundreds of uprooted and downed trees. Many of the roads were blocked. We had to walk around the trees to get to the Observation Tower, which made for a different but still very fun, adventure than planned. Thankfully, the Observation Tower was undamaged, On the walk back to the car, Gabe and Ima discovered a bee hive in an unrooted tree. The honey comb had been inside the trunk of the tree, which was no split open, spilling all their hard work on the ground to be melted by the hot July sun. There were SO MANY bees, but all swarming the honeycomb so we were able to get within a few feet without incidence.
We had the honor of seeing Whooping Cranes today! Currently there are only about 800 left on Earth.
Whooping Cranes are an endangered species and sensitive to disturbance. The
International Crane Foundation list threats as, "Loss or deterioration of critical wetland habitat – including reduced fresh water on wintering grounds in Texas, sea-level rise, low genetic diversity, power line collisions, predation, disturbance at nest sites, and illegal shootings."
They recommend giving Whooping Cranes their space. This means staying at least 100 yards from Whooping Cranes if you're in a car and 200 yards if not in a car. If you see one, please consider reporting it at
bandedcranes.org. To report disturbances or illegal activity harming Whooping Cranes, they recommend contacting local authorities immediately (1-800-847-4367). You can learn more about Whooping Cranes and how you can protect this endangered species and support the Crane Foundation's work at
savingcranes.org.
We did not approach the Whooping Crane while photographing, staying at least 200 yards away at all times. Both Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes are easily disturbed and individual cranes are especially susceptible to flying into power lines in large flocks. The images and video below were taken with a 600mm magnification lens.
 |
| Whooping Cranes are the tallest birds in North America! |
 |
| In the 1940s, Whooping Crane populations declined to about 20 birds in the world, but with lots of help, their population is at about 800 birds today. |
 |
| Despite being around 5 feet tall, Whooping Cranes are about 15 pounds, a few pounds heavier than the average house cat! |
 |
| To teach young Whooping Crane from Necedah to migrate to Florida, researchers use ultralight aircrafts to guide them on the path. |
 |
| Whooping Crane and Canada Geese |
 |
| Green-winged Teal that I thought were Mallards |
 |
| Trumpeter Swans |
 |
| Juvenile Bald Eagle |
 |
| Juvenile Bald Eagle |
 |
| Juvenile Baltimore Oriole |
 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, and Common Grackle |
 |
| American Goldfinch and Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
 |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee |
 |
| Western Honey Bees who nested in a tree before it blew over in a storm the night before this post. |
Comments
Post a Comment