Re: Re: OT-CHAT: is the crane lost again?

Oh, well, then....
   
  Whatever it was I saw was definitely not an adult whooping crane then... not white at all.   I only remembered the "crane" part not which species.  
   
  Now that you mention it I saw a big batch of sandhill cranes feeding in just that spot this past spring, so that's probably what it was.  I was just sure it was bigger and less angular than a heron in flight.
   
  thanks.
  Christian

Linda Mann <lmann@lock-net.com> wrote:
  Christian, this has definitely been a nightmare migration for the 
ultralight led baby whoopers, but no, they didn't lose one again. 733 
has been behaving himself.

They are stuck in Georgia, waiting for 'normal' weather to return so 
they can finish the trip to Florida before the northern migration 
starts. If the weather had cooperated, they "should" have been there by 
mid November! [The babies have to learn the route so they can find 
their way back and forth on their own in the future.]

Send donations for crane chow and gas for the trikes (among other 
expenses)! Plus now they need more parts for one of the trikes that got 
flipped by the wind and busted a wing yesterday, fortunately on the 
ground, so nobody hurt.



There are now 5 years' worth of wild adult whooping cranes migrating on 
their own in the eastern flyway, thanks to this Endangered species 
reintroduction program. I think around 50 of them now. So you might 
have seen one of the adults.

An adult whooper is unmistakable - bright, almost irridescent white with 
black wingtips. Similar shape but bigger than a sandhill crane, some of 
which can be very light colored. Sandhills usually travel in big 
flocks, but the whoopers are often solitary or in small groups, 
sometimes hang out with sandhills.

The cranes fly with their necks straight out; herons with neck folded 
back. First sandhill crane I ever saw was by itself, up at my pond 30+ 
yrs ago, & when it flew overhead, like you, I thought that something was 
"off" for a blue heron. Had no idea what it was.

Go to the link above to the field journal and scroll down to see pix of 
the babies flying with the trikes.

I got to see them fly in to Hiwassee Refuge and also finally fly out 
(when it was 14oF!) last week. Goosebumps. Or crane bumps 

overhead. I'm relatively familiar with the Great Blue Herons in the 
area, so I think I would recognize them, and this didn't seem right for 
a heron. But I could be daft.
Just thought I'ld check. christian>
-- 
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society 
Region 7, Kentucky-Tennessee 
American Iris Society web site 
talk archives: 
photos archives: 
online R&I 

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