Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Crane

Yay, I have finally finished posting Whooping Crane photos! They are such special, ENDANGERED birds that I felt I should document them in reasonable detail. Also, I doubt I will ever get the chance to see them again. What an amazing, fascinating time we spent with them, especially this family of three. Thank you, Lori, captain of the Lady Lori boat, for this wonderful experience! Something that will never be forgotten. This private tour for four friends and myself was arranged in Calgary beforehand. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone! Aransas Bay Birding Charters: texasbirdingphotos.net/cgi-bin/p/awtp-home.cgi?d=aransas-... What a wonderful family, with the youngster (colt) learning how to preen and how to catch food, especially from watching Dad. Our presence seemed to have zero affect on these Cranes, as they went about their daily routines. So neat to know that all these Whooping Cranes will fly north to Alberta, my own province, where they will spend the summer. Wise birds, avoiding our many months of brutal winter weather up north! This is a Youtube video that shows the capture of a wild Whooping Crane adult and a tracking device being attached: youtu.be/YtVt842trpo "Before human interference, there were believed to be 15,000 to 20,000 whooping cranes, which fell to roughly 1,400 in 1860 and then plummeted to an all-time low of 15 birds in 1941. All signs pointed towards the end of the whooping crane. The 15 surviving whooping cranes all belonged to one flock that migrated between Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Conservationists worked with local, federal, and international governments to protect the flock and encourage breeding. Their efforts paid off slowly as the numbers reached 57 by 1970 and 214 by 2005." www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Wh... "Cellular Tracking Technologies is privileged to be working with the scientists employed by both the US and Canadian federal governments in the international team effort to monitor and protect the last remaining natural population of the Whooping Crane (Grus americana). The so-called “Wood Buffalo-Aransas” population is the only remaining group of Whooping Cranes that has continued to nest, migrate, and overwinter in the traditional areas where they were first documented by Western ornithologists. The entire Whooping Crane species consists of only 437 wild individuals among four populations, three of which were artificially reared and reintroduced to the wild, plus 162 individuals in captivity (as of 2011). However, the only surviving remnant of the naturally-occurring Whooping Crane population is the Wood Buffalo-Aransas flock, consisting of only 283 individuals (as of the winter of 2011-12). This is the only group of Whooping Cranes that has managed to continually pass on the traditional ways of life of this species, in an unbroken chain of chick-rearing and parenting by birds that can live more than 30 years in the wild. The vital nesting grounds lie in the vast Wood Buffalo National Park, the largest national park in Canada. The park is an immense area, a sprawling 17,300 square miles (44,807 km²), spanning northeastern Alberta into the southern Northwest Territories. Amazingly, Wood Buffalo National Park is larger than nine US states. The equally vital wintering grounds lie in southern Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico. In winter, Whooping Cranes are seafood aficionados, preying on blue crabs and clams in the brackish Gulf Coast marshes. Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, near Rockport, TX, is one of the few areas of protected public property where people can reliably visit and expect to see these rare and special birds. This is also the exact area where Hurricane Harvey came ashore as a powerful Category 4 storm on 26 August 2017, with sustained winds of 130 mph (209 km/h). Hurricane Harvey went on to set records for both the astounding amounts of rainfall in the Houston metropolitan area, as well as the cost of the damage inflicted to human structures. The storm is currently tied with 2005’s Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cyclone to hit the United States. Luckily, the Whooping Crane population was still up in Canada when the storm hit." From link below. celltracktech.com/portfolio/whooping-cranes/

I added 8 new photos this morning, all of Whooping Cranes. Maybe another half dozen photos and a video and I will have finished with the Whooping Cranes and can move on to other species. What a wonderful family, with the youngster (colt) learning how to preen and how to catch food, especially from watching Dad. Our presence seemed to have zero affect on these Cranes, as they went about their daily routines. So neat to know that all these Whooping Cranes will fly north to Alberta, my own province, where they will spend the summer. Wise birds, avoiding our many months of brutal winter weather up north! This is a Youtube video that shows the capture of a wild Whooping Crane adult and a tracking device being attached: youtu.be/YtVt842trpo "Before human interference, there were believed to be 15,000 to 20,000 whooping cranes, which fell to roughly 1,400 in 1860 and then plummeted to an all-time low of 15 birds in 1941. All signs pointed towards the end of the whooping crane. The 15 surviving whooping cranes all belonged to one flock that migrated between Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Conservationists worked with local, federal, and international governments to protect the flock and encourage breeding. Their efforts paid off slowly as the numbers reached 57 by 1970 and 214 by 2005." www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Wh... "Cellular Tracking Technologies is privileged to be working with the scientists employed by both the US and Canadian federal governments in the international team effort to monitor and protect the last remaining natural population of the Whooping Crane (Grus americana). The so-called “Wood Buffalo-Aransas” population is the only remaining group of Whooping Cranes that has continued to nest, migrate, and overwinter in the traditional areas where they were first documented by Western ornithologists. The entire Whooping Crane species consists of only 437 wild individuals among four populations, three of which were artificially reared and reintroduced to the wild, plus 162 individuals in captivity (as of 2011). However, the only surviving remnant of the naturally-occurring Whooping Crane population is the Wood Buffalo-Aransas flock, consisting of only 283 individuals (as of the winter of 2011-12). This is the only group of Whooping Cranes that has managed to continually pass on the traditional ways of life of this species, in an unbroken chain of chick-rearing and parenting by birds that can live more than 30 years in the wild. The vital nesting grounds lie in the vast Wood Buffalo National Park, the largest national park in Canada. The park is an immense area, a sprawling 17,300 square miles (44,807 km²), spanning northeastern Alberta into the southern Northwest Territories. Amazingly, Wood Buffalo National Park is larger than nine US states. The equally vital wintering grounds lie in southern Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico. In winter, Whooping Cranes are seafood aficionados, preying on blue crabs and clams in the brackish Gulf Coast marshes. Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, near Rockport, TX, is one of the few areas of protected public property where people can reliably visit and expect to see these rare and special birds. This is also the exact area where Hurricane Harvey came ashore as a powerful Category 4 storm on 26 August 2017, with sustained winds of 130 mph (209 km/h). Hurricane Harvey went on to set records for both the astounding amounts of rainfall in the Houston metropolitan area, as well as the cost of the damage inflicted to human structures. The storm is currently tied with 2005’s Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cyclone to hit the United States. Luckily, the Whooping Crane population was still up in Canada when the storm hit." From link below. celltracktech.com/portfolio/whooping-cranes/

Something is very wrong with Flickr at the moment, including the missing icons and the banner at the top of the page. WARNING! I will try not to post too many photos of this amazing little family of three Whooping Cranes - but I already know I will FAIL miserably : ) What a huge privilege to be able to watch them preening, feeding and interacting! They are so rare, and I doubt I will ever be seeing them again. What a wonderful family, with the youngster (colt) learning how to preen and how to catch food, especially from watching Dad. Our presence seemed to have zero affect on these Cranes, as they went about their daily routines. So neat to know that all these Whooping Cranes will fly north to Alberta, my own province, where they will spend the summer. Wise birds, avoiding our many months of brutal winter weather up north! "Before human interference, there were believed to be 15,000 to 20,000 whooping cranes, which fell to roughly 1,400 in 1860 and then plummeted to an all-time low of 15 birds in 1941. All signs pointed towards the end of the whooping crane. The 15 surviving whooping cranes all belonged to one flock that migrated between Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Conservationists worked with local, federal, and international governments to protect the flock and encourage breeding. Their efforts paid off slowly as the numbers reached 57 by 1970 and 214 by 2005." www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Wh... "Cellular Tracking Technologies is privileged to be working with the scientists employed by both the US and Canadian federal governments in the international team effort to monitor and protect the last remaining natural population of the Whooping Crane (Grus americana). The so-called “Wood Buffalo-Aransas” population is the only remaining group of Whooping Cranes that has continued to nest, migrate, and overwinter in the traditional areas where they were first documented by Western ornithologists. The entire Whooping Crane species consists of only 437 wild individuals among four populations, three of which were artificially reared and reintroduced to the wild, plus 162 individuals in captivity (as of 2011). However, the only surviving remnant of the naturally-occurring Whooping Crane population is the Wood Buffalo-Aransas flock, consisting of only 283 individuals (as of the winter of 2011-12). This is the only group of Whooping Cranes that has managed to continually pass on the traditional ways of life of this species, in an unbroken chain of chick-rearing and parenting by birds that can live more than 30 years in the wild. The vital nesting grounds lie in the vast Wood Buffalo National Park, the largest national park in Canada. The park is an immense area, a sprawling 17,300 square miles (44,807 km²), spanning northeastern Alberta into the southern Northwest Territories. Amazingly, Wood Buffalo National Park is larger than nine US states. The equally vital wintering grounds lie in southern Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico. In winter, Whooping Cranes are seafood aficionados, preying on blue crabs and clams in the brackish Gulf Coast marshes. Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, near Rockport, TX, is one of the few areas of protected public property where people can reliably visit and expect to see these rare and special birds. This is also the exact area where Hurricane Harvey came ashore as a powerful Category 4 storm on 26 August 2017, with sustained winds of 130 mph (209 km/h). Hurricane Harvey went on to set records for both the astounding amounts of rainfall in the Houston metropolitan area, as well as the cost of the damage inflicted to human structures. The storm is currently tied with 2005’s Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cyclone to hit the United States. Luckily, the Whooping Crane population was still up in Canada when the storm hit." From link below. celltracktech.com/portfolio/whooping-cranes/

WARNING! I will try not to post too many photos of this amazing little family of three Whooping Cranes - but I already know I will FAIL miserably : ) What a huge privilege to be able to watch them preening, feeding and interacting! This is a close-up of the leg band and tracking device on the legs of the male Whooping Crane in the little family of three, that we spent quite a lot of time observing. What a wonderful family, with the youngster (colt) learning how to preen and how to catch food, especially from watching Dad. Our presence seemed to have zero affect on these Cranes, as they went about their daily routines. So neat to know that all these Whooping Cranes will fly north to Alberta, my own province, where they will spend the summer. Wise birds, avoiding our many months of brutal winter weather up north! This is a video that shows the capture of a wild Whooping Crane adult and a tracking device being attached: youtu.be/YtVt842trpo "Cellular Tracking Technologies is privileged to be working with the scientists employed by both the US and Canadian federal governments in the international team effort to monitor and protect the last remaining natural population of the Whooping Crane (Grus americana). The so-called “Wood Buffalo-Aransas” population is the only remaining group of Whooping Cranes that has continued to nest, migrate, and overwinter in the traditional areas where they were first documented by Western ornithologists. The entire Whooping Crane species consists of only 437 wild individuals among four populations, three of which were artificially reared and reintroduced to the wild, plus 162 individuals in captivity (as of 2011). However, the only surviving remnant of the naturally-occurring Whooping Crane population is the Wood Buffalo-Aransas flock, consisting of only 283 individuals (as of the winter of 2011-12). This is the only group of Whooping Cranes that has managed to continually pass on the traditional ways of life of this species, in an unbroken chain of chick-rearing and parenting by birds that can live more than 30 years in the wild. The vital nesting grounds lie in the vast Wood Buffalo National Park, the largest national park in Canada. The park is an immense area, a sprawling 17,300 square miles (44,807 km²), spanning northeastern Alberta into the southern Northwest Territories. Amazingly, Wood Buffalo National Park is larger than nine US states. The equally vital wintering grounds lie in southern Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico. In winter, Whooping Cranes are seafood aficionados, preying on blue crabs and clams in the brackish Gulf Coast marshes. Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, near Rockport, TX, is one of the few areas of protected public property where people can reliably visit and expect to see these rare and special birds. This is also the exact area where Hurricane Harvey came ashore as a powerful Category 4 storm on 26 August 2017, with sustained winds of 130 mph (209 km/h). Hurricane Harvey went on to set records for both the astounding amounts of rainfall in the Houston metropolitan area, as well as the cost of the damage inflicted to human structures. The storm is currently tied with 2005’s Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cyclone to hit the United States. Luckily, the Whooping Crane population was still up in Canada when the storm hit." From link below. celltracktech.com/portfolio/whooping-cranes/

Today is 15 April 2019 - such unfortunate news from Paris, France. Historic Notre Dame Cathedral has been heavily damaged by a devastating fire today. Such an icon for that country, and so beautiful. This afternoon, I have added 10 more photos, again from Day 3 of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas, 19-31 March 2019. This was our second full day there, a day on a tiny boat, called Lady Lori, watching Whooping Cranes and other species. Having posted so many images from basically our first full day, I rather think I will have to be somewhat more 'disciplined" in my choices, or I will never finish : ) Mind you, I had a quick look through Day 3 photos last night, and discovered that a good many of them, especially of the Whooping Cranes, are very blurry - one disadvantage of taking photos from a little boat that is bobbing up and down. Thankfully, enough of them seem to be sufficiently sharp. celltracktech.com/portfolio/whooping-cranes/ www.hww.ca/assets/pdfs/factsheets/whooping-crane-en.pdf The previous morning, Day 2 of our holiday, 20 March 2019, after our drive to The Big Tree and then along the Lamar Beach Road area, we went to the Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary. This is a small, 6.25 acre nature sanctuary that exists in Rockport itself. Such a peaceful place to wander, watching for plants and butterflies as well as birds. There is a small pond, where we watched a young White Ibis, a Great Egret and a Snowy Egret all feeding together. Lovely to see their reflections in the water, too. A couple of nights ago, I was Googling and came across an article from 19 March 2019, telling about a group of students who chose to spend their Spring Break week helping to tidy the Sanctuary. Good for them! After spending some time at this Sanctuary, we went to the Aransas First Cove Harbor Wetlands Sanctuary, followed by eventually finding the Newbury Park Hummingbird Garden. This was definitely not what we were expecting - just a small area of grass and trees with picnic tables. However, we did see a beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly and a small, purple Winecup flower. Afterwards, a repeat drive along Cape Velero Drive and area turned up some nice birds, too. Day 3 was a very different kind of day, spent on board a small boat with just my four friends (and the captain/guide) on board. This private tour was arranged in Calgary beforehand. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone! Aransas Bay Birding Charters: texasbirdingphotos.net/cgi-bin/p/awtp-home.cgi?d=aransas-... It was a very early start to the day, before sunrise, as we had a lot of water to cross in order to reach the area where the Whooping Cranes were. When we first arrived at the location, the Cranes were either asleep or just beginning their morning preening session, before becoming active. Too dark to get any decent shots of them in the dark, though I did post one yesterday morning. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous! I couldn't make up my mind which one or two photos to post yesterday, so I ended up adding a number of them. After a while, the Whooping Cranes starting slowly walking and eventually took flight. A bit later in the day, we came across three of them, in the sunshine, busily feeding. This little family consisted of Mom, Dad and junior (their colt). Junior was hungry and eventually, Dad found a crab, which the colt was determined to snatch and eat. Dad was wearing a numbered leg band on one leg; on the other leg was a tracking device. A delightful family group, that was so fascinating to watch from the boat. My photos taken of these three are nicer that the ones I've just posted. As well as seeing these amazing, endangered Cranes, Lori found all sorts of other bird species for us, including a pair of Oystercatchers (female was on a nest), Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Belted Kingfisher, Pelicans, Great Blue Herons, Royal Terns, Caspian Terns, Ruddy Turnstone, Skimmers, and Cormorants, to name just some of them. One area, which was a rookery, had been badly destroyed by Hurricane Harvey, Wooden nesting platforms have been built to replace most of the original nests, and it was great to see Herons nesting on them. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we saw a family of three Dolphins, too.

To have the chance to visit Waterton Lakes National Park in June was such an absolute treat, but to be able to visit this beautiful region again one month later was just incredible. I think I've only ever been maybe five or so times in the 37 years that I've lived here, so you can imagine my delight to get two chances in one year!! Actually, I signed up for the July trip a while ago and, though there were some aspects of the three-day trip that I wasn't particularly keen on, I knew this was a wonderful chance to go down south. Then, some time later, friend Sandy asked if I wanted to go down to Waterton in June for the Botany Alberta weekend. So, lucky, lucky me!! Just got back home early yesterday evening (19 July 2015) from this second visit, 17-19 July 2015. Again, wonderful to be surrounded by such magnificent scenery, go on a few pleasantly slow walks with plenty of time to look for, and photograph, wildflowers, insects, and a few birds. Lots of great company with people I already knew and lots of new faces, too. The trip was organized by Nature Calgary. Everyone was free to go wherever they wanted each day, but for the two nights, we stayed at the very basic Canyon Church Camp, off the Red Rock Parkway. Dorm-style cabins (about which I will say nothing, lol!), but they do have showers and even flush toilets at the camp. We were fed so well - lots of variety and good food. We were given two breakfasts and two suppers, plus a packed lunch for the two days. Our thanks go out to the lady (can't remember her name, sorry) who cooked and prepared these meals for us! They were so much enjoyed and greatly appreciated! Our first day, which included the drive from Calgary, it rained all day long. Thankfully, the remaining two days were beautiful and sunny, and appreciated even more because of the first rainy day. This day, we drove around Waterton town, calling in at Cameron Falls and then driving to Red Rock Canyon. We did the short walk along both sides of the canyon, in the rain, so it was pretty much useless as far as taking photos was concerned. I was happy to see a Swainson's Thrush, the first time I had seen one close. One of my favourite plants that we saw this trip was Water Hemlock - though I had seen it before, I had never seen it this close and in such detail. The bees and other insects love it, too, with several insects on many of the flower heads. This attractive plant is one of the most deadly poisonous plants in North America. Two other plants that I was thrilled to see were Pink Monkeyflower and Yellow Monkeyflower. I had never seen these wildflowers before. Pearly Everlasting, False Helebore, Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus, Foam Flower, and Thimbleberry were just a few of the other plants we found. We were amazed at how many orchids there were - everywhere. Later on the second day, we called in at Red Rock Canyon again and, because it was absolutely packed with people, we decided to do the Blakiston Falls Trail (2 km return). Along this trail, I was thrilled to see a few Pinedrops plants in flower - I had only ever seen them once before, and they were in seed. Thanks so much, Debbie, for the heads-up about these plants, that you had found earlier! We also saw a couple of Prince's Pine plants along this trail - a first for me. They look rather like Pink Pyrola, so could easily be overlooked. Later, in the evening on this day, Andrew Hart took us to look at the wetland area of Maskinonge for Sandhill Cranes. He knew they can be seen there and, with the help of a spotting scope, he found a total of 7 seen from two lookouts. Barely visible with the naked eye, they were so far away. I just managed to get a 48x zoomed shot that was kind of fit to post : ) Andrew had also timed it so that we could drive along Chief Mountain Parkway afterwards, stop at the lookout and watch the sunset over the mountain peaks. The following morning, our last, some of us visited Cameron Lake again and then walked along the very short Akamina Lake trail (only 1 km) that starts from the Cameron Lake parking lot. A beautiful little trail, where we found two Bear Grass plants still in flower, but well past their prime. Also watched a rather thin deer making her way along the edge of the lake. A lovely walk to end our stay in Waterton Lakes National Park. Thanks so much, Darlene, for letting us do this, knowing that we needed to start driving north to Calgary. Thank you SO much, too, for driving three of us to and from Calgary and around the park some of the time, too. To say that we appreciated it is a huge understatement!! Our thanks, too, to Andrew for organizing this trip so brilliantly! A great time was had by all.

We had the privilege on Saturday of seeing very rare Whooping Cranes at the Calgary Zoo Ranch, known as the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre, located about 10 kilometers south of Calgary near DeWinton. "The Zoo ranch is a 320-acre captive breeding facility, and is not open to the public. The ranch also serves as a Zoo quarantine and holding area for everything from elk to zebras. In the late 1800s, an estimated 500 to 1,400 whooping cranes inhabited North America. By the 1940s only 16 remained. Thanks to the work at the Zoo ranch and elsewhere, whooping cranes are making a comeback with 472 in the wild and in captivity. The Zoo ranch was the first Canadian site designated for a captive flock, with two pairs arriving in 1992. The Nat Christie Whooping Crane Breeding facility opened in 1993 at the ranch. The first whooping crane chicks hatched at the ranch in 1996. As of November 2006, the Zoo has seven adult pairs of whooping cranes, two singleton breeding males, three juveniles hatched in 2005 and, so far, five chicks have hatched this year. There are also two cranes on display in the Zoo’s Canadian Wilds. To date, the Zoo ranch has released 16 chicks into the wild. In addition to the chicks hatched this spring, the Zoo shipped 10 fertile eggs to Patuxent, Maryland. Five of these eggs hatched and the chicks are destined to join the flock being trained in Operation Migration – an international effort that trains birds to migrate with ultra-light aircraft." www.canadiancowboy.ca/features/the_zoo_ranch.html

I wasn't able to get a single good photo of these guys when a few of us had the privilege of visiting the Calgary Zoo Ranch the other day. They were at the far side of their enclosure and there is only maybe a foot-wide view through the fencing (and too many photographers with long lenses, lol!) - the rest of the fence is covered so that the birds are not exposed to humans. Tremendous work is being done there to breed several very endangered species, especially the fascinating Whooping Crane. These birds are kept in enclosures and any interaction with the staff is done using white "Crane costumes". The Whooping Crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild. Many thanks to Crane Keeper, Dwight Knapik for showing us around for the afternoon and filling us with interesting information. In 1985, the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre (DWCC) opened. Known as the "Zoo Ranch," this land south of Calgary is home to the breeding facilities for the endangered Whooping Cranes, Vancouver Island Marmots, Przwalksi wild horses and Zebra. "The only remaining flock of wild Whooping Cranes, the wintering population in coastal Texas, reached a low of 15 birds in the winter of 1941-42, and hovered between the low 20s and mid 30s over the next two decades. Efforts to locate the flock's breeding grounds intensified following World War II. Evidence of breeding was first reported in 1954, when several adults and pre-fledged juveniles were observed in Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) in Northwest Territories, Canada. Researchers were able to locate the first nests the following year. The inaccessibility of the breeding grounds, protection of the wintering grounds, and extensive public education campaigns have contributed to the population's increase to its current level." www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/cranes/grusamer.htm www.bringbackthecranes.org/recovery/recv2009.html#Captive www.whoopingcrane.com/FLOCKSTATUS.HTM

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a closer shot of this Sandhill Crane or one without fencing in the background when a group of us had the privilege to visit the Calgary Zoo Ranch, just south of the city, on October 8th. They were at the far side of their enclosure and there is only maybe a foot-wide view through the fencing (and too many photographers with long lenses, lol!) - the rest of the fence is covered so that exposure to human beings is reduced to an absolute minimum. In 1985, the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre (DWCC) opened. Known as the "Zoo Ranch," this land south of Calgary is home to the breeding facilities for the endangered Whooping Cranes, Vancouver Island Marmots, Przwalksi wild horses and Zebra. Tremendous work is being done there to breed these endangered species, especially the fascinating Whooping Crane. These birds are kept in enclosures and any interaction with the staff is done using white "Crane costumes". The Whooping Crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild. The Sandhill Cranes can be given Whooping Crane eggs to hatch, which seems to work very well. Many thanks to Crane Keeper, Dwight Knapik for showing us around for the afternoon and filling us with so much interesting information.

Cropped to get rid of the metal fencing, but I couldn't avoid the shadow of it. A group of us had the privilege of seeing very rare Whooping Cranes as well as Sandhill Cranes at the Calgary Zoo Ranch, also known as the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre, located about 10 kilometers south of Calgary near DeWinton. Taken on October 8th. I have seen Sandhill Cranes in the wild three or four times, but always so far in the distance. Much as I wish this bird was flying free and could be photographed in the wild, its captivity does allow us to see it in close detail. Just love their beautiful, orange eyes. Also, sometimes these Sandhill Cranes are given the rare Whooping Cranes' eggs to hatch at the Ranch, which is a very valuable service.

I had never seen a Sandhill Crane swimming before, so it came as a surprise when I found two of them taking a swim in a pond at the Calgary Zoo. Taken on 8th October 2010.

This was the first time I had seen a Sandhill Crane swimming, so it felt quite strange. Taken on a pond at the Calgary Zoo more than a year ago, on 8th October 2010. The handful of Sandhill Cranes that I have seen in the wild were either very high up in flight or on land far, far away.

One of the Whooping Cranes at the Calgary Zoo Ranch, seen when a group of us had the privilege of visiting on September 25th. Tremendous work is being done there to breed several very endangered species, especially the fascinating Whooping Crane. These birds are kept in enclosures and any interaction with the staff is done using white "Crane costumes". The Whooping Crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild. Many thanks to Crane Keeper, Dwight Knapik for showing us around for the afternoon and filling us with interesting information. In 1985, the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre (DWCC) opened. Known as the "Zoo Ranch," this land south of Calgary is home to the breeding facilities for the endangered Whooping Cranes, Vancouver Island Marmots, Przwalksi wild horses and Zebra. "The only remaining flock of wild Whooping Cranes, the wintering population in coastal Texas, reached a low of 15 birds in the winter of 1941-42, and hovered between the low 20s and mid 30s over the next two decades. Efforts to locate the flock's breeding grounds intensified following World War II. Evidence of breeding was first reported in 1954, when several adults and pre-fledged juveniles were observed in Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) in Northwest Territories, Canada. Researchers were able to locate the first nests the following year. The inaccessibility of the breeding grounds, protection of the wintering grounds, and extensive public education campaigns have contributed to the population's increase to its current level." www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/cranes/grusamer.htm www.bringbackthecranes.org/recovery/recv2009.html#Captive www.whoopingcrane.com/FLOCKSTATUS.HTM

This Sandhill Crane was living in captivity at the Calgary Zoo Ranch, in an enclosure near the Whooping Cranes, just south of the city. A group of us had the privilege of visiting this place that is doing tremendous work in conservation. In 1985, the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre (DWCC) opened. Known as the "Zoo Ranch," this land south of Calgary is home to the breeding facilities for the endangered Whooping Cranes, Vancouver Island Marmots, Przwalksi wild horses and Grevy's Zebra. I have been lucky enough to see three or four Sandhill Cranes in the wild, but never a Whooping Crane. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandhill_Crane

One of the Whooping Cranes at the Calgary Zoo Ranch, south of the city, seen when a group of us had the privilege of visiting four days ago. Tremendous work is being done there to breed several very endangered species, especially the fascinating Whooping Crane. These birds are kept in enclosures and any interaction with the staff is done using white "Crane costumes". The Whooping Crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild. Many thanks to Crane Keeper, Dwight Knapik, for showing us around for the afternoon and filling us with interesting information. By the way, these birds don't stay still - they are constantly on the move and are a challenge to photograph : ) In 1985, the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre (DWCC) opened. Known as the "Zoo Ranch," this land south of Calgary is home to the breeding facilities for the endangered Whooping Cranes, Vancouver Island Marmots, Przwalksi wild horses and Zebra. "The only remaining flock of wild Whooping Cranes, the wintering population in coastal Texas, reached a low of 15 birds in the winter of 1941-42, and hovered between the low 20s and mid 30s over the next two decades. Efforts to locate the flock's breeding grounds intensified following World War II. Evidence of breeding was first reported in 1954, when several adults and pre-fledged juveniles were observed in Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) in Northwest Territories, Canada. Researchers were able to locate the first nests the following year. The inaccessibility of the breeding grounds, protection of the wintering grounds, and extensive public education campaigns have contributed to the population's increase to its current level." www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/cranes/grusamer.htm www.bringbackthecranes.org/recovery/recv2009.html#Captive www.whoopingcrane.com/FLOCKSTATUS.HTM

One of the Whooping Cranes at the Calgary Zoo Ranch, seen when a group of us had the privilege of visiting two days ago. Tremendous work is being done there to breed several very endangered species, especially the fascinating Whooping Crane. These birds are kept in enclosures and any interaction with the staff is done using white "Crane costumes". The Whooping Crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild. Many thanks to Crane Keeper, Dwight Knapik for showing us around for the afternoon and filling us with interesting information. In 1985, the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre (DWCC) opened. Known as the "Zoo Ranch," this land south of Calgary is home to the breeding facilities for the endangered Whooping Cranes, Vancouver Island Marmots, Przwalksi wild horses and Zebra. "The only remaining flock of wild Whooping Cranes, the wintering population in coastal Texas, reached a low of 15 birds in the winter of 1941-42, and hovered between the low 20s and mid 30s over the next two decades. Efforts to locate the flock's breeding grounds intensified following World War II. Evidence of breeding was first reported in 1954, when several adults and pre-fledged juveniles were observed in Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) in Northwest Territories, Canada. Researchers were able to locate the first nests the following year. The inaccessibility of the breeding grounds, protection of the wintering grounds, and extensive public education campaigns have contributed to the population's increase to its current level." www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/cranes/grusamer.htm www.bringbackthecranes.org/recovery/recv2009.html#Captive www.whoopingcrane.com/FLOCKSTATUS.HTM

What an afternoon outing I had with a friend on Monday! Not only did we see a Moose and a herd of Elk, but we were also thrilled to see this solitary Sandhill Crane north west of the city. We sat in the car and scanned the lake but saw nothing and were about to drive away when I suddenly spotted some movement amongst the bushes and dried grasses. Sure enough, it was exactly what we had hoped to find! It was far, far away, hidden by the bushes, but did come out into the open for a few brief moments. Though this is an 18x zoomed and heavily cropped image, I'm so happy to get any photo at all :) Thanks especially to my friend for driving and to Ron for telling me about these birds in the first place! This is the first Sandhill Crane I've seen in the wild, other than a couple that were flying so high a few years ago. talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=91

Would love to be able to tell you that we have these birds in the wild, BUT, this was of course taken at the Calgary Zoo (in July 2007). "The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats. There are two subspecies. The East African B. r. gibbericeps (Crested Crane) occurs from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda, of which it is the national bird, and Kenya to eastern South Africa. It has a larger area of bare red facial skin above the white patch than the smaller Balearica regulorum regulorum (South African Crowned Crane) which breeds from Angola south to South Africa. This species and the closely related Black Crowned Crane are the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches. The Grey Crowned Crane has a breeding display involving dancing, bowing, and jumping. It has a booming call which involves inflation of the red gular sac. It also makes a honking sound quite different from the trumpeting of other crane species. The head has a crown of stiff golden feathers. The sides of the face are white, and there is a bright red inflatable throat pouch. The bill is relatively short and grey, and the legs are black. The sexes are similar, although males tend to be slightly larger. Although the Grey Crowned Crane remains common over much of its range, it faces threats to its habitat due to drainage, overgrazing, and pesticide pollution." From Wikipedia website.