We took a trip yesterday to one of our favorite birding spots, which I can’t disclose because…..we saw Whooping Cranes! There were 4 in one area, which were too far to photograph (though we could see them well with binoculars). But then we came across 2 more in a field much closer to us in the car. I still didn’t get a great photo since we forgot our nice camera with the telephoto lens, and I had to take pictures with my baptized-in-cake-batter iPhone.
We also saw some Sandhill Cranes fly overhead, which was nice too.
As Son1 pointed out, the 6 Whooping Cranes we saw probably constituted about 1% of the entire remaining world’s population. So sad.
Teresa Robeson 何顥思 
Whoop! Whoop!
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That would be a fun outing.
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I know, right, Julie? Super exciting!!
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It was wonderful, Pat! Even though my son attends the university in town, he lives on campus so it’s nice when he comes home and we can do things as a family again. 🙂
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So cool! What a fun excursion!
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We were super excited, Robin! It’s not every day one gets to see an endangered species. 🙂
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Neato! It is so exciting to see rare birds. I’ve never seen a Whooping Crane in real life but I just read that their numbers have been improving since the 1940s. In the 1940s, 6 birds was 40% of the population! I like their black wing tips, the way each feather is separate, like the expressive fingers of a dancer. I like that the black only appears when the bird spreads its wings… otherwise its body feathers appear to be all white. Magic!
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They really are magical! Their numbers have increased but it’s still in a precarious spot, unfortunately. Have you seen the PBS show (I want to say NOVA but I’m not positive) that was about their captive breeding program? It’s very cool that the scientists/breeders wear all white hazmat suits type outfits to disguise their human-ness and fly an ultralight to migrate with the birds. The Journey North website is a good place to follow their migration every year.
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Baptized-in-cake-batter iPhone! So funny! I’m glad it still works. I, too, love watching birds. Watching birds in flight is hypnotic. Very sad that these cranes are an endangered species. Your son is smart like his mama!
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Saw lots of storks on our trip. Wish I’d of thought to bring binoculars!
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Lynn, it is relaxing and hypnotic to watch them fly! My son has been smarter than I am since before he was 10. LOL!
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We never travel without binoculars, Julie! Lugged 3 pairs around the world to China…along with the big old DSLR camera with the telephoto lens. So glad we did, too. Did you get good photos of the storks even if you forgot your binoculars?
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Lynn, birds are really hypnotic and peaceful to watch! I’m glad the phone still mostly works, too; I don’t want to upgrade yet. My son has been smarter than I am since before the age of 10. LOL!
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The baptism by cake batter doesn’t seem to have damaged your phone too much, since you didn’t want it for conversing anyway. 😉
So cool to see the Whooping Cranes! At least they were seen by people who can appreciate them, that counts for something, doesn’t it?
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Yes, so glad you got some great photos!
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Great that you saw so many if there are hardly any left. They are so beautiful, how sad.
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Nope. Cheap camera isn’t capable on a moving train, but I enjoyed the ride and the view. More interesting though, were the number of abandoned buildings along the tracks in the former eastern parts of Germany. Shocking.
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Monica, yeah, all the stuff I really need still work fine, so it’s good. 😉 And, yes, it does count for something that we saw them and appreciated them.
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LOL, Yvette! I wouldn’t say they were great photos…or even good ones, but at least we got some photos, so it’s better than nothing. 🙂
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Catherine, it is very sad. The positive is that they are doing better, but still not really at a good number. :}
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That is perplexing that there would be so much abandoned space in that area, Julie. Glad you had a nice train ride, though!
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I’m not sure where I saw it, but I did see a documentary about them a while ago. I just remember them following an ultralight to migrate. That is crazy cool!
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It was a brilliant idea to raise those birds without them imprinting on humans. 🙂 And it’s so satisfying to have it work so well!
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