Crane Ranch 3-5-23 - 3-11-23

Sunday was a busy, but fun day.  We enjoyed a stroll around the Fontainebleau Trail then went to Ocean Springs to check out yesterday's prescribed burn.  Surprisingly, we did not see the first sandhill crane.

  

We did a little bit of organizing on the bio boat.  While Lauren was turning the hitch around in a vise, it turned a bopped him in the nose.  It only brought a little bit of blood.

We thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon stroll along the Dees Trail finding several new plants blooming.  Spring is in the air. 

Sunday Pics:

Monday we got the new bio boat out, made sure we were ready for a float and took her out motor boating.  It is pretty nice to break in a boat on a 2 hour ride while taking in all kinds of nature.  Our favorite was seeing the Eaglet in the G16 nest standing proud.  It won't be long untill it fledges.

We made a ride to I10 and turned around, then spent a little bit of time exploring the bayou. We definitely had an office with a view!!

Monday Pics:

Tuesday, we took the Linas on a tour of the refuge. 

 

While we were out and about, we checked on the G11 eagle nest.  We were very surprised to find that there were 2 eagles in the nest and both of them fledged.  Awesome!

Tuesday Pics:

Wednesday, we had a Crane Tour with 6 people and the Lina's shadowing.  It was a no crane sighting day at the visitor center, but that wasn't a problem.  We had over 35 sightings while we were out and about.

We stopped by the Fire Center for lunch and to say farewell to our favorite Burn Boss then headed to Crossroads for a night or two.

Wednesday Pics:

We made it back to the Crane Ranch Friday.  One of our first things to do was to check on the Rock Hill family.  We weren't disappointed.  Mom, Dad, and the twins were foraging near the pond.  Our first Chick Buzz of 2023!!

We went with Scott, Theresa, and Jake to install an artificial nest platform at Vickers Pond.  We modified the platform by removing one of the wood side panels and filled it full of hay.  It looks like it might entice a crane to build a nest on.

 

We attempted to walk the Dees Trail when we got back, but turned around after it started raining.  We can do this on a prettier day.

While waiting on the rain to quit, we processed our pictures and made a Facebook post.  After the rain quit, we had a nice campfire then called it a night.

Friday Pics:

Saturday, we had another great crane tour for 6 people.  We saw all kinds of cool stuff while we were out and about.

The Rock Hill Family were photogenic for a bit, until the youngsters got in the shade. They were definitely a van full of happy people to see them.

Old Bad Beak Eaglet was standing tall.  His brother was lying down in the nest.  We found out this week that both of the Eaglets are male.

After our 3 hour tour, I worked in the visitor center while Lauren replaced headlights and wiper blades on the ox wagon.  

Saturday Pics:

Crane Ranch - 2-26-23 - 3-4-23

We celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary Sunday.  When we left the Crane Ranch we had the 2022 cohorts in the backyard.

We got to Meaher State Park a couple of hours before check in time.  Not a problem, we were the only ones with a cabin reserved today.  We are staying in the Eagle's Nest cabin on Duck Bay.  It is fantastic!

We have a great view of the bay and an Osprey nest.  The ospreys were busy all day bringing sticks and snacks to the nest.

We spent most of the day walking around, checking out the campground, the fishing pier, the beach, and the boardwalk.

We ate an early dinner at The Oyster House.  We got lucky again when we were seated at a table with a pristine water view.  The food was fantastic too.

After dinner, we relaxed at the cabin, then watched the sunset from the boardwalk.  This has been a fabulous celebration!!

Sunday Pics:

We got up before 6 am to watch the sunrise from the front porch of the cabin.  Unfortunately, there were too many clouds in the way.  Not a problem, we had plenty of critters to watch as we drank our coffee.

We spent most of the day relaxing at the cabin and taking in nature.  We did leave long enough to go on a hike at 5 Rivers and go out to eat.  The hike was nice, but the food at Longhorn Steak House was fabulous.

Monday Pics:

Tuesday morning we headed toward the Ranch.  Our 45 minute trip was extended to an hour and a half when we turned around to go back for my Yeti that I left on the rail of the porch.

We spent most of the day getting caught up on our pictures.

Tuesday Pics:

Wednesday was another fabulous day.  The day started with an email to Lauren requesting a picture of his for the cover of the Long Leaf Alliance magazine.  He met a writer for the magazine a few months ago that was here to take pictures of the cranes that never showed up.  Lauren offered him some photos of the cranes to use in his article.  He never dreamed that this would lead to his picture on the cover of the magazine.

The day just kept getting better.  We watched the banding of the twin Eaglets at the Beasley nest.  Not only did we both get to hold the eagles, Lauren got a TV interview with WLOX!  I was totally shocked when I turned around and saw him with a camera and mic pointed at him.  He did a really good job.  That gift of gab he has, paid off.

After all that excitement, we went with Scott, Theresa, and Jake to place an artificial nest platform in Maverick Pond.  When we passed the pasture, the mated pair was there.  The male crane decided to  show off his graceful moves. 

 

We put on our hip waders, (our very first experience to wear them), then waded through the pond to the other side.  We pounded the post in the ground and secured the nest platform.  The hay we put in it, just didn't look crane worthy, so we pulled up some grasses and piled it on top.  Hopefully, the cranes will use this nest instead of building their own, since last years nest got flooded.

We came back and relaxed at Camp Crane and enjoyed watching WLOX and WXXV news report about the eagle banding.  I am surprised Lauren was able to walk in the camper door after his big day.  I figured his head would be too big.

Wednesday Pics:

Thursday, we worked on Eagle pictures then made a Wally World run.  When we returned Lauren's new boat was here.  Actually, it's bio's boat, but Lauren was the one to convince them to get a bigger boat for the bird surveys.

We spent the afternoon, getting the stuff from the old boat to the new boat during off and on showers.  It was not a good day to take it out.

Thursday Pics:

Friday we were greeted by some of the HQ gang as we started our day at the visitor center.

We also had our first bloom of the year in the native plant garden, an Indian Blanket.

We piddled around most of the day, working in the visitor center, checking our fws emails, restocking brochures, and getting our new designed volunteer cards printed and laminated.  We also assisted with the gravel spreading at Camp Crane, (or rather, we mostly supervised).  Despite the obstacles Sami had with the skid steer breaking down, she did a fantastic job.  What should have been a quick job turned into most of the day.

  

Friday Pics:

We worked in the visitor center on Saturday.  Our first order of business was to fill the feeder at HQ, then we assisted Fire with media posts regarding today's prescribed burn.  The rest of the day was spent talking with the nice folks that stopped by, getting magnets done for the bookstore, and assisting our new Camp Crane residents, the Linas, get settled in.   

We had a late evening Camp Crane flyover when some the HQ gang were heading to their roost for the night.

Saturday Pics: