It was a lazy Sunday at Camp Crane today. We went on a Walmart run right before lunch after playing on the computer for quite a few hours. We did a Dees Trail and Crane Lane walk this afternoon, enjoying the critters along the way. As we were sitting on the back porch of the Visitors Center, 4 of the HQ 5 did a fly over. 3 of the 4 were flying in sequence. There is always one of the bunch that has to be the odd ball.
It was a cold, windy Monday, but at least it was sunny. The HQ 5 were in the parking lot when we went to the VC.
We got a few chores done at the VC and a few chores done in the camper. We made a stroll down Crane Lane and back this afternoon. When we left for our stroll the HQ 5 were in the backyard. When we returned, NV11 and 337 were in the backyard.
The Crane World was in havoc Tuesday morning. Scott put a blind near the HQ feeder to try and catch the Cranes for tracker replacements. The HQ 5 spent the morning peep guard calling and pacing in the backyard. At least 4 of the 5 were peeping. Mist is beginning to get his adult voice. They finally settled down this afternoon and ate from the feeder.
We got ole Billy Goat out and blew off the debris from the roads this afternoon then went to check out the G11 Eagle nest. We could not confirm an active nest. We will go back with a scope for a better look. We did see an immature Eagle perched in a tree and a couple of Cranes.
The HQ 5 hung around for most of the day until roost time. The reflection of the sunset made them look like Pink Flamingos as they flew above the bayou.
It was slacker Wednesday. We took a ride to look for the South Gautier Eagles with the scope. After looking in the scope in the bed of the truck, we still cannot confirm an active nest at G14.
On our way in, we saw Greg and 5 Sandhill Cranes in Firetower Pond.
While looking at the G14 nest, we saw bunches of Cedar Waxwing in the nearby trees.
We made our usual loop to the powerlines seeing the resident Kestrel then went for a Beasley Road ride. Near the turnaround, we found a Grey Ghost (Northern Harrier) hunting over the savanna.
We saw all kinds of birds after we turned around. We found a Common Yellow-throat, several different sparrows, and other species.
We stopped by the Fire Center to assist the interns with their weed-eater woes then went to the North Gautier Unit. The Cranes were flying around everywhere when we entered the unit.
We saw our first 2022 Pale Pitcher Plant bloom on the way out. This prompted a walk in the savanna where we found an almost Butterwort bloom. It doesn't take much to appease us.
We enjoyed an early afternoon campfire with smore's, then called it a night.
Thursday we started out slow. We had a HQ 5 flyover that we expected to go North. Instead, they flew over the trees at Camp Crane and headed Easterly flying over the bayou.
We took a stroll along the Dees Trail and updated, (or removed), plant markers. The bloom chasing is slow in January.
We strolled along Cane Lane found a couple of butterflies. One of them we thought was dead in the road. When we came back, he was moving around.
We decided to clean up the Project Manager's vehicle. A few hours later and a lot of scrubbing, it looks much better.
After a Lowe's run we were finally done for the day.
We had a nice propane campfire, watching Ferny Kat chase birds, then called it a night.
We got our Crane Lane walk in Friday morning, then got distracted and never got a Dees Trail walk in.
We made a Walmart run, then did a few chores to earn our keep. Afterwards, we checked on the Eagles at the South Gautier Unit.
We saw the resident couple of Cranes at Firetower Pond and then saw 5 more fly away from the I10 Crop Unit.
We found 12 more Cranes inside the Ben Williams Pen. On our walk to the blind to get a closer look, we flushed 2 Eagles.
Before returning to Camp Crane, we went searching for the Rock Hill Fam. Found them near Gautier/Vancleave road foraging in a yard.
The HQ 5 were on their way to the HQ feeder when we returned. They make frequent stops during the day, which is good for the many people that are stopping by to see cranes.
We relaxed by an afternoon fire and wrapped up the day.
We went to Pascagoula River Audubon Center for a bird walk and a Climate Watch talk. Tim was the birding leader. He probably has forgot more about birds than we will ever know. The birds were very cooperative and active on this cloudy morning.
One of the first stops was to see the nesting Great Horned Owl. She kept a keen eye on us, while we watched numerous species in the trees around her.
We have been hearing a lot about the climate watch, but never really understood what the program was about until today. The Gulf Coast Audubon is focusing on Brown-headed Nuthatches which is one of our favorite birds. We have always admired them and enjoyed their squeaky toy sound while they are bustling around in the trees.
Afterwards, we rode along the Pascagoula Beach and a few of the piers. We saw quite a few beauties on this long way home.
We did a little bit of work at the FB Trail parking area and a little bit of road work at Brown's Trail. We saw 9 Sandhill Cranes on our way to the trail and the usual herd at the North Gautier Unit. We surprised Jabba, VI19 and their unb partner near the Gautier pen.
We saw at least 15 Cranes near Valentine Pond from Browns Trail. They were quite vocal, so we kept on trucking and let them be. We didn't even bother with a pic.
The rain set in about the time we returned. When we opened the camper door, Ferny Kat bailed out. We sat under the front of the camper as she enjoyed the rain. Crazy cat!!
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