Crane Ranch - 1-22-23 - 1-28-23

We spent this rainy Sunday morning getting a few things done in the visitor center.  The HQ gang was hanging around until a person got too close and flushed them.  The rain continued in the afternoon which gave us plenty of time to catch up on the blog and volunteer minutes. 

Sunday Pics: 

Monday morning while washing clothes at the bunkhouse, we got the chance to admire one of Lauren's pictures displayed over the couch.

This afternoon we got the new DGF pump installed, then helped Theresa and Jake pressure wash and fill the tanks.  It was after 5 pm and cool by the time we got the 25 tanks filled.  The only pictures we took today were with our cell phones. This working stuff cuts into our picture taking time.

Tuesday, we got the substrate and boards placed in the DGF tanks and a few other chores around the visitor center.  This tank setup is a slow process.

Monday/Tuesday Pics:

Wednesday, we had 6 engaging people on our Crane Tour.  We saw 34 Sandhill Cranes and lots of other cool stuff as we were riding around.

Theresa, Jake, Rebecca, and Us got the plankton in the DGF tanks this afternoon.  The DGF  nursery is ready for the tadpoles.

During the tour this morning, we saw Banana alone in Valentine Savanna.  We have noticed her here alone several times.  As we were waiting for everyone to get their pictures, Lauren saw what he thought may be a crane on a nest.  After speaking to Scott, we went back to check it out.  We got so excited thinking maybe Coconut was on the nest while Banana was foraging.  What he thought was a crane nest was a bunch of dried out pitcher plants.  Bummer!!

After we made a Lowes run to pick up stuff for Bio, Lauren tried out his new, bigger and better zoom lens, actually it is an extender for the current lens. I even got in on the fun, getting a few shots of the Crane Gang posing nicely around HQ.

Wednesday Pics:

Thursday morning, the first order of business was hair cuts.  After that, we fixed four deer buster feeders then took a walk on the Dees Trail.   We found our first Southern Coastal Violet.  It is so nice to see this colorful bloom on this cold winter day.

Thursday Pics:

Friday, we picked up, or rathered sucked up DGF Tadpoles, using turkey basters to place them in their transport containers.  We acclimated them, then released them in the tanks.  We will be lucky to see any of these tiny tadpoles in this big tanks for a while.  

We had 3 of the HQ Gang flyover as we acclimating the tadpoles.  I sure hope they weren't scoping out a future meal.

We placed 5 tadpoles in an aquarium in the visitor center for folks to see, if they get lucky.

It has been a long day of standing around and waiting.

Friday Pics:

Saturday, we had 5 nice ladies join us for a Crane Tour.  They were greeted by 9 of the HQ gang when they arrived.  They put on a show flying around and calling.

We only saw 2 cranes in the North Gautier Unit, 2 on Gautier Vancleave Road, and 11 in the South Gautier Unit.  

We finally saw a wing flop in the Eagle Nest.  Pretty soon we should be able to see a head or 2 pop up.

While watching the Eagle nest, we had a White Pelican flyover.

The afternoon was spent hanging around the visitor center getting a few things done then watching the critters at Camp Crane.

Saturday Pics:

Crane Ranch - 1-16-23 - 1-21-23

Monday, we lounged around the hotel for a bit before heading back to the Crane Ranch.  It was a nice 3 1/2 hour ride home listening to oldies on the radio.

The HQ gang showed up a little while after we got back.  They were very vocal about folks being too close to their feeder in the backyard.

We made a walk along the Dees Trail and Crane Lane, then enjoyed an evening at Camp Crane.  The squirrels and birds seemed really happy we were back after we filled their feeders.

Monday Pics:

Tuesday, we did a few chores around the visitor center then checked on the Eagle's nests that were south of I10.  The parent on the Beasley nest kept a watchful eye on us.  The G11 parent was not happy with us gawking at it and gave us quite a talking to for the few minutes that we were there.  It was a no Eaglet sighting kind of day.

As we were heading out of the South Gautier Unit we saw an immature bald eagle fly up in a tree after getting his bath.  He was really shaking it to get the water out of his tail feathers.

We had another arm chair birding kind of evening at Camp Crane.

Tuesday Pics:

Wednesday, we had a double header of Crane Tours.  Both tours had very engaging nature enthusiasts, which makes these tours so enjoyable.

  

This afternoon, we relaxed by our first campfire of 2023.

Wednesday Pics:

Thursday, we got everything gathered up and went out to the DGF tanks to pressure wash them and fill them with water.  That mission was aborted when we realized the water pump is busted.  We will wait until next week for a replacement pump.  Bummer.

On a happy note, Lauren found the first bloom of the Primrose-leaved Violet today.  It is so nice to see a few winter blooms.

Thursday Pics:

Friday, we made a trip to Crossroads to change the oil in the truck.  It was a good thing we did.  We had power line issues that were quickly resolved by the power company. 

On our way to pick up Chinese food in Bogalusa, we saw lots of Cormorants. 

 

We had our picnic lunch at Crossroads and headed back to the Ranch.   The HQ gang were foraging in the back yard when we returned.

Friday Pics:

Saturday morning, 3 of the HQ crew were walking on Crane Lane.  They turned right heading to the bunkhouse when the other 7 flew in and joined them.

  

One of the couples that were on this morning's tour stopped for them and waited for them to fly off as they were driving on Crane Lane.  Close encounters of the Crane Kind!

It was a cloudy day with occasional light showers. We saw several deer, cranes, and a few other bird species on this 2 hour tour.

The afternoon was spent piddling around in the visitor center.  

Saturday Pics:

Crane Ranch 1-8-23 - 1-15-23

We had a laid back kind of day on Sunday.  We lounged around with Anita at Island View, said hello to Jackie and Randy, ate breakfast at Waffle house, and went shopping at Sams.  We got back and relaxed for the rest of the day.  It was a no picture taking kind of day.

Monday we got in about 3 miles of walking at the refuge.  We found a lot of cool things on our walk, including our first violet of the year, a White Bog Violet.  

Monday Pics:

Tuesday we got a few projects done around the refuge, then relaxed at Camp Crane.

Tuesday Pics:

Wednesday, we had a couple waiting on us when we opened the visitor center in the hopes of getting on the Crane Tour.  It was their lucky day.  The person that booked all the spots cancelled at the last minute.

We had a terrific tour.  There were so many cranes flying around shortly after entering Browns Trail, that we lost count.  What a performance!

We saw all kind of birds and such on this 4 hour tour. 

 

The afternoon, we did a little bit of piddling, then relaxed at Camp Crane.

Wednesday Pics:

Thursday as we were doing a few errands at the refuge, six of the HQ gang were hanging around for most of the day  When they walk from the pen to the feeder through the tall grass, the song, "Walk this way" plays through my head. 

 

Thursday Pics:  

Friday, we took a break from the Crane Ranch and headed to Decatur, Alabama to check out The Festival of Cranes.  When we left, it was 45 degrees.  When we arrived at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, it was a cold 37 degrees on this cloudy, windy day.

We were in Crane Heaven when we entered the gate.  There were sandhill cranes everywhere and the sound was phenomenal.  They had several viewing areas where we saw more sandhill cranes and a lot of waterfowl.  The indoor viewing area was nice and warm with speakers so you could hear them calling.  It was a mesmerizing experience for these 2 Craniacs.

After we checked into the room, we ate at Big Bob's Barbeque Restaurant.   The food was awesome.  We had our first white barbeque sauce, but not our last.  It was so good that we purchased a bottle of it to take home. 

Tomorrow the festival continues!

Friday Pics:

Saturday, we were on the road at 7 am.  We were amazed at all the sandhill cranes that were roosting in the shallow water on both sides of the road.  The biggest congregations that we saw had no pull offs for photo opportunities.    

We picked up breakfast, went to the Flint Creek day use parking lot, took a few pictures of cranes and one lone beaver, then got back in the truck to eat.  With the temps in the low 30's. on this cloudy breezy morning it was too cold to stay out very long.  

We joined the other couple of hundred people for a refuge bird walk at 8 am.  A couple of them we had met before.  One of them was from the Gulf Coast and another was from Gulf Shores.  This nature chasing is awesome.  We also ran into a couple of Scott's colleagues and passed along hello from him.

After the bird walk, we continued to brave the elements with a Birding 101 walk.  Both walks were worth weathering the elements.

We went to town for the rest of the events.  The Wings to Soar was awesome!  It was so cool to see these awesome raptors up close and personal.  All of them were fascinating.  The Black Vulture and the Harris's Hawk were released and flew around in the theater.  The vulture flew right over everyone's heads, then walked behind the presenter biting his pant leg.  The Harris's Hawk didn't perform as well.  After he was released he perched on the wall decorations.

    

While making our rounds to the different exhibits, we got to meet George Archibald, one of the co-founders of International Crane Foundation.  When he found out we were from the Ms. Sandhill Crane Refuge, he told us that he and Scott were friends.  We already knew that and  passed along Scott's hello to him.  

We also watched the California Condor presentation, reliving our time that we spent at the Vermillion Cliffs and Navajo Bridge a few years back in pursuit of these endangered creatures.  Another interesting topic.

The grand finale of the day was a presentation by George Archibald.  A great way to wrap up the day.

We made a drive through the refuge and decided we would go back to the room and relax for the day.  It still amazes us that this many cranes are this close to Mississippi and this is the first time we have come here during their migration.

Saturday Pics:

Sunday was another funday.  We thought about getting up early and going to Wheeler for an early crane watch.  Instead, we decided to relax and ease into the day.  Not a problem, when we walked out of the hotel this morning we heard the call of the sandhill cranes as they were flying over.  

The first thing on the agenda this morning, after getting some grub, was to go to Joe Duff's presentation at the Princess Theater.  He was one of the masterminds that taught the eastern population of Whooping Cranes to migrate. We were a little early, and got lucky enough to talk to him at the ICF booth that was being manned by Wheeler Volunteers.  When he found out we were volunteers at the Crane Ranch, he asked us to tell Scott hello if we ever see him.  We assured him, that we would have no problem passing on his message.  Joe Duff's presentation was awesome.  

We found out from the local volunteers where we could find Whooping Cranes.  We went on a mission.  Not only did we find the 6 whoopers that were there, but we found a lot of cool water fowl. It was definitely worth a couple of hours of time and a 3 1/2 mile round trip walk.

We stopped by Wheeler for a last looksy on our way out of town.  The mission was aborted when we found a line of vehicles waiting to park.

We stopped for the night in Tuscaloosa, bellied up at Olive Garden, and are chilling out in the hotel.  We will continue our trek to the Crane Ranch tomorrow.  As great as it has been to see 1000's of Sandhill Cranes, (actually the last count was above 18,000), we can't wait to get back to our elusive 150 Mississippi Sandhill Cranes!

Sunday Pics: