Crane Ranch - 2-5-23 - 2-11-23

Sunday morning I was awaken not once but twice by the calling of the cranes as they flew over Camp Crane.  Such a wonderful sound to wake up to.

We had a nice morning stroll along the Dees Trail and Crane Lane.

We cleaned up the van and took Judy, Terry, and her brother and sister-in-law on a Crane Tour.  When we pulled out on Crane Lane there were 5 cranes at the feeder.  We saw more cranes at the feeder than we did on the 2 1/2 hour tour.  We sure do miss the North Gautier Crane Circus.

G15 nest, one parent was in the nest with the Eaglets, the other was in a nearby tree watching. 

 

We built a fire and relaxed when we got back to Camp Crane.

Sunday Pics:

Monday, we spent the morning waiting for the plumber to repair pipes in the bunkhouse.  While waiting on him, we got the new bunkhouse screen door installed, cleaned out the front of the visitor center truck, and took care of recycling.  

We got a walk in along Crane Lane, then went to check out the aftermath of the first refuge prescribed burn of the year. 

 

The HQ Gang surprised us when we found them in the Crane Lane kiosk savanna.

We made a check on the Eagles nest and found both parents in a nearby tree keeping a keen eye on their Eaglets.  The Eaglets were not active during the time that we were there.

We had another nice campfire when we got back to Camp Crane. 

Monday Pics:

Tuesday, we got a few refuge projects done then bellied up on Chinese at Fusion Buffet in Pascagoula.  We got back and relaxed around a nice campfire.

Wednesday, my alarm clock was the sound of cranes at HQ.  It was 7:30 am and we needed to report to work at 8:30 a.m.  I am glad they woke me up.

We had a Crane Tour for a family of 6.  When they arrived they had a bonus kid.  The kids age range from 1 to 11 years of age.  The older kids had great questions and seemed to enjoy the tour. 

  

After we got back, we took the Interns motor boating.  We spent some time at the G16 eagles nest and found the parents and an Eaglet in the nest.  A great way to spend the afternoon.

We also had a couple of Ospreys that were mating across the way. These guys are getting an early start.

We relaxed for a bit at Camp Crane then called it a night.

Wednesday Pics:

Thursday we stayed inside the camper for most of this cool cloudy day.

Friday, was a rainy cool day.  We got out of the camper and got a few chores done around the visitor center, then stayed inside the camper for the rest of the day.

Saturday morning, 6 cranes flew down the bayou heading to the visitor center while we were drinking our coffee.  When Lauren went to get the van for our crane tour, 4 cranes were at the east end of the building.  One of them was NR22,(NV11 and 337 youngster).  Looks like he has been kicked out by his parents.  Which is a good indicator that nesting season has arrived.

We had 6 people that had signed up for the tour today, but only 2 of them showed up.  Which is understandable considering it was a rainy, cold day.  The 2 people that showed up, lucked out, seeing 18 sandhill cranes and a few other cool critters.

We got back, loaded up, and headed to Crossroads for the afternoon.

Saturday Pics:

Crane Ranch - 1-29-23 - 2-4-23

Sunday I was awakened by the elusive call of the Sandhill Cranes.  They were still hanging around when we got out and about.  

A check on the G15 Eagle Nest was successful.  One of the parents was perched in a nearby tree.  We confirmed that there are 2 Eaglets in the nest.  They were eating their grub and occasionally biting each other.  Unfortunately, the limbs were in the way to get a good picture, but it was so much fun to watch them through the scope.

We made a drive through the Gautier Unit, checked on the Rock Hill Pair, and the Dougie Family.  We had 18 crane sightings.  We are pretty sure that 3 of the sightings were the NV11 family that were flying around.

The Dougie Family was doing well foraging in a yard not very far from Briarcrest Road.

The rain set in this afternoon.  This is the 2nd Sunday in a row that we have stayed in for rain.

Sunday Pics:

Monday we decided we were going to take it easy.  The morning we had a nice stroll along Crane Lane then went on a Wally World trip.

Taking it easy changed this afternoon when the Fire Crew cut down trees at Camp Crane.  We helped them clean up and stack the wood, then got ole' Billy Goat out and blew off leaves and debris. 

 

Monday Pics:

We had a foggy Tuesday picnic lunch with the phenology group at GCCC, Gautier campus.  It was a great gathering with some nice folks.  We saw a couple of Bald Eagles and a few other birds during our outing.  The afternoon, I worked on the bookstore stuff and Lauren got a few errands done.

Tuesday Pics:

Wednesday, we had another fun Crane Tour for 6 people.  We saw a few different species of birds, including Banana.

The G15 nest had both parents nearby.  One of them was drying off in a dead tree, the other was on a limb above the nest.

As we were getting the Dees Trail counter stats this afternoon, we watched a Pileated Woodpecker excavating a hole in a nearby tree.  Maybe we will have a nest soon.

Wednesday Pics:

Thursday, we replaced some boards at the Oak Grove Trail boardwalks.  We could hear different birds singing, but never saw any while we were there.

We repaired a feeder that the deer are determined to tear up in Martin's pasture and checked on the G11 Eagle nest.  We finally saw a wing flop around in the nest and confirmed it is active.  Eagle watch is so much fun.

Thursday Pics:

Friday, we worked in the visitor center with Jeff.  I pretty much worked on orders for the bookstore while Lauren did odd and end stuff.  We had 9 cranes fly over around 7:30 am this morning heading toward the North Gautier Unit.  Five of them showed up later and enjoyed the fresh food and water that Lauren refilled today.

  

On a very happy note, the 2023 Wild Crane Population Report came out today.  The crane count is 161, up from the 150 of last year!!

On a happy, but sad note, it seems that Coconut has found a mate and moved from North Gautier to Ocean Springs.

We had an enjoyable crane tour Saturday morning seeing 10 sandhill cranes and a few other critters. 

 

We had Purple Finches join the many other birds under the feeder today.

The Dusky Gopher Tadpoles in the aquarium are really growing.  They have doubled in size since last week.

Friday/Saturday Pics:

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: