[cripplecreek]

A few Whooping cranes have been showing up here in Michigan over the last few years.

[patriot08]

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Sorry I couldn’t make most of my links ‘live’.
Afraid you’ll need to copy and paste.
I’m not all that good with HTML. :)

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[crusty old prospector]

I wish we still had horny toads. Must be from Climate Change.

[fella]

Sadly I read that 3 whooping cranes had been found shot recently.

If I could afford it I would add to that reward and throw in an old fashioned Oklahoma stomping for free.

[9422WMR]

They left out the Texas Horny Toad.
Wiped out by fire ants and the chemical pushers....

[JoeProBono]

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

I’ve seen pink flamingos (I think that’s what they are) flying about down here in Texas. Also big vultures that swoop down for my dog. At least I think it was a vulture. Twas a huge thing, huge wing-span, middle of the night. Just came down and almost got my dog. Was gone after it failed.

[GladesGuru]

Snad Hill Cranes (Sandys) were used here in Florida as substitute parents to Whooping Cranes. Cranes will lay another egg if the first is taken soon after laying. This makes possible using the first egg to double the annual reproductive rate but twice the number of parents are needed - enter the Sandys.

It works. In Brandon, Fl a pair of Sandys was raising a Whooper when the Gubment AgencyPersons had to intervene. Seems the Sandy parents were taking their Whooper juvenile to construction sites AT LUNCHTIME!

Mr & Mrs Birdbrain were smart enough to realize when the equipment stopped moving and the featherless bipeds got off, all they had to do was walk up and part of construction worker lunches was offered.

If one wants lots of any critter like birds, put the issue up for bids. Hatchery owners can raise any number of birds the market will pay for, and will also condition the birds for a fee. Better, faster, and cheaper than AgencyPersons, too.

Sand Hill Cranes were once numerous, were shot down to very low levels, and have rebounded to the extent there is(and should be) a hunting season.

Same could be for Whoopers.

What does America want, AgencyPersons or Whoopers?

[Jet Jaguar]

Bump

[Hot Tabasco]

He's 6' tall, wingspread 7 1/2'

My first thought was a small NBA point guard....LOL!

[CatherineofAragon]

Thanks, y’all.

That’s a beautiful little cat. I like that little tortoise, too.

[radu]

We've been tickled to death to have a flock of 7 Whoopers spending time on our farm in southern Middle TN the past week. It's only the 2nd time I'm aware of they've been seen on the ground in our county, the other time being 3 or 4 years ago. They were only here a day or 2 that time. I've notified the FWS so they'd have the info for their records.

Our camera tends to blur things a little on 'zoom' but we've taken several pix of these magnificent birds each day. I snapped this one yesterday.....