Telling Tuesday

 Back in October Mom went on a tour they had at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. 

For the first time ever Mom saw the MS Sandhill Cranes. These guys were hanging out behind the Visitor's Center. This is probably the closest Mom got to them.

 By the way it was raining, while the cranes don't mind rain, they don't get out when it's windy.




 Mom says this is a diorama it was inside the Visitor's Center, there was also audio so you could hear how they sound.

 And this is what a chick would look like. See how the nest is mounded up so it's higher than the surrounding ground, this is because there is usually water around it. Their habitats consist of Wet Pine Savannas, Cypress Strand, and Gulf Coast Prairie.

 Wet pine savannas are open, nearly treeless, fire-dependent plant communities dominated by well-developed ground cover and some low shrubs. Wet pine savannas are found on poorly drained hydric soils with long periods of soil saturation.
 Cypress strands are forested wetlands that occupy low-gradient drains through the savannas. Soils are full of organic matter and stream flow is diffuse.Shallow cypress ponds are important nesting sites for Misssissippi sandhill cranes.
The Gulf Coast Prairie is made up of predominantly wire and switch grasses, The prairie habitat is a vital one for numerous species of birds that require the tall grasses to feed and nest. It is also a favored feeding ground for the Mississippi sandhill crane.

 They drove around in areas around the refuge, some of the birds were in peoples yards.


 The people are nice and don't mind the birds or the people stopping in their driveway to look at them.

 Mom also saw a deer on the way back to the refuge.

 It was raining pretty hard by then so it was hard to get a good picture.

~ATCAD

9 comments:

Eastside Cats said...

There are a few MetroParks in the Metro Detroit area that have sand hill cranes, that are so used to humans that sometimes one shares the walking path with them!
Not I...I stand way back and allow them to go their own way. They are wonderful to see up close.

Millie and Walter said...

How fun to get to visit that place and see those big beautiful birds.

pilch92 said...

Those are great shots.

Timmy Tomcat said...

We always enjoy seeing wildlife in its natural state. Thanks

Sandee said...

I would have enjoyed seeing this in person. I love birds.

Have a fabulous day. ♥

Ruby Rose and the Big Little Angels 3 said...

It looks like a whooping good time.

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

OMC! A big fat baby birdie? DAD, we want some turkey next meal...

Meezer's Mews & Terrieristical Woofs said...

Aren't those birds magnificent?!

We have a festival for those birds here each fall...
We see lots of them from early spring till mid fall. Sometimes even in the field across the street from our house.

jank1961 said...

Very cool! When we visited the TX coast we tried to see the Whooping Cranes but never did. We saw so many other birds though, at the Aransas Wildlife Refuge and in other places in Port Aransas, it was my favorite part of our trip.
Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets