Sandhill Cranes Are Treasured Wonders~

Kentucky...my home, the land that I love... is just about the only state in the United States of America to vote in the legal hunting of the Sandhill Cranes late last year.  I along with hundreds of other people tried to no avail to get the proposal stopped. 

The only time that I had ever viewed these majestic birds was from a great distance in Wyoming last September.
 
Vickie Henderson was the one person instrumental in giving me the idea to begin a blog 3 years ago this spring.  She also is the one person whom has shared so much of her heart and knowledge with those whom would be interested in knowing the wonders of these amazing bird.  Some 12,000 Sandhill Cranes are now staging in and around the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Dayton,TN.

Though I have not been feeling well, this was going to be my only chance this year to view these magnificent birds and so my husby drove us down for a look-see on Sunday evening and we returned yesterday evening...a whirlwind 715 mile journey...

The images are all quite pixelated, for the distance is pretty far from the viewing of these birds.  These first shares were taken from my car window in a cow pasture off of a well maintained road.  Add to this, the fact that from start to finish we had nothing but rain, rain, rain...we were still pleased to have witnessed these beauties, just stunning! 

Oh yes, and I came home with tummy flu to add to my woes...oh woe is me, I am not one of those...

" This year, the sandhills have a celebrity in their midst. On Dec. 13, birdwatchers spotted an Asian hooded crane, a species normally seen only in Southeast Asia, China and Japan. How the crane ended up in Tennessee is still a mystery.

Birding experts doubt the crane escaped from captivity because it hasn't been banded. Nor have its primary feathers been removed to prevent it from flying.
Most believe the Asian hooded crane is a wild bird that lost its way. Some even speculate its mysterious arrival may be related to the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last March.
Scott Somershoe, state ornithologist for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, said an Asian hooded crane was spotted last year with a western flock of sandhill cranes in Nebraska and Idaho. This same individual bird could somehow have connected with the eastern population of sandhills to end up at the Hiwassee Refuge, he said."

Please be sure to stop by "World Bird Wednesday" for more bird images from around the world~

* Note: Vickie Henderson shared this with me, so I wanted to also share it, to be accurate with my information~

Only state in the east hunting cranes. The Eastern Population is a separate population that migrates in the Miss/Atlantic flyway and was nearly extirpated in the early thirties. Cranes have historically been hunted in the central flyway and have not been known to experience decline. I am not for hunting any cranes. They are too wonderful.