Brooke submitted the following images for your viewing pleasure. It’s interesting to see how the still sub-adult Whooping cranes have matured since they arrived at the St. Marks NWR winter site. Take a look at the images included in the December 5th entry and compare them to the ones below.
Whooping crane #5-12 in the foreground shares some crane chow with #7-12. Feed buckets are suspended from the fence to keep the food dry.
From left to right: #4-12 the oldest in the Class of 2012; #7-12 (she has always had the most brown feathers and appears to be the slowest to mature) and #5-12.
#5-12 stretches his wings
Always love more new photos of our birdies. Sure hope #11-12 is ok out there somewhere with Sandies or better yet, other Whoopers. She pulled a #2-11 on us. Will never forget “Amelia” either. Last we knew she was still alive and well with her Sandie friends in WI, at least. Don’t think the shooting of Sandhills should be allowed either since it endangers our Whoopers as they travel together so often.