Whooping Cranes South Georgia

Four adult whooping cranes, on their own, wild and free. What a treat to encounter these rare creatures, practically in our own back yard! Severely endangered, these magnificent (tallest in North America) birds were nearly extinct in 1941 -- down to 16 or so birds. Today, there are around 150 in captivity and 300 in the wild, due to incredible efforts by a number of dedicated, hard-working groups and individuals. Loss of habitat -- particularly wetlands -- is one of the main reasons that these incredible creatures dance on the edge of extinction. Video by Barry Hyatt; still photos by Haley Hyatt.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• whooping
• cranes
• nature
• endangered
• species
• wild
• birds
• Lowndes
• County
• South
• Georgia

[unclesalts]

They are from a project to reintroduce whooping cranes to the eastern US. Stories on every crane released can be found online.

[bcmiller2000]

Question? " Loss of habitat~particularly wetlands~is one of the main reasons that these incredible creatures dance on the edge of extinction". How much wetland habitat has been lost in relation to bird population, past and present? Have you noticed losses of quality food sources (amphibians~reptiles~fish) from polluted waters? Clean air~ground~water is next to extinct in our world, we must all do our part. Contact your local Sierra Club or visit there main website for things you can do to help.

[Onekatmandu]

Beautiful. 5 ft tall?!

[edjenstew]

they are tagged

[Yatubjamespowell]

Though you might see some they are rare and now,because of this modern world dieing because of our monstrosity.

[jbfanshadow123]

At an annual weekend girl scout camp this year, and we saw at least 3...it was AMAZING!

[sprichbeeke]

What a remarkable experience that must have been! Great still photographs...liked that you also included a bit of the natural sounds! Thanks or this wonderful post!!!

[bkpass]

Wonderful, Haley.

Barbara Passmore