More Whooping Cranes with Fred and Becky

Our friends Fred and Becky came down to our area for two days of bird watching. They spent the first day at the Leorna Turnbill birding center. The next morning they drove over to our place for a morning of whooping crane watching in Lamar. Luckily the birds put on great displays, including a tricolor heron that was tempting a very large alligator. Both were on the lawn besides a blue house. We wondered how many birds that gator has eaten and suspect that the people living in the house don’t have a dog or cat.

We saw our first whooping cranes along Eighth street. A family group was close, but we could also see another threesome watching a feeder.

The first group was the most fun to watch as four sandhill cranes flew low over the whoopers and the male spread his wings in a threat display.

The colt, the young mottled brown and white whooper, spread its wings emulating the parent. The sandhills didn’t care and landed anyway but did keep a little distance from the large birds.A bit latter a plague, (flock) of grackles landed near them and the colt decided he would chase them away. The adults ignored the grackles but the young whooper knew he could win a fight against the small birds.

On the shore of a small pond Renita spotted and photographed a rosette spoonbill.

As we watched the birds a Swainson’s hawk landed on a power line pole. It was the same one we had spotted on our previous trip. Driving over to Big Tree three cara caras put on a display atop the live oaks.

The first two almost looked like they were nesting but we alter decided it was just a nest like tree branch. A little further another cara cara, (also called a Mexican Eagle and can be found in bird books grouped with falcons), stood proud on top of another live oak tree.

It posed and allowed us to get some great pictures, before flying away with the other two. Along the shorefront a great blue heron posed, we love it when they pose, and the usual Franklyn gulls dominated the posts.

A brown pelican landed on a pier, left over from a dock washed away by Hurricane Harvey. We did get one last treat as a third family group flew over the first one and the ones on the ground stretched their necks straight up and made a loud warning. Whoopers are very territorial and often get into fights. The flying group did not land and continued flying to a back bay.

A great day of birding had to end as it was a hot humid day and Fred and Becky’s dog rough, named from the brown Cajun mixture of butter and flour, was suffering from the conditions. We had planned on going to a local restaurant, but they left early. Renita and I decided to eat out and we shared a shrimp and sweet potatoes fries basket. Clear skies