I never imagined I'd be able to start a blog with a story this amazing! Earlier in the week I got a chance to go visit my parents for a night. My Mom was at work so we decided to have lunch with her on our way home after she was off work. While we were talking she asked if I had seen that there was a Hooded Crane at Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. I immediately began formulating a plan to spend the as long as it took the next day out at the refuge. The Hooded Crane is normally found in China, Japan or South Korea. There are no accepted ABA (American Birding Association) records currently for North America although one was reported in Idaho last year and one in Nebraska this year.
Anyway so Friday morning (12/16/11) I got up at 5:30 am and headed out to try and find this beautiful rare bird. I arrived at Hiwassee's viewing platform at about 7:30 am just as it was becoming light. There were only about 6 Sandhill Cranes visible at the time. The weather was chilly and wet so the cranes weren't very inclined to move. After awhile the rain let up and the Sandhills began moving in but no sign of the Hooded. At about 10:15 one person caught a glimpse of the Hooded Crane as it flew across where his spotting scoped was pointed but it flew behind the trees and no one saw the Hooded again that day. We did get some beautiful views of Bald Eagles, a Northern Harrier, 2 White Pelicans, and finally about 3 something in the afternoon we had an immature Whooping Crane fly in. Whooping Cranes are very rare with only about 100-150 wild birds left in the world. The ones we see at Hiwassee are not considered wild because they are raised by humans who then help them migrate. Hopefully someday wild Whoopers will once again come through this area. But once again I digress, I stayed till 5:45 pm Friday with no sign of the Hooded Crane, so I determined to come back the next day and stay till I had to go to work or it showed up.
Saturday morning I got up at 6 am and headed back out to Hiwassee. I arrived at about 7:20 the weather was bitterly cold but the sky was clear. There were already quite a few Sandhill Cranes visible and only a few minutes after my arrival someone found an immature Whooping Crane. Suddenly one of the ladies there started beckoning for someone to look through her scope. Charles Murray (one of the first people to see the Hooded Crane) came over and confirmed that what she was looking at was the Hooded Crane. Several people allowed me to get good looks through their scopes and I even got a fairly decent digiscope picture (see the birds section). I observed the Hooded Crane from about 7:45 till about 8:20 am and it gave some beautiful views to many people. I then returned home happily to take a nap before work.
Anyway so Friday morning (12/16/11) I got up at 5:30 am and headed out to try and find this beautiful rare bird. I arrived at Hiwassee's viewing platform at about 7:30 am just as it was becoming light. There were only about 6 Sandhill Cranes visible at the time. The weather was chilly and wet so the cranes weren't very inclined to move. After awhile the rain let up and the Sandhills began moving in but no sign of the Hooded. At about 10:15 one person caught a glimpse of the Hooded Crane as it flew across where his spotting scoped was pointed but it flew behind the trees and no one saw the Hooded again that day. We did get some beautiful views of Bald Eagles, a Northern Harrier, 2 White Pelicans, and finally about 3 something in the afternoon we had an immature Whooping Crane fly in. Whooping Cranes are very rare with only about 100-150 wild birds left in the world. The ones we see at Hiwassee are not considered wild because they are raised by humans who then help them migrate. Hopefully someday wild Whoopers will once again come through this area. But once again I digress, I stayed till 5:45 pm Friday with no sign of the Hooded Crane, so I determined to come back the next day and stay till I had to go to work or it showed up.
Saturday morning I got up at 6 am and headed back out to Hiwassee. I arrived at about 7:20 the weather was bitterly cold but the sky was clear. There were already quite a few Sandhill Cranes visible and only a few minutes after my arrival someone found an immature Whooping Crane. Suddenly one of the ladies there started beckoning for someone to look through her scope. Charles Murray (one of the first people to see the Hooded Crane) came over and confirmed that what she was looking at was the Hooded Crane. Several people allowed me to get good looks through their scopes and I even got a fairly decent digiscope picture (see the birds section). I observed the Hooded Crane from about 7:45 till about 8:20 am and it gave some beautiful views to many people. I then returned home happily to take a nap before work.