FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] biologist tracking Whoopers in Western N.C.

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Bristol Area Birders:
The eight (8) Whooping Cranes were still on the Little Tennessee River this
morning, about 8 miles north of Franklin, NC off Hwy. 28.

Don Hendershot, who lives at Waynesville, NC, reported it was snowing there
this morning at 8:30 a.m.

One birder, who was trying to get the numbers from the marked bird and was
taking photographs, was confronted by a biologist with the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service who expressed considerable concern about the birder's
presence.

According to a spokesperson for the International Crane Foundation (ICF),
Baraboo, WI, the U.S.F&W.S. biologist is Richard Urbanek who also works with
the crane foundation and is a prominent crane researcher.  Urbanek and his
efforts with cranes is well known to Tennessee birders.

The ICF and U.S.F.&W.S. has a crew of three persons following the birds
which are now in Western North Carolina not far from the Tennessee line.

Don Hendershot, who first reported the birds to birders by e-mail, is making
a personal appeal to everyone to stay at a great distance from these birds.
Please do not get off the of Highway 28 and do not approach the birds in the
field for any reason whatsoever.  Everything is being carefully monitored by
the federal biologist and ICF project team at this point.  They are all on
the scene.

The ICF says they normally try to keep a day or two of delayed announcement
about the whereabouts of spring migration birds because this is a very
critical migration and a critical time for the success of this project.

The birds were brought down by ultralight aircraft last fall.  The left the
Chassahowiteka National Wildlife Refuge area in the central gulf coast of
Florida on March 30 and began their journey north.

The ICF spokesperson said these birds have probably been pushed a little
more east by weather than the anticipated north migration route.

Everyone who loves the Whooping Cranes, and enjoyed all the excitement of
this wonderful International Crane Foundation project, will make a wonderful
and valued contribution by respecting the needs of these eight Whooping
Cranes.

Stay well away from the birds.  Do not approach them.  Do not go into any of
the surrounding habitat.  Stay on Hwy. 28 and be very brief about the time
you spend in the area.

Let's go birding.....

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN


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