FreeLists / va-richmond-general / [va-richmond-general] Re: mystery bird

["Al Warfield" <warfield101@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Margaret,

 I do remember hearing about a group of a dozen or so Sandhill Cranes flying 
over here a few years ago. I don't think they are any bigger than the GBH 
though. We saw some in Texas about a month ago - near Aransas NWR, and got 
pictures of them on the ground in a big grassy field. They are also seen 
regularly in the Okefenokee Swamp NWR in southern Georgia, and other places 
along the Atlantic flyway.

Al
----- Original Message ----- 
From: heron329@xxxxxxx 
To: johnwcoe@xxxxxxxxxxx ; va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Cc: AAASlate@xxxxxxx 
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 6:47 PM
Subject: [va-richmond-general] mystery bird


 
My son and I were driving on Meadowbridge Road this morning (Tuesday ) by the 
huge grassy parking lots of the Richmond International Raceway which are beside 
the Chickahominy Swamp.  We saw an very large bird flying over the fields, 
larger than a Great Blue Heron, flying with its long neck extended.  The light 
was such that it looked uniformly gray.

I am very familiar with Great Blue Herons, and this was not a heron. It was 
much larger, and we watched it fly parallel to us for some distance, and it 
flew the entire time with its neck extended.  The bill was long and straight, 
and its long legs trailed behind.  The only thing I can think of is a Sandhill 
Crane.  Am I missing something obvious?  What else could it have been?  Could a 
Sandhill Crane be passing through here?  Thoughts?

Margaret O'Bryan


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