Ed: The Sandhill Cranes at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge are of a different subspecies, Grus canadensis pulla , the Mississippi Sandhill Crane, than those recently seen in Kingsport and throughout Tennessee during fall and winter. The Mississippi subspecies is Federally Endangered and is one of three nonmigatory sandhill crane subspecies, the others being G. c. nesiotes , the Cuban Sandhill Crane (the largest bird on the island) and G. c. pratensis , the Florida Sandhill Crane. Migratory sandhills seen passing through Tennessee (including the Hiwassee Refuge birds) and other Southeastern states in winter and fall are mostly Greater Sandhill Cranes, G. c. tabida, the largest subspecies. The other two migratory subspecies include the Lesser Sandhill Crane (the most numerous subspecies) G. c. canadensis and the the Canadian Sandhill Crane, G. c. rowani . Troy Ettel State Ornithologist Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency P.O. Box 40747 Nashville, TN 37204 (615) 781-6653 Troy.Ettel@xxxxxxxxxxx >>> Edburkekc@xxxxxxx 03/07/02 10:08AM >>> HI: I was interested to read about the cranes over Kingsport. I was driving throug h Mississippi about ten days ago and drove off the highway to the Sand Hill Crane Nature Preserve there. It was closed but I talked with a lady who gave me a map and my wife and I set out to see them. She said their cranes do not migrate but stayed there all the time. We drove for a nember of miles seeing none at most of the places she marked. Finally close to a site marked we saw a couple walking around in a yard(field) by a house. We were glad to see those, my first. If they stop off in the area, I would like to know about it. Ed Burke Bristol ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST This is a regional birding list sponsored by the Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. It serves the Russell County Bird Club, Herndon Chapter TOS, Greeneville TOS Chapter, Blue Ridge Birders Club, Butternut Nature Club, Buchanan County Bird Club, Bristol Bird Club, Clinch Valley Bird Club and Cumberland Nature Club. -------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to Bristol-Birds. To post to this mailing list, simply send an email to: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send an email to bristol-birds-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the one word 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. -------------------------------------------------- Wallace Coffey, Moderator jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423)764-3958 ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST This is a regional birding list sponsored by the Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. It serves the Russell County Bird Club, Herndon Chapter TOS, Greeneville TOS Chapter, Blue Ridge Birders Club, Butternut Nature Club, Buchanan County Bird Club, Bristol Bird Club, Clinch Valley Bird Club and Cumberland Nature Club. -------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to Bristol-Birds. To post to this mailing list, simply send an email to: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send an email to bristol-birds-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the one word 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. -------------------------------------------------- Wallace Coffey, Moderator jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423)764-3958