Greetings All:
The crane was a massive WHITE bird with a yellowish bill, reddish cap, and
black half mask around a white patch behind the eye. Somehow my windswept
brain converted the size and the facial pattern to Common Crane while
completely ignoring the color. Not having any field guides with me did not
help (long story involving a serious need to clean the car and loss of will
when it came time to reload the car).
Photographs, as bad as they are, don't lie, though, and the bird in
question was an adult Whooping Crane.
I went out with Drew Harvey in an attempt to relocate the bird but had no
luck. The flock was still there but they had moved up and over the hill
top to an area where along the tops of the heads could be seen.
I do apologize for my initial error:)
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
