Hello all,
Yesterday afternoon, 7 February, I located an adult COMMON CRANE on a
private saline lake in Terry County, Texas. Needless to say, I was in the
right place at the right time when it flew by with a small flock of
Sandhill Cranes at 300-350 meters distance. Please note that this lake and
surrounding rangeland is PRIVATE with absolutely no public access or
viewing opportunities from county roads. So while the Common Crane is on
the lake in the afternoons it is NOT chaseable. However, the impressive
numbers of Lesser Sandhill Cranes that roost there are foraging at
locations south and southwest of the lake that are accessible via FM 168
and local county roads east of Brownfield. My low estimate yesterday
afternoon was about 40,000, with additional flocks yet to arrive.
Please be respectful of all private property boundaries in this area if you
wish to search for the Common Crane in the mornings when it is out
foraging. Be courteous and friendly to landowners and farmers. I cannot
stress this enough! I realize that the vast majority of birders are
respectful and well behaved, however, it only takes one incident to ruin it
for everyone.
Good birding,
Justin Bosler
Lubbock, TX
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