[TN-Bird] Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge January 14 AM Update

From: Charles Murray <dro_1945@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 08:23:49 -0800 (PST)

Does bad weather bring good birding? Heavy rains fell overnight as a cold front
approached the SE Tennessee area. From the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park
overlook in Meigs County at Birchwood this morning, I saw over one thousand
sandhill cranes, probably more than half a dozen immature bald eagles (4 for
sure) and half a dozen whooping cranes. Later in the morning at the Hiwassee
Wildlife Refuge gazebo, I observed a few hundred sandhill cranes and one
whooping crane. More sandhill cranes were flying into the area as I was
leaving, and I noted around sixty sandhills in a field a few miles from the
gazebo near a portion of the HWR.

From March 24, 2012, when the hooded crane and all the sandhill cranes were
gone from HWR, through January 13, 2013, there have been over 1950 recorded
visits to the HWR gazebo. On Saturday, January 12, 2013, there were at least
188 visitors. The total number of visits is likely significantly greater than
these data because some visitors don't see the visitors list and, therefore,
are not counted. Visitors from 33 states and 5 countries have been documented
on the visitors lists during that time period.

Thanks to
Jason Jackson, TWRA manager at HWR, and to his staff for putting up some new
and informative posters in the gazebo relating to sandhill and whooping cranes.

Directions to the HWR can
be found at:
http://www.tnwatchablewildlife.org/watchareadetails.cfm?uid=09071608273977728&region=Hiwassee_Refuge&statearea=East_Tennessee
Please locate and sign the
TOS visitors list when you're at HWR!
Charles Murray
Birchwood,
TN

[TN-Bird] Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge January 14 AM Update

Other related posts: