# Look what we had in our pasture Sunday morning!



## Farmer Kitty (Oct 13, 2008)

We had a visitor Sunday morning. They were out in our heifer pasture as we were setting up to dehorn the heifers.















The sandhill cranes we have until it's migrating time but, the whooping crane is different. There has been a group that have raised them and taught them to fly south in the fall and then north in the spring using an ultralight plane disquised as a huge whooping crane. I don't know why this one is with the sandhills and not the rest of the group but, it sure was neat to see it!


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## wynedot55 (Oct 13, 2008)

wow those are some great pics.i bet you was surprised to see the cranes an whooping crane out in your pasture.


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## Farmer Kitty (Oct 13, 2008)

Not the sandhill cranes--those darn things are there from spring to fall but, the whooping crane surprised us. I snuck down to take the pics and then when I was back up by the barns they flew off. Made a loop and came back right over me. I was so excited that I'm surprised the pics aren't blurry!


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## wynedot55 (Oct 13, 2008)

well they are great pics.


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## Thewife (Oct 13, 2008)

How cool!

We have Herons along the creek! When the fields flood, we get honkers and ducks!


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## mullers3acers (Oct 13, 2008)

About a week ago we had a Blue Heron in the field in front of property. It's the second one in the 12 years that we have lived here.


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## Farmer Kitty (Oct 13, 2008)

We've been seeing blue heron scattered here and there for a couple years now. It sure is good to see these birds coming back. 

They said on the news today that this is the 8th year of the whooping crane project here.


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## MissPrissy (Oct 13, 2008)

We stood outside this morning with my 2 yr old DS and watched a large formation of canadian geese fly over. They were loud. The honking set off my own geese.


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## Farmer Kitty (Oct 13, 2008)

Do your tame geese ever try to fly off with the Canadian geese?


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## MissPrissy (Oct 13, 2008)

They never try to fly at all. Probably because they are much too big. Think turkey sized.


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## Thewife (Oct 14, 2008)

I think my geese have told the honkers this is a good place to hang out! In the past, I would get a couple in the field by the house, but this past Spring I had a bigger flock hanging out!
It was kinda cool, I could look out to see the honkers, the wild turkeys, and my guineas all in the same field! Everynow and then a few chickens would make their way through the scene!


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## Farmer Kitty (Oct 14, 2008)

I bet that made a pretty picture!


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## Thewife (Oct 14, 2008)

I would make a pretty picture if I could get through the goose pen, with my camera and without the geese telling them I was coming!
Here's just a sliver of the view! I didn't even make it to the fence before most of the turkeys headed for the hills!


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## Farmer Kitty (Oct 14, 2008)

Naughty geese!  Not a bad view dispite them.


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## wynedot55 (Oct 14, 2008)

geese are tattletales  thats a great pic of them.


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## jhm47 (Oct 14, 2008)

I have read that some conservation entities have been taking the eggs from captive whooping cranes and putting them into the nests of sandhills.  The sandhills will raise the whoopers, and the whoopers migrate along with the sandhills.  Quite a novel idea.


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## Farmer Kitty (Oct 14, 2008)

That would explain why it was with the sandhill cranes.


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## MikkeyP (Feb 18, 2009)

When you first hear the cranes fly over, their calls are so wierd...The kids say they sound like what they think pteradactyls sounded like.  ha!!!
Its just really cool to see them and hear them.  I tell my kids they are so fortunate to be able to see wildlife like that.  We have lots of bald eagles around here and I tell them they are lucky about that too. 
MikkeyP


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