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Monday, December 27, 2010

A Tribute to Sandhill Cranes in Tennessee

This post contains a lovely tribute to the eastern population of Greater Sandhill cranes that migrates through my home state of Tennessee.  The slideshow was created by talented members of the Riverwalk Bird Club in southeast Tennessee and features images of sandhill cranes arriving, landing, foraging and departing the Hiwassee State Wildlife Refuge near Dayton, TN.  Foraging right along with the sandhill cranes, you will also see endangered Whooping cranes that mingle with sandhills at this refuge.

A special 'thank you' to Charles Dean, Bret Douglas, and Cynthia and Jimmy Wilkerson for their beautiful photography!

In recent years the refuge has been a major staging area and the midway point for migrating sandhill cranes who are funneled through the state as the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways come together through Tennessee.  Cranes are attracted to the wide-open confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee Rivers which form shallows, safe roosting sites for cranes.  Both sandhill cranes and Whooping cranes must roost in shallow water to find safety from nocturnal predators.  The planting of corn and wheat at the refuge for overwintering waterfowl and other species has provided a place where cranes can forage and rest before continuing on their migration.  In recent years, the weather has been hospitable and food plentiful enough, that many cranes have also wintered over in the refuge area.  This has been a divergence from the population's historical migration pattern.  
Sandhill fly-in at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, TN.  Watercolor by Vickie Henderson.

To read more about this hunt proposal visit the following links:

Sandhill Crane Hunting in TN?  Multiple factors say NO and Sandhill Family Life

Julie Zickefoose's discussion on 10,000 Birds:  Sandhill Cranes: Game Birds? and
Shooting Sandhills in Tennessee

TN Ornithological Society's information and position on the proposed sandhill crane hunt and TN Ornithological Society's letter to the Commission

Gary Louck of Greenback, TN--blog post, Cranes in Peril--gives his own position on the hunt proposal and includes other letters written to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission

Stephen Lyn Bales, author of Ghost Birds:  Sandhill Hunting in Tennessee?
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3 comments:

  1. KellyDecember 28, 2010 at 1:20 AM

    I sent them a letter early on, Vicki...thanks for getting this news out. You've done so much! Your painting is gorgeous as well.

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  2. Lisa at GreenbowDecember 28, 2010 at 7:39 AM

    This watercolor is gorgeous. We have smaller congregations of Sandhills that rest in the surrounding fields during migration.

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  3. Chris PetrakDecember 29, 2010 at 4:25 PM

    You have such varied and interesting subjects in your posts - and wonderful artwork. I always enjoy reading, even though I sometimes have to read a bunch of posts at a time and don't always have time on my end to leave a thoughtful comment. This one on the cranes is one for thought. I am not a hunter and don't understand the thrill of killing, so crane hunting brings from me an immediate "no." But why do I feel that way about cranes, yet reluctantly say ok to ducks. Duck hunters have done a lot for conservation (duck stamps) and to improve/preserve nesting habitat. Anyway, perhaps the biggest question this crane hunting provokes is how will they insure that the hunters do take a whooping crane by mistake? Bet they don't have an answer for that?

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