Topic: Operation Migration

[Michael]

They may, but it just be that the weather has altered - the old patterns are no longer valid.

[Nichi]

The OM people are keeping an eye on the Class of 2011 in their 'spontaneous' Alabama wintering home. I'm sure they are holding their breath -

Here is one of the 2011 Chicklets calling it a night to go roost.

[Nichi]

Last year, I pretty much took a break from reading too much about the cranes, and from watching the cam. Seemed that everytime I turned around, there were stories from all over the country about the cranes getting shot - never for a discernible reason. The rare times the guilty were caught, their fine/punishment was a travesty of justice. Very disturbing.

I thought to peek in this am, though. The Class of 2013 has 8 members. They're in the phase of training where they learn to follow the trike - the most airborne they've gotten so far is a couple of feet off the ground. Fun to watch, nonetheless.

There has been a little drama the past few days. A couple of 2012 graduates have found their way back to the area, and one of them has been aggressive to the chicks through the fence.  Strange position for the workers, who on the one hand must be happy to see them doing so well, but who must also run interference and protect the current class. It was fascinating watching the older ones wander around a bit bewildered, with a knowing that they belonged there, but aware that nothing was the same.

There were also a couple of Sandhills in the area, but they left when the trike showed up.

At any rate, wanted to share that things were getting interesting there. I'm sure that gradually, they will be more and more airborne.

The time to watch the action is between 6am and 8:30am EST, if you're interested. (You'll have to correct for the time difference.)

http://www.ustream.tv/migratingcranes

[Nichi]

Photos by Tom Schulz

(They're flying higher now.)

[Nichi]

From this am.



They aren't pros yet, but they're trying.

[Michael]

love that bluish colouring

[Nichi]

love that bluish colouring

This stretch of marsh is privy to morning fog. Training yesterday began a little before the fog had entirely burned off, which accounts for the blue.  It is pretty!

[Nichi]

Being fed grapes and mealworms after training.

[Nichi]

[Nichi]

This is why it's a thorny, tricky road keeping up with all of this. This legislation is supposed to pass today, even though 888 of the 1073 polled were AGAINST it. That prediction recognizes who is "in power": the devil.   A lot of tears are involved, when the predator is humanity itself.

Sandhill Crane Hunting Appears Likely Tennessee

Knoxville, TN (WTVC-TV) - Tennessee moved one step closer to having a hunting season for sandhill cranes Thursday. It was standing room only in a Knoxville conference room as wildlife officials, hunters, wildlife watchers and conservationists from across the state gathered to consider whether or not to hunt sandhill cranes during a 3-year experimental season. The season would only be open in Southeast Tennessee, east of Hwy. 56 and south of I-40.

Six members of the Wildlife Management Committee of the Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission who were present unanimously approved a recommendation to hunt sandhill cranes beginning this Fall. The issue will be voted on by the full 13-member commission Friday morning, It's unclear how many commissioners will attend. Only ten were present for Thursday's committee meetings. With six members already expressing support for the season, passage on Friday seems likely.

Thursday afternoon a long list of hunting season supporters and opponents addressed wildlife commissioners about the issue that has already been widely-debated for more than two years. In 2011 the wildlife commission deferred the issue, opting for additional study.

During a recent public comment period, 1,073 people submitted their opinion. Officials said 888 of those comments were opposed to a hunting season.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency biologists say the population of sandhill cranes, mostly concentrated in southeast Tennessee around the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, can easily sustain regulated hunting. Fifteen other states in the U.S. already have sandhill hunting seasons, including Kentucky. TWRA biologists have proposed a shortened season for Tennessee with reduced shooting hours in an effort to "compromise" with opponents on whether to allow hunting of sandhill cranes in Tennessee.

However, opponents say the benefits of wildlife watching, and the well-known Sandhill Crane Festival at the Hiwassee Refuge provide greater benefits.

Dr. Robert Brewer, president of the Cleveland State Community College Wildlife Society said however, "Hunting and crane viewing can occur together. Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge only exists because of hunters' dollars who have provided the habitat and maintence of this area that attracted the cranes."

Opponents however fear that hunting, even limited hunting, will be harmful and potentially lead to inadvertent kills of whooping cranes, a federally endangered species, which also migrates through the area.

Vicki Henderson, representing the Tennessee Ornithological Society, said "We do  not support the sandhill crane season."

Henderson said there are a mere 104 whooping cranes in the entire East, and most migrate through Tennessee. While adult whooping cranes are almost solid white she showed several photographs illustrating that juvenile whooping cranes and sandhills have very similar plummage and are hard to identify in the field.

Biologists said they reduced legal shooting hours to avoid "low light" situations and said that before receiving a permit, hunters will be required to pass a mandatory bird identification class.

Henderson said there is no significant proven need for a hunting season. She said however that there are thousands of people who have a strong "emotional attachment" to the birds. She said that last year the 22nd annual Sandhill Crane Festival provided $232,000 of direct economic impact to the area.

Avid birdwatcher Ken Dubke from Chattanooga emphasized he has no personal objections to hunting. But he believes the benefits the sandhill cranes bring to the area far outweight any the benfits of hunting them.0

"More money can be made from people coming to observe the cranes than can be made from shooting 50 or 100 of them," said Dubke.

Ben Yandell with the Kentucky Sandhill Crane Coalition, formed to try and stop crane hunting in that state, said by virtue of what they do, wildlife commissioners are typically pro-hunting.

"As non-hunters, we do not have a seat at the table," said Yandell. "We ask that before you vote you take that into consideration and remember those of us who do not have a seat at the table."

Numerous speakers agreed with Yandell, pointing out that the wildlife commission is expected to represent everyone in Tennessee, not just hunters.

Frank Duff spoke out in support of a hunting season. Duff said he is a hunter and owns a farm adjacent to the refuge. Duff said he plants 80-100 acres of crops every year. He said in past years he has had a federal depradation permit that allowed him to kill sandhill cranes that were damaging his crops.

"It doesn't work," Duff told wildlife commissioners. "With a depredation permit you cannot shoot them with any kind of concealment. You're not allowed to even hide behind a bush or in a treeline. You drive into a field with a shotgun but they're smart and they leave. As soon as you're gone, they come back. And if you do shoot one you're required to leave it to rot in the field."

Tennessee Sen. Mike Bell spoke out in support of a hunting season. Sen. Bell, who represents nine southeast Tennessee counties, including the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, said wildlife commissioners need to base their decisions on the science and not based on public opinion.

"Are we going to make our decisions about what we hunt based on emotions or on biology and best management practices," asked Sen. Bell. "I hope you will listen to the science and the expert biologists at TWRA and vote in favor of a hunting [crane] season."

Prior to voting in favor of the hunting season, Wildlife Commissioner Jim Bledsoe said, "I don't see that we're taking anything away from anybody. The festival is still going to be supported and the cranes are still going to be here."

Commissioners will convene at 9 am Friday for the final vote on the issue.


by Richard Simms
http://www.newschannel9.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_6741.shtml?fb_comment_id=fbc_1393457414214636_23890_1393862257507485#f2dbdfdc9c

Their Wildlife Commissioner doesn't see that "anything will be taken from anybody," but hello, what about the lives of the cranes?

This just proves that the ones mongering the power feel that they have been merely "indulgent" to the little conservationists.  It drives me MAD.

[Michael]

That is unfortunate.

[Nichi]

Tom Schulz

[Nichi]

They hold to this protocol all the way through. They never speak around the cranes, never present
to the babies in street clothes, and communicate through the hand puppet.  Here the "tume" (costumed)
offers grapes and other treats.

But I wonder if the birds really believe the tumes are cranes, hmm.

[Nichi]

A new word for me today:

Zugunruhe (pronounced German pronunciation: [ˈtsuːkˌʔʊnʁuːə]) is a German compound word consisting of Zug (move, migration) and Unruhe (anxiety, restlessness).

In ethology it describes anxious behavior in migratory animals, especially in birds during the normal migration period. When these animals are enclosed, such as in an Emlen funnel, zugunruhe serves to study the seasonal cycles of the migratory syndrome. Zugunruhe involves increased activity towards and after dusk with changes in the normal sleep pattern.[1] Researchers have been able to study the endocrine controls and navigational mechanisms associated with migration by studying zugunruhe. ~Wiki

I'll bet Michael has zugunruhe about now.

[Michael]

We are both under its influence right now