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Whooping it Up Whether March comes in like a lion or a lamb, the first of the month means you've got a measly 45 days to untangle your income tax, and even less time to see the great, majestic and endangered whooping cranes while they're still in Texas. Come April 1st, the 150-odd members of the world's only wild, migrating flock of whooping cranes are expected to have left their winter home at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge for a 2,500-mile journey back to Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada. Once there, they'll make their nests and raise their young over the spring and summer, returning to Texas in the fall. I love big wading birds. Great blue herons are the most common ones that live near me, and if I don't get around to visiting them on Austin's Town Lake several times a week, something's not right with my world. A egret is a nice sight to see, and the roseate spoonbill is very cool, too. But the whooping crane is extra-extra-special. For one thing, they're really, really big. Standing upwards of five feet tall, the whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America, almost humanlike in scale. But a human with even just one ounce of humility in his or her soul can't help but be inspired by the presence of a bird of such awesome dimensions. A whooper's wing span can range up to seven and-a-half feet. They glide effortlessly through the air, necks fully extended (a trait that distinguishes them from other large wading birds -- herons, for example, who fly with necks folded back, like an S), spiraling up into the heavens on thermal updrafts. Boosted by a stiff tail wind, a whooping crane was once clocked going 107.5 kilometers per hour. Normally, during migration, their average speed is about 53 kph. The whooping crane's name is derived from its vibrant, trumpetlike call, which can be heard for miles. John James Audubon, the nineteenth century naturalist for whom the Audubon Society was named, was especially fascinated by whooping cranes. He kept a one-winged crane for a pet and grew quite fond of it. Less fortunate cranes ended up on Audubon's dinner table. He described the flesh of the young birds as "tender and juicy, of a colour resembling that of young venison, "and excellent eating." Well, those were different times. During the Civil War, there was an estimated 1,400 whooping cranes in America. As humans moved in, whoopers faded out. By 1940 there were fewer than 16 whooping cranes left in the country. Now, thanks to preservation efforts such as the establishment of the 100,000-acre Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in 1937, the population has rebounded and currently hovers around 150 cranes in the migrating flock. In other locations, there are two dozen or so other whooping cranes living in the wild as a result of experimental breeding programs. Like the cranes you see at the zoo, however, these birds do not migrate. Seeing the Texas whooping crane flock is relatively easy. The Aransas Wildlife Refuge, located 85 miles from Corpus Christi off Texas Highway 35, is open to the public, admission $3 per person or $5 per car. If you're lucky, the catwalks in the refuge will bring you close enough to view the cranes with binoculars, not to mention a bounty of other wildlife, including alligators, deer, javelinas, feral hogs, armadillos, raccoons, cougars, and bobcats. If you're really, really lucky, you might even spy the whoopers doing their mating dance, which is reportedly quite a sight to see. However, one must bear in mind that the whooping crane is an incredibly suspicious bird (Audubon even observed that his pet whooper was extremely cautious in approaching a head of cabbage), and well aware of the fact that most of its enemies approach by land. So you might do better by booking a boat excursion. In the Rockport area, there are at least nine companies that do birdwatching tours. Link up to the Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce, or call 800/826-6441 for information on boat tours and lodging in nearby Rockport. According to my research, the hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts look quite reasonable, and many places offer their own fishing piers. Captain Ted is probably the best-known birding boat tour operation, and so far, seems to be the only one with its own website. But the endangered cranes themselves seem to be thriving in cyberspace . Visit the Canadian Wildlife Service for a nice, insightful overview of the whooping crane's history, and check out The Majestic & Endangered Whooping Crane: An Alberta, Canada Perspectivefor many, many links to other sites. The Corpus Christi Caller Times birdwatching site is a great place to look up information on all kinds of birds, from the big daddy whooping crane to the tiny tufted titmouse. There are also links to bird-related chats. By the way, the link to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge listed above is not their official site, but one of many maintained by the Caller Times. To contact the Wildlife Refuge itself, call 512/286-3559. (3/1/98) |
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