Wednesday, 30 November 2022

Whooping Cranes at ANWR (Part 1)

We chartered a birding guide/boat to take us through ANWR this year. The weather was horrible -- low 40s (°F), rainy, and windy -- but we saw a lot of birds, including ~20 whooping cranes. It was honestly one of the best experiences I've had. Totally worth it.

Female and juvenile whooping crane:
The female was catching crabs and eating berries while the juvenile was trying to figure out what to do.

Female:
The female was annoyed by our presence at first but calmed down after a short bit.

Juvenile whooping crane (and great blue heron):
While the female whooping crane was hunting for food, a great blue heron showed up. It was non-chalantly edging around the scene, looking for an easy snack. I always think of great blue herons as being large birds (and they are!) but the whooping cranes are a lot bigger...

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Snow Geese - Hagerman NWR (pt. 3)